Henry Francis Du Pont Winterthur Museum Inc

WINTERTHUR'S MISSION IS TO PRESERVE AND ENHANCE THE LEGACY OF ITS FOUNDER, HENRY FRANCIS DU PONT, FOR THE BENEFIT AND ENJOYMENT OF THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING: THE CARE, DEVELOPMENT, AND STUDY OF ITS PREEMINENT COLLECTION OF DECORATIVE AND FINE ARTS MADE OR USED IN AMERICA; THE ENHANCEMENT AND INTERPRETATION OF ONE OF AMERICA'S FINEST NATURALISTIC GARDENS; THE OPERATION OF GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN AMERICAN MATERIAL CULTURE AND ART CONSERVATION AT THE HIGHEST ACADEMIC LEVEL; THE OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A LIBRARY TO SUPPORT THESE IMPORTANT CULTURAL GOALS; AND THE PRESERVATION OF THE HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS.

PUBLIC VISITATION, MEMBERSHIP, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS:THROUGHOUT FY21, WINTERTHUR REMAINED NIMBLE AND RESPONSIVE TO CONTINUOUSLY CHANGING STATE REQUIREMENTS DRIVEN BY THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH SITUATION. IN JULY 2020, WE WERE ABLE TO OPEN THE GARDENS AND GALLERIES WITH RESTRICTED CAPACITY AND TIMED RESERVATIONS. HOUSE TOURS WERE NOT PERMITTED. BY AUGUST, WE WERE REQUIRED TO CLOSE THE GALLERIES AGAIN BUT WERE ABLE TO KEEP THE GARDENS OPEN FOR WALKING. IN OCTOBER 2020, WINTERTHUR WAS ONCE AGAIN ABLE TO OPEN THE HOUSE, GALLERIES, AND REINSTATE OUTDOOR PROGRAMS UNDER STRICT CAPACITY LIMITATIONS AND MODIFIED OPERATING PROCESSES TO KEEP STAFF AND GUESTS SAFE.DURING THIS CHALLENGING FY21 PERIOD, WINTERTHUR WELCOMED 90,088 GUESTS. WE WERE ABLE TO MODIFY THE HOUSE AND GALLERY TOURS TO BE SELF-GUIDED BY EXPANDING THE USE OF A MOBILE WEBSITE TO PROVIDE KEY INTERPRETIVE INFORMATION TO 15,928 GUESTS IN FY21. GARDEN TOURS PROVIDED A SAFE AND WELCOME RESPITE TO QUARANTINE-FATIGUED GUESTS AND WE WELCOMED 13,471 GUESTS DURING THIS PERIOD.ONE-WAY PATHS, SOCIAL DISTANCING MARKERS, PLEXIGLASS SHIELDS, AND MASK REQUIREMENTS WERE IMPLEMENTED TO MAKE WINTERTHUR A SAFE EXPERIENCE.GIVEN SCHOOL CLOSURES DURING THE PANDEMIC, WINTERTHUR WAS ABLE TO LAUNCH A ROBUST PROGRAM OF VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES FOR LEARNERS OF ALL AGES. A VARIETY OF TRIVIA NIGHTS, CRAFT CLASSES, BOOK DISCUSSIONS, AND LECTURES ENGAGED PARTICIPANTS FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THE VIRTUAL VERSION OF THE POPULAR FAMILY PROGRAM "TERRIFIC TUESDAYS" EXPLORED A VARIETY OF MATERIALS THROUGH CONVERSATIONS WITH WINTERTHUR STAFF AND GUEST ARTISTS, GAMES, AND ACTIVITIES USING HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. THESE TOOK PLACE WEEKLY IN JULY AND AUGUST AND AVERAGED AROUND 20 PARTICIPANTS. OUR VIRTUAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS WERE HUGELY PROPULAR. FROM THEIR INTRODUCTION IN OCTOBER, THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, WE PROVIDED MORE THAN 200 PROGRAMS, WHICH SERVED APPROXIMATELY 4,500 STUDENTS IN GRADES K-5. IN JANUARY, WE WERE ALSO THRILLED TO RESUME OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH KIDS PLACE, A COMMUNITY CENTER OPERATED BY CHILD, INC., THROUGH MONTHLY PROGRAMS THAT UTILIZED SUPPLIES DROPPED OFF IN ADVANCE OF THE ZOOM MEETING. EACH OF THOSE PROGRAMS AVERAGED 10 SCHOOL-AGED PARTICIPANTS.IN ADDITION TO CURRICULUM-BASED PROGRAMS, WINTERTHUR ROLLED OUT SEVERAL COVID-SAFE ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS, FAMILIES, AND CHILDREN. WINTERTHUR WELCOMED 1,500 GUESTS FOR WINE TASTING PROGRAMS TIED TO THE VAST INVENTORY OF DRINKING VESSELS IN THE COLLECTION. THE GARDEN, LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT, AND AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENTS COLLABORATED ON A FALL FOR WINTERTHUR CAMPAIGN WHICH INCLUDED 7 LARGE-SCALE PROGRAMS FOR GUESTS OF ALL AGES, TOTALING 2,425 GUESTS. WINTERTHUR'S YULETIDE SEASON WELCOMED A COMBINED 26,857 GUESTS ONSITE FOR SPECIAL EVENTS AND GENERAL ADMISSION, OF WHICH 6,714 WERE MEMBERS. SEVERAL SMALLER ON-SITE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING CURIOSITY CARNIVAL AND MONTHLY CRAFT COURSES, ENGAGED BOTH MEMBERS AND VISITORS DRAWN TO WINTERTHUR FOR THE FIRST TIME.WINTERTHUR WAS SUPPORTED IN FY21 BY APPROXIMATELY 10,000 MEMBER HOUSEHOLDS, 71% OF WHICH RESIDE WITHIN A 90-MILE RADIUS OF WINTERTHUR. MEMBERSHIP AT WINTERTHUR IS COMPOSED OF 10 DIFFERENT MEMBERSHIP LEVELS AND 4 DONOR SOCIETIES, WITH ANNUAL DUES RANGING FROM $20 TO $10,000+. MEMBERS MADE UP A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF GENERAL ADMISSION AND PROGRAM ATTENDANCE IN FY21.

