Jess Berlanga Taylor serves as executive director and chief campus curator at UC San Diego PHOTO CREDIT: Stacy Keck
“Joan and I have been friends of the Stuart Collection since its very early days and have always appreciated the profound beauty those pieces have added to the lives of everyone on campus,” said Jacobs. “Now, as the campus has started a new chapter with Jess Berlanga Taylor, I am pleased to support her vision of bringing exciting new artists into this enterprise. I know Joan would feel the same.”
Jill and Peter Kraus have collected contemporary art for 40 years, and they are well-known for commissioning 20 site-specific artworks on their property in New York’s Hudson River Valley. Jill Kraus is a member of the Stuart Collection International Advisory Board, as well as the Board of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, where she sits on the Executive Committee. She also served as chair of the Board of the Public Art Fund for nine years. Peter Kraus is chair of the Board of Directors at the Rauschenberg Foundation, which builds on the legacy of artist Robert Rauschenberg.
“I have enjoyed my association with the Stuart Collection advisory board, as it is composed of outstanding people who continue to introduce me to new artists,” said Jill Kraus. “Peter and I believe that the Emerging Artists Program will serve to broaden the reach and depth of this collection at UC San Diego even further.”
The Krauses and Jacobs each gave $500,000, totaling $1 million in philanthropic support for the Emerging Artists Program.
“The generosity of the Kraus and Jacobs families is not just a gift — it’s a catalyst,” UC San Diego Executive Director and Chief Campus Curator Jess Berlanga Taylor said. “Their support allows the Stuart Collection to amplify groundbreaking artists whose work challenges, inspires and transforms. Together, we’re shaping the future of art at UC San Diego and beyond.”