ROANOKE, Va. (July 1, 2024) – The Taubman Museum of Art announced today that the Board of Trustees has elected John P. Fishwick, Jr., as board chair. He succeeds Leon P. Harris, who served as chair for eight years.

“John’s professional experience, commitment to his community, and dedication to the arts make him the ideal next chair,” said Harris. “The Taubman Museum of Art is in a strong position with solid finances, dedicated staff and volunteers, and enthusiastic members. I can’t wait to see what the future holds under John’s leadership.”

Harris will remain on the board as vice chair.

“I am honored to serve the Museum in this new role,” said Fishwick, who joined the board in 2017. “The Taubman Museum of Art truly lives its mission, making art accessible to everyone in our community. I look forward to being an ambassador for the Taubman Museum of Art.”

Fishwick is the owner and founder of Fishwick & Associates PLC, a Roanoke-based trial law firm. He is the former United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. Fishwick also serves as a board member for the Roanoke Higher Education Foundation. He is married to Jeanne, and they have two sons, Richard and Jack.

The 2024-25 Taubman Museum of Art Board of Trustees is comprised of:

• Betsy Bumgarner
• Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo
• Nicholas Conte
• Katherin Elam
• Russ Ellett
• Tammy Finley
• John P. Fishwick, Jr., chair
• Kent S. Greenawalt
• Mary Dykstra Hagmaier
• Ed Hall
• Leon P. Harris, vice chair
• Larry Jackson
• Mitchell Kaneff
• William J. Lemon, secretary
• Annette Lewis
• Dr. Sandra Lovinguth
• Charlotte Porterfield
• Lutheria Smith
• Dr. Elda Stanco Downey
• Jenny Taubman
• Dr. Robert Trestman
• J. David Wine, treasurer
• Nicholas F. Taubman, chair emeritus
  

ROANOKE, Va. (June 7, 2022) – The Taubman Museum of Art is pleased to present Treasures of American Art: The Cynthia & Heywood Fralin Collection, on view now through Sept. 4, 2022.

The exhibition features 93 works from 64 American artists spanning the period of 1861 to 1975, collected over a period of 25 years by Cynthia and Heywood Fralin. It marks the first time all of the works will be on view together.

“The Fralins are among the nation’s most ambitious and discerning collectors of late 19th-century to mid- 20th-century American art,” noted Dr. Karl E. Willers, Taubman Museum of Art chief curator and deputy director of exhibitions and collections. “The Fralin Collection contains truly extraordinary examples of artworks by some of the best known and respected American painters of their time who continue to influence and inspire today – from Mary Cassatt to John Singer Sargent; from Winslow Homer to Norman Rockwell; from Georgia O’Keeffe and Grandma Moses to three generations of Wyeths: N.C., Andrew and Jamie.“

“All the works are meaningful to us in one way or another,” said Cynthia and Heywood Fralin. “We gathered the pieces in the collection first and foremost for our own pleasure and enjoyment, but with the idea that they would one day become teaching tools for future generations of students interested in American art.”

Debra Force, owner of Debra Force Fine Art in New York City and a specialist in American paintings, drawings and sculpture from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, assisted the Fralins in building their collection.

“With quality being the overriding factor in anything considered for the collection, Heywood and Cynthia have been open-minded in making their acquisitions,” said Force. “Criteria have included historical significance, as in Thomas Hart Benton’s Old Kansas City; distinguished provenance, as in Walt Kuhn’s Girl with Turban, previously owned by Frank Sinatra; prominent exhibition history, as in Otto Bacher’s Ella’s Hotel, Richfield, Ohio, shown at the famous Paris Universal Exposition in 1889; and public recognition, as in Norman Rockwell’s The Little Model, published on the cover of a 1919 issue of Collier’s magazine.”

Treasures of American Art is organized into six central themes:

• The Portrait: Celebrity and Intimacy, which explores aspects of American life and culture and such developments as advances in portraiture and representations of individual identity;
• The Countryside: Rural and Outskirts, which examines the historic transformation of rural environments in the United States;
• The Frontier: Westward and Regionalism, which considers the formative concept of the frontier in westward expansion;
• The Interior: Labor and Leisure, featuring the public and the private in interior spaces where everyday experiences unfold;
• The Coast: Beaches and Harbors, which studies the seaside and shoreline that historically influenced and determined so much of social and economic existence; and
• The City: Streets and Parks, which highlights the always-bustling and ever-expanding realities of the urban metropolis that emerged to symbolize all that is new and modern in American life.

