July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024
Director’s Letter
This year we focused on illuminating creativity, sparking curiosity, planning for the future, and preparing ourselves for change.
Change is essential to all that we do at the MAH. It was at the forefront of our thinking in the 1980s when the Santa Cruz Historical Society and the Art Museum of Santa Cruz County joined forces to build a center for art, history, and community in downtown Santa Cruz. It guided us in 1996, when the groups merged to form the Museum of Art and History at the McPherson Center. And it drove our transformation into the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, as we are known today.
Change and innovation have shaped our institutional journey for nearly 40 years, but especially in the past decade. In recent years we embraced the evolutionary—and revolutionary—character of our work, focusing our mission to better reflect who we are now and who we want to be going forward. We put forth the notion that museums should be public spaces, and infused ours with collective memories, testimonies, and interpretations to ensure that everyone feels ownership in it.
Today the MAH is an interdisciplinary hub of collaboration and discovery at the physical and cultural heart of Santa Cruz County. We believe that art and history have the power to challenge, enrapture, and transform, so we have embraced our role as stewards and storytellers to inspire and educate diverse audiences, while igniting shared experiences and connections. We foster change through cultural, social, technological, and place-based impact, which helps to create a vibrant, livable community.
In 2023-24 the MAH:
• Completed year three of our strategic plan. We again prioritized three core strategies—increasing engagement and retention, deepening relationships and collaboration, and building resilience and capacity. We accomplished specific milestones, and reached or exceeded a number of our third-year targets.
• Offered eclectic programming. We produced a second edition of Frequency, our 4-day festival of light, sound, and digital culture in and around the museum. We also presented a full schedule of exhibitions, performances, and special events, including silent discos, in-gallery roller skating parties, monsterthemed symposia, and drag story hours.
• Honored our shared history. We embarked on the London Nelson Legacy Initiative, a multi-year collaboration with a Black-led citizen group to research and share the stories of Black pioneers in Santa Cruz County. The project includes the creation of a full historical narrative for each of the Black individuals buried at Evergreen Cemetery.
• Fueled our local creative economy. Through commissions and research projects, we invested over $200,000— more than half our annual programming
budget—in Santa Cruz County artists and others in the creative sector. We believe in the value of cultural workers and their right to fair compensation.
• Aligned with key partners. We developed and deepened our work with community nonprofits and businesses, and expanded our collaborations with UC Santa Cruz.
• Digitized part of our collection. We launched Queerstory, a project to digitize and promote materials that document our local LGBTQ+ community from the mid-1970s to present. This is part of a long-term initiative to digitize much of the museum’s archives.
• Introduced e-membership options. We began using digital membership cards to help us expedite fulfillment, reduce our plastic footprint, and provide members with easier access to benefits.
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• Secured new funding. We received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Institute of Museum and Library Services, and renewed support from key foundation and governmental partners. We continue to pursue opportunities for program development, capacity-building, and collaboration.
• Strengthened our business model. We completed facility reserve studies for our properties to better understand current and future capital and maintenance needs. We continue to work toward balancing earned and contributed revenue, shoring up cash flow, expanding our resources, and broadening our base of support.
• Began succession planning. We embarked on a succession planning process to identify, prepare, and develop the next generation of leadership at the museum to ensure continuity and sustainability.
A time of change is upon us again. After four and a half years leading this dynamic organization, I am stepping down from my role as executive director of the MAH. In my time here, one of the things that struck me is how important this institution is to Santa Cruz County. I am grateful for the support and collaboration of the community—the staff, volunteers, donors, trustees, and visitors alike. Your passion for art and history, and the MAH’s unique role in that space, is an inspiration.
As philosopher Henri Bergson said, “To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” Amidst transformation, new opportunities arise—and I am excited to see where the organization will go next. Please continue to support the MAH’s work, so that its full potential can be realized.
Robb Woulfe Executive Director
“The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH), once a place for art and history, now a place that uses art and history to build a strong community, puts stories centre stage.”
Vision, Mission & Values
Vision
To ignite shared experiences and unexpected connections that enrich our community.
Mission
To bring people together through art and local history to explore our diverse cultures.
Values
To achieve our vision and mission, we are guided by the following values:
Engagement & Collaboration
We deliver interactive, educational, and entertaining opportunities through our numerous partnerships, encouraging participation in the creative and learning process.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility
We respect individuals from all backgrounds and identities, with diverse life experiences, and acknowledge our connectedness, commonalities, and shared humanity.
Innovation & Experimentation
We challenge assumptions, explore various perspectives, and test new ideas to create experiences that are bold, unconventional, and thought-provoking.
Excellence & Rigor
We pride ourselves on professionalism, artistic excellence, historical accuracy, and meaningful social impact.
Accountability, Integrity & Responsibility
We recognize that transparency and careful stewardship of resources are essential to our operations, and cultivate an empowered workforce and board that share this fiscal responsibility.
About the MAH
The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) was founded in 1996 to promote a greater understanding of contemporary art and the history of Santa Cruz County.
Today we are a thriving community gathering place that offers a full slate of rotating art and history exhibitions, visual and performing artworks, public festivals, education and outreach programs, and cultural celebrations in collaboration with our many partners. We maintain a permanent collection of regionally significant art and artifacts, a research library, historical archive, and historic sites including Evergreen Cemetery, the Octagon Building, and Davenport Jail. We are also home to Abbott Square, a vibrant public plaza on the museum’s doorstep that offers food, social events, and year-round creative happenings.
The MAH is well-known for pioneering the “participatory museum,” in which a broad spectrum of partners and community members develop exhibitions around important
community issues. We are proud of our reputation as one of the most creative and forward-thinking community museums in the country.
As we move forward, we continue that level of engagement in recognition of the value in co-creating projects. At the same time, we are committed to producing and cultivating meaningful, high quality, place-based work that animates and enlivens the MAH as well as public spaces throughout Santa Cruz County.
With strong support from our community collaborators and new partnerships yet to be formed, we are confident the MAH will not only uphold its reputation as a cultural and social innovator, but serve as a model for other museums to emulate.
Assets & Spaces
Facility & Sites
The MAH itself is located in a privately owned building on Santa Cruz County property (the County leases the property to the MAH). Within it, there is approximately 8,000 square feet of exhibition/gallery space and 2,750 square feet for collections/archives. The MAH also operates three historic structures/sites: Evergreen Cemetery, Davenport Jail, and the Octagon Building. In addition, we manage the adjacent McPherson Center office building, which includes Abbott Square Market, as commercial rental property.
Collections & Publications
The MAH maintains a research library, archives, and a curatorial collection. The art collection has more than 300 sculptures, paintings, and prints by California and greater Monterey Bay area artists. The history collection has more than 7,000 items, most of which are from the early 1900s with historical significance to Santa Cruz County. The MAH also produces research-based publications on a range of topics about local history, environment, inhabitants, and places.
Exhibition Spaces
The MAH has two permanent exhibition spaces: the History Gallery and the rooftop Blanchard Sculpture Garden. Three other galleries—Art Forum, Lezin, and Solari—offer rotating exhibitions that present artworks and artifacts reflective of the dynamism and diversity of Santa Cruz County. In addition, the MAH presents a series of public programs and educational activities.
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“It’s expected to be a dazzling and absorbing experience for all involved, designed to shake up conventional expectations of museum art.”
—Lookout Santa Cruz, on Frequency
Programming Framework
The MAH offers a wide array of programs and activities for the community. To clarify and guide our programming, we developed the following framework:
Exhibitions
Now offered online and onsite, our rotating exhibitions feature commissioned, co-created, and presented works by local, national, and international artists, as well as artwork and objects from our collection. Many are collaborations between the MAH and the community; others are organized by our visionary team of curators.
Biennial Festivals
Our new festivals showcase the MAH as a “museum without walls” through largescale sculptures, site-specific installations, social interventions, and live performances outdoors and in. These are curated around established themes, with the aim of uniting community through a shared sense of wonder and awe.
Limited Series
This is our program of ticketed lectures, concerts, and performances featuring local, national, and international talent, which we present in partnership with local collaborators.
Community Celebrations
The MAH is proud to have a large and diverse group of partners who spearhead this series of events and activities celebrating local culture, heritage, and tradition.
