The Romare Bearden Homecoming Celebration

     Working with the Romare Bearden Foundation, Ms. Amato-Milligan and her team spearheaded the major fundraising and marketing effort for the $1.6 million The Romare Bearden Homecoming Celebration (September 2004 to March 2005), successfully funding the project within a year’s time through securing significant sponsorship from: The Altria Group (Lead Sponsor); Museums NY/Museum Traveler (Cultural Media Sponsor); the Ford Foundation (Major sponsor) and Market Salamander/Sheila Johnson (Major Sponsor) and Macy’s East (Major Sponsor).

The Celebration, which was conceived of and developed by the Romare Bearden’s Foundation, was implemented by AmatoMilligan & Associates, with Lorna Harris as Project Director, and included a multi-tiered, citywide marketing and public relations effort. It was a joyous welcome home for Romare Bearden (1911-1988), occasioned by the exhibition of the national touring retrospective, The Art of Romare Bearden, at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The legacy of Bearden’s artistic and intellectual achievements was celebrated for over a year across New York City, marked by engaging multidisciplinary programs and events at over 24 participating cultural institutions.

The most high-profile events associated with the Celebration were promoted both locally and regionally through an integrated marketing campaign. To maximize diverse audience participation, AM&A’s avenues for promotions included print and Internet advertising, television and radio publicity, and the production of publications and program-schedules.

The key communications piece for the event was an eleven-page, full-color brochure distributed to the public and displayed by each Celebration partner institution. In addition, ‘take-away’ cards and other printed matter used by NYC & Company, New York’s tourism and promotions bureau, were distributed to all existing tourist information booths in high-traffic areas of New York City.

Finally, a special Homecoming Celebration website was launched complete with a calendar of events and links to each participating organization. The website also included a prominently placed sponsorship page providing links to sponsors’ own websites. The Celebration was greatly publicized on each of our participating partner’s websites and promotional materials.

The Celebration was hailed by all participants as a model of institutional collaborations and partnerships made to further the goals of all involved. Whether they were large institutions with many resources or mid-sized to smaller institutions with more limited resources, everyone that contributed to this event benefited.