Treasures of American Art complements and expands upon the many significant works in the Taubman Museum of Art’s permanent collection, now on view in the Fralin Center for American Art, located on the Museum’s second floor. Among the noteworthy artists included in the permanent collection are William Bradford, Maria Oakey Dewing, George Inness, Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, Norman Rockwell, John Singer Sargent and John Henry Twachtman.

Mr. Fralin, the vice chair of the Taubman Museum of Art Board of Trustees, and Mrs. Fralin assisted the Museum with building its permanent collection under the auspices of the Horace G. Fralin Charitable Foundation. Mr. Fralin also currently chairs the Museum’s Collections Committee.

“We are beyond grateful to Cynthia and Heywood, not only for generously sharing their collection with us, but also for all they have done and continue to do to make Virginia a leading arts and cultural destination and for helping make the Taubman Museum of Art a nationally recognized, award-winning destination for art lovers throughout southwest Virginia and beyond,” said Cindy Petersen, executive director of the Taubman Museum of Art.

Treasures of American Art: The Cynthia & Heywood Fralin Collection is free and open to the public. The Museum is open Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays 12-5 p.m., with extended hours the first Friday of each month until 9 p.m. Private guided tours are available throughout the week by contacting (540) 342-5760.

ROANOKE, Va. (June 4, 2022) – The Taubman Museum of Art is pleased to announce the 64th Annual Sidewalk Art Show award winners.

This year’s guest juror, Corwyn Garman, principal at Experience Art and Exhibitions, and the former director of exhibitions and artist initiatives at Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, selected the winners.

“Happiness was the overriding theme of this event,” said Garman. “Both that people were happy to be here, but also the intent of the artists’ work was to make others happy.”

Awards:

Grand Home Furnishings Best in Show:

Nickolai Walko, Richmond, Va.
Walko’s media on view at the show is mixed media.

Second Prize:

Blake Gore, Christiansburg, Va. 
Gore’s media on view at the show is drawing.

Third Prize:

John Shoemaker, Asheboro, N.C.
Shoemaker’s media on view at the show is fine craft.

Merit Awards:

Drawing/Original Printmaking Award sponsored by LinDor Arts:
Brook Ludy, Roanoke, Va.

Fine Craft and Jewelry Award sponsored by LinDor Arts:

Marlee Kauffman, Roanoke, Va.

Mixed Media Award sponsored by LinDor Arts:

Shelly LaTreill, Bedford, Va.

Painting Award sponsored by LinDor Arts:

David Blanchard, Monterey, Va.

Photography Award sponsored by LinDor Arts:

Phillip Barrett, Jr., Roanoke, Va.

Other Awards:

J. Gail Geer Sculpture Award sponsored by the family and friends of J. Gail Geer:

Cathy Vaughn, Richmond, Va.

Allen Ingles Palmer Award sponsored by the Palmer family: 

Leah Thompson, Roanoke, Va.
Thompson’s media on view at the show is painting.

Mickie Kagey Watercolor Award sponsored by the friends and family of Mickie Kagey:

Z.L. Feng, Radford, Va.

Paul Ostaseski Memorial Award sponsored by the family of Paul Ostaseski:

Veronica Vale, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Vale’s media on view at the show is painting.

The 64th Annual Sidewalk Art Show is generously sponsored by Blue Ridge Beverage Company, Inc., Grand Home Furnishings and LinDor Arts.

The Sidewalk Art Show is one of southwest Virginia’s most anticipated summer traditions. The show infuses downtown Roanoke with energy, excitement and creativity. This annual event is a premier destination for fine art shopping that offers visitors the opportunity to meet and talk with exhibiting artists. All of the works exhibited are for sale, including original paintings, prints, watercolors, etchings, mixed media, fine art photographs, fine crafts, and sculpture.

The show continues tomorrow, June 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free and open to the public.

ROANOKE, Va. (May 31, 2022) – From paintings to sculptures and from photography to jewelry, the Taubman Museum of Art is pleased to announce that the streets of downtown Roanoke will come alive with energy, creativity and inspiration during the 64th Annual Sidewalk Art Show this weekend, June 4-5.

More than 100 artists representing a wide array of media will display and sell their original artwork and fine craft during the show. The event will run 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day and is free and open to the public.