Education Program
Our robust education program includes a variety of learning opportunities—from field trips, artist talks, guided tours, art camps, and hands-on classes to virtual
learning—designed to enhance understanding of our exhibitions among all audiences, from school groups to visiting guests.
Outreach Program
We also offer engagement opportunities beyond the physical space of the MAH that include pop-up events, mobile exhibitions, community speaker programs, and other activities both offsite and online.
Special Events
These are our fundraisers and “friendraisers” that we host throughout the year as a way to raise both dollars and awareness for the MAH.
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Core Narratives
Because so much of our work is developed through the lens of community and public benefit, we identified core issues important to local citizens as a way to consciously embrace how art and history can integrate with and impact community life.
These areas of focus emphasize our sense of place, local identity, and collective history. Also seen as our spheres of impact, they help guide how programs and initiatives at the MAH are developed, curated, and organized, creating opportunities for cultural practitioners to collaborate, inspire, and elicit creative solutions that result in deep and lasting change. They include:
Health & Wellness
Mental health, holistic healing, art and wilderness therapy. Access to care, building community, focusing on the needs of our most vulnerable. Connecting communities and resources.
Environmental Justice & Creative Ecologies
Exploring the places where culture and environment intersect—sea level rise, natural resources, climate change, and equity. Interdisciplinary strategies to negotiate environmental issues.
Memory & Place
Looking back to look forward. Heritage, culture, and tradition. Movement, migration, and place. Institutional and collective memory. Storytelling.
Regenerative Design & Cultural Activism
Creation over consumption. Biomimicry, working with and through the land. Art that gives back—a tool for restoration, renewal, or revitalization. Advocating for long term public interest.
Joy & Beauty
Experiences that provide space to pause and imagine. Relief, reflection, escape. Stillness. Uncanniness. Consideration of the unknown. Inspiring wonder and awe.
By recognizing issues and topics critical to the community’s future and situating or contextualizing our programs within those domains, we have opportunities to: 1) produce work that has strong local relevance; 2) engage a wide range of partners and collaborators; 3) develop a compelling case for support to attract funding; and 4) effect positive social change in Santa Cruz County and beyond.
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"Part installation, part immersive experience, ‘Frequency’ spins participants in a kaleidoscope of different realities.”
—Good Times
Governance & Structure
The MAH is governed by a volunteer board of trustees who are committed to the museum’s legacy and its vision for the future. The board is comprised of a diverse group of local professionals, civic leaders, and community advocates whose primary responsibilities are to define strategic vision, develop policy, and ensure the financial viability of the organization. There is an executive committee made up of the chair, vice chair(s), secretary, treasurer, and at-large member.
The institution is managed by a professional staff of paid employees. With collaboration as a core operating tenet, the team works with broadbased constituencies including artists, historians, activists, business and community leaders, and other influencers to advance the MAH’s
mission, strengthen partnerships, and cultivate new and existing community connections.
The senior management team includes Kevin Coullahan (Director of Operations & Facilities), Marla Novo (Director of Exhibitions & Programs), and Hans Wuerfmannsdobler (Director of Finance & Administration).
A staff of full- and part-time employees along with contractors and service providers complete the organizational structure. More than 100 volunteers contribute thousands of hours annually in all operational areas.
"While the exhibit and archive are backed by several institutional partners… the ethos of the work has been that of co-creation with community members.”
—KAZU, on Sowing Seeds
Board of Trustees
FY24 Roster
Jorian Wilkins
Chair
Jon Sisk
Vice Chair
Rob Darrow
Secretary Aliyah Nance
Treasurer
Rebecca Hernandez
At-large
Jasmine Alinder
Rob Blitzer
Standing Committees
Executive
Audit
DEIA
Development
Finance
Nominating & Governance
Supporting Committees
Collections Management
Davenport Jail
Evergreen Cemetery
Historic Landmark
Publications
Lacy Rieber
The MAH recognizes and thanks former trustee George Newell for his contributions in FY24.
Management Team
Staff (as of 7/2024)
Robb Woulfe
Executive Director
Kevin Coullahan
Director of Operations & Facilities
Marla Novo
Director of Exhibitions & Programs
Hans Wuerfmannsdobler
Director of Finance & Administration
Miles Backer
Guest Services Representative
Madeleine Bennett Guest Services Coordinator
Jessi Bond
Rentals & Events Manager
Jessie Durant
Archives Specialist
Bronwyn Eyre
Guest Services Representative
Yvonne Feistman
Guest Services Representative
Sarah Fisher
Guest Services Representative
Tahnee Henningsen
Programs Coordinator
Natalie Jenkins Exhibitions Manager
Abby Luciano
Guest Services Representative
Litzy Mozqueda-Franyutti
Guest Services Representative
Shanti Nagwani Preparator
Rob Ojeda
Systems Administrator
Jamilli Pacheco-Urquiza Guest Services Representative
Oscar Paz Education & Outreach Manager
Rebecca Snyder
Archives Assistant
Contractors & Service Providers
Alrightco
Accounting Services
Karen Bush Consulting Database Support
Ami Davis
Development Advisor
Erica Davis
Grant Writer
Candice Elliott
Recruitment Advisor
Hutchinson and Bloodgood Auditor
Angela Knightley Design Support
Julie Lambert
Lambert Group, HR Consultant
Dexter Martin
Translator & Interpreter
Chris Miller
Launch Brigade, IT Consultant
Andrew O’Keefe
Amotion, Media Consultant
Jennifer Wiczynski
Attorney
The MAH recognizes and thanks former staff members Isabella Bradley, Myles Morgan, Nikki Patterson, Sara Sotelo, and Anna Zou for their contributions in FY24. We also gratefully acknowledge all of our residents, fellows, and interns for their work in FY24.
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“The highlight for the upcoming year is a new show from celebrated painter Richard Mayhew, one of America’s foremost Black painters, who makes his home in Santa Cruz County."
—Lookout Santa Cruz, on Richard Mayhew: Inner Terrain
Exhibitions & Biennials
Queer Santa Cruz
Oct 1, 2021–Sep 24, 2025 History Gallery
The Writing on the Wall Mar 10–Jul 9, 2023 Art Forum Gallery & Davenport Jail
Cannupa Hanska Luger: Sé’sh Shóto’sh Psí’sh May 12–Sep 3, 2023 Solari Gallery
Point of Light
Jul 21–Oct 1, 2023
Art Forum Gallery
Contemporary Indigenous Voices of California’s South Coast Range: Enduring Relationships with the Land
Aug 17–Sep 3, 2023
Atrium
Frequency:
A Festival of Light, Sound & Digital Culture
Sep 21–24, 2023
In and around the MAH, featuring:
• Spectral Passage by Visual Endeavors
• IVY2.0 by Tom & Lien Dekyvere
• Dodi by HYBYCOZO
• Crystal Note Grove by Liminal Space Collective
• Rhizome by Tom & Lien Dekyvere
• The Last Chinatown by Huy Truong, Susana Ruiz, and Karen Tei Yamashita
• Elantica, Stream by Tom & Lien Dekyvere
• Point of Light by HYBYCOZO
• Poems of Positivity by Orlosky Studio
• Electric Garden: Silent Disco by HUSHconcerts
Elantica, Stream
Sep 21, 2023–Jan 7, 2024
Solari Gallery
Werewolf Hunters, Jungle Queens, and Space Commandos: The Lost Worlds of Women Comic Artists
Oct 13, 2023–Jan 21, 2024
Art Forum Gallery
Toy Trains
Dec 2023
Atrium
Fruiting Bodies
Jan 4–14, 2024
Atrium
Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship Exhibition
Jan 19–Mar 24, 2024
Solari Gallery
Richard Mayhew: Inner Terrain
Feb 1–May 12, 2024
Art Forum Gallery
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
Art Show
Feb 2–4, 2024
Atrium
Sowing Seeds: Filipino American Stories from the Pajaro Valley Apr 12–Aug 4, 2024
Solari Gallery
Look Me in the Eyes
May 3, 2024
Atrium
Honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
MMIWG
May 3–5, 2024
Atrium
Watermarks of the Last Chinatown May 10–26, 2024
Downtown
Of Love and Revelation: Learning Photography from the Land
May 24–Sep 29, 2024
Art Forum Gallery Is Gender Working For You? Portraits of GenderDeviant People
Throughout History Jun 1–2, 2024
Garden Room
Programs
The Exquisite
Moving Corpse Jul 2023
First Fridays Jul 2023–Jun 2024
Artist Talk: Museums and Prisons: A Conversation with Dr. Baz Dreisinger, Devon Simmons, and Matthew Wilson Jul 2023
History Forum: The Epic True Story Film Made in Santa Cruz Jul 2023
Mujeria Trilogy Screening & Discussion with Dr. T Osa Hidalgo de la Riva Jul 2023
Educator Mixer Series Aug 2023–Jun 2024
Círculo de poetas & Writers Conference Aug 2023
Queerstory Archives Portal and History Trunk Launch Oct 2023
Festivals of Monsters Oct 2023
Writers of Color
Santa Cruz County Oct 2023
Santa Cruz Ofrenda Opening Ceremony & Sugar Skull Workshop Oct 2023
