After an introduction by University of Georgia president Michael Adams to museum director, William Eiland, Thompson stated in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that “an instant meeting of the minds” occurred. “I talked to Bill a little about my background, being from a small town [Hannibal] in Missouri, and how important I think it is being able to expand cultural opportunities for kids in small towns all around the state of Georgia,” Thompson said in an AJC interview. “We had a very similar vision, and he took it beyond what even I envisioned.” Museum board chair Carl Mullis said in the same interview that the art donation was “transformative” for the official state art museum of Georgia.
“They always told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be, that I could be an artist,” a student wrote in the feedback book at the University of Maryland’s David C. Driskell Center. “But no one ever told me I could create the kind of art I wanted to create.” This comment from an African American student on a feedback form in particular moved the Thompsons deeply. The student had viewed the national touring exhibit Tradition Redefined comprised of pieces from the Thompsons’ collection during its stop at the University of Maryland.
The Thompsons have compiled over 600 works over a span of forty years. Their support of merging artists is paralleled with that of well-known artists. “It’s a lot, and it’s a responsibility. … People have entrusted us with works, and so it’s best to place as many as we can in the next 20 years or so,” Mr. Thompson said.
