By Bella Grimaldi Staff Writer The Danforth Art Museum received a $50,000 endowment from Framingham State alumna Joan E. Murtaugh, Class of ’61, according to Curator Jessica Roscio. The endowment will be used to help the museum’s efforts to conserve artwork. Murtaugh said while at FSU, she took multiple art classes and earned her art certification from taking graduate classes at the University. Her relationship with the Danforth grew from visits to the museum to making donations and then to developing the conservation fund. “I would say that she's a true friend of the Danforth and the University,” said Roscio. She added, “The most recent gift will allow us to take more money out of the endowed fund every year. “The fund allows us to not only take better care of our collection, but to make it more available to everyone who visits the museum, and that's really what we're supposed to be doing.” Murtaugh’s funds have already conserved five works owned by the Danforth, according to Roscio. The works include a mixed media piece by Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith, a watercolor by Hughie Lee-Smith, a lithograph by Isabel Bishop, an oil painting by Robert Duncanson, and an oil painting by Philip Leslie Hale. “We've taken the pieces to different conservators … so depending on what that person's specialty is, is where we take the work.” said Roscio. According to Roscio, the Danforth has utilized two conservators on art pieces: Lisa Mehlin, a paintings conservator, and Northeast Document Conservation Center, which handles works on paper. Since Murtaugh’s donation, the Danforth has installed a plaque naming one of the galleries after her niece. Murtaugh said, “Attending some of their open houses and seeing the artwork that they acquire, things from the new artists that are there, and being on the Foundation Board, I get the chance to hear Jessica, the curator, present all of this. [It] has spurred me on and created an interest. “I think it's important to have the artwork that people create, to have it preserved, and it sort of helps to represent culture, and it helps people to learn,” she added. Roscio said, “Besides the Conservation Fund, which is a long-lasting gift, she has supported staffing when we needed to give some of our staff more hours a few years ago. … She's given money toward or supported exhibitions [and given] scholarships in the art school.” Freshman Marian Awuah said, “I like the Danforth Art Museum because I like seeing the amazing art people have created over the years. There’s a lot of creativity.” She added, “It makes me feel happy that they’re continuing to create art and put it on display for people to see.” Sophomore Miranda Allicon said she loved taking art classes at the Danforth and noted how beautiful the museum is. She said she enjoyed the collection she saw when she was last there. “I thought it was very inspiring and moving,” she added. Freshman Archith Thipparthi said he enjoyed the historical aspect of the museum and expressed interest in seeing the new collection. Senior Hailey Baker said she has enjoyed going to the Danforth and seeing the new exhibits there. “I like seeing the changes that they’re able to put into place to make it different every time you go.” Baker said the museum restoring artwork is “pretty interesting, because it's things that you would never think to go look at. … You would never think that restoring art will have such an impact, but a lot of the time, the art trends stay the same throughout the years, and that's a way that you can see that.”