The Worcester Art Museum's mission is to connect people, communities, and cultures through the experience of art.
Message from the Director
Fiscal Year 2023 was a year of great excitement for the Worcester Art Museum as we celebrated our 125th anniversary. From the expansion of our collection with a range of works by underrepresented artists, to the reopening of our Library (among the most substantial art libraries in New England), to the launching of our international traveling exhibition Frontiers of Impressionism in Japan, Fiscal Year 2023 was truly a banner year.
Of great importance to any public organization is, of course, visitation. I am deeply gratified to report that, in FY2023, we rebuilt our visitation to pre-COVID levels! We exceeded the numbers of the year prior to the pandemic. Through our on-site programs, loans, and traveling exhibitions, and thanks to a high degree of public and media interest in our stellar collection, 900,000 visitors saw works from our collection at home, nationally, and abroad. By extending our radius of impact, we are contributing to our city’s brand, sharing our wonderful collections with broader audiences, and generating funds to care for our collections for the benefit of this generation and future ones.
Vibrant collections—like those of the Worcester Art Museum—adapt to changing tastes, needs and evolving notions of relevance. In a time like ours, this is particularly important. A few recent acquisitions can demonstrate this well. Maria Marc’s painting, Blumenbeet (Flower Bed) (2023.24), dates from shortly before World War I and is now on view in proximity to works by Marc’s contemporaries Gabriele Münter and Paula Modersohn-Becker. This painting is a testament to the cycle of life, as all flowers grow, blossom, and fade. Maria Marc stopped painting when her husband, Franz, died at the beginning of World War I. Marc’s paintings have resurfaced only recently, and, after the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Worcester Art Museum is the second museum outside of Germany to have acquired a work by her.
In the past Fiscal Year, we also acquired Edward Mitchell Bannister’s The Hay Gatherers (2023.5) from 1893. At first glance, the painting appears to be a continuation of French landscapes in the vein of Camille Corot. Bannister’s trees show the French master’s delicate contours and texture, and the fields feature his multicolored brushwork, and yet—there is a difference. Look at the laborers in this Rhode Island landscape: they are African American, look at the flowers in the foreground: they resemble the cotton that was harvested by enslaved people in the South. A black Canadian, Bannister moved to Rhode Island early in his career. There, he married a woman of African and Native American descent and was active in the abolitionist movement. We were able to buy this work with the help of the McDonough Fund, which was reserved to acquiring works by artists of color and women artists.
Additional highlights of FY2023 include the reopening of our state-of-the-art library in the Higgins Education Wing. The relocation from a space that will soon be our Arms and Armor Galleries constitutes a major step towards rethinking the role of art libraries in museums, supporting scholars and a broader audience alike and offering programs as well as access to databases. We were also finally able to reopen our reimagined café in the Renaissance Court. I invite you to enjoy your espresso, eat lunch, or savor a treat during your next visit, surrounded by arcades reminiscent of Italy. And, from there, of course, you can enter the galleries or take a stroll to view our wonderful exhibitions. The entire art world is at your fingertips at WAM.
The following pages capture more detail about these successes, and how the Worcester Art Museum is growing and developing. However, I would be remiss if I did not address the most important aspect of the Museum: you all. Thank you to all our staff, trustees, corporators, members, donors, funders, volunteers, visitors, followers, students, vendors, and neighbors. Without you, the Museum wouldn’t be able to fulfill its mission “to connect people, cultures, and communities through the experience of art”.
I hope to see you all here very soon!
Jean and Myles McDonough Director
Board of Trustees 2022-23
Dorothy Chen-Courtin, President
Douglas S. Brown, Vice President
Sarah G. Berry, Treasurer
Susan M. Bassick, Clerk
Edward M Augustus, Jr.
Lawrence H. Curtis
Jennifer Davis Carey
James C. Donnelly, Jr.
