AGrand Affair

TMA’s Cork-Popping History of Hosting

Partying like it’s 1999 looks very different than partying like it’s 1912, especially when it comes to the fêtes that dot the Toledo Museum of Art’s 122-year history. The spirit of celebration didn’t gain momentum until the second half of the 20th century, when attitudes around art conservation and what was permissible in the galleries (in: food, out: smoking) began to shift. Museum Archivist Julie McMaster dug into the depths of our scrapbooks, photos, and news clippings to help us explore the history of shindigs at TMA.

Today when couples dream of their wedding, it’s no surprise to see the Museum on their list of ideal venues. But in the 1920s, getting married at TMA was unheard of. There was one exception made when in 1926 the director at the time, Blake-More Godwin, wed fellow TMA employee Molly Ole in the since-restructured Gothic Hall.

The landmark El Greco of Toledo exhibition draws intense crowds (nearly 183,000 people, 70% of them from outside Toledo) and kicks off this flashy party decade with a huge public celebration of the opening.

2005

TMA hosts its first Juneteenth party with outdoor performances, food, and activities, becoming the precursor to the Museum’s annual summer block party that invites the community for a campus-wide celebration.

The founding of the TMA Aides (now known as Ambassadors) brings a new sensibility to the Museum’s fundraising efforts, one rooted in hospitality. They began to organize more receptions, hosting early President’s Council dinners, including one of the first public servings of alcohol in the Museum in 1969.

Fast forward to the 100-year anniversary of the Museum, when the Peristyle was transformed into a dance floor (lowerfloor theater seats were covered with wood planks) and the ball gowns and tuxedos were out in full force.

Today, the Museum is no longer host to only its own special moments, but serves as the backdrop for community members’ wedding vows, memorials, TED talks, and more.

Young

with a Bird and a Dog