Cape Ann Museum Launches $5 Million Capital Campaign for Redesign of Galleries

May 25, 2013 Joe Kleiman Museums, News, Uncategorized 0

Gloucester,MA, USA /PRWEB/– Cape Ann Museum President John Cunningham will announce the public launch of the Museum’s $5M Capital Campaign – Reaching Out and Strengthening Within – at the Annual Meeting on May 30. The funds raised will enable the Museum to make essential and innovative changes, dramatically improving the Museum’s ability to care for its nationally significant collection, as well as to tell the Cape Ann story and the pivotal role it has played in the American experience.

The Campaign is the latest step in the ongoing transformation of a cultural anchor, one that contributes significantly to the region’s cultural vitality. Educational programming, collaborations and community outreach have been and continue to be expanded, and will be even more effective in the improved facility. As a result, membership, visitation and support are steadily increasing. The Campaign will enable the next steps in the Cape Ann Museum’s evolution; in particular, improvement of facilities to match the quality of the collection and to give residents and visitors an experience that lives up to the extraordinary contents of the Museum.

“Without expanding our footprint, dynamic new interior and exterior spaces will be created. Outdated systems will be updated and underutilized spaces will be maximized to provide secure, more cost-effective and visitor-friendly settings for the collection,” said Museum Director Ronda Faloon. “The Campaign will also support efforts to make the Museum’s collection more accessible by digitization, allowing it to be viewed on a redesigned website. Whether you are a physical or virtual visitor, we hope to transform the way you experience this museum.”

This year’s Annual Meeting on May 30 will feature a presentation by Robert Miklos, Principal of designLAB, the firm chosen to oversee the design and construction of the project. Mr. Miklos will present the plans, which include:

Creation of a new central gallery to serve as the educational hub of the Museum. Maps and a timeline will orient visitors to the area – its towns, its neighborhoods and its history, clarifying the connections between the collections
Renovation of out-of-date gallery space and reinstallation of the Fitz Henry Lane works and other parts of the collection in fresh, new ways
Creation of a welcoming, updated entrance and reception area
Enlargement of the windows flanking the garden to connect the generous new entrance and reception area to the Museum’s outdoor sculpture garden

The Campaign Committee is pleased to report that $3.5M in pledges have been made to date, which includes 100% support from the Museum’s board, pledges from private foundations and individuals, a $250,000 matching grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council Facilities Fund, and a $50,000 challenge grant from Gorton’s of Gloucester to be matched by Cape Ann’s business community.

The Museum has a full schedule of programs offered throughout the summer, including two major exhibitions: Four Winds: The Arts & Letters of Rocky Neck in the 1950s,an exhibition showcasing the art and literary scene on Rocky Neck in Gloucester after World War II, featuring work by abstract painter Albert Alcalay (1917-2008) and other modernists, as well as poetry by Charles Olson, Vincent Ferrini and contemporaries; and Hopper Redux: Gail Albert Halaban Photographs, a special exhibition of images by New York based photographer Gail Albert Halaban that offers a fresh look at the Gloucester houses made famous in the paintings of Edward Hopper (1882-1967). Four Winds begins on June 15, Hopper Redux on June 29; both exhibitions run until September 29, and include accompanying events. For more information, please visit www.capeannmuseum.org.

The Museum will close its doors to the public to begin construction in the fall of 2013. It will reopen in spring 2014. The success of the Capital Campaign will ensure that the Cape Ann Museum remains a vital public resource that will continue to inform and inspire for generations to come.