The Frick Pittsburgh looks to the future with new strategic plan
In late April, about 50 of The Frick Pittsburgh’s most generous donors attended the inaugural “Collectors Dinner” in the Point Breeze museum’s European gallery. The patrons didn’t just eat and drink at the blacktie dinner — they also chose the newest two additions to The Frick’s collection.
The event — in which they were presented with three possible additions to the collection — represents one concrete application of the museum’s new strategic plan, unveiled Wednesday.
The strategic plan, two years in the making, identifies three goals for The Frick: audience growth, organizational efficiency and long-term planning.
“We’re known as a hidden gem, but we want to expand that and make a broader audience aware of us,” said Greg Langel, marketing and PR manager.
The plan identifies five strategies to accomplish those goals: 1) define and refine The Frick experience for all audiences and stakeholders, both existing and future; 2) invest in critical marketing initiatives to build audience revenue; 3) become more efficient in managing the organization, resources and finances; 4) develop sustainable metrics and data acquisition infrastructure; and 5) initiate a long-term visioning exercise for Frick 2040.
The plan also emphasizes three “equal and interwoven components of the unique experience offered by The Frick”: art, history and nature.
The focus on nature, and the role that the five-acre grounds play on the user experience, is fairly new, Mr. Langel said. In recent years, The Frick has opened a new entrance and a new set of walking paths. It is in the process of developing a mobile app that will identify various plants and other features in its gardens.
Its popular outdoor Fridays at The Frick summer events will kick off this Friday and run every week through Sept. 8. The initiation of a new “acquisition program” is also a part of the strategic plan.
“We have acquired things over the last 20 years but in a very limited manner,” said Mr. Langel. “We’re going to grow the collection, enhance the collection and refine The Frick experience.”
Driven by the decisions made at the collectors dinner, the museum has acquired two new pieces: a pair of late-18th-century Angouleme porcelain vases and Cream, a 2015 color photographic print by Dutch artist Hendrik Kerstens.
Anya Sostek: asostek@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1308.