irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $1.76MCOLLECTIONTHE NOGUCHI MUSEUM MANAGES THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF NOGUCHI'S ART, AND IS DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF THIS BODY OF WORK. THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 500 OBJECTS IN THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION WHICH INCLUDES STONE, SCULPTURES, CERAMICS, DANCE SETS, DRAWINGS, FURNITURE, SCULPTURAL MODELS, PORTRAIT HEADS, AND MODELS FOR PUBLIC WORKS. WHILE DESIGNING AND CURATING HIS MUSEUM, NOGUCHI SELECTED SEVERAL OF THESE WORKS TO BE ON PERMANENT DISPLAY IN THE MUSEUM'S GALLERIES. IN ADDITION TO SHOWCASING ITS PERMANENT COLLECTION, THE NOGUCHI MUSEUM ALSO SERVES THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY BY LOANING WORKS TO OTHER INSTITUTIONS.
- #2 $1.65MEXHIBITIONSIN ADDITION TO THE PERMANENT COLLECTION INSTALLED GALLERIES AND GARDEN AT THE NOGUCHI MUSEUM, EACH YEAR CHANGING EXHIBITIONS ARE PRESENTED THAT OFFER NEW PERSPECTIVES ON NOGUCHI'S ARTISTIC PRODUCTION. IN 2024, CHANGING EXHIBITIONS INCLUDED: "TOSHIKO TAKAEZU: WORLDS WITHIN" THAT CONTINUED ONTO A NATIONAL TOUR, "MIWAKO KURASHIMA: FOLDING COSMOS, AND "AGAINST TIME: THE NOGUCHI MUSEUM 40TH ANNIVERSARY REINSTALLATION," CELEBRATING THE MUSEUM'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Archives and Research
Manages Noguchi’s archives, catalogue raisonné, and intellectual property; supports scholarly research and reproduction rights through the Artists Rights Society.
Changing Exhibitions
Presents annual exhibitions that explore themes in Noguchi’s work, his collaborations, and his influence on contemporary art and design.
Education Programs
Provides guided tours for visitors with disabilities, local nonprofits, and school groups; supports access and inclusion initiatives.
Permanent Collection Display
Displays approximately 500 works by Isamu Noguchi, including sculptures, drawings, furniture, and models, in indoor galleries and an outdoor sculpture garden designed by the artist.
Public Tours
Offers daily conversational tours in English and monthly tours in Spanish, Japanese, and Mandarin, focusing on Noguchi’s life, vision, and selected artworks.
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 2 activities
- Host anniversary and public celebration eventsOrganized a yearlong series of special exhibitions, educational programs, and events to mark the museum’s 40th anniversary beginning in May 2025, including the creation of an anniversary timeline highlighting 40 key moments in the museum’s history.
- Present temporary and permanent exhibitions on Noguchi and related themesPresents changing temporary exhibitions exploring aspects of Noguchi’s work, his collaborators, and influence on contemporary art and design. Exhibitions include retrospectives (such as one featuring over 150 works that toured Europe in 2022–2023), thematic shows (e.g., organic architecture in Mexico, Japanese American incarceration), and collections-based installations like Subscapes and Useless Architecture. Also maintains a reinstalled core collection for the 40th anniversary in 2025.
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Digital Visitor Engagement via Mobile App 1 activity
- Deliver digital and on-site visitor engagement toolsEnhances visitor experience through a free mobile guide on the Bloomberg Connects app featuring behind-the-scenes multimedia content from artists and curators, and makes press releases about programming available for download. Also completed a multiyear project to digitize the Multimedia Collection of the Isamu Noguchi Archive, making film, video, and audio recordings publicly accessible.
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Artist Legacy Preservation and Documentation 1 activity
- Develop and maintain a digital catalogue raisonnéCreates and maintains a freely accessible digital catalogue raisonné documenting Isamu Noguchi’s full artistic practice, supporting scholarship and public learning.