Michael B. Fox
Mark W. Fuller
Jennifer C. Glowik-Adams
Karen M. Keane
Sohail Masood
Thomas Michie
Thomas P. McGregor
Malcolm A. Rogers
Kent Russell
Jonathan R. Sigel
Anne-Marie Soullière
Cynthia L. Strauss
George W. Tetler
Christina Villena
Carmen D. Vazquez
Ex Officio
Matthias Waschek,
Jean and Myles McDonough Director of the Worcester Art Museum
Trustees Emeriti
Herbert S. Alexander
Marie A. Angelini
Joseph J. Bafaro
Ellen R. Berezin
Lisa M. Bernat
Karin I. Branscombe
Irene Browne-Grim
Sara Buckingham
Mary T. Cocaine*
J. Christopher Collins
Richard B. Collins*
Dix F. Davis
Henry B. Dewey*
John B. Dirlam
Antonella Doucette*
Warner S. Fletcher
Gabriele M. Goszcz
James N. Heald 2nd*
George E. Hecker*
John Herron
Prentiss C. Higgins
M Howard Jacobson
James D. Javaras
William D. Kelleher
Judith S. King
Lisa Kirby Gibbs
David A. Lemoine
David A. Lucht
Lisa H. McDonough
Katharine M. Michie
Moira Moynihan-Manoog
Philip R. Morgan
Frederic H. Mulligan
John F. O’Brien
Richard J. Pentland*
David A. Persky
Phyllis Pollack
Sarah C. Ribeiro
John Savickas
Clifford J. Schorer III
Richard P. Sergel
Michael D. Sleeper
Sumner B. Tilton
* = deceased
Corporators 2022-23
Corporators, as stewards of the public trust, ensure the continuation of the Worcester Art Museum's mission to collect, preserve, exhibit, and educate. Critical to the foundation and outreach of the Worcester Art Museum, Corporators serve as ambassadors, participants, and contributors, and are charged with the powers provided by law, as well as the Corporation's Articles of Organization and Bylaws. Corporators are expected to consider the Museum a top philanthropic priority.
David R. Adler
Kolawole Akindele
Robert Alario
Herbert S. Alexander
Che Anderson
John B. Anderson
Janet Andreson Dealy
Julia D. Andrieni
Andrew Athy
Barbara T. Athy
Edward M. Augustus, Jr.
Richard M. Avis
Joseph J. Bafaro, Jr.
Bradford Barker
Joan T. Barry
Thomas J. Bartholomew
Susan M. Bassick
Eric Beattie
Lisa M. Bernat
Sarah G. Berry
Maurice J. Boisvert
John P. Brissette
Christopher A. Brown
Douglas S. Brown
John H. Budd
Eric Butler
Anne Byers
Caroline A. Camougis
Suzanne R. CampbellLambert
Jay E. Cantor
Stephen Casey
Matilde Castiel
Jennifer B. Caswell
Rodmia Cesar
Harriette L. Chandler
Dorothy Chen-Courtin
Germán Chiriboga
Catherine Choquette
Kim M. Ciborowski
Vin Cipolla
Donna Cohen
Bryan J. Coleman
J. Christopher Collins
James E. Collins
Sarah Connell Sanders
Leonard C. Cowan
Tracy A. Craig
Joshua Croke
Elizabeth A. Crowley
Lawrence H. Curtis
Leslie K. Cutler
Jyoti Datta
Laurel Davis
Jennifer Davis Carey
Eileen deCastro*
Nina Chapin de Rochefort
Gail Dempsey
Siobhan Dennis
Paul DePalo
Jeffrey L. Dill
Thomas M. Dolan*
James C. Donnelly, Jr.
Antonella Doucette*
John Duggan
David C. Ekberg
Patricia Z. Eppinger
Allen Falke
Karen C. Falke
Andrew Feldman
Marianne Felice
Leslie S. Fish
Romina Sarreal Ford
David E. Fort
Michael B. Fox
Mark W. Fuller
Dina Gaudette
Paul J. Giorgio
Maureen L. Glowik
Jennifer C. Glowik-Adams
Stephen J. Gordon
Gabriele M. Goszcz
Margaret Morgan Grasselli
Ivan R. Green
Noreen Green
Mel L. Greenberg
J. Michael Grenon
Eve Griliches
Jerry H. Gurwitz
Abraham W. Haddad
Michael R. Hale
Monica Hamel
Emily G. Holdstein
Sandy Hubbard
Leigh C. Hudson
Peter M. Hurley
Kate Hutchinson
Olu Ibrahim
Kham Inthirath
Nancy Jeppson
Katherine Burton Jones
Dr. Oliver C. Joseph
Amar V. Kapur
Evelyn Karet
Marshall Katzen
Karen M. Keane
Lydia Keene-Kendrick
Lori E. Kelly
Paul Kelly
W. David Kelly
Alison C. Kenary
Arthur G. Kentros
Bruce King
Judith S. King
Lisa Kirby Gibbs
Julie Ann Lamacchia
Mary Ellen Lane
John P. Lauring
Timmary L. Leary
Diane Lebel
Mary Beth Leonard
Paul Levenson
Ottilie Levine
Ann T. Lisi
Andrea T. Little
Suzanne Maas
Ingrid Jeppson Mach
Paul J. Mahon
Robert Mailloux
Susan Mailman
Sohail Masood
Samantha P. McDonald