Specialty ice cream from Blue Cow will be available for purchase during the event so guests can enjoy a treat while they browse the artists’ booths, and a Beer and Wine Garden will be set up in the Museum’s Sculpture Garden for guests to enjoy.

“What makes this event so special is the opportunity to meet and talk with the exhibiting artists,” said Cindy Petersen, executive director of the Taubman Museum of Art. “And with a wide range of price points, everyone is sure to find a beloved new artwork to take home to enjoy.”

As a juried fine art show, awards will be given in categories including the highly coveted Grand Home Furnishings Best in Show Award along with 2nd and 3rd Place; Merit Awards, which are sponsored by LinDor Arts; and a number of memorial awards given by regional families honoring the legacies of Mickie Kagey, Paul Ostaseski, Allen Ingles Palmer and the recently established J. Gail Geer Sculpture Award.

Corwyn Garman, principal at Experience Art and Exhibitions, and the former director of exhibitions and artist initiatives at Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, will serve as the guest juror.

Near the Museum entrance, guests can meet “Norma the Art Car,” Roanoke College’s 1992 Cadillac Brougham d’Elegance that was painted by the well-known graffiti artist Kenny Scharf. Norma now engages with her community by delivering art kits and sharing information regarding exhibitions on view at Olin Hall Galleries at Roanoke College.

Inside the Taubman, guests are invited to visit the galleries to enjoy the works on view, including Treasures of American Art: The Cynthia & Heywood Fralin Collection, featuring more than 90 works by some of our nation’s most respected and admired artists, including Mary Cassatt, Robert Henri, Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe, Norman Rockwell and John Singer Sargent.

In addition, Art Venture, the Museum’s innovative exploratory gallery for youth and families, will reopen to the public on Friday, June 3, in time for the Sidewalk Art Show. Art Venture offers 14 interactive stations where visitors can paint, draw, build, connect music with art, investigate 3D printing and printmaking, create sculptures, display artwork, and much more.

Sponsorship support for the 64th Annual Sidewalk Art Show is provided by Blue Ridge Beverage Company, Inc., Grand Home Furnishings and LinDor Arts.

ROANOKE, Va. (March 11, 2022) – The Taubman Museum of Art was honored with the Virginia Association of Museums’ Innovation Award during VAM’s annual conference in Richmond Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

The Innovation Award was created to recognize museums that demonstrate a commitment to use their platform as a trusted source of information to build relationships with and create meaningful impact within their community, and begin conversations around important topics affecting the museum field and the world at large.

The award can be given in one of three categories: Diversity and Inclusion, Expanding Audience, and Community Engagement. The Taubman Museum of Art won for Community Engagement.

In this category, a museum must show that they are using their position of trust and knowledge within their community to engage with community groups and organizations on current issues and that the community has responded with that engagement in a substantive manner. Museums had to demonstrate that they are working actively with their community to open or further discussions that directly reflect the community’s needs. A successful nomination also had to reveal how the museum fosters not only greater community participation, but also how community members help direct and create the engagement the museum seeks.

“We’re honored to receive this recognition from our statewide museum peers,” said Cindy Petersen, executive director of the Taubman Museum of Art. “Our focus is always on meeting the community where they are with our outreach programming, gauging and addressing issues that are important to those living in southwest Virginia, and providing art as a means for people to discover, learn and grow. We have worked to reinvent community engagement through several key projects that were noted in the nomination: Healing Ceilings; Brush Pals; Learning Lab for Leaders; ARtreach; Happy HeARTs; and new virtual programming with the nation’s Historic Black Colleges and Universities. It’s a privilege to serve our community in this way. We can’t wait to see what we and our community can achieve together next.”

Nominations required a 3-minute or less video submitted by the nominee, which were reviewed by museum peers prior to and at the conference. The Taubman’s nomination video can be viewed online.

About the Virginia Association of Museums

The Virginia Association of Museums is the largest state museum service organization in the United States, with over 2,500 members. VAM focuses its efforts on professional and career development opportunities for museum professionals and advocacy at the state and national levels. VAM has taken the lead in providing Virginia’s museums with the tools necessary to face the challenges of the 21st century, and make constructive and adaptive changes to improve the stewardship of our historic and cultural heritage. It is a network of museum staff and volunteers who work together to promote professionalism in the museum field.

ROANOKE, Va. (Aug. 21, 2021) – The Taubman Museum of Art is pleased to announce the 63rd Annual Sidewalk Art Show award winners.

