The Mint Museum Auxiliary presents: Room to Bloom (and beyond)

Style. The evening featured Oscar de la
Renta’s Fall 2011 collection as well as the
fashion designer and style icon himself.
And the Auxiliary’s continued work is
leading to yet another extravaganza:
Room to Bloom 2014 (see Room to
Bloom box).
Presented by Wells Fargo Private Bank
Written by Katie Toussaint
Photos by The Mint Museum and PPT Photography
The acquisitions supported by the
Mint Museum Auxiliary do not start
or end with the Ball Gown crafted by
Jacques Doucet around the 1890s. The
Mint received the piece to fit into the
Fashion Collection in 1998 thanks to the
Auxiliary’s Costume Fund. The Auxiliary
has been consistent with its mission
to provide funds for the museum’s
acquisitions and educational programs
since its establishment in 1956 as the
Women’s Auxiliary.
Thus far, the group of more
than 600 women has raised over
$12 million—including funds and
acquisitions—for the Mint’s Uptown
location since its opening in 2010 as well
as the Randolph Road location, which
opened in 1936.
The Auxiliary started the Fashion
Collection in 1972 to preserve heirlooms
in the community.
Combined, the Mint’s
seven collections—
American Art, Art of
the Ancient Americas,
Craft + Design,
Decorative Arts,
Fashion, Modern &
Contemporary and
Native American
Art—are global and are
overseen by six curatorial staff members.
“All of our curators have produced a
collection plan identifying the gaps in
the collection,” said Cheryl Palmer,
director of learning and engagement for
the Mint, and that information can be
communicated to supporters and donors.
Mary Long, an Auxiliary member,
said the group corresponds with the
curators to make sure the acquisitions
they fund fill a key niche in the museum:
“It needs to be something that fits in the
museum curators’ overall plan.” Auxiliary
members are polled regarding potential
acquisitions for the collection and their
recommendations are voted on by the
museum’s Board of Trustees.
The Auxiliary alters its educational
programs and outreach selections each
year, based on member polls and pitches
from Palmer and museum staff, while
it also supports ongoing outreach by
the museum. The Mint’s educational
offerings include thematic classes,
summer camps and family days with
hands-on activities to connect guests
to what they see. Palmer pointed out
a headdress in the Fashion Collection
at Mint Museum Randolph and said a
group could view this piece of art and
then head downstairs to a classroom and
try replicating it themselves.
Both Mint locations celebrate
community art created outside of their
walls as well, with a STAR (Student
Artist) Gallery that provides an exhibition
opportunity for youths. Palmer said:
“We want to empower students in their
learning. They have a creative voice—and
we honor that voice.”
Leslie Culbertson, Auxiliary
president, said, “Our city should have
an incredible art museum and it does
due in part to the long legacy of support
provided by the Auxiliary.”
The Auxiliary hosts two or three
major events annually, most notably the
Room to Bloom series, now in its 61st
year. “Eighty percent of our proceeds go
directly to the Mint,” Culbertson said.
Ten percent goes to operating funds. Ten
percent goes to EMMA, the Endowment
for Mint Museum Acquisitions that was
created in 1985 for acquisition for the
Mint Museum Collection.
“It was an extraordinary vision at
the time,” Long said. The Fund ensures
world-class art acquisitions over the
years. In the end, the public is the real
beneficiary of the Auxiliary’s efforts
because they experience more art as
part of the enhanced collections focus
and students have access to innovative
education opportunities.
Membership
“Our group is so diverse age-wise we
really need to have representation across
the spectrum,” Long said. The past year
of membership ranged from members
Thirty new members joined the group
this year following an application process.
Although every application must be
supported and signed by two members,
when it comes to true prerequisites,
Cathy Austin, immediate past president
of the Auxiliary, said, “It’s really just a
willingness to serve.”
Volunteerism:
Beyond sharing a voice during the
acquisitions process, there are numerous
ways to get involved, including tasks
at the museum or an Auxiliary project.
Tasks range from stuffing mail, to
meeting with a committee, to planning
parties, to soliciting donated items, to
designing invitations. “Our special flavor
is probably that we do like to turn it up a
notch every once in a while,” Long said.
Their hard work has paid off with
the presentation of special occasions like
the April 2011 fashion show: The Art of
Whether it’s about education or
acquisitions, Long said, “Whatever
we choose needs to be something our
members are excited about and continue
to be excited about.” A look at their picks
for 2013–2014:
(1) They underwrote half of the
admission price of $50 for groups of
students K–12 to tour the exhibition
Inventing the Modern World: Decorative
Arts at the World’s Fairs 1851–1939 at
Mint Museum Uptown.
(2) In addition to sponsoring
ongoing educational programs, they
supported a two-week artists residency
program focused on literacy and visual
art at Ranson IB Middle School, a Project
L.I.F.T. school. This included covering
the cost to transport sixth and seventh
graders to Mint Museum Uptown,
providing them with journals, drawing
materials and two hours to observe four
paintings. The end result: an exhibition
in the STAR Gallery Uptown as well as a
culminating event and reception for the
faculty members and the students and
their families.
(3) After consulting with Mint
curators Jonathan Stuhlman and Brad
Thomas, the Auxiliary announced its
acquisition. They acquired a painting
titled Scotland by Grace Hartigan, a
renowned American artist during the
1950s to honor founding members,
which they added to the American Art
collection. This piece bridged a gap in
time periods, after their 2012 acquisition
of a video installation by Jennifer
Steinkamp in honor of the generations
of Auxiliary members expected in the
future, which they added to the Modern
& Contemporary collection.
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