Cultural Institutions

Ancora’s clients include world-class iconic museums, regional and neighborhood entities, and start-up organizations. We know that cultural institutions have a different set of needs even within the non-profit space. Our teams engage with Boards of Directors and/or Executive Staff to tackle critical organizational issues including overarching strategic direction, development of current and future audiences, and prioritization of capital investments, along with many others. Ancora has helped our clients:

  • Refresh an existing mission and vision to energize and invigorate a mature institution and create a roadmap for the next 5-10 years of its history.
  • Create strategy for opening a new museum, including audience segmentation and  identification of philanthropic resource
  • Formulate and execute a major strategic and operational shift intended to launch organization into a new phase of its growth
  • Manage renovation of physical plant and installation of initial artwork and exhibits.
Clients include:

IPRAC: Institute for Puerto Rican Arts and Culture

Ancora managed the start-up and launch of the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Chicago, which is now the only self-standing cultural institution in the nation devoted to showcasing Puerto Rican arts and historic exhibitions year-round.

Located in Chica go’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (IPRAC) occupies the historic land mark Humboldt Park Stables and Receptory building. IPRAC is devoted to the promotion, integration and advancement of the rich Puerto Ric an arts tradition. IPRAC offers quality community arts and cultural programming, including visual art exhibitions, hands-on community arts workshops, outdoor fine arts and crafts festivals along with permanent exhibitions.

Ancora helped develop IPRAC’s strategic plan for a permanent museum space and provided operational support through a full public launch. Ancora managed build out and renovation, grant award and compliance through US Department of Housing and Urban Development and other foundations, commissioning of artwork, and the installation of initial exhibits, including the 21-foot handcrafted mosaic map of Puerto Rico that adorns the inner courtyard of the museum.

Long-Range Strategic Plan for Major Natural History Museum

Changing generations and expectations place shift in g demands on iconic cultural institutions. In Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History was formed during the 1893 Columbian Exposition World’s Fair, and for more than a century has served as a world-class research center for biology, archeology and anthropology. With over 21 million specimens, man y dating back to 1893, the Field Museum has one of the most robust Natural History collections in the world.

By 1999, however, the Field Museum faced the challenge of reinventing itself for a 21st century audience. Needing to shift from a Cabinet of Curiosity model to a fully integrated, multidisciplinary and multisensory museum experience, the Field Museum engaged Ancora Associates to lead a comprehensive strategic plan designed to generate a 10-year roadmap.

Tasked with addressing declining audiences and outdated exhibitions, Ancora led a comprehensive review of departments, staff, operations and finances and engaged Board Members and senior staff in a series of conversations around the findings. The 10-year strategic plan that emerged from this robust and collaborative process addressed collections management, capital expansion, and holistic visitor experience. The revitalization paid off, as by 2006 the Field Museum was Chicago’s top tourist attraction, and one of America’s 10 most visited museums.

Shift in Organizational Mission/France

The Terra Foundation for American Art supports the worldwide study and presentation of historical art of the United States through grants, initiatives, partnerships, and arts education. Founded by Daniel Terra in 1978, the Foundation opened the Terra Museum of American Art in Chicago in 1980 and the Musée d’Art Américain Giverny in France in 1992.

In the mid-2000s, the Terra Foundation engaged Ancora Associates to conduct a thorough strategic review to determine how it could best steward and leverage its resources, while continuing to achieve its mission of providing a broad audience exposure to American art. Ancora performed a thorough analysis of all operations in both France and America. Working collaboratively with a leadership group at the Terra Foundation, Ancora helped form and then implement a strategic plan for change management within the French organization. With Ancora’s support, the Terra Foundation established a partnership with the French government to secure operating stability for museum operations in France, freeing the foundation to expand grant programs, lend its collection to international institutions, enhance acquisition, and create traveling shows designed to foster a dynamic and evolving conversation about American art.