This year’s guest juror, Seth Feman, deputy director for art and interpretation and curator of photography at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Va., selected the winners.

“My favorite thing about exploring the work today was seeing the creativity and inventiveness of so many artists,” said Feman. “It was really hard to choose the winners! There are just so many great works. When it came down to it, I decided to choose things that were not only very accomplished technically, but also showed a high level of risk-taking. I think right now we need creative risk-takers more than ever, and so I’m glad to champion their work in particular. Everyone who participated in the show has something to celebrate. The future seems very bright with so much creativity on display in Roanoke.”

Awards

Grand Home Furnishings Best in Show

Joe Engel, Staunton, Va.
Engel’s media on view at the show is mixed media.

Second Prize

Ashley Sauder Miller, Harrisonburg, Va.
Sauder Miller’s media on view at the show is mixed media.

Third Prize

Annie Grimes Williams, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Grimes Williams’ media on view at the show is jewelry.

Merit Awards

Drawing/Original Printmaking Award sponsored by LinDor Arts:
Linda Gourley, Dry Fork, Va.

Fine Craft Award sponsored by LinDor Arts:
Jewel Tumas, Bedford, Va.

Mixed Media Award sponsored by LinDor Arts:
Cathy Vaughn, Richmond, Va.

Painting Award sponsored by LinDor Arts:
Courtney Cronin, Roanoke, Va.

Photography Award sponsored by LinDor Arts:
Jason Stoddart, Cookeville, Tenn.

Other Awards

J. Gail Geer Sculpture Award sponsored by the family and friends of J. Gail Geer:
Don Johnson, Greer, S.C.

Allen Ingles Palmer Watercolor Award sponsored by the Palmer family:
Kevin Deck, Roanoke, Va.

Mickie Kagey Watercolor Award sponsored by the friends and family of Mickie Kagey:
Z.L. Feng, Radford, Va.

Paul Ostaseski Memorial Award sponsored by the family of Paul Ostaseski:
Brett LaGue, Fincastle, Va.
LaGue’s media on view at the show is painting.

The 63rd Annual Sidewalk Art Show is generously sponsored by Blue Ridge Beverage, Grand Home Furnishings and LinDor Arts.

The Sidewalk Art Show is one of southwest Virginia’s most anticipated summer traditions. The show infuses downtown Roanoke with energy, excitement and creativity. This annual event is a premier destination for fine art shopping that offers visitors the opportunity to meet and talk with exhibiting artists. All of the works exhibited are for sale, including original paintings, prints, watercolors, etchings, mixed media, fine art photographs, fine crafts, and sculpture. The show continues tomorrow, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free and open to the public.

ROANOKE, Va. (July 26, 2021) – From paintings to sculptures and from photography to jewelry, the Taubman Museum of Art is pleased to announce that the streets of downtown Roanoke will once again come alive with energy, creativity and inspiration during the 63rd Annual Sidewalk Art Show Aug. 21-22.

The show was completely virtual in 2020, then postponed this year from June to August due to COVID-19. With gathering and social distancing restrictions now lifted, the Museum is excited to invite art aficionados from across southwest Virginia and beyond to enjoy one of the Commonwealth’s premier fine arts shopping events. Following guidance from federal, state and local health authorities, attendees who are fully vaccinated may choose not to wear a mask during the event.

More than 100 artists representing a wide array of media will display and sell their original artwork and fine craft during the show. The event will run 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day and is free and open to the public.

Specialty ice cream from Blue Cow will be available for purchase during the event so guests can enjoy a treat while they browse the artists’ booths, and a Beer Garden will be set up in the Museum’s Sculpture Garden for guests to enjoy. Morning Brew Coffee Company, located on the ground floor of the Museum, will be open for lunch and refreshments as well.

“We’re thrilled that the Sidewalk Art Show is back in-person on the streets of Roanoke once again,” said Cindy Petersen, executive director of the Taubman Museum of Art. “What makes this event so special is the opportunity to meet and talk with the exhibiting artists. And with a wide range of price points, everyone is sure to find a beloved new treasure to take home to enjoy.”

As a juried fine art show, awards will be given in categories including the highly coveted Grand Home Furnishings Best in Show Award along with 2nd and 3rd Place; Merit Awards, which are sponsored by LinDor Arts; and a number of memorial awards given by regional families honoring the legacies of Mickie Kagey, Paul Ostaseski, Allen Ingles Palmer and the newly established J. Gail Geer Sculpture Award.

