2015ANNUAL REPORT Blowing Rock Art & History Museum
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2015ANNUAL REPORT Blowing Rock Art & History Museum Elliot Daingerfield.Portrait of Anna Daingerfield, c. 1900, Oil on canvas, from the Collection of Joseph Daingerfield Dulaney, Sr. Table of Contents Letter from the Director. 3 Letter from the Board President. .3 The Trustees & Staff . 4 Volunteers. .5 Exhibitions . 6 Collections . .13 Education & Outreach . .14 Art & Antiques Show . 19 Members and Donors . 20 Financial Report . 25 2 Dear Members, BRAHM has had an extremely successful year… but how do we define success? Perhaps if we look back over the last year we can identify our accomplishments and give them the due they deserve. In the spring of 2015, the Board of Trustees hired Lee Carol Giduz as our new Executive Director. She came to BRAHM from the Caldwell Arts Council, after serving there as Executive Director for over twenty years. In addition to her extensive experience, she is well-connected in the arts community throughout North Carolina and has served on Linda Russell & Lee Carol Giduz numerous statewide and regional boards. Currently, she serves on the Executive Board of Wildacres Leadership Dear BRAHM Friends, Initiative, a statewide organization, and on the Board of the Watauga Community Foundation. Her leadership has This museum that you envisioned and built has now had its propelled us to the next level of success, as is demonstrated fourth birthday and is entering its fifth year! How exciting! I in the examples below. have had the pleasure, this year, of learning all that went into building this museum, of growing the programs, the collection In 2015 we received a pledge for the donation of $1 million and the education programs. I have met many loyal patrons dollars. That gift has enabled us to retire the debt incurred of the museum and have welcomed new ones. I have had for the construction of the museum facility. BRAHM started the joy of seeing children and adults learn. I have had the joy 2016 debt free! Now we can focus our fundraising efforts myself of learning “what is BRAHM?” and meeting the many on growing our endowment, special programs, high quality wonderful people and organizations connected to it. I am so exhibits, and other worthwhile projects. happy to be part of this place at this time! The Museum obtained grants, as well as gifts, for exhibitions Obviously, this has been a year of transition. It has also previously unavailable to us and had the most successful been a year of growth. We have offered more programs and Art & Antiques Show ever in 2015. Our presence in the have offered them year-round. We have hosted numerous community has strengthened as we have engaged in civic community events and moved more into the role of a activities throughout the region and provided a venue for community center that was envisioned in the beginning. We local board and council meetings. Children’s programs have opened our first two permanent exhibits: “Selections continue to be popular educational and entertainment from the Collection” and “Elliott Daingerfield”. In addition, activities for boys and girls in the area. we have grown our permanent collection, expanded our The Board of Trustees increased its strength in numbers volunteer pool, hosted interns, and started the work on and engagement this past year and has pledged to grow defining the museum as it moves forward. our membership and our involvement in the local and As you review the annual report you will see the work of an surrounding communities. Plans are being made for the engaged Board of Trustees and a dedicated and talented coming year with enthusiasm and renewed energy. staff. You have quite a team working for this museum and We are an evolving museum with many successes to be guiding it forward. proud of. But, we continue to rely on the support of our I thank you for the opportunity to be at BRAHM and look members to become a rising star in our community. Our forward to seeing you at the museum. goals are lofty and we can’t achieve them without YOU. Your support is not only appreciated, but essential for our future. Visit us! Please join us in supporting and celebrating BRAHM! Fondly, Board President, Lee Carol Giduz Linda Russell 273 The Board of Trustees Welborn Alexander Founder Emeritus George Ball Pat Shore Clark Carol Dabbs Chelsea Garrett Ex-officio Lou Gottlieb , MD Vice President Bo Henderson Ed Kelly Pat Mauldin Roy McCraw Treasurer Cindy Milner Linda Russell President Ben Shoemake LaRose Spooner Secretary The Staff Ethan Brooks-Livingston Administrative Assistant Lee Carol Giduz Executive Director David Harwood Business Manger Miranda Heins Collections Intern Libby Hoffmire Visitor Services Roland Koch Facilities Manager Dianna (Loughlin) Cameron Exhibitions & Collections Director Emily MacConnell Visitor Services Meghan Minton Marketing & Communications Director Leila Weinstein Programming Director 4 Page PB Frank Russell Green. French Village, c. 1900. Oil on wood panel. Gift