New Britain Museum of American Art Annual Report 2013–2014 CHAIRMAN'S AND CONTENTS DIRECTOR'S REPORT 3 CHAIRMAN'S AND DIRECTOR’S REPORT A year of almost explosive activity including over 15 exhibitions visitors by specially conceived tours. The M.A.D. (Museum and 1,286 programs, culminated in the May 12th groundbreaking After Dark) quarterly celebrations are attended by thousands of 6 THE COLLECTION on the Museum’s new 17,346 sq. ft. addition. In the year, our participants in their twenties and thirties. Whereas the average attendance grew to a record 96,880 visitors. We purchased and age of our visitors was previously in their late fifties, with the 48 EXHIBITIONS AND INSTALLATIONS were given 555 paintings, sculptures, works on paper, videos, expanded preschool programs, high school inducements, and and photographs. In summary, by all yard sticks it was a banner M.A.D., we are very proud to announce that our audience is 50 MUSEUM PUBLICATIONS year, especially when you realize we concluded the year $30,958 dramatically younger. Furthermore, with the support of the better than the approved budget and raised $5.3 million towards American Savings Foundation, the free Saturday morning 53 EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS the expansion effort. A full listing of acquisitions, exhibitions, admissions have proven most popular and many thousands of programming, and financials are included elsewhere in this report. families with children take advantage of the opportunity to come 60 COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING AND THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE to the Museum without charge. In October 2013, after two years of decisive leadership, John 64 FINANCE/DEVELOPMENT/VISITOR SERVICES Rathgeber passed the gavel to Todd Stitzer and as chairman Todd We especially want to commend Claudia Thesing and the entire has proven to be both most generous and forceful. Trustees Tim development department for surpassing all previous goals. We 72 MEMBERS Bergstrom, Brenda Manning, Hank Martin, and Kimberly have more members, more contributors to the Annual Fund, and Zeytoonjian rotated off the board and were elevated to emeritus raised more money than ever before and especially when you 81 DONORS TO MUSEUM OPERATIONS status. A slate including Kathryn Cox, Anita Ferrante, John Jezowski, consider the donations to the Capital Campaign. I am very much CJ Joseph and Linda Tomasso was elected. John Downes, indebted to John Dillaway and his committee for achieving such 85 ADDITIONAL DONATIONS AND GIFTS Grant Jones, and Melanie McCue resigned midyear and David outstanding results at the fall Art of Wine and Food event, which Jepson and David Polk were elected as replacements. Long Lin was attended by over 350 participants. The spring Gala was one of 91 STAFF, TRUSTEES, ADVISORS resigned and Nick Artymiak became our Interactive Designer and the festive and most enjoyable of its type. Chaired by Kathryn West Developer. After decades of service as Shop Managers, Judy and Kathy Kraczkowsky, the evening raised the second highest 94 VOLUNTEERS Gaffney and Donna Downes, who were exemplary volunteers, amount in the history of this event. Trustee Tom Flanigan once retired and were replaced by Margaret Vaughan. again served as chair of the standing committee on development. 97 FINANCIAL REPORT Under the direction of Kathryn and Thomas Cox, the American One of the Museum’s major long-term goals is to attract younger Art Circle and John Butler Talcott Society enjoyed over a dozen audiences. Over the fiscal year, a pilot program was developed so special events and preview parties for their members, many of that preschoolers will come to the Museum in ever greater numbers. whom have been consistent donors for over a decade now. Support for the Museum’s operations, exhibitions and education programs are provided in part by the Dr. Pauline M. Working with several local childcare centers, the Museum is Alt Education Fund, Bailey Family Fund for Special Exhibitions, Martha Pease Bronson Endowment Fund, Jay and developing a program that will stimulate early childhood learning Over the summer of 2013, the McKernan Gallery was occupied Lorraine Bruemmer Memorial Fund, Charles and Elizabeth Buchanan Fund, Building and Furnishings Fund, Chase and address one of the major deficiencies in our current by a survey of mainly paintings, but also ceramics, glass, and Family Curator of American Art Fund, Jean and Harold Clarke Memorial Endowment Fund, Elizabeth and Stanley M. educational system. We also are working to entice high school jewelry associated with Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933). The Cooper Fund, Margaret M. Cooper Fund, Kathryn Cox Endowment Fund for Special Exhibitions, Docent Yellow Bus Fund, Education Fund, Endowment Fund, Henry Sage Goodwin Fund, Harold M. and Charlene Gray Fund, Holiday (from left) Governor Dannel Malloy, Tita Hyland, Douglas Hyland, Trustee Chris Shivery, Chuck Shivery, and Cathy Malloy at the Art Party of the Year, May 