As you may have heard, the IMA has decided to make several changes to our membership program beginning September 1.  These changes were first announced to our IMA members via email last week. Since then, we have received several good questions about the changes that we thought we should share with our blogging community.

Why did the Museum change the membership structure?

After five years of the same basic membership structure, the Museum was past due for an update. Therefore, after months of research and benchmarking, the Museum’s development department decided to make necessary adjustments to our program in order to keep it current.

I hear the IMA is instituting paid parking in September. Do members park for free?

Yes, all IMA members will receive free parking as a benefit of membership. Simply bring your membership card with you each time you visit the Museum for entry.

 I just purchased my membership in June. Will my benefits change September 1, 2011?

No. Current members who have an expiration date before September 1, 2012 will not experience any changes until their current membership expires.

 Why did you take away the guest from the Individual and Student membership levels?

We want our members to know that the majority of their contribution is going to support the IMA’s efforts to offer free school tours and educational opportunities to the community, and unfortunately the previous structure could not guarantee this.

 Why did you increase the price of the Student and Individual levels?

A slight increase to these levels was necessary in order to stay current, and is in line with our peer institutions.

 Why did you change the name of the Family membership level to Dual/Family?

We changed the name in recognition of the fact that modern families are defined in many ways. We want our members to be able to share the museum with members of their family, whether that be a spouse, life partner, children, grandchildren, or their closest friends.

 Why did you take away the Sustaining level membership?

With our new structure, we have worked to establish benefits at each level that are distinctive and match the various personalities of our visitors. We did not feel that the Sustaining level offered enough benefits to continue offering it as a distinct level. Therefore, the IMA decided to consolidate two of the upper-level member groups, Sustaining and Associate, by phasing out the Sustaining level and reducing the cost of the Associate to $125.

 Why does the Associate level no longer offer reciprocal benefits?

The IMA has continued to grow its reciprocal program over the years. Today, we have one of the most extensive reciprocal membership programs in the country, offering benefits at more than 500 institutions. Therefore, we decided to start the reciprocal benefit at a higher giving level.

 Will docents still continue to receive reciprocal benefits?

Yes. Our docents, who do so much to support the IMA’s audience engagement efforts, will continue to receive reciprocal benefits with the purchase of an Individual or Dual/Family membership.

We thank you for all of your thoughtful questions and your understanding of the changes. The Museum looks forward to offering more family programs, better communications and additional special promotions in the coming year in thanks for the support of its members.

The Art Lover – Are you shopping for someone who briefly majored in photography or loves fashion or is always looking for new things to do on the weekends? An IMA gift membership is all of this, plus more, rolled into one package deal! Plus, it is literally the gift that keeps giving all year long. Simply send in this form by December 14 to make sure that your gift arrives before the holidays.

The Film Buff – For the person who can wax lyrical for hours on end about Kurosawa or Hitchcock, check out the 2011 Winter Nights Film Series. You could surprise them with tickets to one movie, or the entire series!

The Foodie – If buying them yet another gift at Williams-Sonoma is too daunting (they already own the entire store), you can’t go wrong with tickets to our Chef’s Taste Series. Or why not make a date and treat them to lunch at Nourish Café? The menu changes weekly and features local and contemporary fare.

The Green Thumb – Has winter left your friend or family member gloomy at the prospect of waiting until spring to get back out in the garden? Why not brighten their day with a gift from our Greenhouse Shop? Treat yourself, too, by stopping by the Greenhouse during our December 16th evening Open House to enjoy hundreds of luminaria, holiday music and toasty beverages.

The Humanitarian –If you know someone who always claims that they don’t need more “stuff” or who spends all of their free time volunteering, why not make a gift to the IMA in their honor? We will send them a letter, plus list their name (and yours) in our summer magazine. No wrapping necessary!

The Music Aficionado –Is their iPod overflowing with classical overtures and/or show tunes? If so, consider buying them tickets to the IMA presentation of The Kid and The Idle Class, a screening of two classic Charlie Chaplin films accompanied by a performance by the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.

When in doubt, check out our Museum store and Design Center online or in person. We have note cards, coffee table books, jewelry, scarves, salt and pepper shakers, lamps, cookies, ornaments and all sorts of interesting items just waiting for you to take them home and wrap them up in something pretty. The elves at the IMA are standing by and waiting for your call… Happy Holidays!

