What an exciting time it is for everyone involved with the Biggs Museum of American Art, including our leadership and staff . . . and especially friends like you! Having just completed a banner year in 2007—which was highlighted by our first independent summer art camp for children, the newly designed Hands on Humanities, mixing traditional instruction with workshops led by professional artists of the region, and the third annual Gala: An Affair with the Arts for 400 guests—we are now poised for even bigger and better things in 2008.
Preparations for our installation of the State’s first-ever Silver Study Center—featuring the 750-piece Col. Kenneth P. and Regina I. Brown Collection of Delaware Silver— began months and months ago, and we are almost ready to unveil this spectacular addition to the Biggs. The Brown Collection nearly doubles the number of objects on view in our galleries, with lasting implications for historians, material culture scholars, enthusiasts and connoisseurs. The accompanying publication is the first comprehensive examination of Delaware silver in over 40 years, with full-color images of more than 350 illustrations. A wide variety of public programs for silver lovers of all ages and levels of experience, as well as several permanent interactive displays on Delaware silver and social history, will compliment the launch of Delaware Silver, and we look forward to seeing you when the exhibition opens at the Biggs on March 5.
Later this year, the Biggs will present Forgotten Dreams: the Paintings of Edward Grant, the first retrospective of this artist’s work and his incredibly long and distinguished life within the region. Grant was a successful graphic artist for one of Wilmington’s best-known and most successful companies . . . as well as a prolific painter. His earliest works exhibit the social realism of the late 20s and 30s, while his war-period works experimented with the contemporary trends of Cubism and Abstraction.
Also in 2008, we will continue to offer the free monthly Biggs Kids program, which teaches children about art and the world around them through gallery tours and hands-on art projects; the Summer Art Series, which welcomes children for hands-on art activities related to art in the collection, gallery tours, and a final student exhibition; the Biggs Shots exhibition, a juried photography competition and display of works submitted by artists working in the greater Delmarva region; the Award Winners series, which highlights, via exhibitions and performances, the Delaware Division of the Art’s Individual Artist Fellowship recipients; and the ever-popular An Affair with the Arts Gala, the Artful Dining event, and Martini and Wine Tastings in the fall.
The excitement that surrounds such great accomplishments is bound by one over-riding sentiment . . . . gratitude. Without the participation and support of those who recognize and appreciate the value of all that the Biggs has to offer, none of this would be possible. The 15,000 people who visit the Museum each year are at the heart of our mission—to present the collection for the education, entertainment, and inspiration of a wide public. It is with great pride that we continue to provide the programs for which the Biggs is endeared, while expanding our visitor base via a diverse menu of changing exhibitions and fresh, new programming that appeals to all ages and backgrounds.
Welcome . . . in virtuality. And we hope to see you soon . . . in person!
Linda A. K. Danko
Director