Dennos Museum Center

The Dennos Museum Center is a fine art museum and cultural center located in Traverse City, Michigan on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College (NMC). Most notable for its permanent collection of Inuit art, the Dennos Museum opened in 1991 and features rotating exhibitions of Modern and Contemporary art.

Dennos Museum Center
Location within the United States
Established1991
LocationNorthwestern Michigan College
1410 College Drive
Traverse City, Michigan 49686
TypeArt Museum
CollectionsInuit art,
Modern art,
Contemporary art
Collection size2,600
DirectorCraig Hadley
ArchitectBob Holdeman
Websitewww.dennosmuseum.org

The museum consists of three changing exhibit galleries, a sculpture court, an Interactive Discovery Gallery for children and adults, and the Smith Wing for Inuit Art. The museum has a permanent collection of 2,600 works, of which 1,600 are Inuit art prints and sculptures.[1][2] The museum is home to three temporary exhibition galleries that cover 8,000 square feet (740 m2).[3]

As a cultural center, the Dennos Museum also provides exhibitions and programs in the sciences and performing arts. It includes the Milliken Auditorium, a 367-seat concert hall that hosts an annual concert series emphasizing world, jazz and blues music along with NMC and community events. The museum oversees a collection of 14 outdoor sculptures by international and Michigan artists on the grounds of the college campus. In 2000, the museum was recognized by ArtServe Michigan with the Governor's Award for Arts and Culture.

History

Formation

The Inuit art collection was started in 1960 by Northwestern Michigan College librarian Bernie Rink, who began collecting sculptures and prints for a library exhibition fundraiser.[4][5] Rink organized the event as an annual sale of Canadian Inuit Art.[6] Many of the items sold by Rink were prints. He retained some of the items each year, both prints and sculptures, resulting in the gradual growth of the Inuit art collection to 500 pieces by 1991, and 1500 pieces by 2015.[4]

A need for an art collection and cultural center in Traverse City was identified in the 1980s. Barbara and husband Michael Dennos, then an executive with Chef Pierre (Sarah Lee Corporation), were both instrumental in the formation and funding of the museum.[7]

In 1988, founding director Eugene Jenneman was hired by Northwestern Michigan College to work with architect Bob Holdeman to design and oversee the building of the museum.[8] After a $6.5-million community campaign, the museum, named for Michael and Barbara Dennos, was opened in July 1991.[9] The Barbara and Michael Dennos Museum Center was one of the first collections of Inuit art open to the public in the United States.[10]

The Dennos Museum Center building, designed by Holeman, includes the Milliken Auditorium, home to a concert and lecture series, educational events and other programming.[11]

expanded Dennos Museum, 2020

Expansion

Following fundraising efforts which began in 2015, the museum received significant funds from local benefactors, including a $1 million gift from Barbara and Dudley Smith for the Inuit art gallery expansion and a $2 million gift from Diana and Richard Milock,[12][13] the museum expanded its Inuit Gallery and added an additional 10,000 square feet of semi-permanent exhibition space as part of a $5 million building expansion that opened in 2018.[14][15] The addition for the Inuit Collection was named the Barbara and Dudley Smith Wing for Inuit Art.

Collections
Inuit art wing of the Dennos Museum


The Dennos Museum established one of the first public collections in the United States of Inuit Art of the Canadian Arctic.[16][17] The majority of works in the permanent collection are from Inuit people of the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, and Alaska.[1] The museum also holds a collection of works by Canadian artists associated with the Woodlands style including Norval Morrisseau and Carl Ray,[1] as well as works by key Michigan contemporary artists such as Charles McGee.[18]

Notable Inuit artists in the Dennos Museum's collection include:

The museum also oversees the care of fourteen outdoor sculptures on the grounds of Northwestern Michigan College which includes works by Hanna Stiebel[19] and Clement Meadmore.[20]

Management
Adult tour at the Dennos Museum

The museum is led by executive director Craig Hadley, former curator of the art museum at DePauw University in Indiana, who took the reins in late 2019.[21][22] Hadley succeeded Eugene Jenneman, the museum's founding executive director, who was hired by the college in 1988 to help finalize the museum's design and construction and oversaw several major expansions during his 27-year tenure.[11]

Jenneman also oversaw a concert series, performed within the Dennos Museum Center's Milliken Auditorium. In 2016, this role was transferred to NMC audio engineer Jack Conners.[8]

References
  1. "General Collections". The Dennos Museum Center. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  2. Wanschura, Daniel (March 29, 2018). "Dennos Museum says less is more when it comes to viewing art". Interlochen Public Radio. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  3. Danilov, Victor J. (2011). America's College Museums: Handbook & Directory (2nd ed.). Amenia, NY: Grey House. p. 326. ISBN 9781592376742.
  4. Sloan, Erin (December 16, 2015). "$1M donation adds to Dennos expansion". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  5. Champion, Brandon (2018-12-03). "Tributes pour in for Michigan pioneer who brought wine to Leelanau Peninsula". mlive. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  6. Tarnow, Terry (2010-07-05). "Annual Inuit Art Sale at the Dennos Museum Center". MyNorth. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  7. "Michael H. Dennos - Obituary". Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  8. "Gene Jenneman Shifting Focus at the Dennos". Northern Express. March 25, 2016. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  9. "NMC breaks ground on Dennos Museum expansion". www.nmc.edu. August 11, 2016. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  10. Crandall, Richard C. (2000). Inuit Art: A History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 327. ISBN 9780786407118.
  11. Kansier, Brooke (December 28, 2018). "Dennos director to retire after overseeing museum's opening, reopening". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  12. "NMC receives $1M for Inuit gallery". Traverse City Record-Eagle. December 16, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  13. "Dennos Museum in Traverse City to Expand Thanks to Milock Gift". MyNorth News. September 15, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  14. Wanschura, Daniel (December 16, 2015). "More space for Inuit art in Traverse City". Interlochen Public Radio. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  15. Hepler Drahos, Marta (January 21, 2018). "Dennos Museum Center reveals long-awaited expansion". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  16. Crandall, Richard C. (2000). Inuit Art: A History. McFarland. p. 327. ISBN 9780786407118.
  17. "Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day". Smithsonian. 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  18. Boissoneau, Ross (July 13, 2019). "Legendary Detroit Artist to be Honored Up North". Northern Express. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  19. Hadley, Craig (July 17, 2020). "Museum Matters: Exploring the outdoor museum at Dennos". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  20. "Outdoor Sculptures :: The Dennos Museum Center". www.dennosmuseum.org. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  21. Urban, Mark (August 16, 2019). "Dennos debut: Hadley ready to take helm of museum center". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  22. Wanschura, Daniel (September 26, 2019). "New executive director sketches out vision for Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City". Interlochen Public Radio. Retrieved January 2, 2020.

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