· Star-Studded Year Continues at Worcester Art Museum
· 30 Years & Counting for Docent Program
· Got Questions? Get Answers
· WAM Welcomes New Staff
· Louise Virgin, Curator of Asian Art
· Minority Internship Program Seeks Student Applicants
· Art All-State Accepting Nominations For Young Artists to Participate
· Save the Date for Gala Auction 2002
· Get WAM News Delivered to Your E-mail Inbox
· Help Us Wrap Up Centennial Campaign for Holidays

As a Member, you are well familiar with the art treasures in the Worcester Art Museum's collection and the outstanding learning opportunities available in our education program. Another marvelous resource, though perhaps less well known, is our Museum Library. The Museum began collecting art books upon its opening in 1898, and today it has the largest fine arts library in central New England with 45,000 titles spanning all periods and media. The Library also includes over 40,000 art history slides, which are available for loan. This rich resource both complements the Museum's collection and serves as a gateway to the rest of the art world. The Library is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday during Museum hours, including Thursday nights until 8 p.m. We invite you to peruse our bookshelves for your favorite artists, scan catalogs for upcoming auctions, flip through art magazines, and read further about our special exhibitions. Indeed, those who study and appreciate art have found our Library an invaluable resource.
The Museum Library is operated in association with the College of the Holy Cross. Now in its second year, this unique partnership brings together the strong resources of both institutions' libraries and offers them to a much wider audience. With support from the Davis Education Fund, the institutions launched Bridges to Art, an online catalog of art images and research materials that is accessed through the World Wide Web. Designed as a reference source and teaching tool, Bridges to Art enables online searches of the Museum's collection and library catalog, as well as the Holy Cross library catalog. Yuo can also access Bridges to Art directly at http://college.holycross.edu/bridgestoart.
From the very beginning, the Museum Library has been built through gifts from the community and library exchanges, and we always welcome donations of art books. Please contact head librarian, Deborah Aframe, x3070, if you have books to donate. Through the generosity of so many individuals, our Library shares 50 centuries of art with Museum visitors and web visitors all over the world.

We lit the stars on the Museum façade on Thursday, October 4, and they have been shining ever since. The Worcester Art Museum commissioned local artist Jose Cruz of Neon Jungle to create fifteen neon stars of varying sizes and shades of blue to adorn the outside of the building. They inaugurated the Museum's new Thursday evening hours, celebrated completion of renovation work in the Renaissance Court, and drew attention to the superstar fall exhibition,Modernism & Abstraction: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The stars continue to build excitement for a stellar year of exhibitions and programs, including the Gala Auction 2002 on May 11. The stars are sponsored by UnumProvident Corporation.

For 30 years, the Worcester Art Museum docents have provided educational museum experiences to hundreds of thousands of children and adults. On Sunday, October 7, we celebrated their service with a recognition event featuring a reception and lecture by sculptor Beverly Pepper. The Docent Endowment Fund received gifts totalling more than $460,000 from over 180 individuals and the Alden Trust as of October 5, 2001. A generous gift from Jean McDonough completed the Fund's $1 million goal. Jean, a docent and current Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, spearheaded this outstanding grassroots fund-raising effort on behalf of the Museum.

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Also at this celebration, the honor of Docent Emeriti was bestowed on 16 docents from the original docent class and 2 docents whose service has been above and beyond the call of duty. Newly named Docent Emeriti include: Ann Arthur, Betsy Ayres, Reggie Bonofilio, Dorothy Briel, Barbara Dunlop, Aviva Freelander, Carole Harmon, Ann Hunt, Edith Israel, Jean McDonough, Jean Miles, Fran O'Connell, Anna Paquette, Pat Peterson, Sylvia Rothschild, and Connie Salter. Honored posthumously were classes of 1971 and 1972 docents, Hope Spear and Paula Travers.

(at New Visitor Information Desk)
The Worcester Art Museum has added a new Visitor Information Desk in the Lancaster Street Lobby to continue our commitment to serving our visitors and Members. When you are visiting the Museum, drop by the desk with your questions about membership, exhibitions and events, amenities, directions or anything else. Provide us your feedback by completing a visitor comment card. At the desk, you can also purchase or renew a membership and pick up information on nearby attractions.

