Press Releases

Higgins Armory Museum Annual Meeting April 24

May 10, 2002 Contact: Malory Truman (508) 853-6015 ext. 26

At its 74th Annual Meeting on Wednesday, April 24, Higgins Armory Museum announced that it ended 2001 with income (Revenue and Support) exceeding $1 million for the first time. The year 2001 also marked the Museum's sixth successive year of positive operating results. In a year when many cultural organizations experienced a sharp decline in attendance, the Higgins reached an all-time high of more than 75,000 admissions. In September, the Museum was notified that the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS), a federal agency, awarded it a multi-year, merit-based grant of over $100,000, the maximum amount possible. This prestigious grant provides national recognition for museums with the highest ratings of their peers. IMLS received more than 800 applications; less than a quarter of these received funding. Higgins Armory was the only IMLS grant recipient in Worcester.

Highlights of the year 2001 included a tremendously successful temporary exhibit Shields of Faith: Russian Icons of the 16th to the 20th centuries, which generated record attendance and critical acclaim. The 70 icons were lent by Gordon and Janet Lankton, who have been collecting for many years. 2001 also saw the introduction of "Saturdays at the Higgins", a rotating roster of live interpretation programming like The Higgins Armory Sword Guild, Joan of Arc, and a Viking Warrior. The Saturday roster has become very popular, and has increased weekend visitation dramatically. The Higgins Armory's Education Department formed a partnership with the Great Brook Valley Library branch of the Worcester Public Library, to offer a multi-year, after-school literacy program called KidsQuest. The main objectives of KidsQuest are to improve literacy, increase Great Brook Valley community involvement with the two institutions, and to generate interest in cultural institutions on the part of a traditionally underserved population. KidsQuest is funded generously by Allmerica Financial Foundation, Greater Worcester Community Foundation, the Young Businessmen's Association, and the Worcester Cultural Council.

One of the most important initiatives to see completion in 2001 was a comprehensive, multi-year Strategic Plan. The Plan, put together by the Museum's staff and a committee composed of Executive Committee members, will serve as the chief marketing and positioning guide for the Higgins in the coming decade.

The Higgins Armory Museum continued to gain publicity, both nationally and regionally, in 2001. The Higgins participated in five different documentaries by The History Channel last year, and was contacted by Vogue Magazine to lend a chastity belt for a photo shoot by famed photographer Irving Penn.

New Trustees taking office at the 2001 Annual Meeting were Jill Dagilis and Timothy Daly. New Incorporators include Anthony Consigli, Kathryn Crockett, Lauren Knight, Mark Millman, Megan Novicelli, Stephen Patton, William Short, Rebecca Wagley Blodgett, John Waldman, and Devin Williams.

The Higgins Armory Museum is grateful to the foundations, government agencies, and corporations which fund its programs so generously: Allmerica Financial Charitable Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Worcester Cultural Commission, Fred Harris Daniels Foundation, Fletcher Foundation, Mary Louise Wilding-White Fund at Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Ross and Lisa Dik Fund at Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Young Businessmen's Association, and Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

The Higgins Armory Museum is the only institution in the Western Hemisphere solely dedicated to arms, armor and related artifacts and their cultural impact on the modern world. From historically-accurate swordplay demonstrations to a first-person performance of Joan of Arc drawn from eyewitness accounts of her career, the Higgins uses its specialized collection to teach the broad lessons of history.