Challenges
What are the main challenges facing the museum today?
As is true of most non-profits, Hill-Stead is concerned with maintaining vibrant, relevant programming and developing/retaining our excellent staff during this time of cutbacks and salary reductions. We are working hard to continue delivering all that HSM does with a minimal level of staff capacity in the organization. The three specific challenges in this context are:
1. Endowment/Capital Campaign - Avoid deficit spending while planning and executing initial silent phase of three to five year Endowment Campaign.
2. Revenue Building - Balance the budget through entrepreneurial and new membership/partnership initiatives with the primary purpose of reinstating full staff salaries in FY 2011.
3. Technology - Roll out Phase I of a three-year strategic technology plan. This will include enhancement of the website to attract a more diversified audience and demonstrate HSM's cultural resources and outstanding programming, as well as critical infrastructure improvements to our internal data management systems.
Successes
Are there any recent successes you would like to highlight?
- Successful completion of Fire Protection and Security Upgrade capital campaign, raising a total of $1.09 million; fire protection work will be complete by the end of 2009 and security upgrade by spring 2010.
- Establishment of a new, highly popular Farmers Market on museum grounds, attracting between 700-1100 people each Sunday during the months of July - October. This weekly event introduces HSM to thousands of new visitors and provides a strong incentive to return. HSM has received extensive media coverage for the market, placing us in the public's eye as supportive of community and locally-grown products, and environmentally aware and proactive.
- Completion of a 9-year long Collections Review of the period rooms in the house.
- In-house design, research and publishing of a fully illustrated book for the Sunken Garden, entitled The Hill-Stead Plant Book, Beatrix Farrand's Sunken Garden, with essays by noted horticulturalists. Book includes a history of the garden and plant-by-plant identification, to make the garden more accessible to visitors.
- Creation and implementation of a new fall benefit event: Dinner on the Hill. This farm-to-table event, September 20, 2009, was sold out, with a high percentage of guests new to Hill-Stead, providing new opportunities for membership and donor involvement.
- Hosting of several regional celebration/press conferences for the National Scenic Trail designation of the Metacomet Monadnock Mattabesett Trail System, with Senator Chris Dodd, Representative Chris Murphy, and representatives from the Sierra Club and the National Park Service in attendance. A section of the Metacomet Trail passes through HSM, linking the 152-acre estate to what is now one of only four trails nationwide with such designation.
- Achievment of the first step toward goal of stabilizing and restoring the horse and hay barns on the farm complex through a conditions assessment funded by CT Trust for Historic Preservation. The museum is in the process of raising the necessary funds to underwrite the stabilization work in the coming year.
Future Projects/Renovations
What do you see in the future for your institution?
- Endowment and Capital Campaigns - 1) To build the endowment; and 2) To build a new Visitor Center through expansion of Carriage Barn to include new restrooms, exhibition space, gift shop and catering kitchen.
- Complete 3-year Technology Plan funded by Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. First year goals include improving and strengthening HSM web presence/outreach and updating our infrastructure.
- Implementation of Interpreting Hill-Stead's Historic Landscape-Plaques, Maps and More, now in planning stages through a grant from the CT Humanities Council. This comprehensive interpretation project will focus on the 152-acre landscape and signature outdoor features of the 1901 Country Place Era estate and farm.
- Complete restoration and adaptive reuse of farm complex for educational purposes.
Hill-Stead Museum
35 Mountain Road
Farmington, CT 06032-2304
Tel: 860-677-4787
Fax: 860-677-0174
Museum Hours
Call for hours. Closed major holidays.
Admission
Adults $9; discounts for AAA & AAM members; members no charge.
Museum Website
http://www.hillstead.org
Visit the Museum Professional Spotlight for the Hill-Stead Museum
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