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ARTIS—NAPLES ANNOUNCES $50 MILLION
FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson donate
$15 million lead gift
Largest gift in organization’s history
Naples, Florida —Artis—Naples CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen and Board Chairman Ned Lautenbach announced a $50 million campaign today.
Artis—Naples board member Kimberly K. Querrey and her husband, Louis A. Simpson, donated $15 million, which is the largest gift in the organization’s history. In recognition of this lead gift, Artis—Naples has named its 8.5-acre, five-building cultural campus the Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus.
“Thanks to the leadership of Kathleen and her team, the future of Artis—Naples is extremely bright,” said Querrey, a board member since 2012. “This gift will help her continue to realize the vision we all have for this vital community asset and to build upon our endowment.”
Added Simpson: “The ultimate value of endowment is financial stability for generations. This foundation will be there for Artis—Naples today and in perpetuity.”
The gift is not only the largest to Artis—Naples, but also one of the largest charitable donations in Southwest Florida in the past decade.
“As an organization, we’ve been blessed with tremendous gifts from arts supporters,” van Bergen said. “Kimberly and Lou epitomize the role of cultural ambassador through their remarkable generosity and enthusiastic participation. Their transformative leadership gift strengthens the progressive growth and development of Artis—Naples and our beautiful Naples home as we continue to create an inclusive arts experience for the whole community.”
Lautenbach and van Bergen outlined four key components for the campaign:
Substantially increase our endowment to $100 million ensuring sustainability for generations to come.
Under Music Director Andrey Boreyko’s leadership, embrace and expand our artistic and community initiatives.
Grow the permanent collection of The Baker Museum and steward the visual arts for all audiences.
Launch an inclusive process to reimagine the Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus for decades into the future.
“After attaining our goal of a balanced budget and organizational sustainability, it’s time to look forward to what Artis—Naples will be in the future and to set the stage for continued success,” Lautenbach said of the goals.
ARTIS—NAPLES
Home of The Baker Museum and the Naples Philharmonic, Artis—Naples is unique among cultural institutions nationwide, equally dedicated to both the performing and visual arts featuring artists of global distinction.
KIMBERLY K. QUERREY and LOUIS A. SIMPSON CULTURAL CAMPUS
Led by CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen and Sharon and Timothy Ubben Music Director Andrey Boreyko, we offer audiences more than 300 events annually within a variety of venues and settings situated throughout the 8.5-acre Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus. Artis—Naples welcomes more than 300,000 visitors each year for a broad array of artistic and educational opportunities perfect for audiences of all backgrounds and interests. The Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus is home to five buildings, including two performance halls (Frances Pew Hayes Hall and Myra J. Daniels Pavilion), The Baker Museum, the Toni Stabile Education Building and the Kohan Administration Building. The campus also includes the beautiful Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Sculpture Garden and Walk.
In the 2014-15 season, Andrey Boreyko assumed the title of Music Director and serves in the dual capacity as the institution’s overall artistic leader. Boreyko is internationally recognized as one of the most exciting and dynamic conductors working today. This appointment, extended into 2020, marks his first American post.
THE NAPLES PHILHARMONIC
The Naples Philharmonichas long been recognized as one of the cornerstones of Southwest Florida’s arts community. As the resident orchestra of Artis—Naples, the Naples Philharmonic performs more than 140 orchestral and chamber music concerts, as well as opera and ballet, education, community and special event concerts annually between September and June in the 1,477-seat Hayes Hall, the 283-seat Daniels Pavilion and around the Southwest Florida region.
In 2009, Jack Everly was named Principal Pops Conductor and continues today in that role bringing pops performances that celebrate music in its many forms.
THE BAKER MUSEUM
The Baker Museum is one of the foremost fine arts museums in Southwest Florida. The museum hosts several traveling exhibitions annually to complement installations of works from its permanent collections. Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, the museum is dedicated to stewardship and scholarship, generating travelling exhibitions from both its permanent collections and outside sources.
Among recent exhibitions are the critically acclaimed Gods and Heroes: Masterpieces from the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris and an innovative look at Surrealism in Belgium, organized and curated by Artis—Naples. Exhibitions for the 2015-16 season include a 15th anniversary retrospective of the museum’s permanent collection entitled 15 Years of Collecting, Naples Collects—an exploration of the private collections of some of Southwest Florida’s most prominent arts patrons—and an exciting traveling show from The Museum at FIT, Yves Saint Laurent + Halston: Fashioning the ’70s.