Science on Tap Oct 2023–May 2024
Día de los Muertos Oct 2023
MAH & Evergreen
Cemetery
Ask a Philosopher Nov 2023–Mar 2024
Drag Story Time Nov 2023
History Forum Gala: Dolkas/Mertz Award Nov 2023
Book Signing & Downtown Walking Tour: A Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture Dec 2023
Community Night Computer Science Playground Dec 2023
Family Day: Wishy Wonderland Dec 2023
Tremella Soup for Winter
Jan 2024
Late Night @ the MAH: Silent Disco
Jan 2024
Artist Talk: Spacesuit, Earthsuit with Anna Friz
Jan 2024
History Forum: Saving the Beloved Del Mar Feb 2024
The Santa Cruz Italian Fishing Colony: 150 Years of Amore Feb 2024
History Talk with George Ow, Jr. Feb 2024
Shrine Keeper trailer screening Feb 2024
Book Talk: Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir, Tessa Hulls in conversation with Manjula Martin Mar 2024
HERstory Celebration Mar 2024
Late Night @ the MAH: Black Tie Roller Ball Mar 2023
History Forum: Nina Simon's Murder Mystery
Apr 2024
Light & Color: A demonstration and conversation with Kajahl Apr 2024
Spatial Illusions as Radical Mindscapes: A conversation about the work of Richard Mayhew May 2024
Historic Landmark Blue Plaques Awards May 2024
Family Day: Pride Jun 2023
UCSC Night at the Museum
Jun 2024
The Artists of Love & Revelation: Four Generations
Photographing the California Landscape Jun 2024
Community Pop Up: What do you want to see more of at the MAH? Jun 2024
Race Through Time Jun 2024
In Pour Taste: The History of Drag Jun 2024
History Forum: Preserving Art of the Monterey Bay Region Jun 2024
Genealogy Workshops: Family Histories & Practical Application
Jun 2024
"Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) has its origins in the rituals of indigenous peoples of the Americas, honoring those who have passed away and remembering that death is an integral part of the human experience."
—Santa Cruz Sentinel
7 850
16 16 75 575,982 49,929
The MAH works with many local organizations, businesses, and community institutions each year. Here are some of the dynamic groups and individuals with whom we partnered in recent years.
ABBOTT SQUARE MARKET • A.D. CLARKE • AMAH MUTSUN TRIBAL BAND • ARTS COUNCIL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY • BRISTER ENGLISH PROJECT • CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS • CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION • CALIFORNIA HUMANITIES • CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY • CENTER FOR MONTER STUDIES AT UCSC • CITY OF SANTA CRUZ • COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SANTA CRUZ COUNTY • COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ • DEPARTMENT OF PLAY, PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN AT UCSC • DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION OF SANTA CRUZ • DUDEK • FESTIVAL OF MONSTERS • HISTORY FORUM • HOTEL PARADOX • HOUSING MATTERS • HUSHCONCERTS • INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES • INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS AND SCIENCES AT UCSC • KAISER PERMANENTE • LONDON NELSON LEGACY INITIATIVE • M.K. CONTEMPORARY ART • NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS • NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES • OCEAN CONSERVANCY • RESEARCHERS ANONYMOUS • SANTA CRUZ ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER COLLECTIVE • SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BANK • SANTA CRUZ CITY ARTS • SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BLACK HEALTH MATTERS INITIATIVE
• SANTA CRUZ PRIDE • SENDEROS • SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES AT UCSC • THE ARTS RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT UCSC • THE DAVID AND LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION • THE DIVERSITY CENTER • THE HUMANITIES INSTITUTE AT UCSC • THE KEY IOP • THE TOBERA PROJECT • WALNUT AVENUE FAMILY & WOMEN’S CENTER • WATSONVILLE IS IN THE HEART • WILLIAM AND FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION • WRITERS OF COLOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
*Estimate from MAH activities produced indoors, outdoors, offsite, and online from Jul 1, 2023–Jun 30, 2024.
**Number of member households who joined or renewed their membership between Jul 1, 2023–Jun 30, 2024.
***Analytics information from Jul 1, 2023–Jun 30, 2024.
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Financial Health
The MAH’s operating costs for FY24 were $2,319,270 with contributed revenue generated from individuals and businesses, foundation and government grants, and earned revenue from admission fees, event tickets, facility rentals, lease payments, and retail sales.
Our team has been working diligently to diversify our funding portfolio and expand our base of support, even as the negative impacts from COVID-19 continue to ripple through the global cultural sector.
We took and continue to take actions designed to ensure financial sustainability now and in the future. In the short term, we reduced staff numbers and have been actively pursuing relief funding opportunities including grants, small business loans, and assistance programs focused on capacity-building, resilience, and recovery.
For the long term, we have been working to strengthen our business model with financial strategies that include striking a realistic balance between earned and contributed revenue, shoring up cash flow,
expanding our resources, and broadening our base of support. Our efforts toward resource development include re-engaging past donors and supporters and introducing new revenue streams, with particular attention to opportunities for income growth that are aligned with our programs and artistic development.
The charts and figures on the next page are a snapshot of the MAH’s financial position from this most recent year.
Note on statements: Some grant funds released in FY24 were recognized in full during previous fiscal years, and some grant funds recognized in full in FY24 will be released in future fiscal years. Operating expense includes non-cash depreciation for both the museum and McPherson buildings.
Note: The condensed statement of operations and the condensed statement of financial position are derived from the financial statements of the MAH as of June 30, 2024, which have not been audited and are subject to change. A complete set of the MAH’s audited financial statements for 2023–24 will be posted to our website upon completion. Previous years’ audited financial statements and IRS Form 990s are currently available at santacruzmah.org/financials
The MAH maintains the highest possible, four-star rating by Charity Navigator, America’s leading independent charity evaluator.
Expense
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"The festival will once again activate the museum, neighboring gardens and plazas in downtown Santa Cruz with illuminated artworks, interactive technologies, and immersive experiences." —Content Magazine, on Frequency
Strategic Plan
MAH 2026
In 2023–24, we successfully completed year three of our 5-year strategic plan.
Titled MAH 2026, the plan expands on our proud 28-year history as a center for the intersection of art, history, and civic life. It builds on what we have learned, from our successes to our setbacks. In some places it continues our efforts to maintain and improve upon our standards of excellence in exhibitions, programs, collections, and publications. In others, it outlines new initiatives to advance and deepen our impact on individual lives, improve the wellbeing of our community, and ensure equity and vitality through diversity and inclusivity. It strives to set the MAH on a stronger financial and organizational course, increase our base of support, and strengthen our staff and governance.
Like all strategic plans, ours aligns ambitions and resources. It seeks to balance aspirational programming with fiscal sustainability and prioritizes experimentation with new models of engagement and growth. Each of the MAH’s new strategies has a series of measurable goals and time-based initiatives that are supported by specific tactics and actions, all of which will be integrated across the museum to ensure inter-departmental synergy and coordination. Some actions have begun; some are continuations of ongoing work; others are in the planning phases; and still others are geared for the future.
MAH 2026 is a living document, designed to be flexible and allow for agility. Each year, we will revisit the plan to evaluate our progress and use that assessment to develop annual work plans and budgets for board approval. While the plan will inform and guide our work, we will also remain nimble to take advantage of new opportunities and changing conditions.
Plan Overview
Again, our vision is to ignite shared experiences and unexpected connections that enrich our community, accomplished by a mission to bring people together through art and local history to explore our diverse cultures, and guided by five core
SANTA CRUZ MUSEUM OF ART &
values: 1) engagement and collaboration; 2) diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; 3) innovation and experimentation; 4) excellence and rigor; and 5) accountability, integrity, and responsibility.
