FISCAL YEARS 2015–2016 ANNUAL REPORT SEATTLE ART MUSEUM 2 LETTER FROM THE CONTENTS PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR 4 BOARD OF TRUSTEES 6 EXHIBITIONS & PUBLICATIONS 12 EDUCATION & PROGRAMS 17 GARDNER CENTER 20 CONSERVATION 22 RESEARCH LIBRARIES 25 ACQUISITIONS 47 FINANCIAL & MEMBERSHIP REPORT 49 ATTENDANCE 52 VOLUNTEERS & STAFF 63 DONOR RECOGNITION Left to right Kimerly Rorschach, Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO; Stewart Landefeld; Board of Trustees Chairman; and Winnie Stratton, Board of Trustees President. This report covers two exciting years of growth, Martha Rosler: Below the Surface; and Kehinde Wiley: fiscal years 2015 (July 2014 through June 2015) A New Republic. LETTER and 2016 (July 2015 through June 2016). These two At the Seattle Asian Art Museum, we continued a years brought program growth across many areas new focus on contemporary Asian art, presenting for the Seattle Art Museum, with a notable increase FROM THE Live On: Mr.’s Japanese Neo-Pop; Chiho Aoshima: in activities related to modern and contemporary Rebirth of the World; and Paradox of Place: art, both exhibitions and acquisitions, as well as our Contemporary Korean Art. These exhibitions DIRECTOR AND vibrant education and community programs. attracted increasing audiences, especially younger Over 873,000 people visited our three locations audiences, who were drawn to these contemporary CEO, CHAIRMAN, in 2015–16, a significant increase over the 691,000 artists’ engagement with global issues of our day and visitors in 2014–15. Downtown, we presented a fascinated by the inspiration these artists also drew rich roster of exhibitions across a range of global from traditional Asian cultures. AND PRESIDENT cultures, including City Dwellers: Contemporary At the Olympic Sculpture Park, we continued our Art from India; Pop Departures; Indigenous Beauty: series of outdoor summer installations with Dan Masterworks of American Indian Art from the Diker OF THE BOARD Webb: Break It Down in summer 2015, which featured Collection; Disguise: Masks and Global African Art; the artist working onsite for much of the season, Samuel F. B. Morse’s Gallery of the Louvre; Intimate and Tamiko Thiel: Gardens of the Anthropocene in Impressionism from the National Gallery of Art; SAM Annual Report 2015–2016 | 2 summer 2016, our first-ever virtual reality outdoor Over 100,000 young people from Seattle and the installation at the sculpture park. Indoors, our greater region participated in our wide-ranging PACCAR Pavilion installations continued with education programs that promote creativity and inspired works by Sam Vernon in 2015 and Victoria innovative expression, critical thinking, and cultural Haven in 2016. Our ever-popular Summer at SAM diversity. We also continued our work with artists programs continued, and in 2014–15 we launched and teachers through our Creative Advantage our Winter Weekends program with the hugely program, a citywide initiative to provide high- successful SAM Lights festival, bringing new life to quality arts education to all students in Seattle the sculpture park during the cooler months. Public Schools. As part of our mission to offer free and low-cost school tours to as many students We also began a major fundraising campaign, as possible, we continued to grow our long-term SAMForward, which will strengthen the museum partnership with the Highline Public Schools, serving and increase our capacity to effectively serve the several high-needs schools through tours, teacher community for many years to come. SAMForward professional development, and family partnerships; aims to double the size of our endowment, and we continued to offer bus transportation underpinning all our activities, and to support the scholarships to maintain access for all schools. renovation and renewal of the Seattle Asian Art Museum, which we plan to undertake in 2018. Institution-wide, in 2015 we began participating in the City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Our collection was enhanced by wonderfully Initiative, which offers training, advice, and support. generous gifts during this period, especially in Through this ongoing initiative, we aim to create the modern and contemporary field. In an act of a more equitable and inclusive museum, and to extraordinary largess, Virginia Wright gave to the institute policies and measures across our institution museum a large portion of the Virginia and Bagley to help us achieve these goals. Wright Collection, over 90 works, including major pieces by Donald Judd, Helen Frankenthaler, As we write this report for the 2015 and 2016 Robert Rauschenberg, and many other giants of fiscal years in 2017, we want to acknowledge the the post-war period. We also received a generous extraordinary leadership of John Frank, Chairman bequest