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Show How Much You Love This House

Help Us Secure our National Endowment for the Humanities Matching Grant

The Taft Museum of Art has been awarded the competitive Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in the maximum amount of $750,000. However, to receive the grant—the Taft must raise $3 million from new public funds to secure the 4:1 match.

Funds raised will directly support the Taft's Love This House campaign, a fundraising initiative seeking to raise $12.7MM to support the Taft's Bicentennial Infrastructure Project, critically needed to preserve and reconstruct the museum's 200-year-old historic house—the Taft's largest work of art and prized National Historic Landmark. 

Join our Love This House campaign today to help fund the Bicentennial Infrastructure Project. 

Give Today

 

Critical Work Is Needed—The Case Statement & Timeline

In late 2015, in advance of the museum’s celebration of the historic house’s bicentennial in 2020, the Taft commissioned an extensive review of the museum’s operational and infrastructure needs. Key collaborators worked to create a master plan for the museum and to understand the needs of the collection and the needs of visitors. They identified and developed solutions for the complex problems of a 200-year-old home, and completed a thorough analysis of the scope of capital projects needed to maintain this historic house for the next century.

From summer 2021 to spring 2022, the house will undergo a series of preservation projects so that the next generation of visitors can enjoy its great art and history.

Explore the project plans below or download the case statement.

The Challenge

After 15 years, the existing interpretation of the Taft Museum of Art's permanent collection—wall texts, object labels, and photographs—no longer reflects current research. Moreover, we want to engage our visitors, who have diverse interests and ways of learning, with new and stimulating information. Experiences will highlight the history of the Taft family, the house and its design, and its collections of fine and decorative arts. In addition, the Dater Education Space on the lower level of the historic house requires enhancements to continue to meet the educational needs of our growing program.


The Solution

A complete reinterpretation of the art collections and historic house will feature the latest scholarship and dynamic experiences to excite visitors of all ages and backgrounds. In addition to lively new texts, brochures, and materials for families, an interactive digital component that integrates low-touch technology will enrich the way people relate to the permanent collection and historic house. The Dater Education Room will receive enhancements including more flexible furniture, better electrical infrastructure to use with art-making tools, and proper storage facilities for art supplies.

 

Expected Cost: $550,000

 

Did You Know? Highlights from the Taft Museum of Art's permanent collection can still be enjoyed during this project! Selections from the Taft’s permanent collection are viewable in two special exhibitions. In a New Light features more than 80 highlights from the collection and will be on view in the Taft Museum of Art’s Fifth Third Gallery (on view through May 1, 2022) and Borrowed Gems at the Cincinnati Museum Center includes nearly 50 works of art (July 23, 2021–February 21, 2022). The remaining pieces in the permanent collection have been carefully packed away and will be stored off view.

The Challenge

A 2018 heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) audit confirmed that the current air handling system is unable to maintain precise temperature and humidity levels in our galleries. In part, this is because the building’s exterior provides little support to our current heating and air conditioning systems. As a result, our heating and cooling systems work harder and require more frequent repairs to achieve accepted museum environmental standards for the permanent collection and works on loan to us. This shortcoming further burdens us with costly and labor-intensive workarounds for special exhibitions and loaned works.

The Solution

Modify the building exterior to ensure that the appropriate HVAC systems can meet the climatic needs of the historic house and the artwork it contains. Updated HVAC technology and a higher-functioning HVAC system will properly marry the 1820 house and the 2004 addition so that both achieve museum environmental standards.

 

Expected Cost: $4,275,000

 

Did You Know? Museums follow stringent best practices to maintain the temperature at 70 degrees (plus or minus two degrees) while maintaining humidity at a level of 50 percent (plus or minus five percent) to protect the artwork from environmental damage. All renovation work will be done while adhering to these needed standards as well as strict historic preservation standards.

The Challenge

To ensure the safety of our visitors, staff, and collection, we must achieve industry best practices in security preparedness.


The Solution

Advances in security technology are now more financially attainable for museums of our size. Additional security efforts, including exterior lights and an upgraded fire suppression system, are planned.

 

Expected Cost: $1,750,000

 

Did You Know? Approximately 80 to 90 percent of the wooden siding on the historic house is original. All the wooden boards that make up the house’s outer skin will be removed, and a vapor barrier installed behind the interior walls. 

Exterior of Taft Museum of Art
Tests were completed throughout 21 different areas of the historic home in spring 2019 to determine areas of focus.
Thermal images illustrate how the lack of insulation results in massive inefficiencies and show heat escaping through the siding.
Thermal images illustrate how the lack of insulation results in massive inefficiencies and show heat escaping through the siding.
Taft Museum of Art subwall
A modern water vapor envelope is needed to prevent further water damage and penetration behind the home's siding.
Robert Duncanson Murals
The Museum has historic landmark status for both the house and the Duncanson murals. Preservation of the historic house will help ensure the murals, which are on the home's 200-year-old plaster, survive.
Mother and child at the Taft
A complete reinterpretation of the art collections and historic house will offer dynamic experiences to visitors of all ages and backgrounds.

Ensure Future Generations Can Love This House Too:

Why Give Today?

The Taft historic house has become a bastion for the arts, not just for the people of Cincinnati, but for people nearly everywhere. In 2019 more than 69,000 people came through these doors, hailing from 48 states and 53 countries—touching the lives of visitors through exhibitions, programs, workshops, and more. 

What Is the Urgency?

Charles and Anna Taft gave their house and their collection, to the people of Cincinnati with a wish to make art available to all. This has been a guiding light for the museum and it is why we do all we can to preserve and share the art and history contained in these walls, why we strive to support artists themselves, and why the Taft's historic house has stood for as long as it has. 

The 1820 historic house needs preservation now to protect the integrity of the structure, which is essential to ensure that it stands for another 200 years, its priceless contents are protected, and the museum can continue its meaningful work with the Cincinnati community. Any delay will put the house in jeopardy.

Ways to Give

There are several ways to give to the Love This House campaign, including:

  • Cash
  • Stock/Securities (click here for instructions)
  • IRA Contribution/Beneficiary (donors aged 70 1/2 can make a charitable gift from an IRA without paying income tax on the withdrawal)
  • Will/Estate Planning (learn more)
  • Life Insurance (learn more)

Give Today

or download the pledge form!

Questions? Please contact Jen Horvath, Director of Development at (513) 684-4527 or at JHorvath@taftmuseum.org

 

Join the $2,020 Club 

Make a multi-year pledge to our preservation project! Those with a commitment of $2,020 or more will be listed temporarily on-site and in our triannual members’ publication, Portico. This multi-year gift will be matched with our National Endowment for the Humanities grant.  

Already made a gift and wish to increase it? We’d be happy to honor your previous gift and put it towards the $2,020 club level. 

Learn more about this special opportunity by contacting Jen Horvath, Director of Development at (513) 684-4527 or at JHorvath@taftmuseum.org. 

 

Project Updates

Discover the latest updates on the Taft Museum of Art’s Bicentennial Infrastructure Project needed to maintain the Taft historic house for the next century and the stories we are discovering along the way by subscribing to our newsletter, reading our latest updates, or following #TaftHouse200 on social!

 

Love This House In the News

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