The California Institute of the Arts has announced a $5 million gift from Eileen Harris Norton to establish and endow a faculty chair in its School of Art.

In addition to the chair, which has been named for faculty member Charles Gaines, the first to hold it, the gift will be used to facilitate the development of research, creative activities, and curriculum innovation by Black and underrepresented faculty members. Preference for future appointments to the position will be given to faculty from underrepresented groups, including those who self-identify as Black.

Norton is co-founder, with Allan DiCastro and CalArts alumnus Mark Bradford, of Art + Practice, an organization that supports the needs of foster youth transitioning into adulthood and provides free access to museum-curated contemporary art by artists of color.

"I am so honored that Eileen Harris Norton has made such a remarkable and transformative gift to benefit the School of Art,” said Gaines. "Her selfless generosity will help generations of students at CalArts and provide a springboard for the much-needed and long-overdue development of underrepresented faculty. Her critical investment will be felt across the institute — and the art world — for a very long time."