Fiscal Year 2026 Impact Report
Curatorial and Collections Care
Commitment to Care
Throughout the year, your generosity helped provide curators, conservators, photographers and collection specialists with resources they needed to work together. Through you, these skilled professionals strengthened the collection with acquisitions, conservation treatments, research initiatives, photography projects and exhibition development. The Toledo Museum of Art’s collection is one of our community’s greatest cultural resources and requires vigilant caretaking. During FY26, donor support was critical to not only preserving works of art, but researching, documenting, interpreting and sharing them with audiences around the world.
Impact at a Glance OBJECTS ASSESSED BY CONSERVATION
1,800
OBJECTS PHOTOGRAPHED WITH NEW EQUIPMENT
217
ACQUISITIONS TO THE COLLECTION
81
DIGITAL ART CONSERVATION PROJECTS
30
Expanding the Stories We Share A museum collection is always a work in progress, and the generosity of our donors is key to every acquisition, research project and conservation treatment. Your support means future generations will encounter a broader, richer understanding of artistic achievement across cultures, time periods and perspectives.
Acquisition Highlights Works by Mary Sully
TMA’s representation of Indigenous art gained significant strength with the acquisition of works by Dakota Sioux artist Mary Sully, reflecting years of relationship-building and scholarship. “Phil Deloria, Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History at Harvard University, published a book about his great aunt Mary Sully in 2019. Sully was born Susan Deloria, in 1896 on the Standing Rock reservation in South Dakota and was descendent of both Native American ancestors and the Euro-American painter Thomas Sully. When Dr. Deloria made the decision to seek out institutional homes for the works, I approached him to find out if [the Toledo Museum of Art] could be included in this incredible opportunity, as there are less than 150 Sully works in existence. With the acquisition of eight of these works, TMA visitors can now learn about the ways in which Dakota visual language has been used across time and learn how Sully translated her traditional language and art into something distinctive and difficult to conventionally classify.” JOHANNA MINICH
Consulting Curator of Native American Art
EXHIBITIONS DEVELOPED
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FY26 Impact Report: Curatorial and Collections Care
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1. Mary Sully (Dakota Sioux, 1896–1963), William Lyon Phelps. 1920s–1940s, colored pencil, black ink, gilt, white paint, pastel crayon, on paper. Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 2025.147
3. Mary Sully (Dakota Sioux, 1896–1963), Dr. Carl Seashore. 1920s–1940s, colored pencil, black ink, gilt, white paint, pastel crayon, on paper. Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 2025.148
2. Mary Sully (Dakota Sioux, 1896–1963), Lily Pons. 1920s–1940s, colored pencil, black ink, gilt, white paint, pastel crayon, on paper. Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 2026.2
Toledo Museum of Art
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Hale Woodruff’s The Underground Railroad The acquisition of this historic mural advanced TMA’s representation within American Art and supported broader collection goals. Erin Corrales-Diaz, Curator of American Art at TMA, describes her experience during the acquisition of Hale Woodruff’s The Underground Railroad:
Hale Aspacio Woodruff (American, 1900–1980), The Underground Railroad. 1942, oil on canvas. Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, by exchange, 2025.168
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“In 1938, Hale Woodruff received a commission from Talladega College, a historically Black institution in Alabama, to paint a series of six murals for a new campus library, including The Underground Railroad. As The Underground Railroad recently entered Toledo’s collection, it was imperative for me to travel to Talladega and meet with college representatives, community members, and other important stakeholders as we embarked on this historic partnership among the college, the Toledo Museum of Art, Art Bridges Foundation, and the Terra Foundation for American Art. As I near the end of my fifth year at TMA, Woodruff’s The Underground Railroad remains a watershed moment for me, underscoring the importance of African American artists within American art and serving as a powerful reminder of the legacy of enslavement and Ohio’s critical role as a gateway to emancipation.” ERIN CORRALES-DIAZ Curator of American Art
FY26 Impact Report: Curatorial and Collections Care
Alejandro Mario Yllanes’ Lake Titicaca TMA’s ongoing commitment to building representation within Latin American art is reflected in the addition of this historic work by Bolivian artist Alejandro Mario Yllanes.
