The University of Wisconsin-Madison has announced a $4.6 million gift from the estate of Ruth Danielson Davis to its School of Human Ecology.

The gift will support the Ruth Davis Design Gallery, which is named in honor of Davis, a professor at the school for thirty years and the author of a textbook on design fundamentals. The climate-controlled gallery in LEED-certified Nancy Nicholas Hall showcases the work of students, faculty, and community artists and hosts a variety of traveling exhibitions.

Davis, who died in 2011, viewed the natural environment as the source for sound design thinking and initiated the school's exhibitions of student work. "Professor Davis recognized very early how important it is to give students the experience of critical public exposure of their work," said Virginia "Terry" Boyd, interim director of the Textile, Research, Education, and Outreach Design Lab. "It is essential in their growth as a design professional. The new gallery now gives students a professional environment for their work."