Reports of the Museums and Research Institutes 



35 



D.C.'s historic Victor Building. A pledge of $538,000 from 

 the William and Mildred Lasdon Foundation established the 

 Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft in 

 America, a comprehensive collecting project (oral histories 

 and papers) focused on major American crafts artists. Also of 

 note in FY 2000 was a gift of $140,000 from the Ford Mo- 

 tor Company to provide full corporate underwriting for the 

 Archives' annual fund-raising benefit. Throughout FY 2000, 

 private donors made numerous gifts to support Archives' op- 

 erations; among these were a bequest from the Inverarity 

 Trust ($25,000) and a grant from the Horace W. Goldsmith 

 Foundation ($25,000). 



Freer Gallery of Art and 

 Arthur M. Sackler Gallery 



Milo C. Beach, Director 



The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery be- 

 gan the fiscal year 2000 with many exciting changes. We 

 entered the new century with a tremendous growth in our 

 public offerings, and we are delighted that our many visitors, 

 friends, and supporters have responded so enthusiastically. 



This summer, for the first time since the Freer opened in 

 1923, we were delighted to provide public access to the 

 gallery's courtyard. Founder Charles Lang Freer and the 

 gallery's architect Charles Piatt had hoped that the courtyard 

 could offer a space for visitors to relax; because of environ- 

 mental concerns, however the courtyard has actually 

 remained closed. With a generous grant from the Philip L. 

 Graham Fund, new doors were installed, allowing visitors 

 easy access to the courtyard loggias where benches provide a 

 respite from touring the galleries. Two bronze sculptures by 

 Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Law Supported by Power and Love 

 and Labor Supported by Science and Art, which Piatt considered 

 to be among the finest American sculptures, were selected 

 from the Freer collection for installation on the east loggia. 

 Bought by Freer directly from the artist's widow, the sculp- 

 tures were originally commissioned to flank the main 

 entrance of the Boston Public Library on Copley Square. The 

 Freer's half-size editions were cast from the unfinished plas- 

 ter models after the sculptor's death. 



We were also thrilled to be able to include Freer objects in 

 two Sackler exhibitions this year. This marked the fitst time 

 any object from the Freer had been shown in any other insti- 

 tution. Since the museum's founding, Freer objects could be 

 shown only in exhibitions held in the Freer Gallery. By con- 

 sent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 objects from the Freer can be displayed in the Sackler Gallery 

 in temporary, special exhibitions. By juxtaposing works from 

 the Freer collections with those on view at the Sackler, we can 

 now realize important exhibition and research goals. This in- 

 novation preserves yet enhances the vision of Charles Lang 

 Freer, who wanted both to ensure that his collection would 

 always be available to visitors and to increase American 

 awareness and understanding of the artistic traditions of Asia. 



Critical commentary on gallery exhibitions and programs 

 was favorable this year. The Freer and Sackler were featured 

 in local, national, and international press. The International 

 Herald Tribune urged readers, "Go to the Freer Gallery of Art 

 and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery . . . which are making Wash- 

 ington the Western world's capital of Asian art." According 

 to the Washington Post, "Today the Freer and the newer Sack- 

 ler house one of the greatest collections of Asian art in the 

 world." 



The collection of Chinese paintings and calligraphy is one 

 of the galleries' major strengths. To support and enhance the 

 collection, the Henry Luce Foundation funded a three-year 

 program in Chinese painting conservation at the galleries' 

 East Asian Painting Conservation Studio. In addition to 

 funding an assistant to the conservator of Chinese paintings, 

 the program also includes support for materials, research, 

 and an internship in Chinese painting conservation. 



Freer and Sackler conservators, along with a number of 

 the galleries' curators and exhibition, publications, and ad- 

 ministrative personnel, have also been involved in a cultural 

 exchange program with Iran. With the support of the 

 Rockefeller Foundation, we hosted a cultural delegation 

 from Iran in May 2000 for a series of meetings, facility tours, 

 and discussions to identify mutually beneficial areas of col- 

 laboration. To follow up on the meetings, six members of 

 our staff traveled to Iran in September. During this visit, I 

 signed an official agreement with the Golestan Palace (Tehran) 

 that will result in an international effort to study the great 

 Mughal album, the Gulsban Muraqqa, prior to its joint pub- 

 lication by the Freer and Sackler Galleries and the Golestan 

 Palace. While it is regarded as the most important Mughal 

 manuscript in existence, the Gulsban Muraqqa has never 

 been fully studied, exhibited, or published. We are extremely 

 pleased about this agreement, which stands as the first cul- 

 tural accord between Iran and the United States since the 

 revolution, and we especially look forward to working to- 

 gether with our Iranian colleagues. 



Sharing the galleries' wonderful collections of aft and pro- 

 grams with the rest of the world has been made easier this 

 year with an aesthetic and content redesign of our Web 

 pages. The Web site now includes expanded sections tot the 

 shops, membership, and press information while it provides 

 visitors with in-depth information on current exhibitions 

 and public programs. 



As a result of the growth of our public programs, the gal- 

 leries' calendar of events was also redesigned. The new larger, 

 more inviting format allows for the inclusion of detailed es- 

 says on current exhibitions, thorough descriptions of out 

 programs, as well as sections dedicated to our fund-raising 

 activities, shop items, and publications. The new format also 

 includes a message from the director in each issue. Printing 

 the calendar would not be possible without the generosity of 

 the late Mrs. Else Sackler. We were deeply saddened rhis year 

 by the passing of this dear friend and supporter of the gal- 

 leries. Mrs. Sackler was instrumental to the success of the 

 Sackler Gallery. The endowments she established to support 

 our public affairs efforts and to provide fresh flowers in the 

 Sackler pavilion have enriched the galleries, and her personal 



