annual report 2013 1 2 From the Director SBMA’s shining moments in 2013 were in its New Undertakings! Our fall fund raising event took on fresh sparkle and meaning as we transitioned to a brand new event, Artlights. At Artlights we focused on honoring worthy individuals in and from the community. Barbara K. Warner, long-time patron of the arts and special friend to SBMA, was recognized as “Friend of the Arts.” Jim Borden, beloved South Bend artist and a former teacher here at SBMA, received our “Carlotta Banta Artistic Achievement Award” and came to South Bend from his new home in Vermont to accept the award. A new award, the “Indiana to the World” award, was presented to world-renowned architect, Michael Graves, who was born in Indianapolis. Graves also traveled to South Bend to accept the award, inspiring guests with a moving talk about accessibility in architecture and design. It was a very special moment to hear Michael Graves, who was paralyzed from the waist down by a spinal infection, talk about his own challenges with accessibility and his resolve to help architects and designers understand and help to overcome the many obstacles faced by people with disabilities. The “sparkle” portion of the evening came in the form of the most innovative addition to Artlights, the “Art Slam.” Art Slam was the brainchild of some of the younger members of the SBMA board. Five “Art Fans” were selected from the community and invited to create a work of art, in any medium, which was based on a work in the SBMA permanent collection. Kelly Bellinger made a stunning, exotic desk, which was beautifully painted and sprouted branches from the back. Sara Miller’s spherical, ceramic pot, Thomas Gordon Smith’s beautiful watercolor, and Keaton Bloom’s clever, day-into-night painting were all wonderful additions to the evening. And David Matthews’ “living art”, a young woman dressed as Ed Paschke’s tattooed lady, “Heddy”, was, hands-down, the most spirited work of art produced in Art Slam!. Having this performance-piece mingle with the guests all evening gave the event a special pizazz! The event took place amidst the grandeur of the Palais Royale, the perfect setting for this great mixture of fun and elegance. The distinguished American photographer and environmentalist, Ansel Adams, was the focus of SBMA’s seventh annual American Series exhibition. Ansel Adams: Masterworks took place November 1, 2013 – January 12, 2014. Included in the exhibition were about 50 photographs from Adams’ “Museum Set”, a group of works he personally selected to represent his life’s work. The reach of the Ansel Adams exhibition extended well beyond St. Joseph County to include a regional, Midwest audience with interests in photography, environmental issues, art, history, and sustainability. The exhibition also offered strong opportunities to partner with other organizations, including the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame, the Center for History, and the Indiana Chapter of the Sierra Club. The exhibition inspired many in the community to become funding partners with SBMA in presenting the show and its related educational programs. We thank the individuals, corporations and foundations for their outstanding contributions to this event, and extend special thanks to Electronics Incorporated, the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, the Florence V. Carroll Charitable Trust Foundation and the Convention and Visitors Bureau, South Bend/Mishawaka for their generous leadership gifts. Ansel Adams’ beautiful, ethereal, yet factual photographs hold an important place in the history of photography and we hope this exhibition helped to light a spark of interest in youth and adults alike, encouraging art-making and art appreciation – and the richness art can bring to life. Ansel Adams: Masterworks extended into the new year, closing on January 12, 2014. The strong interest in the exhibition, coupled with SBMA’s new determination to attract and harness the energy of the vibrant young professionals in the community, resulted in an event which will be the first of several in a series. Our first “Museum After Dark” event took place on the eve of the closing of the exhibition, January 11. The excellent attendance, engagement of the participants and joyful mood made it an event to be repeated. Look forward to renewed energy, vitality and opportunity at the SBMA “Museum After Dark” events in 2014 and beyond! Susan R. Visser | South Bend Museum of Art Executive Director 1 Development and Cultivation 2013 was a year with successful initiatives aimed at broadening overall audience participation in museum activities, and providing meaningful entry experiences for the “first time” Museum goer. That first visit holds the potential to create a connection that will carry far beyond one event and translate into future support of our many programs and exhibitions. Corporate sponsorships were aggressively and thoughtfully pursued for museum programs, initiatives and exhibitions, including in-kind contributions. Corporate