Seth Feman, deputy director for art and interpretation and curator of photography at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, will serve as the guest juror.

Inside the Museum, guests are invited to visit the galleries to enjoy the works on view, including Vantage Points: Contemporary Photography from the Whitney Museum of American Art, featuring work by such illustrious photographers as Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sally Mann and Andy Warhol.

In advance of the event, a number of participating artists are selling their work through the Sidewalk Art Show Online Art Sale through August 31. A portion of all proceeds benefit both the artists and Museum. Sponsorship support for the 63rd Annual Sidewalk Art Show is provided by Blue Ridge Beverage, Grand Home Furnishings and LinDor Arts.

ROANOKE, Va. (July 20, 2021) — The Taubman Museum of Art is pleased to present Vantage Points: Contemporary Photography from the Whitney Museum of American Art, on view now through Oct. 10, 2021. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, this exhibition features a selection of photographic works from the 1970s to the mid-2000s that highlights how photography has been used to represent individuals, places, and narratives. Drawn exclusively from the Whitney’s permanent collection, this presentation includes approximately twenty artists, including Diane Arbus, Gregory Crewdson, William Eggleston, Nan Goldin, Peter Hujar, Lyle Ashton Harris, Robert Mapplethorpe, Lorna Simpson, Andy Warhol, and Carrie Mae Weems.

These artists began working at a time when photography was becoming increasingly integrated into the art world. Technological developments permitted them to use many different photographic processes and to print their works in various sizes, including ones that would create an immersive impact. The photographs included in this exhibition range from seemingly straightforward representations to those with an imaginative or conceptual perspective that challenge traditional notions of photography as revealing a singular reality.

Many of the artists during this period used photography to portray their communities, friends, and themselves.

Robert Mapplethorpe’s portraits highlight the physicality of his subjects, while those by Peter Hujar, Nan Goldin, and Andy Warhol emphasize a personal intimacy. Diane Arbus’s photographs, such as Untitled #16 (1970-71), expose the relationship between the photographer and the subject as they reveal themselves to her. In Cerise (2002) Richard Artschwager transformed photographs taken of his subject from different angles into a three-dimensional freestanding form.

Other artists portrayed the characteristics and poetics of place through photography. William Eggleston’s spontaneous color photographs, such as Untitled (Flowers in Front of Window) (c. 1970), depict a landscape of everyday life in the South, while Richard Avedon’s black and white photograph Bill Curry, Drifter, Interstate 40, Yukon, Oklahoma, 6/16/80 (1980) from his In the American West (1985) series is a tribute to the way the body can reflect a sense of place. Historical and social aspects of place are emphasized in Vera Lutter’s ominous photograph The Appropriation of Manhattan, Fire boat House, Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn New York, May 20, 1996 (1996), made from a large-scale camera obscura. A conceptual relationship between perspective and sense of place is highlighted in Rodney Graham’s inverted photographs of solitary trees taken in the English countryside, such as Oak, Banford (1990).

Depictions of the individual and of place often overlap in photographs that explore the narrative potential of photography. By combining images or fragments of images, sometimes with text, artists used photography during this time to explore imaginary or conceptual narratives that speak to personal, social, and political histories. The text in Lorna Simpson’s Outline (1990), which is printed on plastic plaques and affixed to two black-and-white photographs, can be read from left to right and in relationship to the photographs. They suggest various social and historical experiences of African American women. Other artists photographed staged situations in order to encourage narratives. These range from an imaginary personal history, based on assumptions drawn from a gesture, clothing, hair, and make-up, as in Cindy Sherman’s Untitled (2000), to a fantastic story of a moment in time, as in Gregory Crewdson’s Untitled (2001-2002), set on a dark suburban street.

This selection of works from the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum reveals the strength of the photographic image in the late-twentieth and early-twenty-first century in the United States. In surprising and inventive ways, the artists included in this presentation have pushed the boundaries of the medium and expanded the role of photography within the history of art.

This exhibition was organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Additionally, Vantage Points was organized around transformative gifts and promised gifts to the Whitney Museum from Emily Fisher Landau.

Generous support for this project is provided by the Art Bridges Foundation.

