S50B01 Reginald F. Lewis Museum 2020 Budget Hearing Testimony

REG I NALD F. LEWIS MUSEUM OF

MARYLAND AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURE

830 E. Pratt Street I Baltimore, Maryland I 21202 I 443-263-1800 I LewisMuseum.org

R EGINALD F. LEWIS MUSEUM OF

MARYLAND AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

& CULTURE

SS0BO1 Maryland African American M useum Corporation

Hearing Testimony - 2020

January 22, 2020

The Maryland African American Museum Corporation (MAAMC), known as the Reginald F.

Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Cultu re, is one of the largest museums on t he east coast dedicated to the preservation of the African American cultu ral

experience. A longstand ing Smithsonian Affiliate, we have a core collection of more than

11,000 objects, artifacts, documents, and photographs that span 400 years of Maryland history

housed in an 82,000 square foot building which opened in 2005.

The museum is pleased to report that under the leadership of Executive Director Jacqueline

Copeland and her senior management team, the museum continued to show steady improvement in its operations in FY19. In fact, sustain ing the growth in all facets of the

museum is of paramount importance to Copeland. She is the fi rst Executive Director with museum experience (more than 30 years), and brings years of museum leadership to her role.

Ensuring that the museum has a clear vision and focus, that staff and Board are fully engaged,

and that the greater Maryland community understands and supports the importance of the Lewis Museum's role in preserving al l of our shared histories, is her primary goal. She wil l lead

the museum through a Strategic Plan that wi ll clearly outline measurable goals for the next 3-5

years, and is confident that the Reginald F. Lewis Museum will be recognized nationa lly, as one of the main cu ltural attractions in the city of Balt imore and the state of Maryland .

Overall attendance for FY19 was 53,041 compared to 47,580 for FY18, an 11.5% increase.

Attendance by category was as follows for FY19 and FY18:

General Adm ission

K-12 Tours

Adult Tour Groups

Special Events

Educational Meetings

Public Programs (Ticketed)

Tota l

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FY19 19.704

7,042

2,977

18,128

642

4,548

53,041

FY18 19,819

7,154

1,549

17,265

384

1,409

47,580

830 E. Pratt Street • Baltimore, MD 21202 • (443) 263-1800 • www.LewisMuseum.org

There are a number of factors which played into the increase in attendance at the museum from 2017 to 2019. First and foremost was the focus on providing, for our visitors, great

exhibitions, programs that are relevant to their lives, and a change in leadership which paid particular attention to keeping the museum susta inable. In 2017 we began our first major exhibition "Maryland Collects", which borrowed artwork from area collectors for our major fall

exhibitions. To date they were: Maryland Collects Jacob Lawrence, Maryland Collects: Romore

Bearden: Visionary Artist, and Maryland Collects Elizabeth Catlett: Artist as Activist. The 2018 exhibition Hateful Things engaged adults, students and teachers in conversations about the racist objects of the Jim Crow era. In addition, we offered programs that addressed concerns of our community, specifically a series of programs called Talks and Thoughts, which allowed diverse visitors to comment on real-time events that are relevant to our community: Talks and

Thoughts: Statues and Monuments Really Do Motter (the Confederate statue controversy; Talks and Thoughts: Is Colin Kaepernick the Roso Porks of his Generation?, and Talks and Thoughts: Blockfoce and Its Legacy in 2019. We continue the series on February 13, 2020 with the

program Talks & Thoughts: Ego vs. Ecosystem, which examines the intricacies of the black male vote in America. In addition, since we are a Smithsonian Affiliate, we were able to premier the new documentary film The Green Book: Guide to Freedom, which chronicled the experiences of African Americans traveling in the segregated South. All of the above, plus partnerships with

local colleges, universities, and museums, work together to make the museum more unique and a destination for our visitors.