relationships continued to be developed with positive results. These relationships will be nurtured well into the future to sustain these meaningful partnerships and the successful programs they have brought to fruition. Artlights!, our inaugural fund raising event, was attended by over 200 people on October 24, 2013. Honorees included Michael Graves, who received the newly created Indiana to the World award; Jim Borden who received the Carlotta Banta Artistic Achievement Award; and Barbara Warner who received the Carlotta Banta Friend of the Arts Award. ArtSlam!, a significant component of the event, included art “fans” of SBMA Kelly Bellinger, Keaton Bloom, Dave Matthews, Sara Miller and Thomas Gordon Smith. Each selected their favorite artwork from the Permanent Collection of the Museum and created a work of art in response to it. These works were auctioned at the end of the evening. Preceding this event, “fans of fans” purchased votes online in support of their favorite. The ArtSlam artist with the most votes won the Golden Brush Award! The event was a success thanks to the work of the committee: Marika Smith who chaired the event, Dayle Brown, June H. Edwards, Meghan Kirwan and Manette Tepe, and all the corporations and area merchants who rallied to the cause. Thank you to all! 2013 at a Glance • 41,002 individuals • We hosted 6 Family Days • Over 100 businesses • Over 2,745 people visited the South Bend with 1000 children and contributed cash and/or attended Meet Me On Museum of Art. adults total in attendance. in-kind support. the Island and Meet Me • 11,124 visits were • Over 50 volunteers • 11 exhibitions were hosted In the Gallery. made to our website, contributed over 3,000 in the Warner, Art League, • Over 4,200 people with 42,540 page hours to all phases of the Jerome J. Crowley Galleries attended our “First views made to the new Museum’s operation. and the Warner Rotunda. Friday” events. website from August – • Over 100 volunteers were • 6 works of art were • 33 individuals were December. active in the Art League. acquired for the active on the Board of • 4,359 students, teachers • 20 docents contributed Permanent Collection. Trustees. and chaperones toured over 650 hours to the • Over 325 were in • 8 full time and 7 part the Museum. Museum. attendance for events that time staff members • 1,093 students enrolled • 147 new members joined used our gallery rental were employed by the in classes. the museum, and 19 program. Museum. • Over 1000 people, members upgraded their • 240 guests attended • 28 faculty members youth to adult, level. ArtLights, our 2013 fund offered classes. participated in raising event. outreach programming. 2 Annual Report 2013 | Marketing and Events In 2013, the Museum’s marketing strategy focused on promoting exhibitions, membership, classes/educational programming and events. Electronic and social media (website, Facebook, Twitter, Constant Contact) were utilized as the dominant means of communication and promotion of Museum activities, directing recipients to our rebuilt website, southbendart.org. A monthly e-newsletter kept 2000 subscribers up to date with Museum happenings. Activities were posted on event and arts-related websites and press releases issued to local media outlets. The receipt of a St. Joseph County Hotel-Motel Tax Board Tourism grant facilitated the rebuilding of our website, southbendart.org, which functions smoothly to promote programming and online purchase of memberships and classes. Paid advertising included radio and print, promoting classes and exhibitions; media sponsorships were obtained to secure promotion of specific events and exhibitions, notably the Scholastic Art Awards, and the American Series exhibition, Ansel Adams, Masterworks. Print materials such as class schedules, posters and postcards supplemented these efforts. The SBMA took advantage of marketing opportunities with local organizations and venues: the Morris Performing Arts Center window display promoting Ansel Adams, Masterworks; Downtown South Bend’s poster distribution; a booth at the Sunburst Races, an SBMA-themed Christmas tree decorated at Center for History and collaborative advertising with area museums, all aimed at generating awareness of SBMA programming. Opportunities for coverage on local TV, e.g., WNIT’s Experience Michiana, morning TV news and radio interviews increased our reach to a wider regional audience. The Museum hosted a variety of events on First Fridays and other evenings aimed at increasing attendance in our galleries, awareness of our programming and developing new friends, members and donors in the community. Several of these were in partnership with local organizations: Cosponsored by 88.1 WVPE and Century Center, the Meet Me series kicked off the season withMeet Me in the Gallery, which attracted close to 700 people for the opening of the Scholastic Art Awards in February. • Artist Mary King’s gallery talk on March 9 about her art in Beautiful Industry stimulated dialog with a gathering of gallery visitors.