We are a bit more than a week away from the launch of the Centre at the Forks! There are lots of folks and organizations to thank that brought us to the finish line, and one we would like to highlight in this post is the Volunteer Committee to Museum London, which has been a strong supporter of the Museum for 61 years. Please join us on Sunday, September 30 at 1:00 pm for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Centre at the Forks.
When Museum London opened in 1980, the Volunteer Committee to Museum London (VCML) donated $100,000 to that capital campaign, which folklore suggests was raised “casserole by casserole”. In 2017, after being contacted by campaign co-chair, Judith Rodger, the VCML decided to contribute $56,435 to the current capital campaign to support of the Centre at the Forks project and to name the meeting space in "The Pod".
The VCML, established in 1956 and active until 2017, has had a long history of supporting the Museum. It finalized its operations after 61 years by gifting Nativity Scene, an installation piece by Kent Monkman on November 21, 2017. The defining purpose of the Volunteer Committee was to raise funds to acquire acquisitions for the permanent collection and aside from the Moore Collection, which is the bedrock of the Museum collection, the VCML provided more works of art to Museum London than any other group or individual.
In 2008 the Volunteer Committee Acquisition Fund was established with the proceeds from the deaccessioning of works previously purchased with funds from the volunteer committee. The amount currently remaining in this fund, approximately $188,000, shall remain in perpetuity, with the proceeds to be used solely for acquiring additional works that complement the permanent collection. The VCML will be recognized as donors for all works acquired from the fund and shall continue to be recognized as a Life Time Supporter.
The VCML looks forward to knowing that the acquisitions purchased over the last 61 years, and those to be purchased in the future, will continue to reflect and celebrate the culture of our city, province and country in an updated and beautiful facility. They are proud to be a part of that legacy.