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Guided Historic Site Tours 1 activity
- Offer multilingual guided tours and accessibility servicesProvides daily public tours introducing Noguchi’s life and vision, with regular monthly offerings in Spanish, Japanese, and Mandarin, as well as conversational Japanese tours focused on artistic philosophy. Offers private guided tours in English, Spanish, and Japanese, and provides free guided tours for visitors with disabilities, carepartners, and local nonprofit organizations.
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Cultural Facility Development and Management 1 activity
- Operate a museum dedicated to Isamu Noguchi's work and legacyOperates The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum in Long Island City, Queens, founded in 1985 as the first museum in the U.S. established, designed, and curated by a living artist. The museum is housed in a converted industrial building with an outdoor sculpture garden and has been open year-round since completing major renovations in 2004.
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Museum and Historical Gift Shops 1 activity
- Operate a museum shop to support institutional fundingRuns a museum shop offering Isamu Noguchi-designed furniture such as AKARI light sculptures and the Isamu Noguchi table, along with books and design works by contemporary artisans, with all proceeds directly supporting museum operations.
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Community Art Education Workshops 1 activity
- Provide public educational programs and community engagement activitiesOffers a range of educational initiatives including free family-friendly art workshops in Spanish during summer months, meditative walks and sound baths followed by art-making at Socrates Sculpture Park, and a paid studio art-making intensive for NYC public high school students focused on identity and sculpture inspired by Noguchi. Also hosts public openings and limited-run exhibitions of student work such as Making Your Mark.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Loan artworks to international institutionsSupports broader public access to Isamu Noguchi’s work by loaning pieces from its collection to museums and cultural institutions around the world, including participation in international retrospective tours and special exhibitions such as at the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kobe, Japan, and Western Washington University.
- Maintain and preserve the world's largest collection of Isamu Noguchi's artworks and archivesHolds and preserves approximately 500 objects, including sculptures, furniture, drawings, models, and personal possessions, representing the most extensive collection of Isamu Noguchi’s work globally. Also manages the complete archives and Catalogue Raisonné, including a campus in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, with 150 preserved sculptures and studio materials.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$19.39M
Contributions & grants$1.82M9%
Program service revenue$713K4%
Investment income$9.81M51%
Other revenue$7.05M
expenses
Total expenses$11.80M
Program expenses74%
Admin / overhead18%
Fundraising8%
Salaries & benefits$5.46M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$82.70M
Cash$2.87M
Investments$48.90M
Liabilities$3.62M
Net assets$79.07M
Liquid reserves52.6 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +62.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 9
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMY HAU | DIRECTOR | 40 | $294K |
| JENNIFER LORCH | DEPUTY DIRECTOR | 40 | $261K |
| GEORGE JUERGENS | FACILITIES DIRECTOR | 40 | $196K |
| BRETT LITTMAN | FORMER DIRECTOR | 0 | $187K |
| LIZAN HIGHLAND | DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE + CULTURE | 40 | $181K |
| LARRY GIACOLETTI | DIRECTOR OF COLLECTIONS | 40 | $147K |
| QUEENA KO | DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION | 40 | $131K |
| LAURA GRENIER | DIRECTOR, AKARI OPERATIONS | 40 | $131K |
| JESSICA LYSONS | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 40 | $87K |
board members · 16
- ANTHONY WILLIAMS — SECRETARY
- ANUJ PURI — VICE CHAIR
- CAROL RATTRAY — TRUSTEE
- CHRISTIANE FISCHER — VICE CHAIR
- ED TANG — TRUSTEE
- HIROKO MURASE — TRUSTEE (TO FEB 2024)
- IAN WARDROPPER — TRUSTEE
- KULAPAT YANTRASAST — TRUSTEE
- LUCY LAMPHERE — TRUSTEE
- MALCOLM C NOLEN — TREASURER
- MARY PING — VICE CHAIR
- MAXIMILIAN CORETH — TRUSTEE
- PHYLLIS LALLY SEEVERS — TRUSTEE
- SARAH WENDELL SHERRILL — TRUSTEE
- SPENCER BAILEY — CO-CHAIR
- SUSAN KESSLER — CO-CHAIR
relationships · 27
Who they work with
- Artists Rights Society Government — Manages Isamu Noguchi’s intellectual property rights on behalf of the museum.