of Welborn and Patricia Alexander. Volunteers Volunteers 50+ hours Ed Kelly Chelsea Garrett Barbara Romano Linda Russell Kathy Leahey Leigh Giles Dolly Rose Miranda Heins Pete Lupo Sue Glenn Stacy Sellers Pat Mauldin Frances Hairfield Patricia Sevier Volunteers 20+ hours Rob Mendel Carla Hanzal Lynne Slasor Carol Dabbs Ariel Moran Betty Harwood Adelaide Small Lou Gottlieb Benjamin Shoemake Cindy Kebelbeck Kat Solinsky Bo Henderson Virginia Vanstory J.B. Lawrence Ed Springs Sherry Lind Brenda McCallum Allison Stoddard Roy McCraw Volunteers Nedra McCraw Norma Suddreth Cindy Milner Welborn Alexander Loy McGill Ineke Thomas Fredel Reighard Bill Brown Cobb Milner Marion Thorne Pat Reighard Cheryl Brush Judy Morris Ann Vaughn LaRose Spooner Janice Burns Lee Patrick Deatra Younce Nancy Capel Sandra Perry Volunteers 10+ hours Janice Chapman Virginia Powell George Ball Pat Clark Nancy Pressley Lisa Cresson Grace Corbett Romona Presson Kadie Dean Drew Dunn Mary Anne Redding Joseph Dulaney Rebecca Ficklen Martha Robinson Brittany Godwin David Fite Billie Rogers 5 Romantic Spirits: Nineteenth Century Paintings of the South from the Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, SC Exhibitions Since opening in 2011, we’ve challenged ourselves to better utilize our Museums exhibition space. Over the past year, we shared a total of 13 major exhibitions with our community, many of which were built around the interdisciplinary potential of both history and the arts, a direction we hope will continue to guide this department. Two of our newest exhibitions this year were permanent exhibits that will be open for the long haul and are dedicated to works from our Permanent Collection, including a selection of works by historic artist Elliott Daingerfield. The Museum also expanded its exhibition space by hanging works in the previously empty walls of our upstairs hallway as well as in our newly reclaimed Schaefer Gallery, which showcases glass and ceramics from our collection. We hope everyone is excited about all of the new directions our exhibitions department is pursuing, and we look forward to presenting more engaging, challenging, and diverse exhibitions in the years to come. - Dianna Cameron, Exhibitions & Collections Director 6 Page PB Ruined Landscapes: Paintings of the Balkan War Zone January 17 - March 28, 2015 Fort Gallery Ruined Landscapes was on loan from the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in Boone, NC and resulted from a generous gift from Hugh and Jane Spratt McColl. A native of Scotland, eventually settling in France, painter Laura Buxton traveled to the Balkans in 1994 and found great inspiration for her work in a war-ridden land. “As an artist,” Buxton said, “I felt this tremendous responsibility to say something that would be worthwhile, that other people could see. And even if they couldn’t understand, they could at least gain some insight from a different point of view.” Special Thanks: Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Boone, NC and Hugh & Jane Spratt McColl Jerry Burns: Through the Lens February 13 - April 25, 2015 Stevens Gallery Jerry Burns: Through the Lens was presented in collaboration with the Blowing Rock Historical Society. Nearly 200 photographs of the town and community were displayed, many of which were taken by Jerry during his time as editor of the Blowing Rocket newspaper. Jerry Burns was rarely seen without a camera. He was known for his modesty, and as such, he preferred to be behind the scenes, taking in the action and capturing in every photograph the town that he so loved. With nicknames like “Mr. Blowing Rock” and “Mr. Sunshine,” it’s easy to see that the community appreciated Jerry just as much in return. His work and dedication to the town became a model to the community of what it means to be a Blowing Rock citizen. Special Thanks: Blowing Rock Historical Society, Trent Margrif, and Janice Burns Jerry Burns: Through the Lens. Photographs courtesy of the Blowing Rock Historical Society. 7 Floating Sculpture: Bruce Barclay Cameron’s Duck Decoy Collection April 4 - July 26, 2015 Fort Gallery Bringing treasures from the coast to our mountains, this prestigious collection of duck decoys analyzed the careful craftsmanship involved in creating these beautiful sculptures, allowing them to stand alone as highly appreciated works of art. The exhibition was organized by our friends at the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, NC. Bruce Barclay Cameron began collecting decoys in the late 70’s. This exhibition highlighted a selection of Mr. Cameron’s most noted decoys and brought a collection of treasures from the coast to our mountains. Through his collecting, Cameron learned all about the careful craft involved in making one of these sculptures, from the nuances of the paint quality and form to the spirit of the bird itself. Each artisan took into consideration a love for the birds to make these sculptures come to life, allowing them to stand alone as works of art that can be appreciated from all directions.