Make a Donation to the Connick Foundation

By Mail

Online

Dear Connick Foundation Friends,

This year has been truly momentous in the life of the Connick Foundation. After extensive research into several options, the Foundation has entered into a fruitful partnership with the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In early 2009, MIT’s Rotch Library of Architecture and Planning will be the new home for the Connick Foundation’s important collections of archive materials and works of art. This means that the archives of the Connick studio will in future be accessible to the public at two of the most prestigious institutions in the country, MIT and the Boston Public Library (BPL).

The Directors of the Foundation believe that the new arrangements will herald an exciting phase in the ever-growing appreciation of the stained glass produced by Charles J. Connick and his associates. In particular, it will now be possible for Connick’s achievement to be seen in the context of the broad cultural movement of which he was part. The combined Connick resources of MIT and the BPL will, in combination with their other rich collections, offer an unrivalled opportunity for students and researchers to explore the many aspects of twentieth-century art and design to which Connick and his co-workers made important contributions.

2008 has also seen the publication of an outstanding new book, Albert M. Tannler’s Charles J. Connick: His Education and His Windows in and near Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation: www.phlf.org). With its authoritative text and many superb illustrations, this is a major addition to the literature on American stained glass. The Foundation is delighted that Mr. Tannler has recently agreed to join its Board as a Director.

In November the Foundation’s Orin E. Skinner Annual Lecture, given by Peter Cormack F.S.A., examined the work of Connick, alongside others such as Ralph Adams Cram, who sought inspiration for modern design and craftsmanship in the medieval tradition. Mr. Cormack also lectured on Connick’s glass to an appreciative audience at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and conducted a ‘stained glass tour’ of three churches in the Boston area. The Foundation is actively planning a program of similar tours for 2009. These will include locations of glass by Connick and his contemporaries in several parts of the country.

The Foundation’s Connick Windows newsletter, with articles on a wide range of Connick-related topics, has been published at regular intervals during the year and can be found online at our website (www.cjconnick.org).

The ongoing work of conserving archive and other material has proceeded throughout the year and, in support of the BPL’s Connick archives, the Foundation has donated to the BPL’s Fine Arts Department newly-made microfilm copies of the studio’s subject-file indexes and records of Sandwich glass medallions. The Foundation is deeply grateful for the outstanding work done by the BPL staff in preserving the Connick heritage and making it available to scholars, faith communities and many others.

Our dedicated commitment to conserving Connick Studio materials at the BPL and MIT, and to developing educational programs and projects, inevitably necessitates a substantial budget. With many forward-looking projects in view, the Connick Foundation values the essential contribution made by its supporters. We invite you to make as generous a donation as you can. This will enable us to bring the imaginative and inventive work of Charles Connick, increasingly recognized as a landmark in modern stained glass, to be brought to the widest possible audience.

The Connick Foundation directors send all best wishes for Light-filled Holidays.

Cordially,

Marilyn B. Justice
President