AR 01-02 final - Saint Louis Art Museum

RESOURCES
The Saint Louis Art Museum relies on public, private,
and corporate support to maintain our standing as one
of the finest comprehensive art museums in the nation.
Our Members are a vital resource not only for the
financial support they offer but also for the interest,
commitment, and sense of community they represent.
In 2003 and 2004 the number of Members increased,
as did their generosity. The Museum ended 2004 with
16,000 Members, an increase of 2,000 from the previous
year. The 2004 annual membership campaign
raised more than $2.5 million, a 10 percent increase
over 2003 and a new historic high. The Beaux Arts
Council, led by Peggy Ritter in both 2003 and 2004,
strengthened its role as the Museum’s leadership giving
circle. Corporate support, generated through the
Corporate Partnership that was chaired by Patricia
Whitaker in both 2003 and 2004, exceeded its corporate
goals for the Museum’s fundraising efforts. More
than $1 million was raised in 2004 for the Museum’s
endowment fund for educational programs from the
beautifully successful gala benefit, the Anniversary Ball,
chaired by Connie Kahn and co-chairs Julie Schnuck
and Mary Behnke, with The May Department Stores
Foundation serving as Grand Benefactor.
Over the past two years, the Museum’s schedule of
exhibitions benefited from the support of many generous
sponsors. The German company ALTANA AG,
known for their support of cultural and educational
endeavors around the world, sponsored German Art
Now. The exhibition Art of the Osage was supported
by The Henry Luce Foundation, The Edward L.
Bakewell Jr. Fund, and The Aileen and Lyle Woodcock
Fund for the Study of American Art. Other exhibitions
in 2003 and 2004 received support provided by AT&T;
the Enterprise Rent-a-Car Foundation; Margaret B.
Grigg; the Henry L. and Natalie E. Freund Endowment
Fund; the Jordan Charitable Foundation; Missouri
Arts Council; the Monsanto Fund; the National
Endowment for the Arts; Emily Rauh Pulitzer; The
Spoehrer Charitable Trust; the Wallace-Reader’s Digest
Fund; and the William T. Kemper Foundation—
Commerce Bank, Trustee. The details of exhibitions
and their sponsorships are listed in the Exhibitions
section of this report.
Many of the programs and special events that provide
memorable learning experiences are made possible by
generous donors. Ford Motor Company Fund sponsored
our very successful Ford Free Fridays, which
enabled us to offer extended hours and free exhibition
admission every Friday. Target Stores funded the
new series of family guides, while the Dana Brown
Charitable Trust supported our free Sunday Family
Programs. Energizer’s support of our longstanding
program of Arts in the Basic Curriculum helped us
expand the outreach of arts education to even more
area grade school students.
In late 2004 the Museum initiated the leadership phase
of a building and endowment campaign. This most
recent step of a long-range fundraising effort will help
set the stage for a major capital campaign that is
intended to support expansion of the Museum’s
landmark facility on Art Hill.
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