Our major strategies are to increase engagement and retention through innovative and time-tested programs that attract audiences, engage community, and spark connections; deepen relationships and collaboration through mutually beneficial partnerships that leverage resources and expertise to benefit the public; and build resilience and capacity through streamlined practices in all areas of management and operations. With organizational learning as a core operating tenet, we rely on data-based decisionmaking and measurable methodologies to improve, extend, and increase the impact of MAH experiences, while continuing to embrace the experimentation, risk-taking, inventiveness, and reflection the MAH is known for.
The Path Forward
MAH 2026 is focused on the impact and outcomes between our organization and our diverse community—from the connoisseurs of art, history, and culture to the creative and curious explorers who seek inspiration through shared experiences and unexpected connections. We aim to nurture these relationships and serve our community in a way that is inspiring and thoughtprovoking while also ensuring long-term organizational sustainability.
To do so, the MAH must enhance its programs, operations, facilities, and resources—and the process to accomplishing this is laid out in the plan. Upon its completion in 2026, we expect more than ever to be a sustainable, vital, and resilient MAH, focused on audiences and bolstered by even deeper, more substantive community relationships.
The plan is a pathway that promises to build momentum and usher the MAH forward into the next era for our institution. We hope you will not only support us but join us on this exciting journey. Together, our potential knows no bounds.
To read the full version of MAH 2026, please visit santacruzmah.org/about.
“Santa Cruz County has a wonderful tradition called the Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship. This year, the Rydells go to Santa Cruz native Kajahl Benes-Trapp, Malaysian-Chinese artist Kristiana Chan, multimedia artist Anna Friz and tapestry artist Janette Gross."
—Lookout Santa Cruz
The Future
By cultivating a healthy and sustainable creative economy, we ensure that Santa Cruz County remains a great place to live, work, and play. Our achievements on this front are not the work of the MAH alone, but instead result from the exemplary collaboration of many partners. Together we have built a livable downtown (where livability refers to its tangible, physical attributes), and together we can ensure vibrancy (the positive emotional qualities of a community) for years to come.
The MAH contributes to this effort in 2024 and beyond by forging boldly ahead with our inventive offerings, and working with collaborators to breathe new life into our cultural scene and public spaces. This work has become more important than ever as we emerge from the pandemic, reconnect, and rebuild.
And yet, it is no secret that these are challenging times for arts and culture. Around the world, museums have experienced reduced funding, operational issues due to COVID, and other difficulties. In Santa Cruz County, too, our cultural landscape has been altered in unprecedented ways. At a time of such uncertainty, we believe it is crucial to recognize the enduring value of creative enterprise to drive community development. We need to celebrate our local cultural organizations and do what we can to support the sector. We need to develop vision, strategies, and priorities, and ensure long-term funding to sustain high-quality programs and facilities.
To continue moving this work forward, our plans for the future involve the following emphases.
Placekeeping
Similar to the placemaking movement in community development, placekeeping is an effort to recognize and celebrate a community’s extant cultural identity, history, and people by elevating local culture, heritage, and landscapes through artistic and historical interpretation. Not only do the MAH’s exhibitions, festivals, and programs encourage localism as well as the tourism that financially benefits businesses, workforce, and City and
County tax revenue, they also invest in our cultural profile in a way that enriches the lives of our local community, invites visitor participation, and ensures we remain attractive and relevant in these rapidly changing times.
Community Belonging
Nurturing a sense of belonging among all people contributes to healthy, meaningful lives and safe, inclusive neighborhoods. When we encourage culture and identity to flourish, civic participation increases. MAH programming enhances belonging by animating our museum, historic sites, and public spaces in a way that acknowledges and honors our diverse cultures and histories, while encouraging interaction and community building. We use interventions to engage people as active collaborators around art and history; to make and offer space that fosters encounter, dialogue, and social cohesion; and to build individual and collective capacity to sustain socially and place-connected, resilient communities.
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Social Connectedness
Connectedness is key to growing a sense of belonging, and the experiences we craft around it are designed specifically to encourage people to come together, interact, and engage in mutual value creation through an exchange of knowledge and information. Residents who are engaged become invested in the MAH and one another. This builds the public value and perception of the organization, while contributing to the community’s wellbeing overall.
Here are some of the specific visioning, organizational, and programming approaches the MAH uses to increase creative capacity and competitive advantage within the aforementioned emphases:
• Articulating narratives that represent the beliefs, values, and ideals of Santa Cruz County to guide our programming
• Launching a biennial festival series to connect and inspire patrons and guests in and around the MAH and County
• Unveiling temporary public artworks that invite engagement and interaction while creating a draw to our civic spaces
• Creating new artistic work and cultural content in addition to preserving and presenting our collections
• Designing virtual activities that invite online interaction to serve our community during and after the pandemic
• Investing in local artists, historians, and creative practitioners via commissions, residencies, space, and resources
• Encouraging a shift toward regenerative economy within our community to capitalize on opportunities
• Building support for citizen artists and storytellers to increase involvement in creativity and cultural exchange
• Committing to accelerating diversity and equity in our cultural workforce and leadership pipeline
• Collaborating with other cultural organizations to strengthen our mutual impact
• Engaging in the global conversation by connecting local and regional initiatives to broader contexts
A renaissance of art, culture, creativity, and community is upon us. By recognizing and strengthening the institutions, businesses, and individuals who make our creative economy flourish, we can harness it to the benefit of all.
“Richard Mayhew’s landscape art is known for its dancing on the very edge of abstract art and for what it reveals about his understanding of color."
—Lookout Santa Cruz, on Richard Mayhew: Inner Terrain
249,359 DOLLARS AWARDED FROM IMLS GRANT
1,100 ITEMS OF LGBTQ+ COLLECTION DIGITIZED AS PART OF 'QUEERSTORY' PROJECT
300 RECYCLED CIRCUIT BOARDS IN TOM & LIEN DEKYVERE'S INSTALLATIONS
ON LOAN FROM THE JIM GUNDERSON COLLECTION
200 ROLLER SKATERS IN SOLARI GALLERY DURING 'LATE NIGHT'
150 HEADSETS DISTRIBUTED AT SILENT DISCO
"The
oral histories, accounts of Pajaro Valley life through the eyes of manongs’ children, are the backbone of the exhibit."
—KQED, on Sowing Seeds
Contributors
The MAH’s accomplishments are made possible by a growing community of supporters who value our mission and work.
The lists on the following pages recognize the individuals, families, businesses, and organizations who contributed $20 or more in cumulative gifts between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. We apologize for any omissions or misspellings. Please let us know of any errors so we can correct them.
Director’s Circle
The Director’s Circle is a giving society that includes the MAH’s most loyal and passionate donors. Members give $1,000 or more annually in unrestricted support.
Jasmine Alinder and Aims McGuinness
Mary and Harry Blanchard
Jenny and John Bost
John and Patty Brissenden
Linda and John Burroughs
Susan and Peter Canepa
Carla and Patrick Carstens
Andrew Church and Jennifer Boggs
Cloy and Bill Codiga
Val Cole
Freny Cooper
Rob Darrow
John and Karen Dowdell
Jennifer Eskenazi
Anna Marie Gotti
William Harmon
Frank and Anne Hayden
Kathleen Hilger
Stephanie Jacobs
Erik, Judy, Brian and Katie Johnson
Jo Lynne and Fred Jones
Judy Jones
Lorri Kershner and Fearon Hosmer
Mehrzad Khajenoori and Maryam Shafaghi
Randy Komisar and Debra Dunn
Vance Landis-Carey
Sara Lively and Doug Hopkinson
Karen and Walter Loewenstern
Andrea London
Joanna Miller
Baldo and Kristen Marinovic
Cynthia Mathews
Mike and Bertie McElroy
Stephanie Mills
Meghan and Mike Morrissey
George Newell
David Newcomb
Wayne Palmer and Earleen Overend
Dianne and Stephen Pereira
Manuel and Halimah Prado
Lacy Rieber
Patricia Rebele
Donna Reyerson-Keith and Rich Keith
Serena Rivera and Christopher Wilmers
Elio and Joy Rodoni
Carol and Frank Saveria
Patricia and David Schwartz
Jon and Margie Sisk
James Thompson
Gina Athena Ulysse
Jean Vlamynck
Alec and Claudia Webster
W. Todd and Corinne Wipke
David Yule
Leadership Council
The Leadership Council is a network of former members of the MAH’s board of trustees, many of whom continue to dedicate time, energy, and resources to the institution and community. Their ongoing commitment and support of the museum is greatly appreciated.