Martin Richman, Director of Development
Martin Richman recently joined the Worcester Art Museum as its new Director of Development. Martin had been the director of development and alumni relations at St. Mark's School in Southborough. Previously, he spent 10 years in the alumni and development office at Worcester's Bancroft School, the last three years as director. There, Martin organized and promoted a $10.5 million capital campaign and developed a planned-giving program. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and a Master of Science in Professional Communication from Clark University. Martin's immediate priorities include completion of the Centennial Campaign, planning the Gala Auction, and cultivating new Museum donors. Many in the community already know Martin, and we are delighted to welcome him to our team.

In January, we welcome Louise Virgin as the Worcester Art Museum's new Curator of Asian Art. Louise is an expert in Japanese art and has a broad knowledge of the art of Asia. She comes to Worcester from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she served as Assistant Curator of Later Japanese Art. She has also held curatorial positions at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in her native Stockholm, Sweden, and at The Art Institute of Chicago. Louise holds a B.A. from Smith College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She has lived in Japan and Thailand and speaks, in addition to English, Japanese, Swedish, French, Italian and German. Louise will oversee the growth and care of the Asian collection and plan and execute exhibitions of Asian art. Drawn to the Worcester Art Museum for its focus on education, Louise said she appreciates the intimate and rare connection between the Museumıs galleries and studio arts program. She hopes to foster the education of Asian art through organizing exhibitions, publishing the collection online and in print, and developing lectures and educational programs for visitors.

For the seventh year, the Worcester Art Museum will offer two paid summer internships for minority high school students from the Central Massachusetts area. The Minority Internship Program was developed to actively address the issue of diversity in museums. Over the course of 8 weeks, interns will rotate through all departments of the Museum, learning about the variety of careers available. Interns work full-time, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Minority students who will graduate high school in good standing in the spring of 2002 are encouraged to apply.

Art All-State is gearing up for its 15th year of offering talented high school juniors a weekend of intensive collaborative learning with artists/mentors. The statewide program will be held May 24-25 at the Museum with an overnight dormitory stay. Nominations of students are due Friday, February 1. Call 508.799.4406, x3072 or x3007 for more information.

A tradition for over 30 years at the Worcester Art Museum, the Gala Auction 2002 promises a fun evening and the chance to bid on unique and valuable items including travel packages, fine art, furniture, jewelry, parties and outings, and hand-made treasures. The Gala Auction will be held at the Hogan Center at the College of the Holy Cross on Saturday, May 11, 2002. All are invited to attend an elegant buffet dinner with bidding at silent auction tables throughout the evening. A live auction with March Porter of the renowned Christie's of New York Auction House will also be a part of the festivities.
Vie for the highest bid on rare prints, handmade tiles, a rafting vacation in Oregon, a Super Bowl party for 10 complete with chili, hot tub and big screen television, and a hand-crafted doll house. These are just a few of the dynamic items donated by Museum members and businesses through-out Worcester.
Help the Worcester Art Museum by donating something for the auction. How about that summer home for a weekend? Or your Mother's pearls, a round of golf at your club, sports memorabilia, a ski weekend, your grandfather's old desk? Just use your imagination and your heart. To donate an item or for tickets to the auction, please call Rose Sullivan at 508.799.4406, x3127 or e-mail her at rosesullivan@worcesterart.org. The Gala Auction 2002 is sponsored by the Members' Council.

Sign up to receive the Worcester Art Museum's new monthly e-mail newsletter. In each issue, you'll find reminders of upcoming exhibitions, events and classes of interest to you. Plus, get behind-the-scenes news, tips and fun facts. Join our distribution group by e-mailing membership@worcesterart.org or by calling our Membership office at x3122.

It's not too late! The Centennial Campaign—Where Art Celebrates Life—concludes on December 31, 2001, and you can still lend your support to help us meet our $34 million goal. Your gift will help to complete the Phase I renovations to the Renaissance Court and to meet the $750,000 Kresge Foundation Challenge. Donors of $1,000 or more will receive an invitation to the Campaign Gala on Saturday, March 9 to celebrate the successful conclusion of the Centennial Campaign. For information on how to make a gift by December 31, 2001, please call Suzanne Bonner at 508.799.4406, x3123.

Last Updated: November 27, 2001