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The Dennos celebrates 20 years: A letter from the Director

Dear Friends:

20 years ago today, on July 6, 1991, the ribbon was cut to open the Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College.  The Museum evolved from a combination of needs in the Grand Traverse area: when the college built the Fine Arts building in 1971 there was a plan to build an art gallery and concert hall on each of its wings, and in the early 1980s an analysis of community cultural needs by the Arts Council called for a gallery or formal exhibition space.  College and community members worked to plan the Dennos to fulfill these two needs for the Grand Traverse region.

Mike and Barb Dennos, at the encouragement of Paul Welch, then the Chair of the NMC Art Department, provided the funds to enable architect Bob Holdeman from AAI, Inc. in Traverse City to design a concept for a museum center.

Shirley Okerstrom, as a college trustee, encouraged the other trustees to authorize a major fundraising effort headed by the NMC Foundation in 1983. With the support of a 1,000 donors, Rotary Charities, and the State of Michigan, the funds to carry out this project were raised.  This led to the hiring of the museum director (yours truly) in 1988, to work with Bob Holdeman to finalize the plans and proceed with construction of the museum.

20 years later it is hard to imagine Traverse City or NMC without the Dennos.  Hundreds of amazing exhibitions and concerts have come through the facility and have been experienced by people making over a million visits for the wide range of activities that take place here.

If you walked through the front door that first day you encountered the work of the world’s most famous studio glass artist, Dale Chihuly, on our 10th Anniversary visitors saw artifacts of ancient Egypt, and today, they are engaged by Bodies Human: Anatomy in Motion. In Milliken Auditorium you have had the opportunity to hear jazz, blues, classical, and world music by performers of regional, national, and international stature on a yearly basis.

The Dennos has become the region’s premier cultural center offering a diverse array of programming backed up by an art collection that has more than doubled in size. This includes over 1,100 catalogued works of Inuit Art, the museum’s signature collection which gives the Dennos international status.

We invite you to join us many times over our 20th Anniversary year. We have many exciting exhibitions and concerts planned for you this coming year and in some cases you might directly participate in the creation or presentation of these events. Stay tuned!

Sincerely,

Eugene A. Jenneman, Director