1996–2024
Barbara Albright
Michael Allard
Allison Amadia
Bruce Arnold (d)
Bella Babot
Terry Ballantyne Brezsny
Carola Barton *
Cindi Baskin
Nancy Bertossa
Mary Blanchard
Traci Bliss
Karla Bogard (d)
Marie Bourget
Lawrence Brenner
Lisa Brewer
Judy Brothers
Bobbi Burns
John Burroughs
Darrin Caddes
Fred Caiocca
Dario Caloss
Ray Cancino
Susan Canepa
Cherri Canfield
Pedro Castillo
Janene Cayton
Louise Cecil (d)
Angela Chesnut *
George Cook
Freny Cooper
Richard Cropper
Betty Danner
Harriet Deck (d)
Sloane Devoto
Ken Doctor
Jim Dolkas (d)
Nancy Donovan
John Dowdell
Joan Dunn
James Emerson
Allyson Evans
Jane Faraola
Chuck Fetter
Patrick Fitz
Dan Floyd
Randi Foster
Antonia Franco
Carol Girvetz (d)
John Graulty
Jose F. Gonzalez
Jerri Hammond
Frank Hayden
Howard Heevner
Winnifred Heron (d)
Karlton E. Hester
Chuck Hilger (d)
Ted Holladay
Tom Honig
Betty Ippisch
Linda Israel
David Jacobs *
Mary James
Judy Jones *
Irene Juarez O’Connell
Gwen Kaplan
Tom Kelly (d)
Paula Kenyon
Cristina King
Lila Klapman
Bill Ladusaw
Anni Lai
Vance Landis-Carey *
Laura LaPorte *
Alan Levin
Patricia Lezin
John Lisher (d)
Bette Ludden
Rebecca Lundberg
Anne Lynn
Harriet Mainis
Shirley Manis
Patricia Marlo
Cynthia Mathews
Linda McPherson
Karl Mertz (d)
Drew Miller
Allan Molho (d)
Adrienne Momi
Sophie Moore
Ann Morhauser
Chris Murphy
Christine Murray
Joanne Nelson
Karen Nevis
George Newell *
Karol Niccoli
Bruce Nicholson
Arthur Nickerson
Rebecca Niven
Peter Orr * (d)
Wayne Palmer
Glenn Peters
Irena Polic
Phil Reader (d)
Gary Reece
Donna Reyerson-Keith
Jose Reyes-Olivas
Lacy Rieber
Serena Rivera
John Rossell
Alison Ruday
Joanne Sanchez
Peter Sanford
Ronna Schulkin
Jerry Schumb
Lyn Sedenquist
Matt Shelton
Ann Simonton
Diane Simpson (d)
Maryjane Slade
Kris Smith
Ashley Spencer
David St. John
Heather Stiles *
Sally Suchevits
Nicole Taylor
David Terrazas
Jim Thompson *
Stuart Tripp
Wesley Van Camp
Judy Walsh
Hal Watts (d)
Linda Wilshusen
Charles Wolters (d)
Nancy Woolf
Bjorg Yonts
* Denotes emeritus status, a distinction created in 2018 to recognize select trustees for exemplary service, leadership, and contributions to the MAH. (d) Denotes deceased.
SANTA CRUZ MUSEUM OF ART & HISTORY
$10,000+
Anonymous (2)
Association of Arts Administration Educators
California State Library
Community Foundation
Santa Cruz County
County of Santa Cruz
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Andrea London, AcevesLondon Family Fund
National Endowment for the Arts
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Alec and Claudia Webster
$5,000-9,999
Freny Cooper
Rise Together Fund
Santa Cruz County Bank
The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz
$1,000-4,999
Jasmine Alinder and Aims McGuinness
Arts Council Santa Cruz County
Mary and Harry Blanchard
Jenny and John Bost
Lucey Bowen and Richard Sites
John and Patty Brissenden
Linda and John Burroughs
Susan and Peter Canepa
City of Santa Cruz
Cloy and Bill Codiga
Rob Darrow
James Dolkas and Karl Mertz Memorial Fund
John and Karen Dowdell
Anna Marie Gotti
Frank and Anne Hayden
Stephanie Jacobs
Erik Johnson
Jo Lynne and Fred Jones
Kaiser Permanente
William Kempf and Suna Lock
Randy Komisar and Debra Dunn
Cliff Maas
Annette Marines
Cynthia Mathews
Meghan and
Mike Morrissey
George Newell
Wayne Palmer and Earleen Overend
Donna Reyerson-Keith and Rich Keith
Elio and Joy Rodoni
Carol and Frank Saveria
Jon and Margie Sisk
Eta and Sasson Somekh
The History Forum
Karen and Mark Tucker
Peter Weng
$500-999
Faye Crosby
Dave and Tracy Hansen
William Harmon
Kathleen Hilger
Frans Lanting and Christine Eckstrom
Bruce and Linda Nicholson
Dianne and Stephen Pereira
Bright Horizon Fund
Burt Rees
Gabrielle Stocker
Marian Zeidler
$150-499
Anonymous (2)
Traci Bliss
Pedro and Shirley Castillo
Rosemary Corbin
Emily DuBois
Carol Fuller
Amanda Gamban
Don and Cathy Iglesias
Richard and Diane Klein
Harriet Maglin
Brooks Marquette
Bruce and Mary McPherson
Marlene Mirassou and Steve Houlihan
Robert Nelson
Helen and
Robert Shepherd
Melissa and Richard Thompson
Doris White
Sue Wilson
$100-149
Anonymous
Maura and Mary Alaniz
Mary Alice and David Copp
Minerva Amistoso
Leslie and Richard Andrews
David and Julia Apgar
Jeffrey Arlt and Stacey Smith
Meghan Arnold and Sam Pederson
Debbie and Steve Baloff
Judy and Frank Balthis
Tim and Terri Barroca
Jarrod Baumann and Christopher Lawrie
Jim and Kim Beckett
Tom and Lili Beggs
Maria Begin and Bill Schroeder
Anne Berne and Eric Ferrante
Dan Blunk and Nancy Alstrum
Jessica Bond
Dolores and Shayna Bornstein
Randolph Brock
Laurie Brooks and
Tim Fitzmaurice
Vivian and Michael Brown
Betsy Brugler
David Brundage and Susan Stuart
Sonja Brunner
Richard Buonocore
Pat Busch and Dale Summer Busch
Kathleen Cadigan
Brenna Candelaria
Danny Cannizzaro
Christy Carico and Ben Gillum
Lora Lee Chapman
Peter and Lindsey Chester
Karen Cogswell and John Maenchen
Carolyn and Curt Coleman
Marguerite Cook and Jim Peters
Julia and Earl Cowell
Ruth Cox and Milton Chen
Diane Craddock and David Hogye
Allison and Avery Cromwell
Mary Culley and Scott Smith
Jennalee Dahlen
Cyndi Dawson
Pat Dellin and Chris Hogeland
Kevin Desmond and Michelle Close
Linda and Steve Dever
Patrick and Martha Dexter
Sharon Dirnberger
Dennis and Judy DiSalvo
Luz Donahue
Robin Drury
David Egan and Emily DuBois
Lance DuMond
Nikolara and Donald Scott
Dunbar-Jansons
Eli and Angela Eisenpress
Chris and Valerie Elliott
Mike Falco
Ian Ferguson
Myra Fernando and Robert Court
Nancy Fowler
Ellen Fox and William Wright
Jaclyn and Michael Gadbaw
Suzanne Garcia and Robbie Brackett
Gregory Gilbert and Ingrid Parker
Isabel Gilman
Megan Goddard and Kailen Wright
Katie and Mike Godsy
Robert Goff and Eleanor Littman
Jessica Goodman and Victor Willis
Steve and Christina Graham
Andrew Davis and Finn Gratton
Deborah Griffith
Vincent Grossi and Jessica Lopez-Tello
Antonin Guttman
Dennis Hagen and Diane Sipkin
Tremain Hedden-Jones and Daniel Hedden
Carolyn and Anandi Heinrich
Tamara Heinrich
Joe and Elba Hernandez
Rebecca Hernandez
Monica Hersch
Gail Hershatter and Mercedes Laurencin
Glenda Hill
Mark Hilton
Bonnie Holmer-Orange and Isaac Orange
