September 2003
This month marks our one-year anniversary. General attendance has been good, and we are particularly pleased to see University classes from a wide variety of campus units from within LAS, FAA, Engineering, and GSLIS making use of the Museum. Our calendar for guided tours was nearly always fully booked, and attendance at our special events often exceeded our auditorium capacity.
Over the past year the museum hosted a number of special exhibitions in our focus gallery beginning with the Horowitz Collection of brass rubbings from Britain followed by Bronze Age Trade in the Mediterranean, and Beethoven and the Creative Process. Each exhibition featured special lectures from experts in the field.
For our anniversary, we co-hosted with Japan House a special campus event. Hakubi Kyoto Kimono Schools and Cultural Foundation for Promoting the National Costume of Japan were kind enough to loan the Museum kimonos for display in our Focus Gallery. We were also honored by the visit of more than 80 guests who had come from Japan to take part in our opening and other related campus activities. Japan House and the Museum are especially proud of the success of this joint venture, which in its entirety was attended by nearly the entire University administration as well as a large contingent from the public sector including the Consulate General of Japan and his wife.
Our plans for future exhibitions in our Focus Gallery include Korean dolls, Pow Wow, life in West Africa and the indigenous art and ecology of South America. We hope the success of working with other units and co-hosting events carries through to our other offerings. By sharing responsibilities we feel we can reach a larger audience and provide cultural experiences of the highest quality.
The Museum, like all campus units, has faced budget issues requiring some cutbacks in operation, particularly in our hours open to the public. However, the savings are returned to our programs so that we can continue to offer superb new exhibitions in our Focus Gallery. With a stronger emphasis on visitor donations and help from our Board, Guild, and friends at large, we hope to be able to continue offering programs and exhibits at our current level.
Thank you for your support throughout our first year of operation.