3, 2014 Decorating Fund, Grace Judd Landers Fund, Robert Lehman Lecture Fund, Martha and Henry Pelton Fund, Catharine M. Rogers Lecture Series Fund, Shaker Gallery Fund, Helen Talcott Stanley Fund, and the Elizabeth Wick Fund. The growth and conservation of the collection is made possible by the income from the Barstow Fund, Alice Osborne Bristol Fund, William F. Brooks Fund, Jane and Victor Darnell Fund, General Purchase Fund, Stephen B. Lawrence Fund, Sanford B.D. Low Illustration Fund, Edward A. and Mary W. Mag Fund, Members Purchase Fund, Joseph H. and Janet L. Myers Fund, Luda S. Piecka Fund, Charles F. Smith Fund, John Butler Talcott Fund, funding from the Helen P.G. and John Vibberts Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, and the Paul W. Zimmerman Purchase Fund. Nobu Fukui (b. 1942), Incredulity, 2013, Mixed media collage, 94 x 144 in., Paul W. Zimmerman Purchase Fund, 2014.04 2 NEW BRITAIN MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART ANNUAL REPORT '13–'14 3 CHAIRMAN'S AND CHAIRMAN'S AND DIRECTOR'S REPORT DIRECTOR'S REPORT exhibition was mounted in collaboration with the Nassau County in the year. By every matrix the staff has out shown itself. I am receiving the Robert Lesser Collection of Pulp Art several years niece, the Museum will inherit the Cutter estate. John Piskor, Museum of Art with key loans added from the Mark Twain indebted to Claudia Thesing, who has completed her 25th year ago as a long term loan, Mr. Lesser decided to give his collection, Alice Hurlburt, and June Mitchell remembered the Museum in House & Museum and Tiffany & Co. Archives, among many here and Linda Mare, whom I hired in 2002. Their efforts and the finest of its type in the nation, to the Museum. Portions their wills. June also bequeathed over sixty original children’s lenders. The next show was devoted to a memorial retrospective long term commitment to the institution have allowed the of the Lesser Collection will be rotated in the Low Gallery. In illustrations to the Museum and Carol Kreeger Davidson gave of the late Connecticut legend Maurice Sendak (1928–2012). Museum to flourish under their tutelage. recent years, loans from the Lesser Collection have been made a group of outstanding artwork shortly before her death. Other The following rotation focused on James Prosek, a contemporary to other museums all over the country. We are most grateful to volunteers, members, and friends whose support and involvement artist whose show and major acquisition were funded by the Tom Bell has presided over the financial affairs of the Museum Charles and Irene Hamm and Robert Lesser. we appreciated greatly who died in the year are Patricia Bowers, Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public with diligence and has completed now his fourth year here. Mark S. Catalina, Jeanne Clear, Judith B. Delahunty, John Just Giving. Glass Today: 21st Century Innovations opened June 21. NEW/ One of the salient features remarked upon by our visitors is the As always, the Museum’s objects were loaned to leading Ellis, John Eveleth, Ingunn Hekneby, David Kingsbury, Clara NOW artists Fern Berman, Stephanie Lempert, and Joe Fig friendliness of the staff and this is attributable to Melanie Carr, institutions here and abroad. A full list of places where our Kremski, George A. Louis, Kevin McLaughlin, Dr. Elizabeth presented their latest artworks in the Cheney Gallery with the Associate Director of Visitor Experience & Community collection can be enjoyed, ranging from area hospitals to Michalowski, Edith Perakos, Ann Pritchard, Patricia Rosoff, support of Greg and Marzena Silpe. In the Davis Gallery, we Engagement. The success of the Museum is the responsibility corporations and foundations, is presented again this year. Lynn Silverman, and Doris (Dodi) Vitali. presented a group of paintings by the renowned artist Jacob of John Urgo, who is both our exhibition designer and Rather than store hundreds of works of art, the Museum has Collins; Aloha: Hawaiian Art and Artifacts from the Sullivan Collection; collections manager. This year his staff has grown substantially adopted long ago a liberal policy of sharing our resources with As we write this report we know that construction on the new Click! Clack! Ding! The American Typewriter; and This One’s Optimistic: with the hiring of Stacy Cerullo, Associate Registrar and a wide variety of organizations in central Connecticut. wing is well underway. The addition with its expanded galleries Pincushion. We were especially pleased to mount the Hawaiian Database Coordinator, and others who with a grant from the for the permanent collection and changing exhibitions as well exhibition as it coincided with the 50th anniversary of the death Henry Luce Foundation and the National Endowment for the Parking has always been an essential ingredient in the Museum’s as three times more new studio space will allow the New Britain of founding director Sanford Low, who was half native Hawaiian Arts, are digitalizing and documenting the entire collection.