The painter Jasper Johns is known for his taciturn bearing, but when arts patron and philanthropist Judy Dayton walked into his Connecticut studio about a decade ago, he lit up.
"She drew the sunshine out of him," said former Walker Art Center director Olga Viso, who was part of the visit. "It was clear that he felt great about not just what she had done for him, but for artists and arts institutions."
A quiet grande dame of Twin Cities culture and philanthropy, Dayton supported bedrock Minnesota arts and cultural institutions such as the Walker Art Center, the Minnesota Opera and the Minnesota Orchestra with her treasure, creativity and time. She died Wednesday at home of congestive heart failure. She was 94.
As matriarch of a family known for its civic contributions, Dayton was the first female president of the Walker and served on its board for 52 years. She led capital campaigns and served on boards including the orchestra, the Blake School, the Science Museum, and the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund, a PAC supporting women running for political office. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, to which she and husband Ken Dayton donated art and money, is one of her legacies. She underwrote the Walker's acquisition of Jasper Johns' collection.
"The Dayton family members are a huge part of why we have the vibrant arts scene we have in the Twin Cities, and we wouldn't be who we are without them," said philanthropist Penny Winton. "Judy and [late husband] Ken were so modest about what they did, never hungering for accolades but always hugely generous to community. They really wanted to get rid of — and put to good use — that stuff called money. It was hot in their hands."
That ethos was common to all five brothers who founded Target Corp. and instilled a civic engagement and communitarian spirit that lives on. Judy Dayton embodied that ethos, said philanthropist Margaret Wurtele.
"They were a model not only of financial support but also the kind of personal involvement and embedding in organizations, not in an obnoxious way, but in ways that were supportive, positive and really about service," Wurtele said.
"If you try to talk with her about all she's done for the Walker or any organization, she would turn the table on you and talk about what the Walker did for her," Walker Art Center director Mary Ceruti said. "Art was what filled her life and she appreciated. Her philanthropy came naturally out of that."
