In an effort to resolve “unsustainable” budget crunches, DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is in talks to become a subsidiary of the Trustees of Reservations, a major Massachusetts cultural and land conservation nonprofit.
“What would change if DeCordova became a part of the Trustees operation? Not a whole lot,” Barbara Erickson, Trustees president and CEO, said when the two organizations presented their agreement to explore “an exciting partnership” to Lincoln’s State of the Town Meeting last Saturday, Oct. 20. “We’re interested in DeCordova because of the resources it provides today.”
Erickson praised DeCordova’s curatorial and education expertise, saying, “The quality exhibitions and programming opportunities will continue to be sustained.”
The plan must be approved by a vote of Lincoln residents, which has been scheduled for March 2019, and is contingent upon completion of a campaign by both organizations to raise $15 million to secure DeCordova’s endowment and operational stability, according to the museum.
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A year ago, in September 2017, DeCordova informed Lincoln’s Board of Selectmen that for years it has struggled with an “unsustainable reliance on large annual contributions from a small group of donors to pay regular operating expenses,” the Lincoln Board of Selectmen reported on May 7.
“The fiscal problem is not on the expense side as we control costs tightly and earned revenue … compares favorably to other museums,” John Ravenal, who has been DeCordova’s executive director since January 2015, said at Saturday’s State of the Town Meeting. “DeCordova’s financial challenges are due to insufficient endowment combined with the ever rising fixed costs needed to operate an independent museum. And over the past two years this unstable financial model has finally collapsed.”
Looking for a partner to stem these significant short-term budget issues and help it find long-term stability, DeCordova trustees voted unanimously last spring to pursue integration with the Trustees. The Trustees manage and conserve 117 properties and cultural sites across the Commonwealth—from World’s End in Hingham to Fruitlands Museum in Harvard to Field Farm in Williamstown.
In May, Lincoln Selectmen formed a working group to begin reviewing the proposal.
Julian de Cordova (1851-1945)—a tea broker, wholesale merchant, investor, and president of Somerville’s Union Glass Company—gave his summer home and property in Lincoln to the town in 1930. “This gift was made with the condition that [following his death] it would serve in perpetuity as a public museum and public park,” the museum and town report.
The museum opened in 1950, with a focus on living New England artists. The sculpture park, which now totals 28 acres, was inaugurated in 1966.
The town retained ownership of the DeCordova property and oversight as a charitable trustee as it “established a non-profit corporation to manage the funds and operations of the museum and park on behalf of the town. This non-profit, governed by a Board of Trustees and a Council of Overseers, has always served the museum’s mission while also maintaining a strong connection to the local community,” the town and museum report.
Now the town is heading toward a vote that would amend DeCordova’s governing documents to allow it to be a subsidiary of the Trustees “while the Town would retain ownership of the land and its general oversight as the charitable trustee.”
“The Trustees are excited about the prospect of welcoming DeCordova into our network of dynamic cultural and natural sites located around the Commonwealth,” Erickson said in a press release today. “It is a beloved institution with an incredible legacy of engagement around contemporary art and conservation, areas that are both an important part of our mission to connect more people to the land, history, culture, and art experiences.”
“DeCordova and the Trustees share overlapping missions to connect people to special places of cultural and natural importance and inspire unique experiences that improve quality of life,” Ravenal said in the press release. “We look forward to working closely with the Trustees, the town of Lincoln, and our many supporters to move this integration forward and secure an even more successful and sustainable future for this treasured institution.”
“The town of Lincoln regards DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum as one of our most treasured community resources,” Lincoln Town Manager Tim Higgins said in the press release. “Town officials and our special task force intend to lead an integration process which is transparent and provides Lincoln residents with ample opportunity to be part of the discussion.”
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