The Studio Museum in Harlem

Fiscal Year 2006 (JULY 1, 2005 - JUNE 30, 2006)

The Studio Museum in Harlem
144 West 125th Street
New York, NY 10027
Phone: (212)864-4500
Fax: (212)864-4800

Mission

“The Studio Museum in Harlem is the nexus for black artists locally, nationally, and internationally, and for work that has been inspired by black culture. It is a site for the dynamic exchange of ideas about art and society.”

Founded in 1968 as a studio space for experimental art and artists, The Studio Museum in Harlem has played a significant role in redressing the lack of opportunities for black artists within the mainstream of American art and culture, while serving as a vital resource for this community. Over the years, its groundbreaking exhibitions, programs and publications have defined historical themes and concepts, set scholarly standards, and provided support for generations of artists who were excluded from the larger art world. A full-time residency program, which has helped to launch the careers of more than 100 artists, remains central to the Museum’s identity today.

A permanent collection of more than 1,600 artworks, representing artists from the United States, the Caribbean, the Americas, and Africa, preserves this vital legacy for future generations. Approximately 100,000 people visit the Museum in a typical year.

SMH publications include exhibition catalogues and Studio magazine, an insightful blend of Museum news, including exhibitions and programs, artist profiles and interviews, commissioned artwork, and highlights of events and projects at other cultural institutions around the world. It is mailed to over 10,000 Museum members, supporters, schools and other regular visitors.

Exhibitions

The Studio Museum presents an average of 12 exhibitions each year. They include contemporary art by emerging and established artists working in all forms; major retrospectives and mid-career surveys, and historic and thematic exhibitions, many drawn from the institution’s permanent collection. Highlights of exhibitions presented during the past year include:

Summer 2005 (July 20-October 23, 2005), presented hrlm: pictures, the first in a series of exhibitions of iconic images of life in Harlem by seminal photographers of the 20th century and Scratch: 2004-2005 Artists-in-Residence, which featured new works created by emerging artists, William Cordova, Michael Queenland and Marc André Robinson during their residency year. Also on view was Reclaiming Beautiful, an exhibition of photographs by high-school students participating in the intergenerational program, Expanding the Walls: Making Connections between Photography, History and Community.

The fall exhibition, Frequency opened on November 9, 2005 and remained on view through March 12, 2006. The Studio Museum’s second national overview of emerging talent, Frequency presented the work of approximately thirty-five contemporary black artists working in all media, as well as site-specific installations. Energy/Experimentation: Black Artists and Abstraction, 1964-1980 (April 5 to July 2, 2006) an examination of the work of black abstract artists working during the second half of the 20th century, whose contributions to both African American and American art history had been widely overlooked.

Education and Public Programs

The Museum offers a wide array of public and educational programs that give context to the work that we do and strive to foster meaningful audience engagement across a wide range of constituencies. Among the programs presented were:

School Programs are designed to enhance existing curricula in core subjects encourage innovative teaching practices, and build critical thinking skills. In addition to on-site guided tours and workshops for K-12 students, The Studio Museum Goes to School program provides tailored, multi-session collaborations for local schools. Programs for educators include open houses, workshops, and curriculum guides. Over 4,000 students-many with little or no access to the arts-and educators participate in these programs each year.
Youth Programs provide a safe environment for high-school students to express themselves creatively, outside of the classroom. Programs include visits to artists’ studios, portfolio reviews, and spoken word/visual arts workshops. Expanding the Walls: Making Connections Between Photography, History and Community is a multi-faceted, intergenerational program that uses student photography and the Museum’s VanDerZee photographic archive as a resource for people of all ages to share experiences and perspectives on community, identity, black history and culture.

Family Programs encourage children and their families to explore art together through guided gallery tours and workshops. Free admission is offered to families on the first Saturday of every month.

Adult Programs illuminate issues and ideas presented in the Museum’s exhibitions, collection, and in contemporary art. Programs include public forums with artists, writers, historians, curators, lectures, literary readings, walking tours of Harlem, collecting seminars, and live performances. Visiting senior citizens are provided with seating, refreshments, and other amenities; SMH also presents programs at senior centers throughout the City.

College and High School Internship Programs provide paid and unpaid internships to undergraduate college students pursuing arts and humanities degrees, and high school students seeking work experience in the museum field. Forty internships were offered last year.

The following is an overview of SMH’s income and expenses for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006.

Total Support & Revenue: $ 5,994,854
Program Expenses: $ 4,443,002
Management & General Expenses: $ 588,613
Development: $ 867,729
End of Year Net Asset Balance: $ 8,246,269

Members

Officers
Raymond J. McGuire, Chairman, Carol Sutton Lewis, Vice-Chair, Reginald Van Lee, Treasurer, Anne B. Ehrenkranz, Secretary

Gayle Perkins Atkins, Jacqueline L. Bradley, Kathryn C. Chenault, Gordon J. Davis, Reginald E. Davis, Susan Fales-Hill, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Sandra Grymes, Joyce K. Haupt, Arthur J. Humphrey, Jr., George L. Knox, Nancy L. Lane, Dr. Michael L. Lomax, Tracy Maitland, Rodney M. Miller, Eileen Harris Norton, Dr. Amelia Ogunlesi, Corine Pettey, Charles A. Shorter, Jr., Ann Tenenbaum, John T. Thompson

Ex-officio

Hon. Kate Levin, Commissioner, NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs, Karen A. Phillips, Representative for Hon. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor; City of New York

The Studio Museum in Harlem is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

To view The Studio Museum in Harlem’s IRS 990 filing on GuideStar.org please click on the following link:

http://www.guidestar.org/pqShowGsReport.do?partner=guidestar&npoId=446306