Your continued financial support and philanthropy is important to the community and the IMA, and we want you to know that we appreciate you.

As a thank you, we have some fantastic opportunities for you to take advantage of, May 10-16, during our first ever IMA Member Appreciation Week. Member week is your ticket to access special tours, talks and discounts all week long. I’ll tell you about a few highlights – but take a look at our full schedule of events (RSVP to reserve your spot.)

Kick-start Member Appreciation Week on Tuesday with an introduction to the IMA’s World War II-era Provenance Research Project. Annette Schlagenhauff, Associate Curator for Research, discusses the IMA’s continued efforts to research current and proposed works in our collection and publish the findings. You may recognize Annette from her articles in the IMA Magazine.

Thursday, May 13 is Member Night. Happy Hour starts at 5:30 pm, with double discounts at Nourish Café on food and beverages, including a “Member’s Special” drink. Thursday through Sunday, the Museum Store is offering an extra 20% off merchandise related to art featured in the museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collections. After happy hour, join Chelsey Fleming, co-curator of the newly-opened Ancient Art of the Mediterranean gallery for a personal tour.

We all know the weekend is time for rest and relaxation. The Gardens and Grounds of the IMA are the place to soak in the beauty of spring- on Saturday, join us for a garden walk. Horticulturist Geoff VonBurg, will share insights on the Gene and Rosemary Tanner Orchard and its historical significance to the Lilly House. On Sunday Chad Franer, Horticulture Manager, will lead a “What’s in Bloom?” tour on the IMA grounds. Be sure to stop by the Greenhouse Shop for 20% off their unique selection of plants and merchandise.

photo by Irvin Etienne

Even after Member Week comes to a close, we still have great deals year-round for our members. Summer Nights is quickly approaching and we’re doing something new this year- special pricing and members-only online ticket sales. We are also very excited to invite you to the 100 Acres Art & Nature Park Opening Celebration on Saturday, June 19. Invites will be mailed soon.

Not a member yet? Check out the different levels and benefits and become one today to take advantage of all of the special events and deals happening during Member Week.

Thank you again for your continued support. Your input is valued, so please share ideas and suggestions about member programs that would best serve you. See you soon at the IMA!

With that, we are pleased to announce the new and improved online Shop Section:

With the launch of the online shop, users (that’s you) will now be able to purchase tickets and memberships right along side any books, cards, or jewelry you may decide to buy.  Whether you’re shopping the IMA Store, the Design Center, or the Greenhouse Shop, you’ll immediately receive a 10% membership discount on items when you are purchasing a membership.  If you already have a membership, you will just need to login to take advantage of the discount.

The shop also received a dramatic visual overhaul, bringing featured products and categories to the front.  And all based on the 960 grid system as previously discussed by Matt. Happy shopping!

As numbers twirl around my head like 10-year old Chinese gymnasts (they are definitely NOT 16 that’s for sure), I thought I’d share with you some of my favorites. You can find a lot of these stats on the IMA’s dashboard, but some of the numbers are not accessible to the public…until now. In the Museum’s ongoing dedication to full transparency, here’s IMA by the numbers:

Full-time Employees: 197

Average Daily Blog Readers: 220

To Live Forever Exhibition Attendance through Aug. 11: 18,254

IMA Members: 10,454

Pieces of Glass in the Efroymson Entrance Pavilion: 225

Days until To Live Forever Closes: 24

Tickets Sold to Summer Nights Film Rocky Horror Picture Show: 714

Percentage of Web visitors from Indiana: 52%

IMA Curators: 12

Visitors to IMA, July 2008: 47,548

Cubic Yards of Concrete poured for 2005 renovation: 25,000

Square feet of IMA building: 492,000

Nugget Factory productions on YouTube: 100

Women named Pam on Staff: 5

Designers named Matt on Staff: 3 (2 graphic & 1 web)

Days until Power and Glory: Court Arts from the Ming Dynasty opens: 73

Number of Views to IMA’s first-ever YouTube video: 3,593

Number of days I’ve worked at the IMA: 1,354

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