Toledo Ohio's art history and history in the making
Supporting Document Index
Sheep in Pasture by Willem Steelink (Dutch, 1856-1928) 1899. OBJECT NUMBER: 1902.1 Gift of Grafton M. Acklin
Our museum began in 1901 with the efforts of the artists of Toledo and the generous gift of Edward Drummond Libbey and Florence Scott Libbey. It was funded in part by the pennies and nickels collected and donated by children. That’s why it’s our museum.
Index to supporting documents for the Toledo Museum of Art Request for Review by the Ohio Attorney General Charitable Law Section:
Edward Drummond Libbey Will
…all paintings, pictures and other works of art by it or them acquired by expenditures from said income, shall at all times be properly and appropriately housed in one or more rooms of The Toledo Museum of Art in said City of Toledo, each of which rooms shall at all times be designated and plainly marked “The Edward Drummond Libbey Gallery”; each and every of said painting, other pictures and works of art shall at all times be plainly marked “Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey”, and shall be kept adequately insured against loss from fire, theft and other causes…
Florence Scott Libbey Will
…in the purchase of paintings, statuary, furniture and other works of art, each of which, when so acquired, shall have designated thereon, or near thereto, the following words: “Florence Scott Libby Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott”, and shall be permanently installed in one or more rooms of the building or buildings of said Museum of Art, each of which shall be designated and known as the “Maurice A. Scott Memorial Gallery”…
note: 25 independent contractors paid more than $100,000 in 2025, totaling somewhere between $8,344,687 and $12,932,440 (as only the top five highest paid independent contractors are itemized.) Compare to previous years.
Independent Contractors 2020-2025
Independent Contractors 2011-2019
for historical reference
Independent Contractors 2011-2019
Collection Metrics
historic data collected from 990s showing annual dollar amounts of new acquisitions, deaccessions, approximate annual number of artworks, and a June 11, 2026 screenshot of emusuem stats
Program Services Accomplishments 2007-2013A former board member, Joaquín Cintron Vega, was the CEO of the Lucas Metropolitan Housing from 2020 until early 2024 when he moved to Denver. In June 2026 it is reported that he has been fired from his new job as CEO of the Denver Housing Authority. His association with the Toledo Museum of Art is now to wonder about, as it was while he was on the board that the museum developed their outreach program “bursting outside their walls” building art making stations for housing developments within a 2-mile radius of the museum. Most teaching efforts seemed to be funneled into Lucas Metropolitan Housing, with grants focused on this small area, to the exclusion of the rest of Toledo, who were denied this education.Note here that Director Kennedy’s Visual Literacy offshoot, COVE was initiated as a Program Service, but has been listed subsequently on the Program Service Revenue as being a for-profit licensing fee under “Non-related Business Revenue” Program Service. It is a profit-making educational program using the museum to visually train industrial workers. Note the current $1,500 per-person fee in the link below. Is this in line with the museum’s tax-exempt mission to educate, having a sideline profitable educational program which originally developed under the umbrella of mission-oriented educational Program Service Accomplishments, as a part of Director Kennedy’s signature Visual Literacy effort?
Center of Visual Expertise in Form 990, directors and program fee COVE in 990 etc. These pages also show other Program Service Revenue, including the fiscal year 2024 $3M spike in Facility Fees, the subject of the following infograph:
Adam Levine discussing how management quantifies the risk of damage compared to the monetization of the art for fees at a talk at Christies, November 2025, youtube video — https://youtu.be/PerGbxAA1bY?si=_Xoa2_XuiFAnAnXQ
travel expenses have risen dramatically since 2005 ($72,523 to $850,405) (click on headline to see details in surveyed 990s)
Management and fundraising has quadrupled since Director Bacigalupi’s time in 2005 but the expense allocated to Program Services has actually decreased when adjusted for inflation (this chart is not adjusted for inflation). Museum attendance has decreased by 66%.
TMA Form 990 Statement of Functional Expenses pages
showing cost and allocation trend of employee compensation, salaries and wages, selected years between 2005–2025. These pages also show some data on travel, art purchases, repairs & maintenance, shipping & postage.
showing increase from four costing $834,540 in fiscal year 2017 to ten costing $1,923,270 in fy 2024. Note that the dollar amount reported on fy 2024 and fy 2025 for Highest Compensated Employees does not correspond to the entries on Part IX, line 5A, total compensation of officers, directors and key employees.
Highest-Compensated-Employees-2017-2025
Collection sales [work in progress to be assembled]
International tours [work in progress to be assembled]
What are the “colonial and racial histories and legacies of our own institutions” at the Toledo Museum of Art, which has always been a most inclusive and community oriented civic institution, servicing all the people of Toledo ever since its 1901 democratic beginnings, and is at the top of the list for such inclusivity compared to any other museum in the country? It was funded in part by the pennies and nickels collected and donated by children. But the new, outsider leadership has branded the museum as having been bad so it could rebrand it being good (and spent at least $2 million on the rebranding.) In an unmitigated betrayal of trust, behind closed doors they made undisclosed arrangements for international exhibitions of Toledo’s magnificent art collection, hanging on the gallery walls and held in trust for the people of Toledo. Instead of properly maintaining the museum building for the safety of the artwork and display for the people of Toledo, they told people all art had to be removed so the HVAC could be repaired, as if all the art had to be taken out of the museum for safety’s sake. Museum attendance dropping 66% in five years, since the rebranding.Andrea Gardner, assistant museum director, quoted in a July 8, 2026 feature article in an Australian publication announcing the Impressionist show that opened on July 11, 2026 in Adelaide. These quotes show a bad attitude towards Toledo and a disrespect to the people of Toledo, Andrea being happy that they “kind of turned the corner” and are allowing it out of their “inner sanctum” so that people can enjoy it. Note that 400,000 in annual attendance, one of the highest per-capita museum attendance in the country is not an inner sanctum. Libbey intended the paintings to be hung in the Toledo Museum of Art, for the people of Toledo.
Gallery 35, the long-time gallery for the Impressionist paintings, is being renovated to display the museum’s highlights and named for Robin and Pat Stranahan, defying the founder’s will that states that a gallery displaying artwork gifted by Edward Drummond Libbey must be called the The Edward Drummond Libbey Gallery.
Previous Renovations [work in progress to be assembled]
