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| Higgins Armory Museum, 2013 |
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| Travis Simpkins at the Higgins Armory Museum |
Higgins Armory Integration with Worcester Art Museum
Message from Higgins Armory:
"In January 2014, the Higgins Armory Museum will transfer to the Worcester Art Museum its unique collection of arms and armor, which is widely regarded as one of the three most significant arms and armor collections in the Americas. The transfer, which will allow the collection to remain on display in Worcester, will follow the closure of Higgins at the end of 2013. Until we close on December 31, 2013, the museum will remain in full operation in its existing home, the historic steel and glass building at 100 Barber Ave. in Worcester, with events and programs celebrating Higgins’ legacy. The move will keep the Higgins Collection in Worcester where it was assembled by Industrialist John Woodman Higgins in the 1920s and 1930s, and where it can be enjoyed for generations to come. “Like all museums, Higgins has been faced with the challenge of long-term sustainability,” says Suzanne Maas, Higgins’ interim executive director. “The original endowment for the institution was only $17,000, and yet it has managed to survive all these years thanks to the driving creativity of dedicated staff to deliver engaging programming and unrelenting support from the local community. To ensure the long-term sustainability of the core collection, we decided to move it to the Worcester Art Museum and combine our greatest strengths with theirs.” “The trustees’ decision to transfer the collection is driven by the inescapable reality that excellent programs and strong attendance alone, without a significant endowment, cannot sustain Higgins Armory as an independent institution,” says James C. Donnelly, Jr., Esq., a long-time trustee who has served as the president of Higgins since 2009. “Combining with the Worcester Art Museum will keep this tremendous asset for the community and preserve John Woodman Higgins’ legacy for generations to come.” Currently, the museums are working together to ensure the transition from Higgins to WAM is a smooth process. “Higgins’ biggest challenge is our lack of a deep endowment, but we’re strong in virtually every other facet of museum operations,” says Maas. “Integrating the Higgins Collection and dynamic approach to programming into the Worcester Art Museum will broaden the appeal of Worcester’s premier cultural institution, and provide visitors with an exceptional opportunity to view the arms and armor in a broader context.” Although Higgins will close at the end of the year, the museum has planned a full schedule of student and family-friendly activities through December 31. Popular annual events such as Women in Armor month, Siege the Day Trebuchet Contest, Star Wars Day, Free Fun Friday, Haunted Higgins, Gingerbread Castle Competition, and so much more will continue to draw big crowds as visitors visit Higgins while they can. The extremely popular Festival of Ale will be held in the fall, and more programming will be added to celebrate the last days of the arms and armor at their museum of origin. “This is a significant event for the City of Worcester, Higgins and WAM,” says Maas. “To close a museum with integrity to the benefit of the collection and the community is an extraordinary undertaking. We have spent a great deal of time refining John Woodman Higgins’ world-class collection, planning for its future at WAM and carefully considering the timing of our announcement in order to ensure we have ample time to fundraise for the future preservation of the collection. We will focus our efforts during the next nine months to celebrate both the museum’s rich history and the collection. It’s an opportunity for visitors to relive the memories they have of Higgins or to introduce their children to the museum before the collection relocates.” “The integration of the Higgins collection is of historic dimension for WAM as it enriches our collections substantially,” says Matthias Waschek, director of the Worcester Art Museum. “We know this collection holds a special place in the hearts of so many, and we’re going to do everything we can to ensure those memories can endure and that new ones are created for future generations.” The building is listed on the National Register of Historical Places and is one of the finest examples of early glass and steel architecture in the country. Many future uses are being explored and partners are being sought." -
higgins.org
