The Aldrich Board Chair Diana Bowes gifts $1M
Bowes’ generous gift will endow the Chief Curator position at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum for the next decade
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (258 Main St, Ridgefield, CT 06877) announced today that Board Chair Diana Bowes has made a gift of $1,000,000 to support the role of the Chief Curator for the next ten years. Moving forward, this position will be known as the “Diana Bowes Chief Curator.”
Diana’s generous gift comes at a paramount moment, coinciding with the Museum’s critically acclaimed Martha Diamond retrospective, as well as the complete reenvisioning of the institution’s sculpture garden.
It provides critical funding to continue the momentum of impactful exhibitions and scholarship, ensuring that The Aldrich remains a vibrant center for contemporary art and an integral cultural and educational resource for the Ridgefield community and beyond.
“Because of our ‘jaw dropping’ exhibitions and beautiful new Sculpture Garden, I feel very confident in the Museum’s leadership, program, and future,” said Bowes. “As Chief Curator Amy Smith-Stewart enters her second decade shaping the curatorial program at The Aldrich, I am delighted to offer this gift to support her vision.”
Smith-Stewart joined The Aldrich in 2013 and became Chief Curator in 2022. During her time at theMuseum, she has organized over 50 exhibitions, including Harmony Hammond: Material Witness, Five Decades of Art, Frank Stella’s Stars, A Survey, and 52 Artists: A Feminist Milestone. “This tremendous gift to the curatorial department will provide the long-term support needed to expand our research and resources, driving the development of impactful exhibitions and scholarship,” Smith-Stewart commented.
Executive Director Cybele Maylone stated of the gift, “Diana is an incredible believer in The Aldrich’s mission and work, and her enthusiasm and support are a critical part of the engine that drives the Museum. This generous gift is a great vote of confidence for The Aldrich and our programs, and will help us to make great things happen in the future.”
The Aldrich is well known for presenting the first solo institutional exhibitions of significant artists who are responding to the issues of our time. In 2025, The Aldrich will mount the first museum shows of works by artists Wen Liu (January 9 – May 11), Nickola Pottinger (June 8 – January 4), Zak Prekop (June 8 – January 4), and Uman (October 19 – April 19, 2026), as well as Martin Beck’s first museum show in the United States (March 30 – October 5).
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