Dear Friends of the HRM,

Year-end greetings to all! 2023 was an era of exceptional growth and experimentation at the Hudson River Museum. I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge a number of key milestones and accomplishments from the past year, and especially give thanks for the numerous ways you showed up to participate, support, and share your vitality with us.

A New Space For Art on the Hudson
We were elated and proud to inaugurate the new West Wing in June to much fanfare, providing soaring new galleries for special exhibitions, exhilarating views of the Hudson River and the Palisades and a new Community & Partnership Gallery for displays that feature local, regional, and emerging artists and collaborators. We also welcomed our Mellon Public Humanities Fellow as part of our potent partnership with Sarah Lawrence College.

National Recognition for Meeting Standards of Excellence
The debut of our capital milestone meant all the more as we were awarded reaccreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, the industry’s highest recognition afforded the nation’s museums. We were also honored with a coveted federal IMLS grant to support the digitization of our collections to vastly expand our capacity to share them online.

Convening People and Ideas
At the HRM, we know well that regional is by no means provincial. We are proud to be the first museum for many local visitors and also delighted when culture seekers travel to us to experience the unique nexus of talent and ideas we have cultivated. This year we have welcomed visitors from 1003 zip codes, every Westchester Legislative district, 43 states (plus Washington, D.C.), and many international visitors. Alaska, if you’re reading this, we’ve got our eyes on you in 2024!

Providing Expanded Access
We strive to make the HRM available to everyone. The Museum was proud to have secured significant funding from Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program, which now enables us to offer Free First Fridays, with late evening hours and programs on the first Friday of each month. This initiative augments our commitment to the Museums for All program, available every day.

Representation in Many Forms
We presented 18 exhibitions this year highlighting the work of more than 100 incredible artists including Seongmin Ahn, Mark Bradford, Frederick J. Brown, Jordan Casteel, Kengo Kito, Georgia O’Keeffe, Bony Ramirez, Holly Sears, and Edward Steichen. In addition:

• We offered more than 650 public programs, including artist-led studio workshops, panel discussions on climate change, bestselling author talks, science experiments, and guided tours of Glenview historic home, a featured location in HBO’s The Gilded Age series.
• We entertained 1,612 people in our Summer Amphitheater Series with outstanding performances by Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, Brass Queens, and AM Gold Yacht Rock Party.
• We hosted 440 planetarium shows for visitors of all ages, including Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon in honor of the 50th anniversary of the legendary album and organized celestial viewings for the public along the Hudson during National Night Out.
• We welcomed 96 schools on field trips and 4,550 students in person, plus hundreds of scouts fulfilling their art and space science badges.
• We mentored 82 Junior Docents in our teen leadership program (which is heading closer to the 30th anniversary of its founding!) and 30 Museum Docents.
• We made exquisite private collections available to the public in Kindred Worlds: The Priscila and Alvin Hudgins Collection, celebrated our community’s important contributions to Hip Hop, and expanded our collection with 44 important works, with art from the nineteenth century to present day, through gifts and purchases.

End Your 2023 on a High Note!
We were honored to be included in the recent New York Times article on what to do on New Year’s Eve in New York, recommending our Winter Shadow Box workshop designed by Teaching Artist-in-Residence Sarah Provost. Join us and tap into your artistic side.

Better Together
If you’ve already made a gift this year, I am deeply appreciative. Our accomplishments would not have been possible without loyal supporters and we take none of it for granted. We would be honored and grateful if you continued to be our partner in charting our future at this key juncture in our history by making a gift to the Annual Fund or joining us as a valued Member.

As we gather and replenish our energies for the coming year, I send you our deepest appreciation and warmest wishes for the new year together,

Masha Turchinsky
Director and CEO

Image: Holly Sears (American, b. 1956). Swallows, from the Hudson River Explorers series, 2012. Giclee print (edition 18/18). Collection of the Hudson River Museum. Gift of the artist, 2012 (2012.04.04).