Announcing the Norbert W. Young ‘70 and Christine H. Young BCMA Internship Fund

Art and design have long been woven into the professional and personal lives of Norb ’70 and Christine Young. For Norb, design was an important element of his work in construction and real estate, and for Christine, a career in medical publishing was followed by a new focus on landscape design and horticulture. Both have deeply enjoyed and valued the aspects of their successful careers in which design work played a central role.

Unsurprisingly, both also are devoted art collectors. Norb’s passion for art was nurtured at the BCMA when he was a student at Bowdoin, and he remembers fondly his time helping with matting and framing works of art in the basement of the Walker Art Building. Newly married in 1969, Norb and Chris lived off campus and together appreciated the offerings of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA). The couple have built, over fifty-plus years, a remarkable collection of art focused on the State of Maine, covering the walls of their home in Bass Harbor, Maine. Their collection was guided in no small part by the late art historian, curator, and collector David Becker ’70, a classmate of Norb’s and dear friend of both Norb and Chris for more than forty years.

Norb and Chris’s professional experiences, devotion to the arts, and connection to the  BCMA inspired them to provide opportunities for future generations of Bowdoin students to have hands-on experiences at the BCMA. To that end, they recently established the Norbert W. Young ‘70 and Christine H. Young BCMA Internship Fund, which provides Bowdoin students with internship opportunities at the BCMA. The couple hope these experiences will provide a spark that leads students to discover their passion for art and design.

Norb and Chris believe that this moment in the BCMA’s history is the right time for them to support its internship program, a program that they feel is poised to have a profound impact on the student experience for years to come. “Anne and Frank Goodyear are hitting their stride at the Museum in integrating its activities and remarkable staff with the College, particularly with the students,” they explain. “We are glad our gift will allow some of these students to have the vitally important, but rare, chance to develop critical thinking and appreciation for art in all its presentations, beginning now and lasting through a legacy well beyond our own lifespan!”

The Museum is deeply grateful for a transformative gift that will ensure that future generations of students continue to benefit from the opportunity to work with original works of art, to connect with contemporary artists, to conduct original research, and, above all, to enrich the institution and the experience of its audiences with their insights and reflections.