Annual Report 2012.Pub

FFFROM THE FIRST REGENT OVER THE PAST EIGHT YEARS , the plantation of George Mason enjoyed meticulous restoration under the directorship of David Reese. Acclaim was univer- sal, as the mansion and outbuildings were studied, re- paired, and returned to their original stature. Contents In response to the voices of community, staff, docents From the First Regent 2 and the legislature, the Board of Regents decided in early 2012 to focus on programming and to broadened interac- 2012 Overview 3 tion with the public. The consulting firm of Bryan & Jordan was engaged to lead us through this change. The work of Program Highlights 4 the Search Committee for a new Director was delayed while the Regents and the Commonwealth settled logistics Education 6 of employment, but Acting Director Mark Whatford and In- terim Director Patrick Ladden ably led us and our visitors Docents 7 into a new array of activity while maintaining the programming already in place. Archaeology 8 At its annual meeting in October the Board of Regents adopted a new mission statement: Seeds of Independence 9 To utilize fully the physical and scholarly resources of Museum Shop 10 Gunston Hall to stimulate continuing public exploration of democratic ideals as first presented by Staff & GHHIS 11 George Mason in the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights. Budget 12 The Board also voted to undertake a strategic plan for the purpose of addressing the new mission. A Strategic Funders and Donors 13 Planning Committee, headed by former NSCDA President Hilary Gripekoven and comprised of membership repre- senting Regents, staff, volunteers, and the Commonwealth, promptly established goals and working groups. It is antici- pated that when the Board meets in April of 2013 for our semi-annual meeting, we will welcome and vote in favor of BBBOARD OFOFOF V ISITORS this important guide into our immediate future. We have hired a new Education Manager, enhanced Mr. Kevin Gentry and promoted existing staff, and are now underway in the search for an Executive Director. Ms. Penelope Payne Gunston Hall is enjoying a renaissance, always with a Mr. Timothy J. Sargeant focus on sharing the remarkable legacy of George Mason, whose life work was dedicated to protecting the innate rights of every person. The three members of the Gunston Hall Board of Visitors are appointed First Regent Mrs. Henry R. Raab, Pennsylvania by the Governor of the Common- wealth of Virginia to one-year terms. GUNSTON H ALL A NNUAL R EPORT 2012 PAGE 2 FFFROM THE I NTERIM D IRECTOR AM A LUCKY MUSEUM DIRECTOR , albeit interim and We at Gunston have opportunities to welcome time-limited. the curious, the history seekers, communities of IIt is a pleasure to work at Gunston Hall with new Americans, and primary schoolers to the rich generous and committed Regents, direct and life and discussion of what it means to be Ameri- critical support from the Commonwealth of Virginia, cans, of that time long ago that continues to shape dedicated, hard-working staff members, guides, and who we are today, and the promise of who we might volunteer staff members/docents, supportive and become as a people. keenly interested neighbors and friends who give of Gunston prepares for its bright future as a com- their time and resources to sustain our unique his- munity-based site with national significance. torical site. Our mission and evolving strategic directions The past year has been a challenging one at point us toward wider and deeper dialogue and to Gunston but also one of tremendous growth, new seek new partners. We aspire to become a place opportunities and directions, and open doors. that is not only the home of a unique family named We are a unique historical site in many ways and Mason, but also a place that all Americans can visit, on multiple levels. The property is spectacularly participate in, talk and learn about, and enjoy. beautiful and provides a compelling window into the Our aspirations see into the future the impor- past, both physically and philosophically. It is here tance of learning from the past. that the interests, passions, ideas that stirred Amer- I am a lucky director to be able to work at Gun- ica’s founders are available for dialogue through ston Hall – it is a terrific place and the people who the lens of George Mason and the founders. Many built and continue to build Gunston are valued here. concepts that engaged 18 th century America remain Come see what we are up to. a part of our daily discourse, some contested today as they were more than two hundred years ago. Patrick Ladden, Interim Director The Gunston Hall Board of Regents Mrs. David Thomas Moody, President of The Mrs. David L. Goodyear, Louisiana Dr. Jean Gray McGinnis, Colorado National Society Miss Jean Cameron Grainger, New York Mrs. Robert Andrew McMillan, West Virginia Miss Laura Reynolds Towers, President of The Mrs. Cary T. Grayson, Jr., Vermont