Cameron Art Museum receives $1.5 million grant after record year

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Cameron Art Museum has received a $1.5 million grant to help build an education pavilion and begin work on an art park, following a year of record attendance.

The New Hanover Community Endowment grant will support new outdoor spaces for arts education, family programs and recreation at the Wilmington museum.

An initial $750,000 payment will help unlock a $500,000 matching gift from the Anonymous Trust. The remaining $750,000 will be released once the museum raises an equal amount, bringing the potential combined investment to $2.75 million.

“Our attendance grew 30% this year because people are coming together through art,” museum CEO Heather Wilson said. “The Education Pavilion and Art Park will give children, families, and our whole community even more ways to do that.”

Wilson announced the grant and released the museum’s fiscal year 2026 annual report at the State of the CAM event Nov. 4.

The museum welcomed 86,866 visitors during the fiscal year, which ran from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. The total included more than 6,200 schoolchildren and represented a 30% increase over the previous year. Visitors came from 88 of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

Other highlights from the report include:

• The museum offered 13 exhibitions, 65 public programs, 106 classes and workshops, 250 registered tours and 25 summer camps.
• More than 4,400 students attended Museum School, and the museum paid $128,999 directly to artists.
• Free or discounted museum access increased by 33%.
• More than 500 students attended the museum’s first College Night, and 555 guests attended an exhibition opening in November 2025, the largest opening in its history.
• More than 50 community partners served an eight-county region, while 103 volunteers contributed 3,499 hours.

The museum said it ended the fiscal year with a balanced budget and no long-term debt. It also received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in July 2025.