2024 Annual Fund Appeal
Dearest friends of the Museum,
In 1884, a local woman named Hattie Dudley sailed on a Kennebunk-built ship captained by her husband around the Cape of Good Hope. She kept a diary – a recording of her first entry can be found below. While the pencil outlines of her writing fade, her experiences endure. And they rest here, at the Museum.
We collect stories of world-wide adventure, personal joy, and unbearable loss. Hattie’s diary is emotionally visceral in its grief that it inspires any reader to wonder what can be done to help her. While there is nothing we can do for Hattie Dudley now, we can help people who struggle with the same grief today. You may have taken part in our popular “Great Grief” Discussion series over the past three years; or seen that we now host a weekly grief group here at the Museum.
Thousands of stories are preserved in our Archives, waiting to be explored in an exhibition or presentation or program that can change perspectives. Funny stories like that of Percy Millard, who got seasick on his first voyage as a sailor and begged his father to let him come home; and relatable slices of life like that of Sarah Emery, who described how the groundhog living under her porch came up and stole a whole piece of cake from her plate. History comes alive through experiences. Your support means we can do this.
The Brick Store Museum ignites personal connections to local history, art and cultures through exhibitions, education and programs illustrating the human experience in Kennebunk and its surrounding communities. Creating relationships across time and space is an important part of becoming an empathetic global citizen for today and tomorrow’s world. Your support means we can do this.
The Museum has worked for nearly 90 years to inspire future generations. The backbone of our work is the belief that the real product of museum education is not the works of art or historical narratives, but the visitor who comes away from these experiences with new perspectives and essential tools for thinking and communicating.
We have big plans on the horizon: you may have even heard that we were looking for more space! Our attendance has doubled since 2019 – in order to understand what we need to best serve our visitors, we are completing a Campus Master Plan that will assess how we use our spaces to improve and streamline our work for 2025 and beyond. Your support means we can do this.
Your support of the Museum’s Annual Fund goal of $100,000 this year enables the Museum to help our communities flourish. Thank you for all you do to help this Museum succeed. DONATE TODAY!
Best wishes,
David Moravick Bruce Jackson
President, Board of Trustees Vice-President, Board of Trustees
