Statement on The Approval of the Barne's Foundation's Petition before Montgomery County Orphans Court
Merion, PA (December 13, 2004) - Dr. Bernard Watson and the Board of Trustees of The Barnes Foundation issued the following statement today in response to Montgomery County Orphan's Court Judge Stanley Ott's approval of a petition by The Foundation to amend its charter and by-laws.
"On behalf of the Board of Trustees of The Barnes Foundation, I would like to express our great excitement upon being notified of the approval of our petition by Montgomery County Orphan's Court. Through this ruling, Judge Stanley Ott has provided The Foundation with the means of preserving the Barnes Collection intact, enhancing our ability to carry out the education functions which are at the heart of our mission, and ensuring our financial well being going forward. We want to thank him for his careful deliberation and full consideration of the wide range of issues involved.
We also want to thank The Pew Charitable Trusts, Annenberg Foundation and The Lenfest Foundation for their steadfast support over the last several years and their willingness to help moving forward.
The key element of the petition, relocation of the Gallery collection to a new facility in Center City Philadelphia, will be a great but very exciting challenge. The planning and execution of the major capital campaign to fund the design and construction of the new Barnes Gallery will now, of course, become a major focus for The Board of Trustees.
Initially, our priorities will be the expansion of the Board of Trustees, according to a process outlined in the petition.
With the approval of the petition, we can now begin to organize for the public launch of the campaign. That campaign will bring together cultural, civic and business leaders from throughout the region and the state who share our vision for a thriving Barnes Foundation operating on a three campus model, comprised of the original Gallery and Arboretum in Merion, Ker-Feal in Chester County and the new Gallery in Center City. The formal launch of that effort, under the leadership of our expanded Board of Trustees and a campaign advisory committee, will take place early next year.
Staff and volunteers will also continue to focus on our core art and horticulture education programs both here in Merion and at Ker-Feal. Indeed, even after the construction of the new Gallery, The Merion campus and Ker-Feal will continue to be critical to the ongoing accomplishment of our mission.
This is an exciting new chapter in the history of The Barnes Foundation and one that, ultimately, will mean that one of the world's most important collections of art will be preserved, and that Dr. Barnes' vision for how that collection could be used to educate "the common man" about art can be better realized."
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300 North Latch's Lane
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