CURATORIAL, CONSERVATION, EDUCATION, LIBRARY PROGRAMS:RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM - WINTERTHUR ADMINISTERS A RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM, WHICH ANNUALLY FUNDS NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS AND CREATORS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AT WINTERTHUR. WINTERTHUR HOSTED 29 RESEARCH FELLOWS IN FY21. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES RESEARCH FELLOWS WITH STAFF SUPPORT IN AREAS OF LOGISTICS AND PROJECT CONSULTATIONS; ACCESS TO COLLECTIONS AND FACILITIES; OPPORTUNITIES TO PRESENT AND PUBLISH; AND OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERFACE WITH GRADUATE STUDENTS.GRADUATE PROGRAMS - WITH UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE, WINTERTHUR ADMINISTERS AND PROVIDES INSTRUCTION IN THE WINTERTHUR/UD GRADUATE PROGRAMS (THE WINTERTHUR PROGRAM IN AMERICAN MATERIAL CULTURE AND THE WINTERTHUR/UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE PROGRAM IN ART CONSERVATION). TO DATE, THERE HAVE BEEN 1,023 GRADUATES OF THESE TWO PROGRAMS. GRADUATE PROGRAM ACTIVITY INCLUDES TEACHING CORE, ELECTIVE, AND INDEPENDENT STUDY COURSEWORK AT WINTERTHUR; ORGANIZING AND LEADING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL FIELD STUDY TRIPS; SERVING AS MAJOR/THESIS ADVISORS AND PROVIDING MENTORSHIP AND CAREER COUNSELING FOR STUDENTS; IDENTIFYING INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES; ORGANIZING PROGRAM EVENTS; IDENTIFYING AND FACILITATING COLLABORATIVE OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN THE TWO PROGRAMS AND WITH UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE DEPARTMENTS FOR STUDENT COURSEWORK, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH FUNDING, AND CAMPUS RESOURCES; AND SUPPORTING SUCCESSFUL POSTGRADUATE PLACEMENT. WINTERTHUR PORTFOLIO - IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS, WINTERTHUR ADMINISTERS AN IN-HOUSE ACADEMIC JOURNAL, WINTERTHUR PORTFOLIO: A JOURNAL OF AMERICAN MATERIAL CULTURE, PUBLISHING 3 ISSUES ANNUALLY. WINTERTHUR PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY INCLUDES: SOLICITATION/SELECTION/EDITING OF PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES AND BOOK REVIEWS FOR PUBLICATION; WORKING WITH THE PRESS ON ASPECTS OF THE JOURNAL'S PRODUCTION; ENHANCING SUPPORT FOR AUTHORS AND PROMOTING GUIDELINES FOR SHARING PUBLISHED WORK; PROMOTING THE JOURNAL AND WINTERTHUR AT PROFESSIONAL EVENTS; AND OVERSEEING THE JOURNAL'S EDITORIAL BOARD AND BUDGET. WINTERTHUR LIBRARY - THE MISSION OF THE LIBRARY IS TO ACQUIRE, CATALOG, PRESERVE, AND MAKE ITS COLLECTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. DURING FY21 THE LIBRARY ADDED 44 ARCHIVAL LOTS AND 493 BOOKS AND PERIODICALS BY PURCHASE AND GIFT AND LENT 186 BOOKS THROUGH INTERLIBRARY LOAN. THE LIBRARY SAW 396 USERS BY APPOINTMENT TO USE THE LIBRARY CIRCULATING AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS.

GARDEN / FACILITIES PROGRAM:WINTERTHUR MAINTAINS A WORLD-RENOWNED 200-ACRE NATURALISTIC GARDEN THAT WELCOMES VISITORS FROM ALL PARTS OF THE GLOBE. THE COLLECTION OF RARE AND HISTORIC PLANTS INCLUDES MAGNOLIAS, AZALEAS, MINOR BULBS, CONIFERS, AND SPECIMEN TREES. SIGNIFICANT VARIETIES IN THE COLLECTION ARE TRACKED OR "ACCESSIONED" THROUGH A RECORDS SYSTEM, WHICH CURRENTLY INCLUDES MORE THAN 15,000 ACCESSIONS. WE CONTINUED THE RESTORATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF NUMEROUS GARDEN AREAS INCLUDING THE SUNDIAL GARDEN, REFLECTING POOL, AND ENCHANTED GARDEN. RESTORATION OF IRONWORK AND STATUARY CONTINUES TO BE A PRIORITY.