Welcome to Business in Great Waters. I’m Jen Holmgren.
For this episode, I was privileged and honored to conduct my first interview on BGW with several of the many incredible people involved with the Cape Ann Museum. In the spirit of full disclosure, I serve on the Cape Ann Museum Community Engagement Committee. More on that in just a minute. In the meantime, I’ll read some info to you from the Cape Ann Museum website, and then we’ll dive right into the interview. I conducted the interview via Zoom, so please forgive the occasional artifact or mouse click – I’m still trying to figure out some of this technology stuff. Still, I think you’ll agree when you hear it: I could listen to Oliver, Miranda, Amanda, and Suzi talk about the Cape Ann Museum all day!
Mission Statement:
“The Mission of the Cape Ann Museum is to foster an appreciation of the quality and diversity of life on Cape Ann, past and present; to further the knowledge and enjoyment of Cape Ann history and art; to collect and preserve significant information and artifacts; and to encourage community involvement with its programs and holdings. In all its activities, the Museum emphasizes the highest standards of quality and seeks to engage the broadest possible audience.“
About:
“The Cape Ann Museum, founded in 1875 as the Cape Ann Scientific and Literary Association, has antecedents reaching back to the early days of the 19th century, when New England was being swept with the spirit of cultural revival…
“After some adjustments to its name and purpose, the Association acquired its first permanent headquarters in the early 1920s, the Captain Elias Davis House (1804). Located on “Captain’s Row” in downtown Gloucester, the Davis House remains part of the present-day Museum. During this same period, the Association acquired the collections of the Gloucester Historical Society and began assembling its own collections in fine art, decorative arts, fisheries and maritime history, books, photographs and other historical artifacts.
“By the 1930s, it became necessary to build a gallery adjoining the Davis House to accommodate the growing collections. The new space also included an auditorium which enabled the Association to provide cultural programming for the community.
“The history of the Association was affected profoundly when Alfred Mansfield Brooks, a Harvard-trained professor of art history, became its president in 1940. His roots were in Gloucester, so after retiring from academia he returned to spend nearly 30 years building the Association’s collections. He believed that Gloucester native Fitz Henry Lane (1804-1865) would eventually hold a preeminent place among 19th century American artists. Brooks began assembling what is now the largest and finest collection of Lane paintings in the country.
“In the 1960s, the growth of the collections prompted yet another expansion, a two-story wing with more galleries and storage space. An entire gallery was devoted to the area’s fishing and maritime heritage.
“The Association began its most extensive expansion program in the late 1980s when it bought an adjacent building. Graham Gund Architects developed a plan with atrium galleries on three levels to link the buildings and with new or renovated galleries in the two buildings. Throughout the 1990s, the Association continued to construct space, more than doubling the size of the Museum.
“The most recent construction provided the Museum with a 1,600 square foot gallery, which features changing exhibitions. The space is dramatic, with a ceiling that rises to 24 feet at its center. A sculpture garden at the Museum’s entrance displays the work of sculptors Albert Henry Atkins, Walker Hancock, George Demetrios, and Ken Hruby.
“In 2007, the Museum’s Board voted to adopt the name Cape Ann Museum, with the accompanying tagline: Art | History | Culture. The new name was chosen to more accurately describe the focused, but expansive nature of the Museum’s mission and to strengthen the Museum’s commitment to the people of Cape Ann and to the preservation and presentation of its rich traditions of art, history and culture.
“Today, the Museum is a vibrant cultural center, which includes galleries, an auditorium, a library/archives, a children’s activity center, two sculpture gardens and two historic homes.”
CAM Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Commitment
Approved by the CAM Board on September 23, 2021
“As a steward of the art, history, and culture of Cape Ann, the Cape Ann Museum is committed to accurately and fully representing the lived experiences of all those who have been part of this region’s history and are part of its story today. Through our ongoing scholarship and community engagement, the Museum strives to develop an understanding and appreciation of Cape Ann’s continuously unfolding narrative, both past and present, and commits to representing it in our permanent collection, archives, exhibitions, and programs as well as in our communications and workplace.
“The effort to become an equitable and inclusive organization will always be in process and the Museum will maintain this Commitment as a living document that is core to our ongoing growth and relevance. We recognize that historically museums have not felt welcoming and relevant to all communities. The Cape Ann Museum aims to shift that paradigm through our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by exploring deeply what those terms mean to our community and putting them into practice across all aspects of the Museum. We follow the definitions of Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion put forward by our colleagues at the American Alliance of Museums.
“The Cape Ann Museum Community Engagement Committee, comprised of staff, board, volunteers, and community stakeholders, is currently developing a set of Action Steps that will be revisited annually to ensure that the Museum is continuing to work towards these goals. To become a truly equitable and inclusive organization, visitors of all backgrounds must not only feel welcomed but also be able to relate to our programs, people, and collections. We are actively seeking input from community members and museum visitors on how the Cape Ann Museum can become a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible organization.“
Please visit the BGW blog, bgreatwaters.com, for a transcript, pictures, and more info. That’s the letter b, then great waters, all one word.
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Thank you for listening, and thank you for your support.
Main Website:
https://www.capeannmuseum.org/
Visit:
https://www.capeannmuseum.org/visit/
Events:
https://www.capeannmuseum.org/events/
Research Library and Archives:
https://www.capeannmuseum.org/research/
Fresnel Lens:
Business in Great Waters 