School attendance, an institutional priority, decreased slightly in FY19 compared to FY18. However, our School Program remained strong. In FY19 we served over 300 educators in Professional Development activities, held our Annual High School Juried Art Show, and our Living History Program in schools throughout the state. We also held a preview for students and

educators for the film The Hate You Give, and toured students through our exhibition Hateful Things. Students explored racist black memorabilia artifacts of the Jim Crow era, and participated in a workshop exploring racial stereotypes and identity with Dr. La Marr Shields.

Museum fund raising revenue (revenue) for FY19 was $2,037,149 compared to $2,127,771 in FY18. These amounts are exclusive of funding received from the State of Maryland.

• Museum Store gross sales were $108,500 in FY19 compared to $99,300 in FY18 - a 9% increase. The museum store continues to be a source of earned revenue for the museum as we search products that align with our collections and exhibitions.

• Special Events sales (building space rentals) of $245,900 in FY19 represents a 5%

increase over FY18. The 82,000 sq. ft bu ilding continues to be a desirable rental space for individuals and corporations.

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• Paid Membership remained relatively stable in FY19 as compared to FY18. In FY20, we have redesigned our memberships to provide greater benefits to museum members and corporate partners, providing each with enhanced opportunities to participate in Museum programming and events, in advance of the general public. We introduced Membership cards that include pictures of historical and relevant Maryland African Americans. We have been experiencing tremendous response to both the new cards and the new Membership offerings. Our Membership revenue through December 31 of FY20 is $17,460, an increase of 6.5% over the same period

in FY19.

• Our social media presence was expanded and redefined towards the end of FY19 and into FY20 to reach a broader Maryland audience.

• Maryland Collects exhibition series continues to be extremely successful. In 2019 the exhibitions Maryland Collects: Romare Bearden: Visionary Artist, November 10, 2018 - March 3, 2019, followed the FY18 exhibition, Maryland Collects: Jacob Lawrence. These exhibitions were made possible solely on the loan of artworks by area collectors. The exhibitions attracted diverse audiences and were favorably reviewed by the Baltimore Sun, the Baltimore Times, the Afro, Bmore Art, and various other media outlets.

• Digitizing the collection and making it visible and accessible on line, continues to be a priority for the Museum. When we debuted our websit e Online Collections Portal

in early 2019, we began with 1,092 objects available for viewing. At the close of FY19 we had 6,485 records online, an inva luable tool for our online visitors, scholars and researchers. We are one of only a few African American museums to have a searchable collections database online.

• Energy Efficiency. The Museum continues to adhere to its policy of energy efficiency in partnership with BGE's Green Initiative. ·

In FY19, the museum continued to increase its partnerships with corporations, cultural and community organizations. Our annual Children's Book Fair, held in May 2019, featured authors and illustrators of African American children's books, partnerships with the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and attracted 1,272 visitors. A rotating series of exhibitions curated by local photographer Joe Giordano Reflections of Baltimore showcased new Baltimore-based artists, including six painters from MICA, experimental artists Wickerham & Lomax, and Baltimore street photographers who showcase their work on lnstagram. In the first two quarters of FY19, we established a year-long "Health and Wellness" partnership with Kaiser Permanente, and Bank of America became the so le corporate sponsor of our major fall special exhibition, Romare Bearden: Visionary Artist. In conjunction with that exhibition, a book talk on Bearden and a dramatic presentation on Homer's Odyssey by Morgan State University's Theater Morgan attracted nearly 200 visitors. Earlier in FY19 we held an exhibition, Hateful Things, which garnered the attention of press and captivated school audiences. Educator and OSI Community

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Fellow Dr. La Marr Shields facilitated educat ion workshops for teens on negative stereotypes in

connection with Hateful Things. About 600 students participated. In partnership with 21st Century Fox, the museum invited 200 students and teachers to view the movie "The Hate You

Give." A partnership with University of Maryland, Co llege Park enabled the museum to insta ll

an exhibition Black Women: Image & Perception in Popular Culture. The exhibition unpacked the stereotypica l imagery of black fema les that continue to exist in popular culture. Our annual

Kwanzaa celebration on December 29, 2018 had 1,639 visitors in attendance. Programs such as

these have allowed the museum to be flexible and responsive to contemporary topics and

establish itself as a place for safe and open dialogue and discussion. A highlight of FY19

programming was our 11th Annual High School Juried Art Show which included an exhibition of works by 22 high school students from 7 counties across Maryland {Ba ltimore City, Baltimore

County, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Prince George's County, Montgomery County, and Carro ll County).