- Artists Rights Society Partner — Manages intellectual property rights for Isamu Noguchi's work; the Museum directs copyright and reproduction inquiries to this organization.
- Bloomberg Philanthropies Funder — Lead supporter of the Museum
- Bloomberg Philanthropies Funder — Provided generous support for the assessment, stabilization, and digitization of the Isamu Noguchi Archive’s Multimedia Collection.
- E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation Funder — Provides additional support to the Museum
- Eames Institute Funder — Provides additional support to the Museum
- Henry Luce Foundation Funder — Lead supporter of the Museum
- Hiroko Murase Memorial Fund for Education Programs Funder — Provides support specifically for education programs
- Isamu Noguchi Government — Artist whose work and legacy are central to the museum's collection and mission.
- Kaoru Watanabe Taiko Center Partner — Partners with the Kaoru Watanabe Taiko Center for cultural events at the Museum featuring traditional taiko performance.
- Kate Wiener Partner — Curator leading private tours of exhibitions at the museum.
- Leon Levy Foundation Funder — Lead supporter of the Museum
- Martha Graham Dance Company Partner — Collaborates with the Martha Graham Dance Company for performances at the Museum, including a presentation of Noguchi's work in dance.
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Public funder in partnership with the City Council
- New York State Council on the Arts Government — Public funder with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature
- Noguchi’s New York Partner — Current exhibition that informs and inspires the student art-making intensive curriculum.
- SMBC Americas Foundation Funder — Provides additional support to the Museum
- Shefter Family Foundation Funder — Provides additional support to the Museum
- Socrates Sculpture Park Partner — Collaborates on bilingual art and wellness programming for families.
- Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum Partner — Hosted an exhibition of Isamu Noguchi's work in Kobe, Japan in 2023.
- Terra Foundation for American Art Funder — Lead supporter of the Museum
- The Isamu Noguchi Catalogue Raisonné Partner — Collaborative digital project to document Noguchi's artistic practice.
- The J.M. Kaplan Fund Funder — Lead supporter of the Museum
- Vilcek Foundation Funder — Provides generous support to the Museum
- Western Washington University Partner — Hosted an exhibition of Isamu Noguchi's work in 2022.
- Windgate Foundation Funder — Supports education programs through the Windgate Foundation Art Education Fund
- 和泉正敏 Partner — Long-term collaborator and stonemason who worked with Isamu Noguchi for 20 years, helping construct his studio in Mure and supporting his sculptural production.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Collections-Integrated Education and Legacy Preservationmethodology: collections-based_educationBy integrating Noguchi’s writings, archives, and comprehensive collections into exhibitions, education programs, and scholarly research, the museum advances lasting appreciation of his interdisciplinary legacy, because direct engagement with primary source materials deepens contextual understanding and ensures fidelity to his artistic intent.
- Participatory and Dialogue-Based Engagementmethodology: participatory_interpretationBy using conversational and dialogue-based tours that invite visitors to interpret artworks collaboratively, the museum deepens understanding of Noguchi’s vision, because such interaction reflects his commitment to audience perspective and participatory viewing as essential to the meaning of art.
- Process-Centered Art Interpretationmethodology: process-centered_art_interpretationBy emphasizing the artistic process—including its challenges and resolutions—as integral to the work's identity, the museum fosters deeper visitor engagement and reflective understanding of Noguchi’s creative philosophy, because this approach aligns with his belief in art as an experiential and transformative journey.