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For and
About Members & Donors
Judi Simboli Collins stands before a 1929 self-portrait
painted by her uncle, Raymond Simboli, that is now part of Carnegie Museum
of Art’s collection.
A legacy of love
Judi Simboli Collins inherited her love of Carnegie
Museums from her family, which was immersed in both the arts and the
museums. “We made regular Sunday
afternoon outings to Carnegie Museums when I was a little girl,” she
remembers. Her father, William
Simboli, an architect, designed steel mills for Allegheny Ludlum
Corporation. Her uncle, Raymond
Simboli, an artist, made his brother’s mills the subject of several of his
paintings. Raymond’s work appeared
in four Carnegie Internationals
between 1925 and 1934. Recently,
there has been a resurgence of interest in his work, and a new Web site,
simbolimuseum.berkeley.edu, is devoted to him. Works by both William and Raymond Simboli
are now in the permanent collection of Carnegie Museum of Art.
Judi
followed in their footsteps by studying at Carnegie Mellon, where she
received a degree in textiles and design.
She is now an accomplished and respected painter whose work has been
shown in local galleries including Mendelson and Bird in the Hand as well
as in California and Switzerland. ARTnews Magazine art critic Harry
Schwalb wrote of Judi’s work in 1999, “With Collins’ work we find
traditional landscape transformed by a 1990s sensibility…decorative, yet
tough…realistic, yet abstract…dimensional, yet flat…filled with light, yet
it is the light of a brilliant Broadway set design.” She also has donated pieces to auction at
fundraisers for the Pittsburgh Opera and the Pittsburgh Symphony, among
others.
Her
husband, Dr. Lawrence Collins, shares Judi’s love of the arts. “We make visiting art exhibitions and
galleries the centerpiece of our travels,” says Judi. Some of their favorite destinations are
the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Museums of Modern Art in New
York and San Francisco, the Chicago Art Institute, and the Picasso Museum
in Barcelona. “We’ve also visited
museums in London, Paris, Tokyo, and Florence,” says Judi. Nevertheless, she notes, “Carnegie Museum
of Art is on a par with any museum anywhere in the world.”
Judi
and Larry recently increased their support of Carnegie Museums by becoming
members of the Carnegie Patrons Circle, for those who make leadership gifts
of $1,895 or more to Carnegie Museums’ annual sustaining fund. They also just joined Carnegie Museum of
Arts Collectors Forum. “We just felt
that we could be contributing more to the museums,” says Judi. “Carnegie Museums has a quality and
stature than brings so much to the city.”
Judi
also has carried on the legacy begun by her father and uncle by bringing,
first, her children, and, now, her grandchildren, to Carnegie Museums for
Sunday visits. However, one of
Judi’s favorite times to visit is whenever she has a few free moments
between appointments in Oakland. “I
scoot over to see my favorites in the Museum of Art’s collection—Degas, Van
Gogh, Monet, Manet—those that are most meaningful in my own work. I may look at no more than six paintings,
but then I’m refreshed by seeing them again.”
Reciprocal Membership Gets Even Better!
Reciprocal membership provides you with free admission
to nearly 30 museums of art and natural history, free general admission for
up to four guests any time you visit Carnegie Museums, and eight free
tickets to shows at Carnegie Science Center’s Rangos Omnimax Theater. But Reciprocal membership just got even
better. You can now use your eight
free Omnimax tickets for any of the Science Center’s special attractions,
including UPMC SportsWorks or
Laser Fantasy Shows. Just present
your tickets at the admissions counter and they will be redeemed for
admission to the venue of your choice.
To upgrade your membership to the Reciprocal level, stop at any of
our admissions or membership desks, or call Membership at 412.622.3314.
Additional 2001 Donor and Volunteer Leadership
Carnegie Museums recognizes with gratitude the following
individuals who were mistakenly omitted from the special supplement
celebrating 2001 donor and volunteer leadership that appeared in the
May/June issue of CARNEGIE magazine.
We regret the error.
CARNEGIE PATRONS CIRCLE
Director’s Society:
$5,000 - $9,999
Howard*
and Marilyn Bruschi
Curator’s Society:
$2,500 - $4,999
Mrs. John W. Wilson
TOTAL 2001 GIVING
Individuals:
$1,895 - $2,499
Seddon*
and Frances Bennington
Corporate, Foundation and Organization Donors: $25,000+
This
heading mistakenly omitted the “+”.
Donor listed in this category
generously contributed $25,000 or more.
* Trustee/Board member
More than 350 of Carnegie Museums’ most loyal supporters
and guests attended a special luncheon in April. The honorees, who have been members of
Carnegie Museums for at least 25 years, and their guests gathered in
Carnegie Music Hall for a lecture by The Andy Warhol Museum director Thomas
Sokolowskititled “Why People Like to
Collect Things,” which complemented The Warhol’s recent exhibition, Possession Obsession: Objects from Andy
Warhol’s Personal Collection.
Long-term members and their guests then enjoyed lunch in the Music
Hall Foyer with president Ellsworth Brown, Carnegie
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