Lisa H. McDonough
Kate McEvoy
Margaret McEvoy-Ball
Linda R. McGoldrick
Thomas P. McGregor
Martha B. McKenna
Toni K. Meltzer
Thomas S. Michie
Erwin E. Miller*
Christopher Mitchell
Satya B. Mitra
Philip R. Morgan
Florcy Morisset
Michelle S. Morneau
Lisa S. Mucciarone
Mary Munson
Emily P. Murray
Charlene Nemeth
Victoria A. Nessen
Candace Okuno
Stephanie Opalka
Robert G. Oriol
Edward J. Osowski
Kathleen Pagano
Susan M. Palatucci
Deborah Penta
Sadev R. Passey
Natalia Pavlova
William O. Pettit
Philip J. Phillips
Sherri Pitcher
Phyllis Pollack
Pam Provo
Douglas Radigan
George C. Rand
Carl D. Rapp
Mary Jane Rein
Luanne Remillard
Sarah Ribeiro
Giselle Rivera-Flores
Ruthann P. Rizzi
Carol W. Robey
Linda B. Robbins
Camille I. Roberts
Malcolm A. Rogers
Leah Rothstein
Kent Russell
John Savickas
Anh Vu Sawyer
Shlomit Schall
Clifford J. Schorer III
Carol L. Seager
Patricia A. Segerson
J. Thomas Selldorff
Roger Servison
Janice E. Seymour
Mark L. Shelton
Gary Shurland
Jonathan R. Sigel
Martha Simmons
Jang B. Singh
Jaclyn Skagerlind
Carol J. Sleeper
Joffrey Smith
Margaret Snow
Anne-Marie Soullière
Kristina M. Spillane
Robin S. Starr
Carolyn J. Stempler
John C. Stimpson
Cynthia L. Strauss
Susan Strickler
John J. Szlyk
George W. Tetler III
Robert Thompson
Lynne Tonna
Heather Treseler
Josephine R. Truesdell
Judith C. Vaillancourt
Luke M. Vaillancourt
Esau Vance
Russell VanderBaan
Carmen D. Vazquez
Christina Villena
Brenda Verduin Dean
Hank von Hellion
Omar Wahab
Elizabeth Wambui
Kristin B. Waters
Charles Weiss
Barbara K. Wheaton
Hillary White
Bernard Whitmore
Rebecca A. Wilsker
Emily G. Wood
Stacy E. Woods
Lauren Yeaton Hunt
Alan S. Yoffie
Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham
Ex Officio
Board President of Worcester Public Library
Mayor of Worcester
Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools
Frontiers of Impressionism
April 1–June 25, 2023
This exhibition explored the evolution and expansion of impressionism, an artistic movement that changed the trajectory of art history. Frontiers of Impressionism chronicled the emergence of impressionism in 19thcentury France, its subsequent expansion to much of Europe and the United States, and the lasting changes the movement has brought to the art world. Framed through the lens of the Worcester Art Museum’s collection of impressionist works, many of which were acquired when these artists were still living, the exhibition highlighted over 30 artists, including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, and Max Slevogt. Approximately half of the works in the exhibition were on view for the first time in decades.
Watercolors Unboxed
June 10, 2023–September 10, 2023
The Floating World: Japanese Prints from the Bancroft Collection
November 26, 2022–March 5, 2023
The Floating World: Japanese Prints from the Bancroft Collection illustrated the beauty of everyday life through 50 Japanese woodblock prints from the Museum’s collection, 48 of which were displayed for the first time. The exhibition pulled directly from WAM’s Bancroft Collection of over 3,700 Japanese ukiyo-e prints—the first collection of its kind in the United States.
Given to the Museum in 1901, the collection of John Chandler Bancroft (1835–1901) is considered WAM’s first major collection. The Floating World illustrates the breadth of Bancroft’s collection, displaying artworks that range in size, material, date, and subject matter, with renowned artists including Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kunisada, and Utagawa Hiroshige. Featuring artworks like Hiroshige’s Sudden Shower over ShinŌhashi Bridge and Atake (1857), which inspired a painting by Vincent van Gogh, The Floating World provided opportunities to come closer to artists whose influences are evident in cultural expression around the world.
