IMA Alliance Records, 1958-2016, undated

The Alliance of the Indianapolis Museum of Art is a volunteer organization. Its purpose is to develop and support activities and projects that will stimulate public interest in the Museum, its educational programs, and collection. The Alliance continues to bolster the Museum's reputation through their support, commitment, and dedication. Education is a major mission of the Alliance with members benefiting from involvement in programs by IMA curators and various other noted speakers. The Alliance is led by a Board of Directors and is advised by a Museum Affiliate liaison. Founded in 1958, the Alliance of the IMA has a rich history that spans over five decades. One of the most accomplished volunteer organizations in the history of U.S. museums, the Alliance is responsible for bringing in thousands of new IMA members and raising millions of dollars for art acquisitions over the last half century.

Timeline of Significant Events:
1958 Began with the help of Josephine Jameson, Virginia Ansted, and Beverly Carmichael and 48 charter members through invitation only
1960 October - Art Rental Gallery opened in Museum Cloak Room
1963 Begins first of biennial ‘Fine Arts Balls’ black-tie balls to raise funds for the for the Fine Arts Fund: 1963 Goya Ball, 1965 Fine Arts Ball, 1967 Fine Arts Jewel Ball, 1969 Bal de Lumiere, 1972 Oriental Ball, 1998 Masterpiece Masquerade, 2000 Masterpiece Ball Auction and flea market “The Poor People of Paris.” Subsequent flea markets also occurred in 1965 and 1968
1967 Alliance began membership drives to help the Herron Museum begin the expensive process of relocating to Michigan Rd.
October - The Enchanted Owl Craft Shop opens and sells items made by local craftsmen
1969 Name officially changed from Herron Museum Alliance to The Alliance of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
1970 Arthur’s Place auction by Trosby Galleries (3-day affair), held again in 1971
Declared ‘Year of the Volunteer,’ Alliance members aided the museum by filling in to reduce workloads of the staff and to help in areas where staff and money were unavailable. Over 1,100 Alliance members donated 7,876+ hours during the transition of the museum to its current Michigan Rd. location.
November - Alliance opens the Garden Room Restaurant in the playhouse of Oldfields, after 2 years of renovation
1971 Trosby Galleries auction (fine arts auction), held again in 1972
1973 Better Than New Cottage opens off of Michigan Rd, as a resale shop, volunteers also hosted moving/estate sales. Funds raised from this business went to acquire new art and create an endowment for future purchases for the museum.
1974 September - Garden Room Restaurant is closed
1975 Garden Room Restaurant is reopened by the IMA, later renamed Garden on the Green
The Enchanted Owl Craft Shop merged with the museum’s gift shop and bookstore to create the Alliance Museum Shop
1976 Antique show
Better Than New Cottage moves to Newfield, name changes to Better Than New Shop
1978 Begins a series of four annual consignment sales
1980 June - The Alliance releases cookbook Indianapolis Collects & Cooks
1981 Wearable Art ’81, a showcase for local artists and craftsmen who sold their goods through the Alliance Museum Shop
Members donated 62,120 volunteer hours, equivalent to a gift of $201,890 to the museum
1983 25th anniversary
Completed $350,000 pledge for the endowment of the Alliance Sculpture Court, at this point the Alliance had donated 224 works of art
1985 Art in Motion: Wearable Art ’85 traveled to other cities
1987 Alliance becomes exhibition sponsor with $100,000 grant for Art of the Fantastic: Latin America 1920-1987.
1990s Alliance supported exhibitions throughout the 1990s, including American Arts & Crafts: Virtue in Design (1994), Dutch and Flemish Drawings from the Royal Library, Windsor and Italian Paintings from Burghley House (1995), Painting in Spain in the Age of Enlightenment: Goya and His Contemporaries (1996), Turner Watercolors from Manchester and Indianapolis (1997)
1990 Completed fundraising pledged in 1980 for museum expansion, which allowed for the Special Events Area to be built
1991 September - First international wine auction; subsequent wine auctions held in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2002
1992 April - Arts and Flowers fundraiser: included indoor/outdoor displays, lectures, and an auction; speakers included Christos Giftos, master floral designer and director of special events at Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Rosemary Verey, an internationally known author of books on horticulture
December - Masterpeice Ball, “A Jewel of an Evening,” fundraiser
1996 September - American Society of Interior Designers presents A Designer Showcase at Newfield, which raised thousands for a renovation of the house and increased visibility for the Better Than New Shop
2000 Alliance contributed $2.1 million toward the IMA’s acquisition of 75 Japanese Edo-period masterpiece paintings
2001 Donated $100,000 for support of the exhibition catalogue Gifts to the Tsars, 1500-1700: Treasures from the Kremlin
2002 June - The Art Rental Gallery is closed, between 1970 and 2002 the gallery had contributed more than $400,000 to the museum
2002- Began underwriting books that detailed the history of the IMA: Oldfields (2004), Indianapolis Museum of Art: Highlights of the Collection (2005), Every Way Possible: 125
2003 Years of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (2008).
Sutphin Fountain charm created and sold in the Museum Shop
2006 January - The IMA takes over complete control of the Museum Shop, now called the IMA Store
2007 IMA requests Better Than New Shop be closed; all affiliate groups are encouraged to focus on volunteering and educational efforts
2007 December - Better Than New Shop closes, during its 30 years of operation the shop had donated over $2 million dollars for the purchase of art The Alliance had purchased almost 300 works of art, either fully or in part, over the course of their fundraising
2008 50th anniversary