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Dear Friends,
On Sunday, August 24, the Bay Area's biggest earthquake in 25 years abruptly shook our region. We appreciate your concern for the welfare of di Rosa and its collection, as we know many in our community have suffered devastating losses to their homes and businesses.
di Rosa is located less than five miles from the epicenter--too close to escape without harm. However, our location on the slope of Milliken Peak proved a fortunate geologic advantage, and our buildings and property remain sound.
The art collection was unfortunately impacted, both indoors and out. We estimate 10% of the artworks on display suffered some level of damage--just 3% of the total collection. It could have been much worse. Real losses are minimal, and most of the work can be repaired. We're relieved to see how well our newer installations held up, and how much artwork stayed in place. We credit the reinstallation of the collection in recent years, using professional methods, with protecting the art from greater damage.
di Rosa's amazing staff worked hard to reopen the gates for regular hours today, with the Gatehouse Gallery, Main Gallery, and portions of the Historic Residence viewable by the public. We are now shifting to a new phase for restoration and care of individual works. We have set up a special fund and welcome contributions here to facilitate rapid repairs and opening of the entire museum to visitors.
Thank you for being an important part of di Rosa's community. Please come visit soon. We have a terrific group exhibition, ONES AND ZEROS, on view in the Gatehouse that should not be missed.
Onward!
Kathryn Reasoner
Executive Director
To read KQED's coverage of the earthquake's impact on the arts, including di Rosa, click here.
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