Sonoma Valley Museum of Art Receives Generous Legacy Gift

The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art announces a generous legacy gift from Calvin R. Vander Woude. The Museum has had (and has) many friends and benefactors since it was founded in 1998. None have been as generous, in his life and recent death, as Calvin (Cal) R. Vander Woude. His gift totals well over $1 million.

Cal always wanted us to remember his partner in life – Harold (Hal) Broderick. Any gift that Cal made came from the two of them. They spent over 40 wonderful and fun-filled years together. Their love of art goes back many years and they owned an art gallery in Palm Springs before retiring to Sonoma in 1995. To our great fortune, Cal immediately became involved in the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art.

Cal served on the Museum’s Board of Directors from 2008 to 2012 and served as an officer and an Executive Committee member for several of those years. Cal was a founding member of the Legacy Circle. At that time, he made a commitment to leave a legacy gift to the Museum upon his passing.

“Cal has been an enlightened philanthropist, and always a visionary leader for the museum,” said Board President Douglas Fenn Wilson. “His support helped us create a place where art is accessible and where our galleries hum with life every day. This generous gift makes that goal a reality. Cal’s gift, when his estate is concluded, comes with no restrictions and may well exceed $1,000,000—the largest gift in SVMA’s history.”

In 2010, when the economy was turning south and fundraising was difficult, Cal made a leadership gift of $100,000 to support the Museum’s education programs. The Calvin R. Vander Woude Education Center was developed and the very popular Calvin R. Vander Woude Lively Arts Series was initiated. With this gift, the Museum also hired our first full time Education Director.

From that previous gift, Cal said “This gift came about as a result of the strategic planning process the museum just went through where everyone realized increasing the education and public programs was where we needed to focus. This made it a worthy investment for now and future use. The life of a museum is both within and without its walls. My hope is that this gift will not only provide for increased docent tours within the Museum, but the establishment of more creative, risk taking, challenging public programs for everyone.”

Cal did pass away at the too early age of 77 this past Fall. The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art misses Cal’s presence - his insightful thinking and dry sense of humor. “His memory will live on at our Museum because of his generous gifts,” remarked the SVMA board. “And, he will always be a part of what our Art Museum brings to our wonderful community.”

“To come into a financially stable museum allows me to prioritize our goals as a museum, and move into this next year with a strategic vision,” said Linda Cano, SVMA’s new Executive Director. “There are many things we will be able to accomplish with thanks to Cal’s gift. His memory will live on here at SVMA for many years to come.”

About the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art

Established in 1998, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art is a membership supported 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that provides seasonal exhibitions of contemporary and modern art and educational and public programming for children, youth and adults. Its mission is to be, “a magnet of creative energy and cultural inspiration with exhibitions and educational programs that engage the community in the art and ideas of our time, encouraging curiosity and innovation.”

The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art is located at 551 Broadway, one half block up from Sonoma’s historic Plaza. Regular
Museum hours are 11am–5pm
Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults. Children k–12 are admitted free, as are SVMA members. Additional information is available at www.svma.org by calling (707) 939-7862.