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Film Revival: Rashômon
Restored 35mm print
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Fri, Dec 11 7:00 PM Sat, Dec 12 7:00 PM Sun, Dec 13 5:00 PM
 more info
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Special Director's Message
Dear Friends of the MFAH:
This annual letter comes to you at a time when most economic activities in the United States and abroad have slowed or halted. Indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average have declined by more than 33 percent in one year alone.
This grim situation has led to a 24 percent decline in the MFAH endowment, a more modest reduction in funding from corporations, and a shortfall in annual fund revenues. However, because of your support, membership revenues have not declined, and net revenues from special fund-raising events remain constant.
Future financial performances are anyone’s guess. To protect the museum’s endowment and budget, the entire staff has teamed up to reduce expenses. This initiative is not as easy as it may sound because income from grants is tied to expenses. The simple rule in fund accounting is that you do not receive the money unless you spend it. Obviously, large reductions in expenses will be made, if necessary.
Regardless of economics, the MFAH trustees have two sacrosanct goals: (1) to maintain the highest standards possible for a museum of world art, and (2) to continue the MFAH’s 108-year record of committed public service.
Your museum is blessed with a dedicated and generous board of trustees. Their gifts of art and funds have made the MFAH a really important institution. Fortunately, five years ago, the trustees planned to expand the permanent-collection galleries for Asian art. So far, galleries of Korean and Indonesian art have opened to high praise. In this calendar year, the artworks from India will be installed in dedicated galleries. The Arts of Japan and Arts of China Galleries will follow in 2010. Generous patrons are donating several million dollars to make these upgrades possible. So, despite a slow economy, the core of the MFAH—its permanent collection—continues to expand and to be a public asset for everyone to enjoy.
Another exception to the economic gloom is the spectacular growth of Bayou Bend. Next month, the new Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center will be under construction, thanks to a campaign that has raised $20 million of its $25 million goal. When the new facility opens in 2010, Bayou Bend will have classrooms, visitor orientation spaces, a library, a shop, and a center for scholars. This much-needed addition will enable Bayou Bend to further expand its diverse and innovative programs, which have already increased Bayou Bend’s audience by 58 percent during the past five years.
One benefit of the weak economy has been the reduction in prices for works of art. Trustees acquired more than 1,300 works in 2008, ranging from a beautifully painted Egyptian coffin for an Ibis to a classic light sculpture by James Turrell, which is currently on view in the Caroline Wiess Law Building.
Amid all of these challenges and opportunities, the greatest loss to the MFAH was the recent death of Alfred C. Glassell, Jr., Chairman Emeritus, who was the driving force behind the funding of the Audrey Jones Beck Building. In his will, Mr. Glassell left a generous pledge for the endowment of the MFAH’s school of art, which he sponsored in 1979 and which bears his name. In addition, he gave to the museum the world’s finest collection of Pre-Columbian gold artworks, which I hope will begin to go on permanent display this year. You can look forward to news of a “members only” gala celebration in memory of this great man’s generosity and vision.
Never has there been a more important time to continue to support your museum through membership or donation. As a member of the MFAH family, you know better than most that the arts are a vital part of the solution to the challenges we face, bringing meaning and delight into our lives and strengthening our communities on social, educational, and economic levels. Just yesterday, I learned about a member who said that, despite the negativity in the news and her personal daily aggravations, the museum served as a place to keep her connected to the rest of the world. Hearing this kind of feedback greatly motivates our work and makes us proud to serve as a source of inspiration, not only for the people of Houston, but also for those who visit us from around the world.
This will be a difficult year, but also an exciting one. The museum will present an array of major exhibitions in the coming months. Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul (previewing to members the weekend of Friday, February 27, and opening to the public on Sunday, March 1) will feature more than 200 recently recovered works of art long thought to be lost or stolen during fighting in Kabul in the 1980s. Hidden for protection during the years of political upheaval, these artworks are a testament to the historical importance of Afghanistan as a country at the crossroads of civilization in Central Asia, and also to the courage of those who safeguarded them at great personal risk. The exhibition will provide a unique window into the history and cultural legacy of Afghanistan, a country that has faced extraordinary challenges. Following Houston, the show will travel to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The MFAH will present additional superb exhibitions in 2009. Pioneers of Contemporary Glass takes a fascinating look at developments in the world of studio glass since the 1960s through the renowned collection of Dennis and Barbara DuBois. There is also our twenty-year survey of Amy Blakemore’s photographs, ranging from her black-and-white street photographs of the mid-1980s to her recent portraits and landscapes. The landmark
exhibition Arts of Ancient Viet Nam: From River Plain to Open Sea will present more than 150 objects, including bronze artifacts, gold jewelry, precious stones, ceramics, and Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, and will focus on major centers of Viet Nam at critical periods in its history.
This month, I hope that you will come to the museum to take part in a month-long salute to you—MFAH members. During Member Appreciation Month, there will be an assortment of special members-only opportunities, including complimentary passes to share with your friends and family.
Make the most of your membership by exploring ways to get more involved at the MFAH. Whether your interest is in the European masters, contemporary Latin American art, photography, or another area of the fine arts, there are numerous special interest groups that provide an in-depth look at the museum while supporting our curatorial departments. Participants of these groups receive invitations to social events, take tours of private collections, vote on the selection of museum acquisitions, and have opportunities to travel both nationally and internationally. Explore the list of groups available on the MFAH Web site, www.mfah.org, and please sign up.
In closing, be assured that your museum will continue to place emphasis on its core values, striving for excellence in collecting, exhibiting, preserving, conserving, and interpreting art for all people.
Sincerely,
Peter C. Marzio
Director
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
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Peter C. Marzio
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