It Starts Here
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It Starts Here Campaign for the Philadelphia Museum of Art Winter 2020 Newsletter 1 Welcome The museum is one of Philadelphia’s great connectors. We connect schoolchildren to a world of inspiration, local creatives to new audiences, and international visitors to our great city. That introduction can be life-changing. As a member of the Education Committee, I get to see this impact firsthand. Our collection of art is our most valuable resource, and with programming we can bring it to life. Our school collaborations, public programs, and technological advances are all key to helping our visitors build lasting relationships with the museum. Art is also an incredible tool for community-building. We strive to make our building and offerings more accessible, and we’re proud to serve as a resource to partner organizations around the city like Broad Street Ministry and the People’s Emergency Center. Programs like Sensory Friendly Mornings and Veterans Empowered Through Art are growing and reaching those who might not otherwise walk through the museum’s doors. To create deeper connections through- out the city and surrounding neighborhoods, this work needs a reliable funding base. We aim to achieve the campaign’s overall endowment goal by asking donors to invest in endowed funds that support these important pro- grams. With a strong endowment, the museum can spend less time on annual fundraising and more on expanding its successes and planning for the future. That’s why I’ve chosen to support the endowment through two funds that support priorities in our Division of Education: the Lifelong Learning Fund and the Community Engagement and Access Fund. The Core Project is transforming the museum’s landmark building, as we have seen with the recent opening of the North Entrance and Vaulted Walkway—connecting our building to the local neighborhood. By investing in the endowment, we ensure that this legacy of connection lives on for future generations of art lovers. Julia Fleischner Museum Trustee 2 3 By the Numbers Dollars Raised Contributions by 51.5% Trustees 18.4% Individuals $473M $472,895,290 of It Starts Here 12.6% Government Campaign Steering Major Gifts funds raised Committee Committee Barbara B. Aronson Jaimie Spector Field David Haas Chair Katherine Sachs Campaign Co-chairs Marta Adelson Lawrence H. Berger 10.8% Bruce E. Toll Ira Brind Foundations Campaign Vice Chair Edward Fernberger, Jr. Anne F. Hamilton John R. Alchin Osagie O. Imasogie Berton E. Korman Joan M. Johnson David D. Langfitt Leslie Anne Miller Victoria McNeil Le Vine Chair, Board of Trustees Mary Patterson McPherson 3.0% John J. Medveckis Organizations Constance H. Williams Martha Hamilton Morris Board Chair Emerita James D. Pagliaro, Esq. Capital Programming Endowment To Be Zoë S. Pappas Projects & Operations $116,262,168 Designated Timothy Rub Ajay Raju $215,056,630 $135,891,313 $5,685,290 The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer 2.6% Gail Harrity Corporations President and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Peterson Director of Development Dollars raised as of December 31, 2019 For a full list of campaign donors, turn to page 14 or visit 1.2% philamuseum.org/ourfuture/support Estates 4 5 A dancer from the New York Chinese Cultural Center performs at the opening of the It Starts Here: museum’s renovated and rein- Building Strong stalled galleries of Chinese art. Endowments As reported in the museum’s annual financial statements over the summer, we ended fiscal year 2019 with an endow- ment just under $484 million. Stewarded by the museum’s Investment Committee, these investments continue to grow—over $100 million since the end of fiscal year 2013. However, we are still working to catch up to our peer institutions, some of whom have endowments of over $1 billion—which is why It Starts Here includes a $150 million goal for the endowment. A strong endowment supports every part of the visitor experience, offering reliable and flexible funding. Within the total $150 million endowment campaign goal, we’re raising dedicated funds for several key priorities. A gift to one of these pooled endowments can make a long-term impact. Special Exhibitions and Public Programs Goal: $10 million Public programming lets us put local creatives in conversation with our collection and special exhibitions and highlight Philadelphia’s dynamic cultural scene. 