News From The Wadsworth

HARTFORD — Clare K. Matthews has been named director of external affairs at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main Street in Hartford. She will begin her new post January 15.

As the director of external affairs, Ms Matthews will map strategic plans for a capital and endowment campaign. She will also oversee the development, marketing, public relations, membership, visitor services and publications departments, as well as The Museum Shop.

Ms Matthews arrives at the Wadsworth from Connecticut College, where she served for 14 years, first as dean of admissions (1986-90), then as vice president of planning and enrollment management (1990-95), and most recently as vice president of development and alumni relations (since 1995). In the latter position, Ms Mathews planned and completed a $136 million comprehensive fundraising campaign.

New Special Exhibitions

Attendance Records

More than 94,000 people visited Wadsworth Atheneum over the 12-week run of “The Impressionists at Argenteuil.” The major exhibition was open for Connecticut audiences September 9 to December 3, 2000. This figure surpasses the museum’s previous record-breaking attendance of 81,000 visitors during “Salvador Dali’s Optical Illustions,” which was presented January 21 to March 26, 2000.

Due to the popularity of its special exhibitions program, the museum projects figures of 266,000 total visitors for 2000, the highest attendance figures in the museum’s 156-year history. These figures represent a 41 percent increase over 1999, and a 63 percent increase over the average annual attendance of the years 1990 through 1999.

Data collected by the museum showed that 22 percent of the audience for “The Impressionists at Argenteuil” reside outside Connecticut. The museum’s visitors for that show alone were from 47 states, the District of Columbia and six foreign countries. Furthermore, 97 percent of the Connecticut residents who visited the museum during the Impressionists show live outside the City of Hartford.

The Wadsworth Atheneum expects to release its results of an economic impact study of “The Impressionists at Argenteuil” by the end of January.