from Gladys Rubinstein of significant early of the SAM Board from September 2013 through 20th-century modern works, including a large December 2015. canvas by Robert Delaunay, which strengthens We extend our deepest thanks to all our donors, and defines an area where SAM previously volunteers, trustees, and staff. With your had few resources. For the SAM collection, the participation, for the broadest-possible audience we Contemporary Collectors Forum purchased a major achieve our mission of connecting art to life. photograph by Thomas Demand, and we were able to acquire additional exciting works by younger Kimerly Rorschach, artists including a landmark work by Mickalene Illsey Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO Thomas. Other important gifts include African masks and sculptures given by Mark Grodine and Cynthia Stewart Landefeld, Putnam and Dr. Oliver and Pamela F. Cobb, and a Board of Trustees Chairman very fine group of Japanese woodblock prints from Winnie Stratton, Mary and Allan Kollar. Longtime supporter Ruth Nutt Board of Trustees President bequeathed to the museum an exquisite collection of 18th- and 19th-century American silver and other related works. SAM Annual Report 2015–2016 | 3 OFFICERS Pamela Ebsworth Ina Tateuchi John Frank Sheila Edwards Lange Lynn Thomsen BOARD OF Chairman John Frank Vijay Vashee September, 2013–December 15, 2015 Jose Gaitan Mandira Virmani TRUSTEES Lyn Grinstein Maggie Walker Stewart Landefeld Mark Groudine Brian Wineke Chairman Aya Hamilton Susan Winokur FISCAL YEAR As of December 15, 2015 Betty Hedreen Curtis Wong Winnie Stratton President Susan Hutchison Charles Wright 2014–2015 Philip Isles Virginia Wright Susan Brotman Robert Kaplan Ann P. Wyckoff Vice President Janet Ketcham Martha Wyckoff Barney Ebsworth Sam Ketcham Vice President Stephen Kutz EX–OFFICIO Najma Lalji Julia Younker Jon Shirley Stewart Landefeld Vice President Laura VonDerLage Barbara Malone Stewart Landefeld Gwen McCaw Secretary Scott Morris HONORARY Through December 15, 2015 Christine Nicolov Nancy Alvord Charles Nolan Thomas Barwick Michael Corliss Linda Nordstrom Frank Bayley Treasurer Richard Cooley Sally Nordstrom Charles Wright Michael Parham Jane Davis Past Chairman Brandon Pedersen P. Raaze Garrison Secretary Laura Peterson James Hawkanson As of December 15, 2015 Tim Punke Henry James Mary Ann James Maggie Walker Brooks Ragen Past President Constance Rice David E. Maryatt Kim Richter Sally Maryatt Catherine Roche John Moga ACTIVE Lee Rolfe James Olson Margaret Allison Sterling Sankey Theiline Scheumann Watson Blair David Santillanes Langdon Simons Bruce Blume Faye Sarkowsky Charles Simonyi Jeff Brotman Roberta Sherman Jairus Stratton Susan Brotman Jon Shirley Griffith Way Cliff Burrows Gursharan Sidhu Michael Corliss Preston Singletary Brad Davis Winnie Stratton Dino De Vita Robert Strong Barney Ebsworth SAM Annual Report 2015–2016 | 4 OFFICERS Johnpaul Jones EX–OFFICIO John Frank Janet Ketcham Shelley Buhler BOARD OF Chairman Sam Ketcham Marge Levy Sylvia Ketcham Winnie Stratton Tom Kundig TRUSTEES President HONORARY Stephen Kutz Nancy Alvord Susan Brotman Najma Lalji Thomas Barwick FISCAL YEAR Vice President Stewart Landefeld Frank Bayley Carla Lewis Barney Ebsworth Richard Cooley Barbara Malone 2015–2016 Vice President Jane Davis Gwen McCaw P. Raaze Garrison Jon Shirley Scott Morris James Hawkanson Vice President Christine Nicolov Henry James Charles Nolan Stewart Landefeld Mary Ann James Doug Norberg Secretary David E. Maryatt Linda Nordstrom Sally Maryatt Michael Corliss Sally Nordstrom John Moga Treasurer Michael Parham Joseph Monsen Brandon Pedersen Charles Wright James Olson Laura Peterson Past Chairman Theiline Scheumann Brooks Ragen Langdon Simons Maggie Walker Constance Rice Charles Simonyi Past President Kim Richter Jairus Stratton Catherine Roche Griffith Way Lee Rolfe ACTIVE Faye Sarkowsky Margaret Allison Stan Savage Eve Alvord Roberta Sherman Bruce Blume Jon Shirley Jeff Brotman Gursharan Sidhu Susan Brotman Preston Singletary Cliff Burrows Winnie Stratton Michael Corliss Robert Strong Dino De Vita Ina Tateuchi Barney Ebsworth Lynn Thomsen Sheila Edwards Lange Vijay Vashee John Frank Mandira Virmani José Gaitan Maggie Walker Gary Glant Brian Wineke Lyn Grinstein Susan Winokur Aya Hamilton Curtis Wong Betty Hedreen Charles Wright Betty Hedreen Virginia Wright Susan Hutchison Ann P. Wyckoff Martha Wyckoff SAM Annual Report 2015–2016 | 5 EXHIBITIONS & PUBLICATIONS SEATTLE ART MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS City Dwellers: Contemporary Samuel F. B. Morse’s Gallery of the Louvre Art from India September 16, 2015–January 10, 2016 August 30, 2014–February 16, 2015 Intimate Impressionism from the Pop Departures National Gallery of Art October 9, 2014–January 11, 2015 October 1, 2015–January 10, 2016 American