• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • 5 DOUBLE-U’S
    • MASTHEAD
    • DISTRIBUTION
    • ADVERTISE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG Year End 2020

BEAUTIFUL EXIT: OUTGOING ISABELLA GARDNER MUSEUM DIRECTOR REFLECTS BACK

Written by CHRISTOPHER EHLERS Posted September 23, 2015 Filed Under: A+E, Visual Arts

Photo: Cheryl Richards
Photo: Cheryl Richards

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum director Anne Hawley broke the hearts of Boston art lovers earlier this year when she announced that she would be stepping down from the post she has held for the past 26 years.

 

The Gardner was in an anemic state when she took her post in 1989: Attendance was dwindling, and both the building and its treasures were in dire need of repair. In her first six months on the job, two thieves dressed as police officers entered the museum and stole over $500 million worth of art—art that has yet to be recovered.

 

Despite these early challenges, Hawley brilliantly transformed the Gardner from a dusty mausoleum to a bustling cultural epicenter.

 

As her time at the Gardner comes to a close, Hawley graciously reflects on her proudest achievements, new generations of art lovers, and, of course, the theft.

 

Hawley, on behalf of art lovers everywhere, we salute you.

 

Which of your achievements at the Gardner are you most proud of?

Thank you for telling me how much you love the Gardner. Your testament is one of the achievements I am most thrilled about. To have a new generation finding pleasure and fulfillment in the experiences only the Gardner Museum can give is what I sought to do. For I think that the mysteries and the meaning of life can be found and experienced through great art. It helps you ask and answer the questions of “Why am I here? What is the meaning of this journey? How can I contribute to this mystery of life?” I sought to bring the great legacy of the founder’s patronage of art and artists back to life, to give the public the chance to have this engagement with art. When I arrived, I found the museum a tomb, and I leave it a lively cultural center as it was at its beginning. The preservation of the building and its great collections and the new addition by Renzo Piano provide the sensuous beauty to transport the visitor to a place of dreaming while the artists, musicians, scholars, curators and museum teachers offer lively engagement with the living arts and ideas.

 

Due to the theft, you were severely tested during the earliest days of your tenure. What was going through your head at the time? You could give a master class in composure.

When I arrived at the museum the morning of the theft, I found the museum had been violated. Staff members were in shock, and I must admit that when I saw what had happened that I too was in a state of shock, flooded with anger and a determination that this was not going to destroy the museum nor defeat it. It was, and is, a tragic loss, not just to the art world and the visiting public, but to culture as a whole. Imagine if Shakespeare’s tragedy of Hamlet was stolen from our culture, or Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, or the songs of Louis Armstrong—vanished to never be known again. That is what the thieves did. They stole a part of civilization. We have never lost hope that our works will find their way home again.

 

Image via Gardner After Hours
Image via Gardner After Hours

Survival of the arts is contingent upon the interest and support of younger generations, and you have done a lot to encourage young art lovers. Has this been a particularly important initiative for you?

Yes, of course! In many ways, but two important programs are great examples: Our School Partnership Program engages deeply with our neighborhood schools. Students visit many times during the years, and our museum teachers also go into their classrooms. We use a pedagogy called “Visual Thinking Strategies” to engage them deeply with looking at art. All their looking is at the real works, not reproductions, and the learning is all done through asking questions, not lecturing. It starts like this: small groups of around nine students with a museum teacher sitting in front of, say, El Jaleo. The teacher says, “Let’s just take a moment and look at this picture; run your eyes over it and just look.” Then after about 30 seconds, which can seem like a long time, the first question is asked: “What do you see?” and from the students’ responses other questions are built. You should come see this in action! It is powerful. The second initiative was actually conceived by the under-30s on the museum staff who pushed us to think of a special night for the 18-35[-year-old] young people who live in Boston. You have to listen to all staff and take their ideas as you formulate your programming. They worked closely as a team and proposed Gardner After Hours, and the museum first engaged the former artist in residence Danijel Zezelj to produce an edgy poster announcing it. It has evolved into a program now called Third Thursday, where there is special evening programming every month on the third Thursday: music, making things in the studio, special participatory tours and more.

 

What’s next for you?

Ah, a great question. I’m not making any decisions until after I’ve taken a break!

 

To what extent, if at all, will you remain involved with the Gardner?

It will always be in my heart.

 

If you could only impart one bit of advice to your replacement, what would it be?

Surrender.

 

If you could ask Mrs. Gardner one question, what would it be?

I would ask her how she thought about the Gothic Room (the gallery in the museum with the Sargent portrait of her) when she installed it. Could she tell me what she was composing?

 

If you could take any of Mrs. Gardner’s paintings with you when you leave, which one would you take?

WOW. I’ve never thought about such a thing. That’s hard because the Gardner Museum was really conceived as a total work of art. The pictures, sculpture, and architecture are all of one piece: one work of art that she created… So one would have to take the whole museum!

Christopher Ehlers
CHRISTOPHER EHLERS

Theater critic for TheaterMania & WBUR’s TheArtery | Theater Editor for DigBoston | film and music critic for EDGE Media | Boston Theater Critics Association.