This exhibition was curated by Dr. Rachel Parikh, former Associate Curator of the Arts of Asia and the Islamic World, and Fiona Collins, Curatorial Researcher of Asian Art. This exhibition was generously supported by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. Early research was made possible through the generous support of Philip and Ellen Phillips.
After its debut in Worcester, the exhibition toured internationally, starting at the Tampa Museum of Art (September 8, 2023–January 7, 2024), then to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (January 26–April 7, 2024), The Koriyama City Museum of Art (April 20–June 23, 2024), Tokyo Fuji Art Museum (July 6–Sunday, 29, 2024), and then to Abeno Harukas Art Museum (October 12,2024–January 5, 2025).
Frontiers of Impressionism is curated by Claire C. Whitner, the Worcester Art Museum’s Director of Curatorial Affairs and the James A. Welu Curator of European Art, and Erin Corrales-Diaz, the Museum’s former Assistant Curator of American Art, who now serves as the Curator of American Art at the Toledo Museum of Art.
This exhibition is generously supported by the Fletcher Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Pollack PEACE Fund. This project was also funded in part by the Ruth and John Adam, Jr. Exhibition Fund, Richard A. Heald Curatorial Fund, Michie Family Curatorial Fund, and the Christian A. Johnson Exhibition Fund. Related programming was supported by the Amelia and Robert H. Haley Memorial Lecture Fund and the Spear Fund for Public Programs. Media partner: WBUR.
Watercolors Unboxed drew from the Museum’s collection of 19th- and early 20th-century American watercolors as a foundation to consider the progression of the medium in both Europe and the United States. Highlighting American landscapes, the exhibition demonstrated how American artists embraced watercolor as a way to document their travels, here and abroad, often working outdoors. Through works by American artists John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer, the exhibition explored the challenges of working with this unforgiving medium and how these artists proved to be innovators who changed the artform. Offering an expanded look at American landscape, the Museum debuted examples from its collection of watercolors from the San Ildefonso school—a group often credited as the first self-identified Native American modern art movement in the United States—as part of the exhibition. Watercolors Unboxed also featured a significant selection of watercolors by European artists, some of whom are celebrated for their work in other media but lesser known for their work in the medium of watercolor.
In conjunction with the exhibition, a selection of contemporary watercolors by past and current WAM Studio Class students and faculty were on display in a community gallery space outside the exhibition entrance. These local artists have formed deep relationships with WAM’s collection while building skills like underpainting, drybrush, and color blending. Watercolors Unboxed was organized by Nancy Kathryn Burns, the Worcester Art Museum’s Stoddard Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs.
This exhibition was generously supported by the Fletcher Foundation. Sponsored by: Kaplan Construction. Media partner: GBH.
Utagawa Hiroshige, Maple Trees at Mama, Tekona Shrine and Linked Bridge (Mama no momiji Tekona no yashiro Tsugihashi), detail, 1857, 1st month, woodblock print; ink and color on paper, John Chandler Bancroft Collection, 1901.59.1310
John Singer Sargent, Muddy Alligators, 1917, watercolor over graphite, with masking out and scraping, on wove paper, Sustaining Membership Fund, 1917.86
Learning and Engagement
Tour Programs
Public and Private Tours
The Museum served a total of 10,387 participants on tours this year, including those as part of their admission to the Museum as well as private guided experiences for school and adult groups. This is a healthy 5% increase from last year’s total number of participants, demonstrating continued growth toward pre-pandemic numbers, with a gradual and welcome return to typical school tour attendance.
Worcester Culture LEAP Tours
Funded by the Worcester Educational Development Foundation, the Culture LEAP program brought 1,641 fourth graders over the course of the year. Students toured the galleries utilizing Visual Thinking Strategies while learning about how museums work.
Studio Programs
Youth Classes
More than 109 programs were offered to a total of 1,077 youth and teen students, contributing to the highest revenue since FY09 and surpassing that of adult programs for the first time in 20 years. More than $25,000 was allocated for scholarships, roughly 10% of all youth registrations.
Adult Classes
More than 100 programs were offered to a total of 796 students, with registration on par with FY22. More than $22,000 was allocated for adult students scholarships, roughly 14% of all adult registrations. Offerings included a small but dedicated online program that drew students from across the country.
Higgins Education Wing Exhibitions
Nine exhibitions were featured in the Higgins Education Wing this past year, featuring artwork from students and faculty, as well as from community groups and partners such as Youth Art Month, Head Start, Worcester Public Schools, and Celebrating Creativity 2023. Exhibitions were also hosted offsite, including artwork at the Worcester Registry of Deeds and at UMass Memorial Medical Center’s Remillard Court.
