The Director’s Circle is a group of art enthusiasts devoted to supporting the Memorial Art Gallery’s innovative exhibitions and programs. Annual membership at this leadership level is essential to the vitality of our museum.
MAG’s commitment to connecting people, inspiring fun, and igniting discovery requires investment. Director’s Circle memberships are philanthropic, enabling MAG to do new research, publish original scholarship, and mount stunning exhibitions that offer something for everyone–from familiar masters like Monet to pioneering media artists like Isaac Julien.
Winslow Homer Society: $1750 – $3499
- Free admission for members and guests
- Invitations to two annual Director’s Circle lectures
- Invitations to VIP receptions at MAG member opening parties
- Private docent-led tour of the museum (by appointment)
- Reciprocal admission to 1,000+ North American museums, gardens, and historic sites (click here to view all sites)
- Coupon for one free Kids Create Date
- Invitation to Merry MAG Members’ Shopping Night
- 10% discount at The Store @ MAG
- 10% discount on Creative Workshop classes, as well as a priority enrollment period
- 10% discount (for the cardholder only) at Brown Hound Downtown
- Discount on M&T Bank Clothesline Festival admission
- Subscription to ARTiculate, MAG’s bi-monthly magazine
- Borrowing privileges at the MAG Library
- Acknowledgement in the Vanden Brul Pavilion
- Dual membership in the George Eastman Circle with a five-year pledge of $1,750 annually*
Georgia O’Keeffe Society: $3500 – $6999
- Free admission for members and guests
- Invitations to two annual Director’s Circle lectures
- Invitations to VIP receptions at MAG member opening parties
- Private docent-led tour of the museum (by appointment)
- Reciprocal admission to 1,000+ North American museums, gardens, and historic sites (click here to view all sites)
- Coupon for one free Kids Create Date
- Invitation to Merry MAG Members’ Shopping Night
- 10% discount at The Store @ MAG
- 10% discount on Creative Workshop classes, as well as a priority enrollment period
- 10% discount (for the cardholder only) at Brown Hound Downtown
- Discount on M&T Bank Clothesline Festival admission
- Subscription to ARTiculate, MAG’s bi-monthly magazine
- Borrowing privileges at the MAG Library
- Acknowledgement in the Vanden Brul Pavilion
- Dual membership in the George Eastman Circle with a five-year pledge of $1,750 annually*
- Invitation to a special event with the Director
- One Dual/Family gift membership
- Acknowledgement in the Lockhart Gallery
Claude Monet Society: $7000 – $9999
- Free admission for members and guests
- Invitations to two annual Director’s Circle lectures
- Invitations to VIP receptions at MAG member opening parties
- Private docent-led tour of the museum (by appointment)
- Reciprocal admission to 1,000+ North American museums, gardens, and historic sites (click here to view all sites)
- Coupon for one free Kids Create Date
- Invitation to Merry MAG Members’ Shopping Night
- 10% discount at The Store @ MAG
- 10% discount on Creative Workshop classes, as well as a priority enrollment period
- 10% discount (for the cardholder only) at Brown Hound Downtown
- Discount on M&T Bank Clothesline Festival admission
- Subscription to ARTiculate, MAG’s bi-monthly magazine
- Borrowing privileges at the MAG Library
- Acknowledgement in the Vanden Brul Pavilion
- Dual membership in the George Eastman Circle with a five-year pledge of $1,750 annually*
- Invitation to a special event with the Director
- Acknowledgement in the Lockhart Gallery
- One free personal use of MAG facilities
- Invitation to an annual trip with the Director
- Two Dual/Family gift memberships
Emily Sibley Watson Society: $10000+
The premier level of the MAG Director’s Circle is the Emily Sibley Watson Society, named after the founder of our museum.
- Free admission for members and guests
- Invitations to two annual Director’s Circle lectures
- Invitations to VIP receptions at MAG member opening parties
- Private docent-led tour of the museum (by appointment)
- Reciprocal admission to 1,000+ North American museums, gardens, and historic sites (click here to view all sites)
- Coupon for one free Kids Create Date
- Invitation to Merry MAG Members’ Shopping Night
- 10% discount at The Store @ MAG
- 10% discount on Creative Workshop classes, as well as a priority enrollment period
- 10% discount (for the cardholder only) at Brown Hound Downtown
- Discount on M&T Bank Clothesline Festival admission
- Subscription to ARTiculate, MAG’s bi-monthly magazine
- Borrowing privileges at the MAG Library
- Acknowledgement in the Vanden Brul Pavilion
- Dual membership in the George Eastman Circle with a five-year pledge of $1,750 annually*
- Invitation to a special event with the Director
- Acknowledgement in the Lockhart Gallery
- One free personal use of MAG facilities
- Invitation to an annual trip with the Director
- Two Dual/Family gift memberships
- Invitation to a memorable dinner with the Director
- Opportunity to attend a special presentation for a new acquisition for MAG’s collection
*DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE + GEORGE EASTMAN CIRCLE
A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP
Founded in 1913 by Emily Sibley Watson, the Memorial Art Gallery has played a central role in Rochester’s cultural life for more than a century. Exhibits at MAG during its early years often featured loans from the private collections of prominent Rochester leaders—including George Eastman, who created the Eastman Kodak Company and is widely considered to be a founding father of the University of Rochester.
Watson was the daughter of Hiram Sibley, who was best known as the founder of Western Union. Sharing his passions for philanthropy and collecting art, Watson established MAG in memory of her son to be “a means alike of pleasure and of education for all the citizens of Rochester.”
Eastman’s philanthropic relationship with the University began in 1899 with the gift of a single Kodak camera to a geology professor. This small gift eventually led to the transformational gifts that created the Eastman School of Music and the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and supported the expansion of the University’s River Campus in the 20th century.
Building on Watson’s and Eastman’s philanthropic legacies, the Director’s Circle and the George Eastman Circle recognize donors who support the Memorial Art Gallery with an annual gift of $1,750, or more, as members of both leadership giving societies. The benefits of this dual membership are remarkable, and are listed under each membership level on this page.
For more information on how you can join both the Director’s Circle and the George Eastman Circle, please contact:
Joe Carney
Senior Director of Major Gifts
(585) 276-8941