About the Whitney Museum of American Art

As the preeminent institution devoted to the art of the United States, the Whitney Museum of American Art presents the full range of twentieth-century and contemporary American art, with a special focus on works by living artists. The Whitney is dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting American art, and its collection—arguably the finest holdings of twentieth-century American art in the world—is the Museum’s key resource. The Museum’s flagship exhibition, the Biennial, is the country’s leading survey of the most recent developments in American art.

About the Art Bridges Foundation

The Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton and is dedicated to expanding access to American art in all regions across the United States. Since 2017, Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of nearly 150 museums of all sizes and locations to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, collection loans from Art Bridges and other museums, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection features American masterworks of historic American art to the present day and encompasses painting, sculpture, photography, among other mediums. For more information on who we reach and how to partner with us, visit artbridgesfoundation.org and follow us @ArtBridgesFoundation.

ROANOKE, Va. (April 2, 2021) – The Taubman Museum of Art is pleased to present Opulence and Fantasy: Couture Gowns and Jewelry of Mindy Lam, a special spotlight exhibition in conjunction with the Museum’s annual Women’s Luncheon benefit. The exhibition is on view May 14-June 13, 2021, and is free and open to the public.

A celebrated artist and jewelry designer, Mindy Lam is known for her meticulously handcrafted jewelry featuring her signature woven metal lace adorned with precious metals, semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, rhinestones and more. From couture pieces for the red carpet to ready-to-wear for an evening out, Lam’s work is beloved by tastemakers and fashion influencers the world over.

In Opulence and Fantasy, Lam mined the Taubman Museum of Art’s galleries and permanent collection for inspiration to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind works – examples include elegant brooches, dramatic chokers, breathtaking necklaces, and an ethereal evening gown that beguiles and seduces. Each piece is paired in the galleries with the painting, photographic work or sculpture that stirred Lam’s imagination.

“Realizing how truly powerful Mindy’s gift of interpretation was, we challenged her to create pieces inspired by the stories she might see in various works on view here at the Taubman Museum of Art,” said Cindy Petersen, executive director. “The result is Opulence and Fantasy: Couture Gowns and Jewelry of Mindy Lam, an exhibition that weaves its way through our galleries, pairing Mindy’s creations with the works to which her creations pay homage. In the Fralin Center for American Art, for example, we see intricate works from Mindy inspired by our permanent collection: Emil Carlsen’s The Leeds Jug, Johann Hamza’s The Curiosity Shop, and Lawrence Beck’s Sterling Forest Water Lily I, all among my favorites, as well as our much adored and ever popular Portrait of Norah Gribble by the esteemed John Singer Sargent. I have no doubt that guests will be inspired by Mindy’s beautiful work and creativity.”

Lam’s inspirational success story, creative process, and passion for philanthropy will be highlighted during the Taubman’s Virtual Women’s Luncheon Monday, May 10, from 12-1 p.m.

Exhibition and education programming for Opulence and Fantasy: Couture Gowns and Jewelry of Mindy Lam is generously presented by The Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundation, Inc., the Dorothea Leonhardt Fund at the Communities Foundation of Texas, Inc., and Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo.

About the Artist

Beauty and nature always fascinated Mindy Lam as a child. Growing up on a poultry farm in Hong Kong, China, Lam found tranquility and inspiration by surrounding herself with the beautiful flowers, small creatures, and natural elements found on her family farm. Her work undoubtedly reflects the craftsmanship of the classic couture houses of old, but offers a refreshingly modern edge that echoes the joy of her childhood influences.

Designing for over 18 years, Lam was a huge favorite at Henri Bendel in New York City for nearly a decade, and she has been featured in Elle, Brides Magazine, Glamour, People, Life & Style, L’Officiel, Vogue Italia, among many others.

In 2010, her business came to a screeching halt after her heart stopped and she was given the diagnosis of end-stage kidney disease. The next three years included a rigorous dialysis schedule, and she lost everything due to her inability to work. Finally, in 2013, when her beloved daughter, Kai, was of age, she donated her kidney and the story made front-page Yahoo News.

As a kidney disease survivor and transplant recipient, Lam’s commitment to giving back is now more important to her than ever. In 2016, she successfully relaunched her brand with much fanfare after making a full recovery. Because of her life-changing experience, Lam has now incorporated a philanthropic component to the brand through special collaborations to continue to uplift and spread love and hope to others. Organizations have included the National Cherry Blossom Festival, W Hotel, American Heart Association, Texas Children’s Hospital, St. Jude, Prevent Cancer, and of course the National Kidney Foundation.

