Northshore Magazine

Art ne 42 nshoremag.com April 2014 photographs by lauren poussard ne for the last 27 years, associate direc- tor and curator of the Addison Gallery of American Art, Susan Faxon, has played an important role in the installation of both traveling and permanent artworks. The result of a large building campaign set forth by Thomas Cochran, an "energetic, determined, and visionary trustee"—the museum is a cherished institution with national reach. Between 1923 and 1932, the alumnus and financier gave $11 million for 18 different projects, one of which included assem- bling and donating 50 great American paintings—the core of Addison's perma- nent collection today. Such a selection made sense given the school's deep ties to American history. The project whet Cochran's appetite for something more. Thus, he and architect Charles Platt set about constructing a museum devoted strictly to American art. "He built the museum and endowed it," says Faxon. "He paid for its construction, endowed its operation and its acquisition fund, and set up a committee to make decisions about [future] acquisitions." Cochran also added to the private school's pres- tige. Upon opening in 1931, the Addison housed 400 works of high art. Today, the collection includes 17,000 pieces and counting. "Our rarity," says Faxon, "is that [we] hold such unique and important works of incredible caliber, [yet we are] located on a secondary school museum In Awe of the Addison The Addison Gallery of American Art ranks high Among Phillips Academy's great assets. By Kiley Jacques campus." Also unique to the Addison is its mission to focus exclusively on American artists, which at the time of its founding was unusual, and created a stir. "The initiated," as Faxon calls regular museumgoers, as well as first-time visitors climb stone stairs to the Classical build- ing's entry rotunda where they receive a warm welcome. Of the 9,000 people who came to the museum last year, half were Phillips Academy students and the other half were from Lawrence, Andover, and the greater Merrimack Valley. "We cast our net widely in terms of who we serve, who we can serve, and who we should serve," says Faxon. The Addison is a museum whose relationships course up and down New England's coast, though, Faxon notes, "We are not a local museum…we build on our strengths, and are known for wonderful exhibitions and art that has a national presence." Following the academic calendar, ex- hibitions change three times a year. Four separate exhibits are assembled, and each On View Above, Susan Faxon has been at the Addison Gallery for 27 years; works in each of the four galleries change three times per year. KJ Apr14 Addison.indd 42 2/20/14 5:42 PM

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