2018 ANNUAL REPORT JULY 2017–JUNE 2018 2018 ANNUAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Board of Trustees 4 Chair’s Message 6 President’s Message 7 Auxiliary Groups 9 Year in Review 19 Making History Awards 21 Honor Roll of Donors 27 Donors to the Collection 28 Lincoln Honor Roll Society 29 This Is Chicago Campaign 31 Treasurer’s Report 33 Volunteers 34 Staff 1601 North Clark Street Chicago, Illinois 60614 Knights of Pythias (Portfolio search) chicagohistory.org 312.642.4600 The Chicago History Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chicago Park District on behalf of the people of Chicago. From top: Hot Dog Fest attendees in their finest garb, August 2016. Making Mainbocher: The First American Couturier, opened in November NC_242_029.jpg 2016. ChicaGO24 participants embark on a trolley tour, May 2017. ChicagoHistoryMuseum 2 2017–18 Annual Report 03/25/2019 1 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Officers Trustees Life Trustees David D. Hiller James L. Alexander David P. Bolger THE J YOUNG Gregory J. Besio Laurence O. Booth . Chair SCAMMON AWARD James L. Alexander Matthew J. Blakely Stanley J. Calderon Chairman Emeritus Denise R. Cade John W. Croghan In 2016, the Board of Paul Carlisle Alison Campbell de Frise Walter C. Carlson Trustees established Walter C. Carlson Patrick W. Dolan First Vice Chair an award to recognize Warren K. Chapman Michael H. Ebner Daniel S. Jaffee members of the board Rita Sola Cook Sallie L. Gaines who have exhibited Second Vice Chair Keith L. Crandell Sharon Gist Gilliam Tobin E. Hopkins substantial, exemplary, Patrick F. Daly Barbara A. Hamel and consequential Treasurer James P. Duff M. Hill Hammock services on behalf of the Falona Joy Paul H. Dykstra Susan S. Higinbotham Museum in carrying out Secretary T. Bondurant French Dennis H. Holtschneider and fulfilling its mission. Gary T. Johnson Timothy J. Gilfoyle Henry W. Howell, Jr. Edgar D. and Deborah R. Gregory Goldner Philip W. Hummer The award is named for Jannotta President Mary Lou Gorno Edgar D. Jannotta Jonathan Young Scammon Russell L. Lewis Brad Henderson Barbara Levy Kipper (1812–90). A prominent Executive Vice President David D. Hiller W. Paul Krauss business and civic leader Courtney Hopkins Fred A. Krehbiel and Chief Historian and one of the founders Tobin E. Hopkins Joseph H. Levy, Jr. of Marine Bank, Scammon Cheryl L. Hyman Josephine Louis Honorary Trustee was among the group of Philip Isom R. Eden Martin men that met in his law The Honorable Daniel S. Jaffee Robert Meers Rahm Emanuel offices to establish the Gary T. Johnson Josephine Baskin Minow Chicago Historical Society Mayor, City of Chicago Falona Joy Timothy P. Moen in 1856. Ronald G. Kaminski Robert J. Moore Honorary Life Trustee Randye A. Kogan Potter Palmer 2016 The Honorable Judith H. Konen John W. Rowe •Judith Konen Richard M. Daley Michael Kupetis Jesse H. Ruiz Robert C. Lee Gordon I. Segal 2017 Russell L. Lewis, Jr. Larry C. Selander • Paul Dykstra Ralph G. Moore Paul L. Snyder • Larry Selander Michael A. Nemeroff Kelly Noll Trustees Emeritus 2018 M. Bridget Reidy Bradford L. Ballast • Laurence O. Booth Elizabeth Richter Paul J. Carbone, Jr. • Sallie L. Gaines Joseph Seliga Jonathan Fanton • Joseph H. Levy, Jr. Jeff Semenchuk Thomas M. Goldstein Samuel J. Tinaglia, Jr. Cynthia Greenleaf Mark D. Trembacki David A. Gupta Ali Velshi Nena Ivon Gail D. Ward Douglas Levy Jeffrey W. Yingling Erica C. Meyer Eboo Patel Nancy K. Robinson April T. Schink Kristin Noelle Smith Margaret Snorf Sarah D. Sprowl Noren Ungaretti This list reflects the Board Joan Werhane on June 30, 2018. ChicagoHistoryMuseum 3 2017–18 Annual Report CHAIR’S MESSAGE This past year, two major initiatives to the future of museums. The consequences will be propelled the Chicago History Museum far-reaching: “As we explore new ways to be a history (CHM) into its future. museum, we envision a greater exchange of ideas and a democratization of knowledge.” With the first effort, CHM officially became a “digital- first” museum. This was the culmination of the work of We can already see the impact of this approach in a committee led by our vice president for interpretation our experimentation with digital applications that use and education, John Russick, which also included virtual reality and augmented reality to enhance the seven staff members, six trustees, and one community photographs in our own collection. The CHICAGO 00 member. On October 25, 2017, the Board of Trustees app immerses viewers into the city’s stories, such as adopted the committee’s report, Digital First: A Vision for the capsizing of the SS Eastland and the 1933 world’s the Future of the Chicago History Museum, which states: fair, using images and documents from the Museum’s archive. The Chicago History Museum truly is the Our digital vision is not a plan or a collection of projects reinvented museum that keeps reinventing. or programs. Our vision is a new attitude, a