Kevin Hoshiko
Tom and Mary Housel
Virginia Hughes and Cecily Cahill
Patrick Hung and Tina Rodriguez
Marie, Kent and
Judith M Imai
Mary Ellen Irons
Ed Jameyson and Christie Nichols
Brent Jensen
Jerome and Linda Jentz
Wyatt Johnson and Michael Welsh
Martha Jordan and Eli Silver
Gwen and Doug Kaplan
Kevin Karplus and Michele Hart
Daniel Katzen
Kyle and Carolyn Kelley
Mary Kelly and Kimberly Goddard
Emma Kelsey and Rhett Frantz
Jeff and Lisa Kirk
Casey and April Kirkhart
Kenyon Kluge and Heather Putnam
Carole and Henry Klyce
Alexis Konevich
Janet Kornblum and Rhys Pedersen
Patti Krieger
Sarah Kudela
Karen Kurokawa
Jessie Lacy and Troels Peterson
Michael Lamanuzzi
Alanni Lanni and William Winkler
Jeffrey Lapierre and Kelly Oppermann
Bryan and Hilde Largay
Greg Larson and Eileen Beaudry
Owen Lawlor
Bill Leff and Jesse Sweetwater
Gail Levine and Emily Wughalter
Lance Linares and Laura Sutherland
Brooke Lipman and Brandy Ivener
Amy Locks and Kevin and Ava Klein
Cybele Lolley and Christie McCarthy
Emily Longnecker and Claudia Gomez
Steven Luzovich and Jane Higgins
Tami Lynn and Stephen Joseph
Leslie Marple
Joyce Masongsong-Ray and David Ray
Karent and Dom Massaro
Ester Mattioli
Bruce McFarland
Robyn McKeen and Jeff Dingman
Joan and Lance McVay
Louis Arighi and Emily Meierding
Jacob and Hila Michaelsen
Ginnie Mickelson
Kenneth Moodie and Ami Davis
Gary and Nancy Moon
Don Moonshine and Christiane Holtzman
Maggie and Drew Moore
Robert and Valerie Morgan
Stephanie Morse
Donal Murphy and Julie Orr
Madhavi Murty and Juned Shaikh
Eileen and Gary Nagaoka
Adela Najarro and Gregory McNair
Camille Nava and Dirk Janssens
Jeremy Neuner
Gail Newel and Kelli Beingesser
Karol Niccoli
Janis O'Driscoll
Robert and Elizabeth Ojeda
Roxanne and Ehren Olson
Gayle and Joe Ortiz
Elisabeth and Jeffrey Ostrow
Jamilli Pacheco-Urquiza and Katalina Jeanneret
Margarita Paez and Anton Fleig
Laurie Palmer and Deborah Gould
Julene Pansarasa
Gail Pellerin
Janet Perry and Toni Rallojay
Lilit Petrosyan and Kenneth Yambina
Stephen Pierce
Chris and Marianne Pizarro
Patricia Poulos
Andrew Purchin and Scotty Brookie
Mary Quillin and Frank Menagh
Elbina Rafizadeh
Rickey Ramseur
Gretchen Regenhardt
Mary and George Reynolds
Rosa and Mike Rezendes
Roy and Edwina Riblet
Ian Richardson and Christine Roberts
Justin Walker and Gretchen Riley-O'Hearn
Kate and Buz Roberts
Mariah and David Roberts
Kokoro and Mimish Robinson
Christopher Robles
Tammy Rogers
Barbara Rogoff
Andrea and Paul Rosenfeld
Charles and Mary Jane Roskosz
SANTA CRUZ MUSEUM
Craig Rowell
Emma and Carl Saffron
Claudio Schnier
Gerald Schulz
Saarin Schwartz and Woody Farlee
Willard Schwartz
Lisa Scott and C Andrew Morcomb
Kara and Shane Seeger
Eva and Doug Sherman
Sandra Skees and Mary Talpas
Lee Slaff
Kristin and Steve Smith
Sarah Sondossi and Alexander Pavlik
David and Shelley Sonnenberg
Alison Speights and Greta Mitchell
Sonia Swain
Sara Swenson and David Hopkins
Tané Tachyon
Melissa Targgart and Melissa Fritchle
Jennifer Teschler
Angela Thalls and Neil McKenzie
Donna and Peter Thomas
Kimberly Thomas
Jennifer Thompson
Lena Townend
Susan True and Ben Wolfe
Mari Tustin
Brady Umfleet
Rita Ferri and Kimara Vann
Steve and Liz Volk
Jon and Amy Wagman
Jennifer Walker
Kenny Welcher and Ilene Feinman
Andrea and David Welles
Tanya Wendling and Joan Delfino
Brenda Whitley
Jorian and Topher Wilkins
Dizaree Williams
Pfotenhauer
Wilshusen Family
Jacob Young
Antonette and Robert Zeiss
$20-99
Anonymous
Cindy Adams and Alexis Heath
Erica Aitken
Michael and Toby Alexander
Mary Alinder
Lisa Duff and Rocky Allemandi
Allan Allen
Melissa and Miguel Altamirano
Aron Altmark and Suzzanne Ordway
Celia Alvarez and Migdalia A.Perez
Jennifer and Frank Anderson
Oscar Andrade
Ginny Aragon
Michael Arenson and Susan Dahlgren
Jamie and Tim Aron
Erin Ashford and Lindsey Zimmerman
John and Linda Babcock
Dorma and Rowland Baker
Jone Balesteri
Sarah and Robert Balla
Catherine E Banghart
Ondrea Barbe and Justin Francavilla
David Green Baskin
Anya Bates
Sheila and Murray Baumgarten
Tory Beale
Gloria and Larry Behman
Steve and Sigrid Belcher
Jane Bell
Adam Bender and Angela Stanford
Jacquie Benetua-Rolens and Sam Rolens
Daniel Berlin and Liz Beaumont
Stan Berman
Michael Bertoni
Allegra Bick-Maurischat and Corderro Sweeney
Jody and Peter Biehl
Luisa and
Rob Bird-Robinson
Leda and William Bishoff
LeAnn Bjelle and Glenn Smith
Genie Boaz
Lexe Alexandra Boettner
Ray Bold
Kim Boon
Denise Booth and Michael Maikovich
Andrea Borsuk and Lena and Frank Thaler
Bill and Carrie Bottenberg
Jack Bowers and Juanita Usher
Mary-Lynn Bragg and Peter Hiskes
Beccy Breeze
Ruth and Buzzy Brennan
Heather Bristol and Charles Jalgunas
William Owen Brown and Mary Akin
Kat Brown
Dianne Brumbach
Sandra Brunett
Russell Brutsché and Brianna Chapman
Debbie Bulger and Richard Stover
Paul and Claudia Burgin
Lori and Jack Burkett
Wendy and Deane Bussiere
Maggie and Sam Caldwell
Deborah Calloway
Nancy Campeau and Stig Neilsen
Bree Candiloro
Erika and Jesse Carpenter
Barbara Carriker
Alison Keeler Carrillo
Desiree and Braden Carter
William Carey Casey
Will Cassilly and Julie Oak
Bobbie Celeste and Christina Simpson
Linda Kittle and Dane Cervine
Cindy Chace and Marc Blumberg
Roger Chaffin and Mary Crawford
Ann Chapin and David Emanuel
Haseeb Chaudry and Ariana Acosta
Juliana H-H. Cheng
Cristine Chopra
Rika and Jason Cirillo
Derrick and Marilyn Clark
Colleen and Dann Clark
Richard Clarke and Susan Bunker
Margie and Ed Claxton
Myriam and Mikey Cohen
Sandy Cohen
Jody Biergiel and Renny Colclough
Val Cole
Christopher Connery and Mary Scott
Mark Conover and Martha Nitzberg
Robert and Catherine Cooper
Sara Cordell and Jim Mekis
Rob Corradetti and Sierra Siemer
Liz and Mark Crain
Erica Crawford and Kent Newbold
Lauren Crux and Canon Western
Csilla Csaplar and Erin O'Hare
Shannon Cuff and Garrett Weinberg
Kelly Cuffe and Ann Gibbs
Sheilah Cummings
Carolee Curtin and Cassie Pancallo
Marc D'Estout and Beverly Rayner
Bruce Dau
Stephen Davis and Heather Duffy
Dave Dean
Ezzie DeGiovanni
Donna DeGrande
Celeste DeWald
Carla and Juan Dewar
Laurie Diamre
Mark Dickson
