Mount Lebanon Raises Over $250,000 At Annual Gala
The Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon held its annual fundraising gala on Saturday, August 18 at the historic Shaker site in New Lebanon, NY. The guests of honor at the event were Shaker scholars Jerry Van Grant and Sharon Duane Koomler, who were honored for their innumerable contributions to the study of the American Shakers and their many years of service to the museum. Together they spoke about the importance and relevancy of the Shaker legacy, and reaffirmed their commitment to the museum.
Dolores Meissner of Meissner’s Auction Service in New Lebanon, NY facilitated a live auction that included a trip to a Manhattan farmers market with Academy Award winner Frances McDormand, a private tour of Chesterwood, a studio visit with contemporary artist Tom Sachs, and more. Syd Straw, American singer and songwriter, performed alongside Lyn Bertles and Robert Lloyd.
Executive Director Lacy Schutz addressed the audience of approximately 200 people about the Shakers’ work ethic, “They were able to accomplish, deliberately and steadily and through communal effort, the creation not only of the monuments to industry at Mount Lebanon, such as the Great Stone Barn, and beautiful furniture in a wholly new and American vernacular, but a society that offered equal engagement and opportunity for all, regardless of gender, race, or physical ability.”
Schutz also announced the creation of the Sharon Duane Koomler and Jerry V. Grant Designated Fund. This permanent fund will be used to fund the salaries of collections professionals at the museum and ensure that the Shaker material legacy is well-cared-for into the future. Altogether the event raised over $250,000 for both the Koomler / Grant Fund and to support the museum’s ongoing programs. Images of the event can be found on our Facebook page (@ShakerMuseumML).
Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon stewards the historic site in New Lebanon, New York, which is open year-round and offers tours, exhibitions, and public programs seasonally. The museum also has a campus in Old Chatham, New York, open year-round by appointment, where the administrative offices, collections, library, and archives are housed. The museum’s collection of over 56,000 Shaker items is the most comprehensive collection of its kind in the world. Please visit shakerml.org for more information and to find out about programming in 2018.