Campaign News

President's Message:  July - August 2007

View all messages

"The Power of Gifts-in-Kind"

The Huntington was created in 1919 with a most remarkable gift-in-kind from an amazing individual: Henry E. Huntington. He established the trust that would give the people of California his collections of British and European artwork, rare books, and manuscripts, as well as his estate with its many specialized gardens and beautiful home. Mr. Huntington’s tremendous gift opened the door to a world of intellectual inquiry and educational enrichment. In addition, it laid the foundation for ongoing philanthropy that keeps this institution and its holdings robust and dynamic.

Subsequent gifts-in-kind have greatly enhanced the collections. In 1979 the Virginia Steele Scott Foundation made a gift of a group of 50 American paintings in memory of its founder, the late Pasadena art collector. The gift, which included works by Mary Cassatt, Eastman Johnston, Edward Hopper, and Thomas Moran, also provided funds to construct a gallery and established an endowment for its management. Scott’s legacy set The Huntington on the course to become a major collector of American art and a center for its study.

And last year, the Dibner family of Connecticut gave The Huntington the entire Burndy Library, an extensive collection on the history of science and technology that is composed of some 67,000 volumes. The Huntington now ranks as a premier center for advanced research in the field.

Clearly The Huntington would not exist without Henry Huntington’s original gift. The addition of the Scott and Dibner gifts marked defining moments in the institution’s history, as each brought with it immense new opportunities for scholarly research and public education. Indeed, such gifts can expand the institution’s mission by creating opportunities and audiences that did not previously exist.

Gifts-in-kind are non-monetary items of tangible personal property, from artwork and manuscripts to plants and equipment. While monetary donations support the critical work of building endowments and paying for day-to-day operations, gifts-in-kind provide a constant source of renewal and regeneration for the collections. Because the current Campaign for The Huntington does not seek money for acquisitions, gifts-in-kind are crucial to the long-term growth of the collections and are thus vital to The Huntington’s mission.

Throughout The Huntington’s history, a wide variety of gifts has enhanced and expanded its collections, whether by means of a single rare book or an entire collection of photographs. The gardens, too, have benefitted greatly from gifts-in-kind. A magnificent group of Japanese black pines came our way this year through the generosity of Nobu and Ann Sotowa. We also recently received Sir Joshua Reynold’s renowned “Blinking Sam” portrait of Samuel Johnson, donated by Loren and Frances Rothschild; the literary archive of poet and novelist Charles Bukowski, a gift from his widow Linda Lee Bukowski; and the papers of two Los Angeles Times columnists, Al Martinez and the late
Jack Smith.

These represent just a small part of the tremendous generosity we have enjoyed from our donors in the form of gifts-in-kind. They are all remarkable gifts, each one priceless in what it contributes to the vitality, diversity, and intellectual richness of The Huntington.

Steve Koblik, President