More from author
  • CHRISTOPHER EHLERS
    https://digboston.com/author/christopher-ehlers/
    THE BEST THEATER IN GREATER BOSTON OF 2020
  • CHRISTOPHER EHLERS
    https://digboston.com/author/christopher-ehlers/
    ALL IS CALM, ALL IS BRIGHT: THE YEAR'S BEST AND BRIGHTEST IN SKINCARE AND SELF-CARE GOODIES
  • CHRISTOPHER EHLERS
    https://digboston.com/author/christopher-ehlers/
    BEAUTIFUL DISASTER: THE CHILDREN AT SPEAKEASY STAGE
  • CHRISTOPHER EHLERS
    https://digboston.com/author/christopher-ehlers/
    LOVE SPENT: THE TREASURER AT THE LYRIC STAGE

Filed Under: A+E, Visual Arts Tagged With: Anne Hawley, director, Gardner After Hours, Gothic Room, heist, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, police officers, Rembrandt, Renzo Piano, third thursday

WHAT’S NEW

SHELTER SHOCK

SHELTER SHOCK

THE END OF THE WORLD IN AN AIRBNB

THE END OF THE WORLD IN AN AIRBNB

MEETING THREATS WITH HOPE AND COURAGE

MEETING THREATS WITH HOPE AND COURAGE

TITANIC SHIFTS: DEMS SWAP DECK CHAIRS AMIDST GOP-PROVOKED TSUNAMI

TITANIC SHIFTS: DEMS SWAP DECK CHAIRS AMIDST GOP-PROVOKED TSUNAMI

NEARLY A YEAR INTO PANDEMIC, MASS CATS ARE STILL SHORT ON FOOD

NEARLY A YEAR INTO PANDEMIC, MASS CATS ARE STILL SHORT ON FOOD

STATE WIRE: PEACE ADVOCATES PRESENT HOPES FOR FUTURE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS POLICY

STATE WIRE: PEACE ADVOCATES PRESENT HOPES FOR FUTURE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS POLICY

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • APPOINTED SOMERVILLE OFFICIAL SPURS OUTRAGE WITH TWEETS FROM DC MOB SCENE by MARC LEVY
  • Aerial View Parkman Bandstand at Boston Common. CC BY-SA 4.0 2017 by AbhiSuryawanshi. NO HONEYMOON FOR BIDEN: 1/20 PROTEST ON BOSTON COMMON, 4 PM by MATTHEW ANDREWS
  • VIDEO: COP WHO BRAGGED THAT HE HIT PROTESTERS SHOWS HOW BAD APPLES THRIVE IN BOSTON by CHRIS FARAONE
  • PRISON HORRORS BY THE NUMBERS by SARAH BETANCOURT
  • IT’S HARDER THAN EVER TO FIND A BATHROOM IN BOSTON. WHAT’S THE CITY DOING ABOUT IT? by ZACK HUFFMAN

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 1.9 – 11/26/20

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG Year End 2020

Footer

digbos

“Trump was voted out. However, this is not a man “Trump was voted out. However, this is not a mandate for #Biden and #Harris.” https://digboston.com/photos-recap-no-honeymoon-for-biden-rally-in-boston/ #photo #rally #march #left #protest #inauguration #Boston #Massachusetts
OPINION: IS DISSENT ANTI-NATIONALISM OR PATRIOTISM OPINION: IS DISSENT ANTI-NATIONALISM OR PATRIOTISM? #Boston #protest for Indian farmers, Saturday 1/23/21, 12-1 pm at the #Massachusetts State House https://digboston.com/opinion-is-dissent-anti-nationalism-or-patriotism/ #India #politics #food #farmer #protest #justice #solidarity @monica_gill1
HOW ONE MASS TOWN TOOK EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO A HOW ONE MASS TOWN TOOK EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO APPEASE A CONTROVERSIAL COP https://digboston.com/no-justice-how-officials-in-one-mass-town-took-extraordinary-measures-to-appease-a-controversial-cop/ #ArlingtonMA #police #reform #cop #racism #controversy #BlackLivesMatter #Massachusetts
Ghost kitchens simply don’t have a need for host Ghost kitchens simply don’t have a need for hosts, servers, bartenders, bussers … What happens to those #jobs if virtual kitchens continue to flourish? https://digboston.com/ghost-story-virtual-kitchens-appear-to-be-the-next-big-thing-but-at-what-cost/ #restaurant #labor #work #Boston #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
“I don’t think we’re going to wake up on Jan “I don’t think we’re going to wake up on Jan. 7 in the same country we went to bed in on the 6th.” https://digboston.com/former-mass-gubernatorial-candidate-predicted-violence-before-assault-on-capitol/ #politics #Massachusetts #national #Capitol #WashingtonDC #MAGA
RADICAL AND RELEVANT: THE LIFE OF HARRY BRILL http RADICAL AND RELEVANT: THE LIFE OF HARRY BRILL https://digboston.com/radical-and-relevant-the-life-of-harry-brill/ #obituary #organizer #radical #sociologist #democracy #politics @UMassBoston @BklynCollege411 @UCBerkeley #Boston #Massachusetts #NewYorkCity #Berkeley #California
NO HONEYMOON FOR BIDEN: 1/20 #PROTEST ON BOSTON CO NO HONEYMOON FOR BIDEN: 1/20 #PROTEST ON BOSTON COMMON, 4 PM https://digboston.com/no-honeymoon-for-biden-1-20-protest-on-boston-common-4-pm/ #opinion #progressive #left #action #inauguration #Boston #Massachusetts
Light and sweet and hoppy, we’re loving this lat Light and sweet and hoppy, we’re loving this latest incarnation of a #beer that’s been in the making for months. https://digboston.com/video-jacks-abby-x-boston-celtics-pride-and-parquet-hoppy-lager-unboxing-tasting/ #fun #video #review #Boston #Massachusetts
Jostling for position and influence are the disadv Jostling for position and influence are the disadvantaged candidates, existing industry participants, and municipalities … https://digboston.com/the-road-to-home-delivery-pt-5-dogs-in-the-fight-identifying-the-players/ #cannabis #politics #analysis #Massachusetts
The candidates will be interviewed about the upcom The candidates will be interviewed about the upcoming race. https://digboston.com/wu-and-campbell-to-speak-at-mayoral-candidate-webinar/ #politics #mayor #campaign #Boston #Massachusetts
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]