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Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation
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Programs |
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Foundation Activities Stark Museum of Art Employees: 14 Full-time, 8 Part-time The Stark Museum of Art was opened in November 1978, with the expressed intention of preserving and displaying the art collection of the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation for the benefit of the public. The Museum’s permanent collection consists of Native American artifacts; Art of the American West 1830 – 1950 (paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints); Steuben crystal; rare books and manuscripts; and the porcelain birds of Edward Marshall Boehm and Dorothy Doughty. Almost 20,000 square feet of the Museum is dedicated to exhibition including 4,000 square feet of gallery space devoted to temporary exhibits on changing themes. The Foundation continues to add to the collection by acquiring works of art that complement and enhance the permanent collection. Highlights of 2004: · Acquisitions The Stark Museum acquired the work of N. C. Wyeth, A Son of His Father and two William P. Henderson portraits of pottery-makers Julian and Maria Martinez enhancing the collection. In June the library acquired a collection of more than 200 letters and drawings by Charles Banks Wilson relating to the publication of The Mustangs by Texas author J. Frank Dobie. The Estate of Nelda C. Stark transferred twenty-eight Native American objects, three paintings and thirty-eight prints to the Stark permanent collection in 2004
· Visitation Over 12,500 students and adults visited the Stark Museum of Art in 2004, including 9,461 who participated in docent-conducted tours and programs. The cooperative effort with the Museum of Fine Arts – Houston substantially broadened the Stark exposure with 152,040 viewing the Stark exhibit of Western Landscapes in 2004, bringing to 311,765 the number of visitors to Stark exhibits in Houston over the past three years.
· Exhibits and Loans Following the close of the Western Landscape exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts – Houston, historic Yellowstone Park chromolithographs by Thomas Moran highlighted the reinstallation of the Stark Bierstadts and Morans in Stark Gallery Three. A new exhibit of ceramic figures by Edward Marshall Boehm opened in Corridor Two in May. In July, an exhibition of paintings by W. H. Dunton from the Stark collection opened at the MFA – Houston. A collection of the Joseph Henry Sharp paintings was removed from Gallery Five exhibition to allow for expanded installation of works by Russian artist Nicolai Fechin.In October, portraits of Maria and Julian Martinez were mounted in Gallery One with selected pieces of their famous blackware pottery. In November, a display of Indian ball clubs was installed in Gallery Three with related George Catlin material from the Stark Library. Seldom seen works from the permanent collection by John Young-Hunter went on exhibit in Gallery Five in December. Exhibits continuing through the end of the year were “The Art of the Old West” in Gallery Two; “Art and Nature” in Gallery Four; sculptures by Charles M. Russell in Corridor Three; and The United States in Crystal in the Steuben Corridor.A number of objects from the Stark permanent collection were made available to other institutions in 2004. Several Catlin items were loaned to the MFA – Houston and featured with an exhibition of Catlin paintings from the Smithsonian Institution. Four illustrated letters by C. M. Russell were loaned to the Glenbow Alberta Museum in Calgary for a Russell exhibit touring several Canadian venues. Gerald’s Tree II by Georgia O’Keeffe continues on a national tour with Visions of the Sublime, an O’Keeffe retrospective organized by Art Museum Services.
· Collection Management and Conservation Conservation of objects in the Stark collection continued in 2004 with Albert Bierstadt’s Storm Over Laramie Peak; Remington’s The Rattlesnake; and the N. C. Wyeth acquisition placed with the conservators for cleaning and repair. Additional picture-storage screens were installed in 2004 to accommodate the art objects bequeathed to the Stark collection from the Estate of Nelda C. Stark.
· Programs and Activities Programs and activities continued to increase in 2004. David Hunt, Director, presented a lecture on the Stark collection at the MFA – Houston in January and addressed an organization of Western Art collectors at the Denver Art Museum in October. Visiting author Dean Porter spoke to Stark docents in February on the Stark collection and the Taos artists. Sue Harris and Monica Reimer attended a “Partners in Education” seminar in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Richard Hunter represented the Stark at the Texas Association of Museums in March and attended a seminar “Art and the Law” in Santa Fe, New Mexico in August.Cowboy Charlie is an interactive presentation by the Stark Museum that was enjoyed by over 115 pre-school and grade-school students in 2004. The docent-directed Focus program on Native American culture was presented in November to 140 Lumberton ISD second grade students.The Stark Museum participated in the second “Art in the Park” event in October attracting 236 visitors for the day. Forty members of Partnership of Southeast Texas visited in May as part of their regional planning session.