Public Programs
Arms and Armor Demonstrations
These popular live events, showcasing the John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection, continued to delight visitors of all ages. This year saw their highest numbers since the pandemic, with 1,455 visitors attending 64 public demonstrations, averaging 22–23 guests per event.
Art Carts
Engaging more than 7,200 Museums guests, these lively gallery get-togethers helped visitors of all ages touch materials and engage with art in new ways.
Spotlight Series Talks
Seven Spotlight Series (formerly Master Series) talks held from October to June had a total of 372 attendees. Highlighted talks focused on such artists as Winslow Homer, Sneha Shrestha (aka IMAGINE), and Guillaume Guillon-Lethière, among others.
Flora in Winter
March 2-5, 2023
The Museum’s annual floral extravaganza attracted a record number of visitors, with 4,573 guests attending over the course of four days. This is a roughly 5% increase from the previous year, despite a large snowstorm in the middle of the event that necessitated some creative rescheduling.
Diwali at WAM
November 6, 2022
More than 1,200 visitors attended this day of collaboration with the India Society of Worcester, which celebrated the sights, sounds, and tastes of Indian culture.
Hanukkah at WAM
December 4, 2022
WAM’s 4th collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Central MA and the Worcester JCC featured a full day of activities, including a live latke demonstration and tasting, dreidel art making, and a musical performance by Shir Joy Chorus of Massachusetts. More than 900 visitors attended.
Deck the Halls
November 23, 2022–January 8, 2023
Artfully decorated trees, seasonal music, a model train, and an engaging puppet show helped draw more than 1,100 excited and multi-generational onlookers between late November and early January.
Spring at WAM
May 7, 2023
On the week of its 125th anniversary, 778 visitors attended the Museum’s annual celebration of spring. Guests enjoyed a living statue, performances by students from the College of the Holy Cross, artmaking, and Lion Dance by the Eternals Lion Dance Team.
Naturalization Ceremony
May 2, 2023
Civic engagement continued at WAM, with the Museum again serving as a Naturalization Ceremony site in May. More than 100 guests witnessed the swearing-in of between 50 and 60 new United States citizens.
Community Partnership Programs
Advanced Placement Art History
Thirty-two Advanced Placement Art History students from Worcester Public High Schools met at WAM twice a week during the academic year to study art history and use the Museum’s galleries and studios as their classroom.
Clemente Course in the Humanities
Roughly 20 adult students completed the transformational Clemente Course, using the Museum’s galleries to explore art, history, philosophy, civics, literature, and writing. The Clemente Course offers tuition-free, college level instruction and credit to those for whom aspirations for higher education and engagement with the humanities are hampered by socioeconomic circumstances.
Volunteers at WAM
In FY2023, the Worcester Art Museum was proud to have over 200 volunteers that helped us fulfil our mission. Volunteers served in a variety of capacities throughout the Museum and in a variety of Departments, from Development to Education. Our volunteers served nearly 2,500 hours in FY2023.
Our 47 docents put in hundreds of hours of work, providing engaging and enlightening tours of our stellar collection. Our docents served over 10,000 visitors in FY2023 through their tours.
Thank you to all our volunteers!
Massachusetts Art Education Association (MAEA)
Art made by more than 300 students from area elementary, middle, and high schools was exhibited in the Museum’s Higgins Education Wing as part of MAEA’s Youth Art Month in March. In addition, WAM hosted the MAEA’s annual conference in November, with more than 150 MAEA members attending.
Open Door Gallery
This unique, joint venture with Seven Hills Foundation and its affiliate, Open Door Arts, promotes the involvement of people of all abilities in the cultural life of their community. Since the program’s inception just over 6 years ago, thousands of individuals have engaged with the collaboration. One exciting highlight this year was the reopening of the ODG@WAM after a pause due to the pandemic.
Worcester Child Development Head Start
This year saw 636 Head Start students and 200 teachers connect with WAM through onsite visits focused on special exhibitions and color in artworks. Designed for Head Start’s 35 classrooms from across the city, the goal is to provide many of Worcester’s most at-risk children ages 3-5 the opportunity to learn about and create their own art.
Additional Community Partnerships
•ASPiRE!
•Audio Journal
•Bay State Council of the Blind
•Black Heritage Juneteenth Festival
•Genesis Club, Inc.
