Informe Anual, 2005 - Museo de Arte de Ponce

images from the museum’s galleries,
inspiring our sponsors to get up close
and feel even prouder of their Museum.
In keeping with our dedication to service,
our temporary exhibitions were aimed at
strengthening our ties with the community
as well as presenting and interpreting our
collections. This “new light” has served as
inspiration, motivating us to reinterpret all of
our museum galleries. In collaboration with
the Museo Franz Mayer in Mexico City, we
presented La memoria en el papel: Libros
y estampas de la colección Franz Mayer,
adding works from our Great European
Masters collection.
José Antonio Torres Martinó, a
distinguished artist from Ponce and
teacher of many generations of Puerto
Rican artists, was paid homage in the
exhibition Voz de varios registros. His
caliber and recognition, not just from
the people of Ponce but also from all
over Puerto Rico, were made evident and
demonstrated by the throngs of visitors
to this exhibition.
To cap things off, the exhibition Frida
Kahlo y sus mundos not only proved
our ability to organize such an event,
marked by round success in visits, but
also allowed for a unique academic
approach in line with the quality and life
of an artist who has become a cult figure
in modern times. The vast scope of this
project called for an upgrade of our
electronic security and controls systems
in the temporary exhibition galleries.
Paving new ground, Argentine artist Fabián
Marcaccio’s Paintant-Documenta 11 was
a surprise for all, not only because of
its extraordinary size, which took up the
entire second-floor façade, but also due
to its defiant language, which attracted a
new kind of public keen on sharing the
vitality of contemporary art.
The Curatorial Division also saw “new
light” under the leadership of Cheryl
Hartup, new Curator in Chief, who since
last July has been refocusing and growing
it by recruiting new staff members to
be responsible for research, exhibition
organization, and community outreach
duties. Her experience and professionalism
have been quickly asserted and noted in
the temporary exhibitions as well as in
the permanent collections.
As part of getting ready for the eventual
closing of the exhibits building, carried
out by Durell Stone, the first phase of
the reaccreditation process with the
American Association of Museum was
completed with the preliminary selfevaluation
submitted to the Institute of
Museum and Library Services (IMLS),
which will be followed up by a visit in
2006 from one of its evaluators, and
ending with the final self-evaluation in
November.