Duane and Terry Dietz
Angelee Dion
Tamara and Gerry Doan
Sue and Barney Doherty
Mary and Sam Doherty
Summer Doty
Shane and Katie Dowling
Evelyn Drake
Robert Drake and Kate Adams
Virginia Draper
Suzanne and Mordecai Duckler
Joanne Duffield and Jim Fox
Lee and Emily Duffus
Jeannie Duisenberg
Geoffrey Dunn and Siri Vaeth
Joan and Bill Dunn
Anna Durante and Jerremy Holland
Myra Eastman
Sara Edwards-Marsh and Dave Marsh
Lisa Ekström and Toby Paige
Tony and Rachel Elliot
Tom Ellison and
Lawrence Friedman
Chuck Elvert and Darleen Sutcliffe
Sandi Engel and Neil McKay
Marina and Thomas Eovaldi
Chloe Escobar
Isabela Escobar and David Wright
Christine Evans and Nicholas Ross
David Evans
Vicki and Bob Fabbri
Kristin Fabos
Babs Fahrney
Regina Falkner and David Reetz
Stacey Falls and Steve Schnaar
Matt Farrell and
Connie Croker
Paul Skenazy and Farnaz Fatemi
Jennifer Fernandez
Amy Ferrasci
Gisella Ferreira and Carrol Moran
Leonard Finocchio and Josaphine Stevenson
Mark Firestone and Kate Turpin
Gina Firpo
David Fleming and Jeanne Lance
Meghan and Jeff Fohl
Lisa Foley and Colleen Alley
Kasha Forgette and Rocky Allen
Mary Gaukel Forster and Les Forster
Harrison Fox
Marianna and James Franks
Ebe Frasse
Allison Frisbee and Chris Baldwin
Lisa Fulmer and Eileen Walsh
Rick Gagarin
Robin Garmann
Judy Geer
Brian Gerkey and Leila Takayama
Mary Geyer
Nancy Gieringer
Helaine Glick
Max Glickman and Danielle Cosgrove
Paul Goldberg and Meredith Herr
Kathy and Flair Goldman
Victoria Gomez and Carlos Ronco
Barbara Gordon
Gail Goudreau
Paul Gratz and Timmi Pereira
Mike Graves
Amelia and Jevan Gray
Heather Gray
Shirley Greenwood
Catharine Griffen and Mark Bernhardt
Jennifer Smith and Hugh Grubb
Andy and Haiying Grunes
Diane and Andy Grunes
Rose and Alberto Guarino
Phil Gurian
Kathleen Hackett-Alvarez and Joey Alvarez
Steve Haddock
David Haefele and Lauren Dubay
Susan Haight
Shaina Hall
Terry Hall
Lydia Hammack and John Laureano
Emily Haney
Kara Haney
Katherine Hansen and Anthony Schipper
Sharon Hardy
Holly Harman
Rita and Steven Harowitz
Kathleen Hatfield
Melody Heilmann and Carolyn and Hugo West
Marcia and Christian Heinegg
William Heiss and Patricia Fickett
Jessica and Alan Heit
Douglas Hellinger and Val Leoffler
Gregg Herken and Aven Switzer
Kelly Herrell and Juan Hernandez
Jade and Skye Herrick
Nita Hertel
Tom Hicks and Kaitlyn Saia-Hicks
Steve Hicks and Geetha Raga
Jan Hilkert and Jeff Peck
Esther Hill and Pat Schlesinger
Bruce and Breta Holgers
Ingrid and Dennis Hostetter
James Hughes and Colleen Russell
Pegatha Hughes and Paul Seever
Steve and Gloria Hum
Cheri Hung
Kristina Hunken
Steve Hunt
Donna Hunter
Jennifer Hunter
Maren Sinclair Hurn and Ted Merrill
Rhia Hurt
Grayson Hutchinson
Carolyn and Joe Hyatt
Chris Illes and Willow Munger
Mary Edith Ingraham
Leigha and Mihai Ionescu
Sara Isenberg
Eduardo Izquierdo
Nancy Jackson
Audrey and Thomas Jacob
Susan Jacobs and Michael Staley
Rick Jacoby and Susan and Jacoby Brown
Linda Janakos and Doren Robbins
Austin and Jeni Jelcick
Marvin Jensen
Lisa Johnson and Richard Couzzi
Aaron Johnson and Anne Cappiello
Regan Johnson
Tricia Johnson and Fred Thompson
Lindsay Johnson
Nealy Jones and Jake Alsobrook
Janet Jones
Chris Jong
Genevieve Jordan
Glenn Joy and Kathy Willott
Rebecca Kahan and Tom Kerr
Marty Kahn and Cheryl Guyer
Stacy Kamehiro and Bob Stockwell
Aniko Kannas
Bridgit Marlo Karo and Marc Karo
Nancy Kashap
Kalina Kassadjikova
Deutron and Evin Arici Kebebew
Jane Keeffe
Alison and Paul Kele
Tim Kensit
Cynthia Kent-Mills
Charity Kenyon
Sheryl Kern-Jones and Rowan Jones
Curt Keyer and Carlos Holquin
Amy Keys and Steve McKay
Therese Kilpatrick and Anne L Hart
Ted and Alexander Kirkiles
Cristie Kirlin and Kendra Turk
Denise Kiser and JoAnne Winter
Sarah Klotz and Martha Lambertson
Eric and Yuriko Kneeland
Jessie Kraus and Kathy Pearson
Nancy Krusoe
Kenneth Kusumoto
Arati de la Roziere
Alex Lamb and Genevieve Graves
Diane Lamotte and
Patrick and Liberte Reilly
Mary Lang
Bruce Larsen
Cassady Latham and Julian Faulkner
Don Lauritson
Cynthia Ling Lee
Robin Lerios
Jori Leslie and Felicia Gilman
Mark F Levy and Lillian Bogovich
Carolyn Lewis and Marilyn Radisch
Robert, Barbara and Robert Lewis
Homer Lighthall
Ben Linzer
Marcia Lipsenthal and James Bierman
Kirsten Liske
David Lo and Amy Marlo
Christie Loguzzo
Susan Longini and Muni Barash
Philip Longo
Annette Longuevan
Christine Loose and Jenna Slovis
Ben and Ilse Lopes
Cynthia Luedtke
Deborah and Gary Luhrman
Sari Luoma and Bill Eilfort
Lisa Lurie and Hugo Selbie
Zachary Mabert
Rose Machado
Sydney Mackey
Alexis Macnob and Thadeus Reed
Romi Manheim
Kevin Mann and Kim Davis
Sarah Mansergh
Cindy Margolin
Jean Markarian
Evelyn Markasky
Suzi Markham and Terry Olson
Nicole Marsico and Alex Ponik
Laura Martin and Philip Vandenberg
Katherine Martinez and Juan Carrillo
Dana Massie
Jennifer Matlock
Sharon and Linsey Maxwell
Rupert Mayer and Christine Gruler-Mayer
Carol Maynard
Lisa Mazzei
Tammy McBride
Dolores and John McCabe
Kim and Matt McCarthy
Christie McCullen and Jason Smyth
Maggie and Alan McKay
Katherine and John McKeon
Greg McPheeters
Hayley Mears
JP and Ryan Meckel
Merritt Medusa and M. Borrowman
Barbara Meister
Donna Mekis
Nutan and Eric Mellegers
Regina and Reina Mendoza
Teresa and Armando Mendoza
Reiko Michisaki and Patrick Lovejoy
Elizabeth Mier
Nada Miljkovic and Matthew Ammann
Marije Miller and David Eyes
Kathryn and Marshall Miller
Julie and Robert Minnis
Clara Minor
Barbara Montes-Olsen
Jack Moore
Daisy Morales
Alexis and Tom Morgan
Carol Morgan
Cindy Mori
Margaret Morrison
Michele Mosher and Maia Yates
Charley and Dawn Motyka
Joanna Mountain and Heyward Robinson
Douglas Murray and Bernadette Glenn
Margaret Murray
Brian and Eilen Murtha
Hannah Muse and Brian McKenney
Pamela Myatt
Victoria Nahnsen
Niki Nakada
Sheila Namir
Andrea Nance and Loren White
Kathryn Nance and Aaron Bartlett
Matthew Nathanson and Elisa Breton
Christina Navarro
Jacob Musgrave Nelson and Abigail Nelson
Chris Nestlerode
Jesse and Christine Nickell
Sarah Nielsen
Steph and Jason Nielsen
Henry and Nancy Niles
Laura and Anna Nisi
Margaret Niven
Patricia and Hayes Noel
