Museum of Art receives grant from MetLife Foundation MetLife Foundation has announced the grant winners of its 2008 Museum and Community Connections program. The grants, totaling $1,000,000, were awarded to 16 museums for exhibitions, artist residencies, and other programs that extend their reach into diverse communities and make art a part of people's lives. North Dakota Museum of Art is one of the recipients. "MetLife Foundation has a long history of partnering with museums to support educational opportunities for people of all ages," said Sibyl Jacobson, president and CEO, MetLife Foundation. "Museums enrich our lives in many ways, increase understanding of our world and reflect diverse cultural traditions. MetLife Foundation is pleased to make investments in projects that reach out to people in imaginative ways." The goal of the competitive program is to broaden arts programming and promote museums as centers of education without boundaries. Winners were selected on the basis of their potential to engage diverse populations in the arts, creativity and innovation, and commitment to community. Sharon Etemad, new senior development specialist at the Museum, garnered her first grant: $65,000 to extend our Rural School Initiative into northwest Minnesota. -- Laurel Reuter, North Dakota Museum of Art.