Dear Cranbrook Friends and Family,
After what I hope was a rejuvenating summer, I would like to welcome you back to the start of the academic year at Cranbrook. Our Schools are once again active with gifted young students, the Academy of Art graced with creative artists, and class field trips from around the region will soon return to the Institute of Science. It's times like this when I like to reflect on the vision that George and Ellen Booth had in creating Cranbrook, and how that vision continues today. Cranbrook is renowned for its education, science, and art entities, which are united not just by proximity, but also by people, and their shared passion for the pursuit of knowledge and the creative spirit. Today, Cranbrook is a true community.
From faculty and staff, students and their families, members and donors, to visitors and volunteers, each of you is a part of the Cranbrook Community. The Community started by the Booths now extends far beyond the limits of our beautiful 319-acre campus. It carries on across the globe in each of our alumni and others whom it has touched in some way. I hope you feel a sense of this community as I do and experience it often.
At Cranbrook Schools, students receive an unparalleled education, supported by a curriculum that includes learning opportunities at the Art Museum, Institute of Science, and across our natural and historic landscape. Schools parents receive free memberships, which allows access to programs and exhibits at the Art Museum and Institute of Science. I strongly encourage our Schools' families to take advantage of all that the Community has to offer. If you are interested in learning more about the Schools, please join us at an upcoming Open House, offered in October and January each academic year. Please also consider joining us for Friday Night Lights, our Homecoming football game on October 13, 7:00 p.m. at Thompson Oval.
As many of you know, this year we lost the founder and biggest supporter of the Horizons-Upward Bound program when Ben Snyder passed away. We will celebrate his life on Saturday, September 23 at Christ Church Cranbrook. Visitation begins at 9:00 a.m. followed by a 10:00 a.m. memorial service. A reception will be held at Cranbrook dining hall from 12:00 noon to 1:15 p.m. By introducing the HUB program to Cranbrook over 50 years ago, Ben significantly increased the meaning of community and service to others.
This fall, Cranbrook Art Museum will launch four new exhibitions by artists who operate at the intersection of art and street culture:
Ryan McGinness: Studio and Collection Views,
Basquiat Before Basquiat: East 12th Street, 1979-1980,
Keith Haring: The End of the Line, and
Maya Stovall: Liquor Store Theatre Performance Films. Plus, after closing a royally successful run of the
Tutankhamun exhibition, the Institute of Science will open the mouth-watering
Chocolate exhibition later this month. Visitors will explore the plant, the products, the history, and the culture of chocolate through the lenses of botany and ecology, anthropology and economics, conservation and popular culture. A special December bus trip to Mindo Chocolate in Dexter will complement this exhibition. Later in the fall, the Institute of Science will debut exploreLAB, a new interactive space that will allow visitors to work on the preservation of actual dinosaur bones. Please join us for these exciting upcoming exhibitions and events.
Through its programming and exploration opportunities, the Center for Collections and Research serves as a central link between each of Cranbrook's institutions. The Center tells the Cranbrook story through connections both on and off campus. In mid-September, the Center will present
Jason Carter at Saarinen House: #digital_presence, an exhibition offered in collaboration with the Academy of Art and Art Museum. For the exhibition, Academy graduate Jason Carter will return to Cranbrook to present eight of his paintings throughout Saarinen House. We are all excited to have Jason back on campus and the chance to explore Cranbrook's Art Deco landmark through the lens of contemporary technology. To learn more about the Center and to discover a wealth of information on the people, places, and things of Cranbrook, please visit the Center's new mobile-friendly website:
http://center.cranbrook.edu.
At the beginning of summer, Cranbrook House & Gardens Auxiliary volunteers returned two rows of the Sunken Garden to their historic roots by planting vegetables. While the vegetable plantings were selected for their color, shape, and texture, they have exceeded expectations in both presentation and productivity. I am delighted to know that the excess crop is being shared with our hardworking staff and that of Chartwells, Cranbrook's food service provider. Later this week, the Gardens will host
Art in the Elements: A Plein Air Floral Exhibition presented in collaboration with the American Institute of Floral Designers - North Central Chapter. As a non-profit organization, the American Institute of Floral Designers is aligned with Cranbrook in its commitment to education and excellence. I look forward to seeing their dynamic floral creations and invite you to come out and experience this one-weekend-only exhibition.
In closing, I would like to share a quote about community from Cranbrook founder George Booth, "We all worked together with this one objective - make the place as beautiful as we could, as useful as it might be, possibly leaving spots for buildings as well as making spots for joy." I hope Cranbrook serves as a "spot of joy" for you and your family, and I look forward to seeing you on campus this fall. Please know that all of you are a valued part of our Community and your continued friendship is so much appreciated.
Very best wishes as we begin a new academic year,
