21st-century public spirit

As the decades passed, government supplanted charity in certain aspects of public life, and private institutions such as hospitals and universities began to compete for the loyalties and affections of charitable givers. Over time, it seemed less and less possible for a civic institution to marshal the forces necessary to do something big. That sad commentary on civic life suddenly seems less applicable than ever. The new Art of the Americas wing of the MFA, which is opening today with a free community celebration, is something big — a major addition to the cultural life of the city. And the way it was funded, with contributions from leading Boston businesses and individuals, harks back to the highest aspirations of the 19th-century patrons.

More than 25,000 people and businesses contributed to raise $504 million, of which $345 million went to the new wing. With its 53 galleries of differing shapes and sizes, the Art of the Americas wing manages to feel intimate, but its impact on Boston’s premier museum is grand. It stands as a statement that even institutions whose greatest treasures were amassed decades ago can grow in size and spirit. The same can be said of the city around it, where titans like Bank of America and State Street Bank, and families with names as varied as Linde, Shapiro, Alfond, Behrakis, and Logie — all of whom gave more than $10 million — have taken on the fundraising role once played by the old Brahmins of Beacon Hill.

Boston’s civic institutions, including the MFA, are the physical expression of the city’s pride. The library, museum, and symphony arose in part through the determination of individual Bostonians that their city should be second to none in the world. The names of those great patrons, from George Ticknor to Henry Lee Higginson, are distant echoes, but their pride is visible every day on the streets of the city. The same will be true of those who support today’s civic improvements.