· Publications and PublicityDavid Hunt authored an article entitled “Nicolai Fechin’s Portraits from Life” which appeared in the April issue of American Art Review. The article featured several works from the Stark collection. This article was the third article on the Stark Museum and its collection to have been featured nationally in the Review in as many years. · The Stark Museum was highlighted in several state and regional periodicals, including Texas Highways, Texas Tour Guide, Touring America, and Post magazines, and also by a four-page feature in Art Guide Texas published by the University of Texas Press. · The Stark Museum reprinted 15,000 copies of its current brochure for distribution at the Texas Information Centers and at locations along the I-10 corridor. Schoolbook covers featuring reproductions from the Stark collection were printed for distribution to primary and secondary schools in Orange County. · The Stark Museum web site received 7,233 inquiries in 2004, while the staff received over 200 requests for information or other services, chiefly for photographs and images of the collection for research purposes, reproduction in books, magazines and film documentaries.
W. H. Stark House Employees: 3 Full-time, 21 Part-time The W. H. Stark House is the restored 1894 Victorian home of William H. and Miriam Lutcher Stark. It contains over 7,000 artifacts original to the family which are exhibited in fifteen room settings restored to the period of 1920. In 1976, the W. H. Stark House was designated as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and was also entered in the National Register of Historic Places. The W. H. Stark House is located at 610 W. Main Street in downtown Orange. Highlights of 2004: Visitation During the year, 2,335 visitors toured the Stark House. The staff presented 43 group tours to church, civic and senior adult groups. A Power-Point presentation was developed in 2004 and presented to local church and civic groups. The Stark House participated in the highly successful Art in the Park sponsored by the Orange Convention and Visitors Bureau providing tours for 65. · Programs and Activities Working with Lutcher Theater, the Stark House hosted an opening night reception for Lutcher Theater Patrons. · In October, the Stark House hosted a public education program on the subjects of cut glass and silver. The public was invited to bring their objects of interest for inspection and discussion with experts in the respective fields in a “mini road show” forum. The cut glass collection was featured in the ACGA Hobstar, a national member publication. · In December, the Stark House hosted a special evening “Open House” with free admission first floor tours relaxing the minimum age requirement. In spite of the cold and rain, 365 attended this event. · New brochures were produced in 2004 and an advertising campaign begun in Texas Highways resulting in over 250 inquiries. Collection Management and ConservationInventory of the Stark House collection was completed in 2004 in anticipation of confirming and correcting data in the current W. H. Stark House data base for transfer to new a collection management system in 2005. · Restoration and conservation in 2004 included the first floor porches; a handrail at the rear entrance; an irrigation system; exterior landscape lighting; and security surveillance. Plans are progressing on the design and implementation of new exhibit lighting to enhance the crystal and decorative objects in the Carriage House. In 2005 the Stark Housed will begin the second phase of replacing the second floor porches and installing additional handrails. · Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center Employees: 15 Full-time Situated within the city limits of Orange, Texas, Shangri La is a 250 acre reserve bequeathed by Nelda C. Stark to the Stark Foundation. H. J. Lutcher Stark began work on Shangri La in 1942 and the gardens first opened to the public in 1946. In the mid 1950’s, the garden was heavily damaged by a hard freeze. The area was closed to the public and maintained on a very limited scale. Shangri La is a very unique ecosystem possessing not only wetlands, but a mixed deciduous forest, cypress tupelo swamp, and a large lake that attracts ducks and migratory birds. Commissioned by the Board in 2002, architects and environmental engineers are moving forward with plans to restore the botanical gardens and create a nature center for study and research at K-12, undergraduate and graduate levels. Highlights of 2004: · Programs and Activities Over 3,500 students from Orange County schools and a limited number of area schools participated in Adams Bayou boat trips and environmental education programs through the Nature Classroom. · The Science Super Stars program, funded in part by contributions from DuPont and Invista, began in August and continued throughout the school year bringing hands-on science to the 7th and 8th grade participating students. · “The Wonderful World of Aquatic Ecosystems”, designed for 5th grade students (EcoRangers), was a two week summer program where the students learned about the four major ecosystems found in Orange. · The StarLab portable planetarium reached over 3,000 students last year. Orginally purchased by Texaco for Region V, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is now the repository for the StarLab scheduling usage and training teachers in the use and care of the portable planetarium. · The Center participated in the Jason Project in 2004 providing a significant resource to the students and teachers with interactive stations and displays. · The Center actively reached the community in 2004 by through sixteen presentations to community organizations; sponsoring teacher workshops; participating in the First Annual Bayou Open House; sponsoring the Eighth Annual Adams Bayou Trash-Off; providing public lectures on bats and butterflies; bayou boat trips for local organizations; producing the “Birds of Shangri La” poster; and open house programs in Shangri La and the Production Greenhouse attracting over 1,600 visitors. · Integral to the success of the Center are the community volunteers. In 2004 