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“We are investing for a better tomorrow,” would say Myrna Palley, Miami-based philanthropist who believed in putting her money where her mouth was.
Both Myrna and her husband of almost 64 years, Sheldon, unabashedly gave support wherever it was needed, especially to the arts and to artists, be it to dancers, visual artists, actors or musicians. “Money should be spread around. You can’t take it with you.”
Myrna and Sheldon had been involved for 50-plus years in building Miami’s cultural community. They attended Miami’s yearly art festivals supporting the work of local artists and were both founding members and benefactors working tirelessly throughout the community and beyond to raise money on the organization’s behalf. Such organizations include New World School of the Arts, The Education Fund, Miami Film Festival, and the University of Miami, to name just a few.
Studio art glass collectors since the ’70s, Myrna and Sheldon donated 300 pieces of their internationally recognized collection in 2007 to the Lowe Art Museum on the University of Miami campus. The collection is housed in the Myrna and Sheldon Palley Pavilion for Contemporary Glass and Studio Arts.
Also on the UM campus is the Jerry Herman Theatre, where for many years they served on its board of directors — with Sheldon serving as its president and treasurer and Myrna as its membership chair — supporting the work of the musical theater students by sharing the student productions with friends, providing scholarships, and raising money on department’s behalf.
Myrna and Sheldon Palley also are founding members of Young Arts (formerly known as the National Foundation of the Arts) and the New World School of the Arts, of which Myrna was for many years a foundation board member. In addition, they served on the Miami Film Festival’s board of directors, where for several years Sheldon served as its chair and Myrna as a board member.
Additionally, they selected and underwrote the glass and jewelry awards for many years at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival and served as committee members for the first “Chihuly at Fairchild” installation and hosted a private dinner at their home in honor of Dale Chihuly and the installation. And they, along with Miami-based interior designer Susan Gordon and Miami-based allergist and immunologist Dr. Roy Krochmal, were owners of JADA, a restaurant in South Miami serving new American cuisine.
Myrna graduated from Miami High and the University of Miami with a degree in art; she was an art teacher at Horace Mann Middle School in Miami. It was at the University of Miami when she was introduced by her best friend Bobbi, who was dating Sheldon’s roommate, Phil, to Sheldon. Sheldon graduated from UM with an undergraduate degree in Business, a master’s degree in Business and a JD degree. Myrna passed away in June 2020, and Sheldon passed away in January 2024.
Now, with leadership by their children — Lisa Palley, Donna Kass and Kevin Palley — the Palley Family continues to be very involved in Miami’s cultural scene, sponsoring and underwriting the Myrna Palley Collaborator Award project, the forthcoming Sheldon Palley art glass residency at the University of Miami.
They also provided funding for art glass faculty and students to continue studying and working on their craft with leaders in the art glass world, the installation “Order Up: The Pop Art Work by John Miller” at the Lowe, and the Spring 2025 ArtLab @ The Lowe program, which complements the current glass installation “S. Car Go” by design and artist team The Haas Brothers at the Lowe’s Project Room, of which The Family Family is also a sponsor. Additionally, The Palley Family currently underwrites the student art awards — Myrna Palley Awards for Excellence — and the annual Beaux Arts Festival glass award, both hosted by Beaux Arts, the auxiliary group of the Lowe Art Museum.
The Palley Family also are sponsors of Miami Book Fair and are in the process of donating works from their parents’ personal collection to Miami-Dade County’s Art and Public Places and to Miami-Dade County Public Library.
And on Apr. 6, The Palley Family donated a 50-foot sculpture, Lady, by the internationally renowned public art artist John Henry to the University of Miami, where it is prominently displayed at the entrance of the University of Miami, across the street from the Lowe Art Museum.
“Myrna and Sheldon Palley thought it important to share, and share they did — of themselves, their time, and their blessings. Lady embodies all that and more,” said their daughter, Lisa Palley. “She enhances the university’s physical space and amplifies one’s emotions upon seeing her, a beneficent presence, there to welcome and watch over everyone and broaden everyone’s experiences while on the University of Miami campus. Lady has come home.”
Together Myrna and Sheldon have changed the face and the cultural landscape of Miami. And now their three children, building upon their parents legacy, continue to bring even more positive change to the cultural landscape of Miami.
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