Mrs. Hugh A. Merrill, California Virginia Society Mrs. Raymond Dale Hardesty, New Jersey Mrs. Charles E. Millard, Jr., Rhode Island Mrs. Peter D. Humleker, Jr., Honorary Regent Mrs. John Mathews Harney, Jr, At Large Mrs. Richard Marshall Norton, Illinois First Regent Mrs. Henry R. Raab, Pennsylvania Mrs. Harry Leonard Hatton, Wisconsin Mrs. Steele Bartley Osborn, Minnesota Vice Regent Mrs. Price Gripekoven, Oregon Mrs. Harry R. Hill, Jr., At Large Mrs. William Anthony Peters III, Washington Mrs. James Irby Barganier, Alabama Mrs. Marshall Colville Hunt, Jr., Ohio Mrs. Henry Laurence Bee Ravenel, At Large Mrs. William B. Blaylock, Texas Mrs. John A. Jenkins, Arizona Mrs. James Ward Riley, Jr., Indiana Mrs. William Allan Blodgett, Kentucky Ms. Winafrid Avery Jenkins, Maine Mrs. Morin Montagu Scott, Arkansas Mrs. Dana Gibson Bowman, Hawaii Mrs. Michael Van Doren Johnston , Maryland Mrs. Ronald Albert Snider, At Large Mrs. Roger H. Box, Oklahoma Mrs. Walker Kennedy,Jr., Nebraska Mrs. Hugh McMaster Tarbutton, At Large Mrs. Roberts Wyckoff Brokaw, Delaware Mrs. John Heddens Kingston, Georgia Mrs. Benjamin Walter Taylor, Jr., South Carolina Mrs. Richard S. Cleary, At Large Mrs. Peter I.C. Knowles II, Virginia Mrs. John Van Allen, Wyoming Mrs. John P. Cooke, Connecticut Mrs. Todd S. Liebow, Oregon Mrs. Jonathan T. Walton, Michigan Mrs. Henry Bartholomew Cox, District of Mrs. Marshall George Linn III, Iowa Columbia Mrs. Jerry Wayne Wilcox, Kansas Mrs. David Castello Loughlin, North Carolina Mrs. George Crockett, Nevada Mrs. Frederick W. Martin, Massachusetts Mrs. Robert B. Field, New Hampshire Mrs. Thomas Hooke McCallie, III, Tennessee GUNSTON H ALL A NNUAL R EPORT 2012 PAGE 3 2012 P ROGRAM HHHIGHLIGHTS HE YEAR BEGAN with Janu- T ary’s Archaeology Sympo- sium entitled Mason Neck Un- derground: From Pre-History to the Early Republic . Local archaeologists re- vealed recent discoveries at Mason Neck sites including Gunston Hall, Colchester, Meadowood Recreation Area, and Lexington Plantation. In February, the Anne Ma- son Room was filled to capac- ity for the Seeds of Independ- ence film and lecture (see page 9). The Liberty Lectures series began in February and continued into March. The lectures’ theme was After the Revolution: Now What? which explored the chal- lenges facing the former colo- nies as they united into one nation. The annual Docent Training session in February added five new docents to the Gunston Hall Docents’ Association. March 24 was the annual Kite FestivalFestival. Unfortunately, (Continued on page 5) GUNSTON H ALL A NNUAL R EPORT 2012 PAGE 4 (Continued from page 4) served visitors tea and other refresh- parents and students from George ments and house tours highlighted Mason University visited Gunston heavy rains all day kept visitation the roles of women at leisure and Hall during Parents’ WeekendWeekend. very low for an event that is usually labor. Memorial Day at the end of In the afternoon, Archaeology Day one of the best attended of the year. May highlighted George Mason’s role allowed children to participate in ar- Advanced Open Hearth Cooking in securing Virginia’s independence. chaeology activities and visitors to classes, held in conjunction with Fair- At an all-day event on Saturday, take The Hunting for George Ma- fax County’s Adult and Community June 8, 35 4 th and 5 th grade aspiring son’s Landscape tour. Education Program were conducted writers attended the Christy Hartman An evening of Taverns & Ales with on the final Saturday in March and Myer Writing WorkshopWorkshop. Students the Yards Brewing Company was a the first Sunday in April. observed a scene depicting George new event on October 20. Visitors The Hunting for George Mason’s Mason’s return from the Philadelphia were introduced to several ales Landscape tour was conducted by Convention then considered that based on original 18 th century reci- staff archaeologist David Shonyo on scene from the point of view of a pes and Rod Colfield of Historic Lon- April 14 and 21. journalist, a historian, a poet, a nov- don Town & Gardens delivered a talk April also marked the yearly begin- elist, and an illustrator. Experts in on early taverns. ning of Architecture in the Afternoon each of these fields guided the young The Level 1 Open-Hearth Cooking house tours which were offered on authors in creating their own stories class was held October 27 and 28. the first and third Sundays of each and illustrations. Both the fall and spring sessions of month until October. A new event was established in these popular classes were fully at- On the second and fourth Sun- June: George Mason Day which com- tended. days from April through October, his- memorated the 1776 ratification of November’s Decorative Arts Sym- toric interpreters in period attire por- Mason’s Virginia Declaration of posium brought guest speakers to trayed George Mason’s family, Rights.

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