approximately 180 volunteers were trained and contributed over 1,500 hours of time in the nature and horticulture programs. One volunteer traveled to Arizona to become certified in photovoltaics to assist in using this technology in Shangri La. · The Center sponsored three programs for college students and graduates in 2004. Two students participated in the “Shangri La Scholars” program taking part in research in both environmental education and natural history. The students worked in the program during the summer months completing relevant research for presentation to appropriate scientific organizations. · One student participated in the “Shangri La Internship” program. Designed for college graduates in natural history and education, the Intern learns about environmental education and teaching techniques. It is anticipated that in 2005 an Intern will be included in the horticulture program. · Identified and qualified in 2004, a graduate student from Lamar University in Beaumont will become the first in the “Shangri La Fellowship” program in 2005. The program is designed to support field research in Shangri La contributing to the knowledge base and understanding of the sensitive ecosystem and thesis material for the individual’s graduate studies. · · Publications and Publicity The Center continues to be active in producing publications and opportunities for educators. In 2004 the Center added to the website Cookbook for Developing a Science SuperStar Program for teachers to develop their own programs. So teachers may preview the Nature Classroom experience before bring their students, Virtual Field Trip was added to the website. · The Center was a major participant at the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching. The Center provided a booth on environmental education and presented a short course involving 30 teachers from 28 school districts in Texas. · · Capital Projects and Employment Completed in late 2004, the Shangri La Service Center and Production Greenhouse were brought online. The Service Center will consolidate equipment and manpower in close proximity to the Botanical Gardens and Nature Center. Additional gardeners were added in 2004 as well as additional supervision to meet the increased workload in Shangri La and downtown · Results of the Production Greenhouse can be seen and experienced throughout the Stark Foundation downtown campus and around the Service Center. A greenhouse supervisor was added to the staff in 2004. Landscaping projects downtown are using the plants produced from the facility with plans to raise some of the plants needed in the garden restoration. · The Botanical Garden and Nature Center construction project is in the construction document phase. H. C. Beck is the General Contractor and will establish temporary offices at the downtown Education Center in April 2005. It is anticipated that site work will begin in May 2005 with building and landscape construction following in July or August 2005.
Frances Ann Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts Employees: 9 Full-time, 2 Part-time The Francis Ann Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts is the major performing arts forum in Orange County, Texas. It is located in downtown Orange, Texas at 707 W. Main Street in the Stark-Lutcher complex. The facility is used by the Stark Museum of Art, W. H. Stark House and Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center for the presentation guest lecturers relative to their programs and activities. Lutcher Theater, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation, by contractual operating agreement, selects and contracts the performing arts events of the Theater. Lutcher Theater, Inc. has its own governing board and committees. Presentations in the Theater represent various forms of the performing arts. Programming is varied and intended to reach all segments of area communities. Highlights of 2004: · Attendance Fifty-six events were presented at the Lutcher Theater in 2004 attracting 44,294 in attendance.
· Programming The Yahoo in the Daytime is a series of traveling performances aimed at area school age children. Schools are accessed a nominal charge of $3.50 per student to attend the shows. Over 11,358 students and teachers attended these performances. The Yahoo series for school children included the following events:How Anansi Came to America! Cirque Eloize: Nomade Miss Nelson is Missing! Coyote Tales Adventures of Tom Sawyer The Gruffalo · Adult programs ranging from Broadway shows to musical groups included:Mancini at the Movies Kiss, Me Kate Cirque Eloize: Noma de A Streetcar Named Desire Cats The Foreigner La Travita, Willie Nelson, Fiddler on the Roof, Bowfire, The Christmas Carol · Lectures presented:Shangri La Botanical Gardens – Bat Lecture Shangri La Botanical Gardens – Butterfly Lecture W. H. Stark House – Silver Lecture Lamar State College – Orange – Ben Stein · · Facility Rental In addition to the 2004 programs, the facility was used by eleven dance schools for recitals and Lamar State College for graduation.
· The Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation · The 100th Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation was held in 2004. Each year from 1904 to 1970, the Stark Family sponsored a contest in reading and a contest in declamation in the public schools of the City of Orange, Texas. In 1976, The Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest in Reading and Declamation became a qualified scholarship program of the Stark Foundation. The Contest is now held in the five public high schools in Orange County, Texas. The aim of the Contest is to encourage student participation and competition to enhance the literary and forensic quality and skills of the students. Upon completion of the contest in the participating school, the First Place winners compete in a countywide final with the determination of the best presentation in declaiming and the best presentation in interpretive reading. · The Stark Foundation funded $48,138 in scholarships to educational institutions through The Miriam Lutcher Stark Contest. At the close of 2004, $44,750 in scholarships remained payable. |