•Horace Mann Educational Associates, Autism
Resource Central
•Mass Cultural Council, UP Initiative
•India Society of Worcester
•Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts
•United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Highest-viewed videos during this period: (YouTube shows what was viewed during this period regardless of publish date)
Watercolors Unboxed Intro (6/28/2023)
https://youtu.be/UaovNNkNi18?si=X58lA5_dj0qE w4mc
1,579 views
Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight (2/1/2021)
https://youtu.be/tHr54oHSvbo?si=RAFajpmL4nfF8j6
1,448 views
Gorgets (5/7/2021)
https://youtu.be/sW3oV-u-MoY?si=0w1ekkPzs_ NJYxdn
1,229 views
Acquisition Highlights
Over the course of FY2023, the Worcester Art Museum made several important acquisitions. It was particularly notable for the expansion of the Museum’s holdings of 19th-century paintings by African American artists. In addition to the purchase of Edward Mitchell Bannister’s The Hay Gatherers (2023.23)—arguably his extant masterpiece—WAM received the gift of two exquisite still lifes by Connecticut-based artist Charles Ethan Porter (2023.14, 2023.15). These three acquisitions will dramatically impact how African American artists are represented in our Early American galleries when they are reinstalled in 2025. The Worcester Art Museum also became the first North American museum to acquire work by Maria Marc, a member of the Munich-based German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter and wife of Franz Marc, with the purchase of Blumenbeet (Flower Bed) (2023.24).
Paul Anthony Smith (born Jamaica, active United States, born 1988), BB#1, 2016, inkjet print mounted on museum board, manipulated with picotage and colored pencil, Museum purchase through the Gift of Jean McDonough, 2023.26
Charles Ethan Porter (American, 1847–1923), Still Life with Apples and Grapes, by 1923, oil on canvas, Gift of Martha E. Simmons, in memory of Ernest C. and Laura B. Saeger Wignall, 2023.14
Charles Ethan Porter (American, 1847–1923), Carnations, 1887, oil on canvas, Gift of Martha E. Simmons, in memory of Ernest C. and Laura B. Saeger Wignall, 2023.15
Maria Franck Marc (German, 1876–1955), Blumenbeet (Bed of Flowers), about 1913, oil on canvas, Museum purchase through the Gift of Jean McDonough and Theodore T. and Mary G. Ellis Fund, 2023.24
Edward Mitchell Bannister (American, 1828–1901), The Hay Gatherers, about 1893, oil on canvas, Museum purchase from the Dr. Nicholas Bruno Collection through the gift of Jean McDonough, the estate of Blake Robinson, the Eliza S. Paine Fund, the Sarah C. Garver Fund, and the Ruth and Loring Holmes Dodd Fund, 2023.5
Loans
After a banner year for outgoing loans in FY2022, FY2023 continued to see a high volume of loan requests with increased focus on WAM’s traveling exhibition program. In FY2023, 124 WAM objects were on loan to museums in France, the United Kingdom, and the United States (including New York, California, Missouri, Michigan, Washington, Texas, Maine, and Massachusetts).
89 WAM objects were included in our traveling exhibition The Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Art Museum. Tour venues for The Age of Armor in FY2023 included the Denver Art Museum and the Cummer Museum of Art. Total attendance for The Age of Armor has exceeded 800,000 visitors.
Behind the scenes, WAM staff were also busy preparing two new traveling exhibitions: Frontiers of Impressionism: Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum, which will premier in Tampa in Fall 2024 before traveling to four venues in Japan, and The Floating World: Masterpieces of Edo Japan, which will be on view in Texas next year.
Left: Gallery view of Frontiers of Impressionism
Conservation
Conservation Highlight!
Senior Objects Conservator Paula Artal-Isbrand undertook an extensive conservation and restoration treatment of a 13th-century ceramic luster bowl from Iran (1918.18) during this period. She disassembled the bowl, discarded the old restoration materials, cleaned the original sherds, reassembled the bowl, and restored missing portions using modern conservation materials, including fillers, paints, and varnishes. Having never been displayed at WAM since its acquisition in 1918 because of the old unsightly restorations, this richly decorated Islamic bowl is now displayed for the first time in the South Asian and Islamic Art Gallery.
The 13th century Iranian bowl with earlier restorations.
Fragments of the bowl before restoration.
Bowl with Seated Figure. 13th century, Rayy, Iran. Museum Purchase, 1918.18. After conservation and restoration
Financial Picture
Statement of Financial Position
AUGUST 31, 2022 (With Summarized Comparative Information for 2022) 2023
Liabilities and
Statement of Activities
AUGUST 31, 2021 (With Summarized Comparative Information for 2022)