Alejandro Mario Yllanes (Bolivian/Aymara, 1913–1960 (?)), Lake Titicaca. 1935, oil on canvas. Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, and Purchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott, 2026.8
Georgia Welles Apollo Society Acquisitions 1
Toledo Museum of Art
These additions exemplify how research, conservation and curatorial expertise work together to bring extraordinary pieces into the collection. 1. Cusco School Artist (Viceroyalty of Peru (modern-day Peru), 18th century), Our Lady of Mercy, the Pilgrim. 18th century, oil and gold leaf on canvas. Gift of The Georgia Welles Apollo Society, 2026.25 2. Villa Alta de San Ildefonso Workshop (Oaxaca, Mexico, 17th century), Villa Alta de San Ildelfenso Baul. Late 17th century, wood, iron. Gift of The Georgia Welles Apollo Society, 2026.26
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Research, Access and Future Impact
Your generosity plays a critical role in protecting works already entrusted to the Museum’s care. Conservation Highlights During FY26, collections staff completed numerous conservation treatments and preservation planning efforts that ensure works remain accessible to future audiences while supporting upcoming exhibitions and reinstallation projects. •
Strategic partnership established with Canyon Media Art Conservation Center (CMACC)
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Conservation planning completed for Infinite Images: The Art of Algorithms and Beeple Studio’s: Transient Bloom
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New acquisition and documentation workflows developed for time-based media artworks
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Collection assessments completed to help inform reinstallation planning
Research and Curatorial Highlights Extensive research and documentation are the foundations of every exhibition, acquisition, scholarship project and gallery installation. Curators must travel to study artworks firsthand, develop exhibitions, identify potential acquisitions and cultivate relationships that strengthen the Museum’s collection. The best testimonials of the importance of this work come from our curators. Robert Schindler, William Hutton Curator of European Art at TMA, recounts his pursuit of an exceptional 19th century table in Germany: “Late in 2024, a dealer brought to my attention a wonderful sewing table designed by German artist, architect, interior designer, and urban planner Karl Friedrick Schinkel in the early 1830s. It appealed immediately because of its outstanding quality, condition, and the fact that it had been in the same family for over 200 years, but also because TMA’s collection lacks good representation of later German artists and because it reflects the period’s fascination with the ancient world as the tabletop includes a representation of a then famous ancient mirror. Extensive research confirming the ownership history, Schinkel’s authorship and importance within his oeuvre, the circumstances of its production, etc. eventually led to visiting the dealer in Bremen, Northern Germany, to examine the table in person. Based on this research and first-hand inspection, I recommended to purchase the table for TMA, and following the museum’s rigorous acquisition process, the table officially entered TMA’s collection in July of 2025.” ROBERT SCHINDLER
William Hutton Curator of European Art
Karl Friedrich Schinkel (German/Prussian, 1781 – 1841), Sewing Table. About 1833, rosewood inlaid with brass and copper. Purchased with funds from The Charles Braton Johnson Family Furniture Fund, 2025.152
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FY26 Impact Report: Curatorial and Collections Care
Ancient Glass Photography Project Until recently, only five percent of the Museum’s ancient glass collection had color photography available to scholars and the public.
During FY26, TMA began the Ancient Glass Photography Project, a collaborative partnership with Ohio-based lighting equipment company F.J. Westcott and FUJIFILM. Using professional imaging equipment provided through the project, Museum staff are creating high-resolution digital images that dramatically expand access to the collection.
TMA’s collection of ancient glass is among the largest and most significant in the world, comprising more than 4,000 objects. Photography Impact •
As of July 2026, 217 additional ancient glass objects were photographed.
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New images were incorporated into TMA’s collections systems and online collections resources.
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100-megapixel imaging supports scholarship while reducing the need to physically handle fragile objects.
Before and after: Roman Bottle 100-200 CE (1923.958).
Toledo Museum of Art
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With Gratitude, Now and for Future Generations
TMA continues to build, preserve, document and study our collection in ways that benefit visitors today while safeguarding it for the visitors of tomorrow. Every conservation treatment, acquisition, photograph and research project ensures the collection remains a source of learning, inspiration and discovery for years to come. Your generosity is a cornerstone of that future. Thank You. 2445 Monroe Street Toledo, Ohio USA 43620 toledomuseum.org
On the Cover: Detail. Cusco School Artist (Viceroyalty of Peru (modern-day Peru), 18th century), Our Lady of Mercy, the Pilgrim. 18th century, oil and gold leaf on canvas. Gift of The Georgia Welles Apollo Society, 2026.25