We are proud that the Reginald F. Lewis Museum has continued to make significant progress in FY19, increasing the upward trajectory established in FY18. Our continuing efforts revolve

around a focused plan to address issues facing many 21st century cultural institutions. The plan involves:

• Fiscal Management & Compliance - by displaying and maintaining sound fiscal

responsibility, and achieving regulatory compliance practices;

• Advancement - by promoting financial development and backing among

corporations, foundations and individua ls supportive of the mission;

• Education & Scholarship - by creating a compelling history and interpretive

experience for visitors through scholarly exhibitions that appeal to the non­

specialist, and broad appealing public programs that expand the notion of Maryland's African American history, art and culture for diverse audiences;

• Community Engagement - by strengthening community partnerships with local constituents and national stakeholders;

• Branding & Positioning - by developing new marketing strategies that support

the vision statement and promote cultural branding through the development of unique exhibitions and creative programs.

The museum believes in strong partnerships as we manage towards success. Partners include

Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, M&T Bank, T. Rowe Price, the Great er Baltimore Cultural

Alliance {GBCA), the Smithsonian Institution, Visit Ba lt imore, the Bloomberg Fellowship

Program, the Baltimore Orioles, Arts Every Day, the Maryland State Department of Education

{MSDE), the Maryland Historical Society, The Walters Art Museum, The Baltimore Museum of

Art, Towson University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland College Park, the

Jewish Museum of Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Morgan State

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University, Galerie Myrtis, the Enoch Pratt Free Public Library, and a host of local community

artists and activists .

We are gratefu l for the Board of Directors unwavering commitment t o the Museum's success, and the elected representatives of this great state, who have remained stalwart. The State's continued recognition of us as Maryland's premier museum dedicated to the history and culture of African Americans resonates as an edifice of pride and community achievement.

In closing, I wou ld be remiss in not pointing out that our 2019 exhibition Elizabeth Catlett: Artist as Activist was selected as one of the 10 Best exhibit ions of 2019 by BmoreArt Magazine. A few

days ago, on our annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we offered a Visual Reality (VR) experience for our visitors. By donning goggles, visitors experienced being a part of the 1968 Sanitation Workers Strike at w hich Dr. King spoke, the day before his assassination. It

is innovative experiences like this that allow our visitor t o not only learn about history, but to be in the center of history that make the Lewis museum a unique and important museum w ith the state and nation. Our MLK Day celebration was featured on the front page of The Baltimore

Sun newspaper on Tuesday, January, 21, 2020. A copy is provided w ith this testimony.

We are thankful t o the State of Maryland for its past support and look forward to continued

support through future State allocations.

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Price $2. Our 183rd year, N_o. 2.1 baltimoresun.eom PilCTORilllG MAEYLAN:O

AMY DAVIS/BALTIMORE SUN

HONORING MLK'S LEGACY Above, the Baltimore City College Choir, directed by Marcus Smith performs at the Reginald L~wis Mu­seum on Martin: Luther King Jr. Day. The muse~ also featured th e ''I Am a Man" Civil Rights Movement virtual reality project that was created by Derek Ham, an assistant professor of graphic design at North Carolina State Univ~1cai!Y in.collaboration with the National Civ'J·llights Museum in Memphis. One musewngoer said the VR expe1ience had him feeling "all the pain" of the day King was assassi­

. nated. At right, Canoll Community · College and 'the Carroll Arts Center sponsored a musical tribute to King perf01med. by artist LEA. See story on

. Nl!:WS PG2.

DOUG /(APUSTIN/FOR BALTIMORE SUN MEDIA

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

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REGINALD F. L EWIS MUSEUM OF

MARYLAND AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURE