From the Director Maxwell L. Anderson

America's leading art museums began to take shape in the 1870s, as the end of the Civil War allowed us to turn to examples of cultural stewardship in Europe. Indianapolis joined the movement in 1883, and the IMA can be counted among the 10 oldest general art museums in the United States. This fall we celebrate our 125th Anniversary with fanfare, highlighted by serial commemorations, gifts of funds and of art, and a major publication documenting the Museum's history.

After all, marking time is more worthwhile if it includes a projection of where we head next. And at the IMA we have no intention of coasting on the achievements of thousands of staff, volunteer leaders, patrons and others across one and a quarter centuries. On the contrary, we feel a special obligation, as a result of all their work and generosity, to continue to improve the experiment that began with a declaration in the Museum's original mission statement that we would raise the sights of our city through the arts "in every way possible." In keeping with this obligation, the board and staff have embraced a new mission statement:

"The Indianapolis Museum of Art serves the creative interests of its communities by fostering exploration of art, design, and the natural environment. The IMA promotes these interests through the collection, presentation, interpretation and conservation of its artistic, historic, and environmental assets."

In furtherance of this mission statement, we are committed to four goals:

• Leadership in imaginative acquisitions, collections care, exhibitions, exchanges and programs.
• Leadership in producing compelling ways of understanding, interpreting and presenting art, design and nature.
• Leadership in exploring the future place of art in nature.
• Leadership in stimulating and empowering public engagement.

This fall's compelling exhibition schedule, highlighted by Power and Glory: Court Arts of China's Ming Dynasty, will forcefully underscore the ingenuity of an apogee of one of the world's oldest cultures—and serve as a fitting tribute to what sustained support for art-making and art-collecting can produce. Closer to home, Gifts of the Gamboliers will shed light on a brilliant phase of patronage that catapulted our collection forward. And Class Pictures: Photographs by Dawoud Bey will reveal new ways of making art that eliminate the barrier between observer and observed, and welcome us all into the creative ferment of our time. Also designed to encourage active looking, The Viewing Project will open in October with a series of installations from the IMA's permanent collection.

Please join us in raising a glass to all who have brought the IMA to this point, and dive into our offerings with renewed enthusiasm as we embark on a bright new chapter together, "in every way possible."