29,000 visits to Friday evening programs last year 6 7 School and Teacher Programs Community Engagement and Goal: $10 million Access Goal: $10 million We are the largest provider of arts education to public and private The museum strives to be a good schools in the region. Our school neighbor and bring art experiences tours are only the beginning—inno- to underserved communities and vative programming like Sherlock neighborhoods in our area. We helps students build their critical create customized programming and creative thinking skills. Whether to serve audiences like children on we’re welcoming classes to the the autism spectrum and veter- galleries, sending educators into ans, collaborate with community schools, or training teachers on organizations serving families in how to incorporate art into their transitional housing, and offer Pay curriculum, we’re committed to What You Wish admission every Philadelphia students. Wednesday night. The photo, left, of Kabir Reid was taken by Justin 60,000 students served through Gilliard through the museum’s pho- K–12 programming last school tography program at Brewerytown year, 50% from Philadelphia public Athletic Recreation Center. and charter schools 50% of visits by the general public last year were free or discounted Lifelong Learning Technology Goal: $10 million Goal: $20 million You’re never too old—or too Digital technology supports young—for arts-based learning. At exceptional visitor experiences, the museum, we welcome fami- throughout the museum or online. lies, teens, college students, and Funding for technology powers learners of all ages to engage more engaging gallery interactives, deeply with our collection with the apps that help visitors explore help of specialized programming, the collection, and updates to the scholarly lectures, internships, and infrastructure that supports it all. our expert museum Guides. A robust endowment will help us share our collection with ever- 62,500 attended family programs widening audiences in ways that including Stroller Tours and Family thrill, motivate, and touch people’s Festivals last year lives. 9 million page views of our web- site yearly A fully funded endowment will allow these programs to attract and retain the most talented staff, build on their successes, and constantly evolve to make the greatest possible impact on our visitors and community. By making a gift to a pooled endowment, you can make a campaign contribution that will have a ripple effect for generations to come. 8 9 John and Christel Nyheim with their art collection (photo by Donor Voices: Linda Madara) John and Christel Nyheim As a banker, John Nyheim developed investment expertise that has defined his contributions to the museum and to the many other orga- nizations that have benefited from his guidance. Together with his wife, Christel, a retired investment counselor, John has championed our endowment, ensuring the financial stability of this institution in the long term. In 1988, John’s professional knowledge, as well as his affinity for art, led to his election to the museum’s Board of Trustees, where he chaired the Investment Committee until 2009. As a Trustee Emeritus, John continues to offer guidance through his ser- vice on the American Art, Investment, and South Asian Art Committees, while Christel serves on the European Decorative Arts Committee, and is a member of The Women’s Committee. As art collectors, they have ded- “I believe strongly in the importance of directing icated their philanthropy to areas of the museum’s collection that mean my philanthropy in ways that are meaningful to me the most to them personally, and supported the endowment through the creation of two restricted curatorial funds: one for American art and the and my family. The endowment has offered us the other for South Asian art. opportunity to see our gifts do good in perpetuity. In addition to making these contributions that will have a lasting impact, And now with our recent commitment, we are the Nyheims remain deeply involved in the future of the institution. With their leadership campaign gift of $2.5 million, John and Christel are now thrilled to further cement our legacy by naming one helping us realize the Core Project construction of new galleries of early of the new galleries of American art.” American art on the first floor, as well as the reinstallation of the galleries on the second floor. The John and Christel Nyheim Gallery, themed “Art John Nyheim for the United States,” will be dedicated to American art from 1810 to 1840 and the rising ambitions and national pride of the period. It is set to open alongside eight other new galleries this fall. 10 11 It Starts Now: The Architects Behind Modernization L: Julian Abele R: Frank Gehry with Gail Harrity, Chief Operating Officer, at the opening of the North Entrance on September 18, 2019. Within the Core Project’s plans for modernization is a deep appreciation for our historic architecture. “Frank Gehry has shown an immense amount of restraint in modernizing and expanding the building,” says Peter Cook, great-grandnephew of one of the original architects, Julian Abele, and an architect himself. Abele (1881–1950) was the first black graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s architecture school and went on to become one of the preeminent African American architects in the United States. As chief designer in the offices of Horace Trumbauer, whose firm participated along with several others on the design of the museum’s neoclassical building, Abele was integral to the initial design, ultimately realized in 1928.