mindset, a commitment to a digital approach that is experimental, The second initiative was the Task Force on Governance, agile, iterative, collaborative, and responsive in order which was led by trustee Mary Louise Gorno and to engage the most people possible in a meaningful included six other trustees. The charge of the task force exchange with the Museum, the city, and history. was to review all aspects of our governance and board effectiveness and to seek best practices from both The shorthand version of this vision is “Digital First.” nonprofit as well as corporate experience. Each project and every process at CHM should consider how digital will impact, improve, expand, We have benefited from strong governance over the or enhance what we’re doing. The Museum has years, but the task force made a number of important always been primarily about in-person and in-gallery recommendations, including in the areas of board and experiences, and while this will remain critically officer nomination, on-boarding of new trustees, and important, we need to think more about how to deliver sustaining a strong board leadership pipeline. Another experiences to and engage with audiences who are key recommendation reaffirmed our commitment to not in the building. To achieve this, the Museum diversity, equity, and inclusion, “striving for our board, has to make a commitment to thinking and working staff, offerings, and visitors to reflect the communities digitally, not just in one digital department, but we serve.” Finally, given the importance of a continued throughout the organization. Ultimately, digital should focus on governance, the task force recommended permeate all aspects of the Museum’s operations. reconstituting the board’s Nominating Committee as the Nomination and Governance Committee. The Board To do this, CHM already has created a group to plan and of Trustees adopted the report that followed on April implement the Museum’s digital future with this vision as 25, 2018. their guide. It has been my honor so serve as Chair during 2017 The key insight is that rather than superimposing and 2018. These have been productive years for the technology over traditional museum experiences, Museum with exhibition openings, such as Amplified: digital experimentation and integration are the key Chicago Blues, the launching of our new educational ChicagoHistoryMuseum 4 2017–18 Annual Report CHAIR’S MESSAGE initiatives, and the full integration of the Chicago Metro that made it possible for the Chicago Historical Society History Fair into our operations. This was a rare example to rebuild after it was totally destroyed by the Great of two healthy nonprofits merging, and we are pleased Chicago Fire of 1871. with the results. I am grateful for the privilege of serving as Chair during Throughout, I have been impressed by the these exciting years. professionalism of the staff, the dedication of the members of our Board of Trustees and our two auxiliary groups, the Guild and the Costume Council. We are grateful for the passion of our members and visitors for sharing. I thank them all. I also thank the foundations, the corporations, and the individual donors whose generosity makes our work possible. I am particularly grateful to the members of the Lincoln Honor Roll Society who understand that the Museum continues to exist as an institution because of David D. Hiller planned gifts, including the bequest by Henry D. Gilpin Chairman ChicagoHistoryMuseum 5 2017–18 Annual Report PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE When I first arrived as president in 2005, the Old Town School of Folk Music, the Chicago Teachers the Chicago History Museum already had the largest Union, and the Chicago Alliance of African American photography collection at any museum or library in Photographers, among many others. Chicago—1.5 million images ranging from Mathew Brady and the Civil War era to Declan Haun and the On top of all these valuable additions, there are two Civil Rights era. Now, I am happy to report that over acquisitions from 2018 that are game changers for the past thirteen years, we have dramatically enlarged us. Together, they dramatically enhance our ability as a the range and the depth of one of the world’s most museum to interpret the history of recent decades. important photography collections by acquiring a total of eight million additional images. Many of the new The first involves Chicago’s world-famous photography acquisitions involved strategic partnerships, which is firm—Hedrich-Blessing. Founded in 1929, this firm the way our Museum works best. invented new techniques for photographing the built environment after Chicago’s leading architects had One such acquisition came in 2016, when we acquired complained that photographers were not doing justice forty linear feet of images photographed by Raeburn to their work. After more than seventy-five years of Flerlage relating to the music scene in Chicago.