In 2009 director Grant Holcomb was talking with former MAG Board president Bob Gianniny about a possible musical celebration of the Gallery’s centennial. Gianniny picked up the phone and called RPO Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik—and the rest is history.
On November 8, 2012, thanks to funding from Gianniny and his wife, Joanne, “Images: Musical Impressions of an Art Museum” had its world premiere at Eastman Theatre. Read the whole story
Work on MAG’s Centennial Sculpture Park is one step closer to reality thanks to a $250,000 gift from the family of Edward D. (Ed) McDonald.
Friends of the Gallery and the McDonald family gathered in May 2011 for the announcement that the main MAG entrance, which will include a walkway designed by nationally known artist Jackie Ferrara, will be named the McDonald Family Plaza. Among the honored guests were Ed McDonald (above, right); his wife, Marilynn; and his son, Dave (above, left). Also on hand were members of the MAG Board of Managers and the project design team, Bayer Landscape Architecture, PLLC.
Earlier McDonald gifts include two major works donated in memory of Ed’s late wife, Margaret—George Harvey’s Pittsford on the Erie Canal (1837) and Anna Hyatt Huntington’s bronze Joan of Arc (1915). Another recent gift, Mary Taylor’s metal sculpture Filly (2008), will soon be installed on the Gallery grounds.
In April 2011, more than 100 members of the Gallery Council and the MAG Board of Managers gathered for the dedication of the newly renovated Renaissance Gallery. Among the guests were (left to right) Mary Crowe, who as Gallery Council president in 2004 led the effort to commit Council funding for the project; Nancy Norwood, curator of European art; current Council president Mary Sue Jack; Board of Managers president Theresa Mazzullo; and director Grant Holcomb. Photo by Brandon K. Vick.
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The gallery—one of the largest at MAG—reopened in late March following two months of renovation. With a new red and cream color scheme and refinished parquet floors, the space offers an elegant setting for such visitor favorites as Tintoretto’s Portrait of a Venetian Patrician (left, being hung); Bedoli’s Portrait of a Boy of the Bracciforte Family and del Garbo’s Madonna and Child with Angel.
In her remarks at the dedication, Jack praised the project as a team effort. “The completion of this lovely room represents all that is good about the Memorial Art Gallery.” Above all, though, thanks go to the Gallery Council for supporting the long-planned renovation.
Read about another recent renovation project funded by the Council
In summer 2010, with support from M&T Bank, the Gallery installed air-conditioning in one of its prime rental spaces. The historic space, known since 2003 as the M&T Bank Ballroom, was built in the 1930s and features oak paneling, stained glass windows, a vaulted ceiling and a balcony with seating. It can accommodate 350 guests for receptions and 225 for sit-down dinners, but until now, it was available only from mid-September to mid-June, making it off limits to the lucrative summer wedding trade. No longer!
M&T’s gift of $100,000 is just the latest of many to the Gallery. For 17 years, the bank has been presenting sponsor of the Clothesline Festival. It also provided exhibition support for such major exhibitions as Edgar Degas: Figures in Motion, Georgia O’Keeffe: Color and Conservation, and American Impressionism: Paintings from the Phillips Collection.
Above: M&T Bank Ballroom photo by Brandon Vick.
In December 2009, more than 200 upper-level donors and special guests were on hand to honor Helen H. Berkeley, whose $1 million gift made possible the Helen H. Berkeley Gallery of Ancient Art. Speakers at the dedication of the new gallery included UR president Joel Seligman, State Senator Joseph E. Robach, and Bobbie Wilson representing Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter. Robach and Slaughter were instrumental in securing additional funding for the new installation.
The Berkeley Gallery, which opened to the public the following day, brings together works from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. A few steps away, the companion gallery At the Crossroads features works from the ancient Middle East and the Islamic world. Read the whole story
Pictured above: Surrounding Helen Berkeley are Edmund Hajim, chair of the UR Board of Trustees; director Grant Holcomb; UR president Joel Seligman; and MAG Board president Andrew Gallina. Photo by J. Adam Fenster.
In July 2009, director Grant Holcomb announced a major gift from long-time supporter Evelyn V. (Lynne) Lovejoy. The $250,000 gift was earmarked for the Lynne Lovejoy Endowment, an unrestricted fund which supports the Gallery’s educational mission.
Holcomb also announced that the former East Parlor, a popular events rental space in the Gallery’s Cutler Union building, would be dedicated in honor of Mrs. Lovejoy. Read the whole story
Above: At the September 2009 dedication of the Lynne Lovejoy Parlor, Mrs. Lovejoy posed with UR president Joel Seligman, MAG director Grant Holcomb and MAG Board president Andy Gallina. Photo by Derin Korman.
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