Madlyn Norman-Terrance
Alix Norton
Daniel Nowacki
Kimber Nuccio-Simpkins and Leslie Nuccio
Samuel O Oastler
Charlene Oatey
Caroline and Chris Ocano
Erica Olsen and Maurice Leibenstern
James D Olsen
Anne Olson
Annette Olson and Ethan Sanford
Lucia Orlando
Greg and Linda Orr
Lisa Ortiz and Rosemary Allen
Deborah Osterberg
Judith Moon and Robert Otness
Karen Ottermann
Anandi Paganini
Kathy and Louis Paolino
Katherine Parker
Sharon Parker
Brian Parselle and Marilyn Huffman
Gary and Marilyn Patton
Barry and Susan Pearlman
Nels and Donna Pearson
Ben Penner and Sarah Buckius
Laura Perkins
Darryl and Calla Peters
Jennifer L Pitino and Daniel Pitino Fredrickson
Bernard Pregerson and Natasha Fraley
Ellen Primack and Eric Schmidt
Muriel and Marci Prolo
Kathleen Puente
Autumn Purdy
Diane Putnam
Elana and Brandon Quast
Sarah Rabkin and Charles Atkinson
Catherine Ramirez and Eric Porter
Elvin Ramos-Silva and Ryan Demry
Heather and Ron Rasmussen
Stephanie and Kristen Raugust
Sarah and Michael Ray
Sonja and Al Reetz
Maryanne Rehberg and Aileen Barrandas
Ziggy Rendler-Bregman and Jesse Bregman
Susan Renison and Rob Milby
Marlena Revay and Zoe Elizabeth
Christian and Jennifer Wildermuth Reyes
Jane Reyes
Andrea and Don Rich
Penelope Rich and Bill Hill
Sharon H Ridge
Sanra Ritten and Diego Felix
Valerie-Jean and J ulio Rivera
Darrah Robinson and Josh Wall
Burt and Joyce D. Rodgers
Ken Rodkey
Mark Roemke and Anne Stephason
Joyce Rollins
Janet Romanowski
Chip Chapin and Kayla Rose
E. Rosenast
Suzanna Roth
Diana Rothman
Kate Royer and Matthew Schuts
Terry and Roxana Rudy
Hayes and Anna Ruggiero
Eva Holt-Rusmore and Daniel Nemchonok
Sierra and Mark Ryan
Brigitta (Gitta) Ryle
Jan Salas and Clay Wilson
Paula Sandas-Harvey
Patricia and Kathy Sandidge
Loretta and Gosie Sapino
Jordan and Dana Schettler
Petra Schreuer and Adam Shawen
Alicia Dimare Schultz and Angela Dimare Scultz
Gail Carhart Scofield and Cole Bryan
Jessica Scoppettone
Bob Scott
Susan Seaburg and J udith Allen
Conrad and Anne Seales
Rich Seibert
Thea Serafin and Soad
Romero Grayeb
Susan Shallenberger
Anja Shandrew and Jenn Kortright
Laura Shaw and Steve Van Zandt
Leonie Sherman
John and Nichole Shuler
Kenneth Sievers
Claudia Silva-Doo and Dennis Doo
Randie and Steve Silverstein
Marjorie and Wendy Simon
April Simpson
Michael Singer and Sally Eastman
Ken and Tina Slosberg
Brian Smith
Allison and Jeffrey Smith
Kevin Smith and Sarah Stoner-Duncan
Nathan and Diane Smith
Henry Smith and Kerry Beth Hosley
Laura and Kenneth Smith
Leslie Smith
Mibs Somerville
David and Mary South
Sandi Spanfelner and Jessica Lowe-Wilson
Lonna and Dennis Speer
Daniel Spelce and Yolanda
Provoste-Fuentes
Tom Stagg and Cori Bogle
Maureen Stanton
Becky Stapp
William Statsky
Linda Statzer
Judith Steen and Joe Michalak
Susan Steinberg
Thomas Stelling and Beverly Ritchey
Melanie Stern
Nik and Megan Stewart
Kim Stoner
Rebecca Supplee
Mary and Michael Susca
Jill and Marc Susskind
Peter and Andrea Swartz
Diane Syrcle and Susan Leo
Peter Szydlowski and Marie Brook
Lee Taiz
Michelle and Keiko Taniguchi
Nina and Patrice Tanti
Jeanene and Zachary Taylor
Jan Taylor and Robert Aegerter
Joseph Tedford
Melissa Theony and Glenn Johnson
Tara Thomas
Jenifer Lienau Thompson and Jeremy Thompson
Bruce Thompson and Alma Heckman
Julie Thornton
Lee and Bonnie Tinder
Damon Tkoch and Katie Fortney
Scott Tomec
Daniel Tonnesen
Julie Trahan
Emily Trexel and Amy Christey
Ronnie Trubek
Giselle Tsering and Ngima Chiring
James Turk
Lizbeth Uelmen
Michael Ulwelling
Alex Van Zyl
Tami and Eric Vaughan
Eugene Veteska and Margaret Inokuma
Katrina Viesca
Dyane Villalobos
Neil Waldhauer and Cara Lamb
Harrison and Julie Walls
Holly and Barry Walter
Michael and Susan Warren
Mary Ann and Rich Waters
Judy Weaver
Mary S. Weeks and James D. Phillips
Chris Weir and Sally Arnold
Wendy Welker
Aliza Weller and Elliot Ryan
GretchenLee Werner and Mark Block
Susan Whalen
Sean Wharton
Lois Widom
John and Birgitta Wiebe
Anne Wiewel
John Williams and Cynthia Baehr-Williams
Laura Williams
Suzanne Williams
Dr. James G Williams
Bennett Williamson and Kate Dundon
Olivia Winter and Zerubba Levi
Renee Winter and Paul Roth
Teri Wiss and Jeff Brody
Margaret and Jan Ysselstein
Amalia Zacher and Shawn Lawrence
Marc Zammit and Wayne Crabbs
Bernadette Zavala and John Ricker
Manuel Zavala and Deb Molina
Sarah Joy and Jordan Zell
Frank Zwart and Julia Armstrong-Zwart
Tribute Gifts
In honor of Freny Cooper
Faye Crosby
In honor of Lou Lani Hall
Rosemary Corbin
In honor of the London
Nelson Legacy Initiative
Antonin Guttman
In memory of Pat Schneider
Anonymous
For more information on making a gift, please visit santacruzmah.org/donate
"The exhibition does explore how monsters and monstrosity, on occasion, were tools for women comics artists to negotiate questions of power, exclusion, censorship, and identity."
—Forbes, on The Lost Worlds of Women Comic Artists
Acknowledgments
Funder Recognition
It is through the generous support of members, corporate sponsors, foundations, and government partners that the MAH is able to be a community resource and economic asset. To learn more about how to get involved with the institution’s work, please visit the MAH’s website to see our various engagement and philanthropic opportunities.
We thank our donors, volunteers, and collaborators for their tremendous support, and look forward to working with new friends as we continue to pursue new horizons.
Land Acknowledgment
The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.
Photo Credits
The majority of images featured in this publication were sourced from the MAH’s portfolio and archives. Special thanks to photographers Michael Baba, Crystal Birns, Rose Calucchia, Daris Jasper, and Andrew O'Keefe.
In Memoriam
The MAH community mourns the loss of some of our longtime friends and supporters. They will be deeply missed.
Harry F. Blanchard (1930–2024)
William "Bill" Brooks (1943–2023)
Linda Burman-Hall (1947–2023)
Peggy Downs Baskin (1930–2023)
Lynn Guenther (unknown–2023)
Hila Michaelsen (unknown–2023)
Rowland Rebele (1930–2023)
Glen Schaller (1956–2023)