Her latest philanthropic collaboration is with the Taubman Museum of Art.

Gaining inspiration from the Taubman’s striking architecture – designed by internationally renowned architect Randall Stout and named the best designed Museum in Virginia by Architectural Digest – Lam created a new, special limited-edition collection. The collection’s organic star shape and silver blues emulate the reflections of the sky seen through the Museum’s soaring glass peak, which is itself a nod to Roanoke’s moniker as the “Star City of the South” and the city’s iconic Mill Mountain Star.

This special limited edition collection benefits children’s educational programs at the Taubman. With patron’s support, 20 percent of proceeds further the Museum’s impact in schools and afterschool programs, and the creation of educational lessons and hands-on art activities for the community.

To view and purchase pieces from this special limited-edition collection, visit Mindy Lam’s website.

ROANOKE, Va. (March 18, 2021) — The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced today that the Taubman Museum of Art is among 30 finalists for the 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The Taubman Museum of Art is one of only two institutions in Virginia to be selected as a finalist for this award, and one of only five art museums in the nation.

The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate significant impact in their communities. For more than 25 years, the award has honored institutions that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities. Since 1996, only 170 institutions have been recipients of the honor. Past winners can be viewed on the IMLS web site.

“This nomination speaks to the power that art can play in making an especially meaningful difference for individuals and communities,” said Cindy Petersen, executive director of the Taubman Museum of Art. “In recent years, our Museum has focused on using art to start new and often challenging conversations, to expand our ways of thinking, to encourage the embrace of diverse cultures, and to lift up new voices.

“Art can also be a valuable tool in helping people deal with loss and trauma. When COVID-19 hit, we adapted our outreach programs and worked with our community partners to ensure our continuous engagement of K-12 students, seniors in retirement communities, families, front-line healthcare workers, underrepresented communities, and those served by programs such as Feeding America and the Roanoke Rescue Mission.”

An example of the Museum meeting the community where they were during this past year includes the Taubman’s “Brush Pals” program, which has distributed more than 70,000 hands-on art kits, instructional worksheets and “Cards of Encouragement” to Southwest Virginians living in Botetourt, Campbell, Floyd, Franklin, Grayson, Montgomery, Roanoke, Smyth and Washington counties, many of whom did not have ready access to art.

In addition, the Museum pivoted to remotely continue its program titled “Healing Ceilings: A Community Tile Project”, in partnership with Carilion Clinic. Community groups including Burton Center for Arts and Technology, Community Youth Program, Friendship Retirement, Roanoke City and County Public Schools, Science Museum of Western Virginia LAB students, Temple Emanuel Teen Youth Group, Total Action for Progress, local homeschool groups, and more were provided with materials and prompts to paint more than 250 ceiling tiles with colorful, whimsical designs that will be installed at Carilion Clinic’s facilities to provide comfort to patients as they seek treatment.

“We humbly share the honor of this nomination with those in our community who have helped us use art to make a difference in the world, both prior to covid and also while facing the challenges of the pandemic,” said Petersen.

Members of the National Museum and Library Services Board, the presidentially-appointed advisory board for IMLS, will review the nominations this spring and make their recommendations to IMLS Director Crosby Kemper, who will select the winners.

“The revival and reinstitution of the National Medals by IMLS is another signal of recovery and renewal in the nation’s very challenging—but very hopeful—times,” said Kemper. “We are celebrating not only the ongoing excellence of the best of our museums and libraries, but their extraordinary efforts through the pandemic, the recession, the racial justice protests, and national divisions to serve, heal, and bring together our communities. Congratulations to all 30 finalists.”

From among the 30 finalists, six National Medal winners – three museums and three libraries – will be announced in late spring. Representatives from winning institutions will be honored for their extraordinary contributions during a virtual National Medal Ceremony this summer.

To see the full list of finalists and learn more about the National Medal, visit the IMLS website.

To celebrate this honor, IMLS is encouraging the Taubman Museum of Art’s community members to share stories, memories, pictures and videos about the museum on social media Monday, May 3, using the #ShareYourStory and #IMLSmedals hashtags, and engage with IMLS on Facebook and Twitter. For more information, please visit the IMLS website.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. We advance, support and empower America’s museums, libraries and related organizations through grantmaking, research and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.