Contemporaries hosts annual meeting, names new board members and leadership
July 17, 2019
The 2019–2020 Contemporaries board of directors stands in front of Phase, their latest donation to the CMA
The Columbia Museum of Art’s young professional affinity group the Contemporaries hosted their annual meeting to celebrate a banner year and to confirm the 2019–2020 board of directors.
At the annual meeting, the Contemporaries reviewed their accomplishments in the 2018–2019 year, including hosting their largest annual ball to date and their donation of world-renowned artist Danny Rozin’s kinetic work of art Phase to the CMA. Phase is now on display on the ledge above the museum entrance from Boyd Plaza.
The Contemporaries held a masquerade-themed ball in January 2019, which brought over 500 attendees and set a new record for sponsorship, generating more than $22,000 in support of the CMA.
The Contemporaries, more than 200 members strong, confirmed its board leadership for the 2019–2020 year:
Chair: Katy Bair, BB&T
Vice Chair: Justin Drafts, The Moore Company (second term)
Secretary: Heather McDonald, LawyerLisa (second term)
Treasurer: Ashley Cady, Flock and Rally
The board recognized Jase Glenn, who served as chairman of the board for the past three years. During Glenn’s tenure, the group raised over $150,000, purchased Rozin’s kinetic sculpture, grew its membership base by 10%, and, as a first-ever for the group, sponsored two major CMA exhibitions: December 2017’s Renee Cox: Soul Culture and June 2019’sWow Pop Bliss: Jimmy Kuehnle’s Inflatable Art.
Beth Frost with Cohn Construction Services was also recognized for her six years of service on the Contemporaries board. She most recently served as co-chair to the Contemporaries’ art acquisition committee, leading the search for, identification of, and fundraising for Phase. Frost’s tenure on the board concluded June 30.
The board announced Katy Bair as the new president. A portfolio manager at BB&T, Bair previously served on the group’s art auction committee spearheading the annual art auction that set new revenue records in each of the three years under her stewardship.
The Contemporaries confirmed eight new board members for the 2019–20 year:
Elizabeth Blake, Homeless No More
Amy Beth Franks, The Gourmet Shop
Shelby LeBlanc, artist
Simms Oliphant, Koger Center for the Arts
David Palkovitz, The Braddock Group of Janney Montgomery Scott
Will Roberts, Park West Gallery and Plymouth Auctioneering
Elizabeth Truluck, Neos Therapeutics
Ashley Williams, The Collective
For more information, visit columbiamuseum.org/contemporaries.
About the Contemporaries
The Contemporaries mission is to provide an opportunity to support the CMA through promoting the museum and its programs, diversifying the museum’s membership, and leading the next generation of museum supporters. Each year, the Contemporaries host a series of social and cultural events that bring members of the Columbia community together at the museum. A major goal of the Contemporaries is to contribute artwork to the CMA. Since its inception in 1994, the scale and grandeur of the art the Contemporaries have donated have significantly increased. In 1998 and again in 2000, the group contributed framed works to the CMA collection. In April 2010, using over $360,000 in funds raised by the Contemporaries, the CMA completed installation of Dale Chihuly’s Chandelier in the museum’s David Wallace Robinson, Jr. Atrium. The installation marked the first of its kind in the state. In 2014, funds raised by the Contemporaries helped the CMA acquire Tatara Fire, a wall-sized mural by New York-based artist Henry Mandell. The mural is the first digital painting to enter the CMA collection. Now, the Contemporaries are doing it again. In 2019, the Contemporaries unveiled their latest contribution Phase, the kinetic work of art from New York artist Daniel Rozin, on display on the ledge above the Boyd Plaza entrance to the CMA.
About the CMA
The Columbia Museum of Art is a charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to lifelong learning and community enrichment for all. Located in the heart of downtown Columbia, S.C., the CMA ranks among the leading art institutions in the country and is distinguished by its innovative exhibitions and creative educational programs. At the heart of the CMA and its programs is its collection, which encompasses 7,000 works and spans 5,000 years of art history. Established in 1950, the CMA now welcomes more than 150,000 visitors annually and is a catalyst for community creativity and education, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds. It is the recipient of a National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a National Art Education Association award for its contributions to arts education, a National Park Foundation Award, and two Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Awards for the Arts for outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina. In order to serve even more audiences, the CMA recently underwent a transformation. Funded by a successful capital campaign, the two-year renovation project garnered new collection galleries with a progressive thematic layout, new studios for artmaking, cutting-edge program and event spaces, an entrance on Main Street, and a revamped CMA shop. Overall, more than 20,000 square feet of functional space were added to the building’s existing footprint. To learn more, visit www.columbiamuseum.org.
