The Augustus Saint-Gaudens Memorial was incorporated in 1919 to maintain a living memorial to Saint-Gaudens on the site of his home and studios in Cornish, New Hampshire. The primary function of the Memorial was to protect and maintain the site (eventually enlarged to 83 acres by the Trustees’ acquisition of several valuable tracts of land) and its collection. The Trustees also undertook to selectively acquire and preserve works of Saint-Gaudens, assist in the education of young artists of promise and present exhibits, concerts and other events traditional to the site. By 1933, the Trustees had secured a $100,000 endowment from private sources to fund this work.
In 1964, in order to more effectively ensure the maintenance of the Saint-Gaudens estate and allow the Memorial to carry out a wider range of its mandated purposes, the site–including all structures, works of art and furnishings–was donated to the United States for public ownership. In the following year, the U.S. Congress passed legislation establishing the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. It is the only site in the federal park system devoted to an artist with a collection of the artist’s work and it is a place of extraordinary character and beauty. The National Park Service is charged with the ongoing maintenance and management of the site, which draws over 40,000 visitors each year. The Trustees of the Memorial, in addition to other activities, initiate, sponsor and fund the programs offered at the site for the benefit of the public.
The Saint-Gaudens Memorial remains a private, not-for-profit organization. Although it works in close cooperation with the National Park Service, the Memorial is autonomous in its charter, organization and decision-making powers. Most of the Memorial’s funding comes from income generated by the Memorial’s small endowment. This is supplemented by individual contributions and Friends memberships and, from time to time, by limited funds which are generated by a portion of the Memorial’s original endowment (now held in trust by the National Park Foundation) and disbursed to help pay for special projects of the Memorial and National Park Service. Additional funding for special projects is also sought from foundations, corporations and individuals.
Major ongoing activities of the Memorial include: selective casting and acquisition of the works of Saint-Gaudens; purchase of items that contribute to the understanding of Saint-Gaudens and his work; exhibitions of the work of artists of promise and note; free summer concerts featuring distinguished musical artists; annual Fellowships for promising young sculptors, artists or scholars; and contributions toward local endeavors that contribute to the preservation and quality of the Cornish artists colony and surrounding community.
A few of the Memorial’s past special projects include:
• Cooperative fundraising and oversight, with the NPS, of production of the new film, Augustus Saint-Gaudens: Master of American Sculpture
• Funding of the publication The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John H. Dryfhout’s authoritative book on the sculptor’s work;
• Production of Augustus Saint-Gaudens: A Master of American Sculpture (a 215-page color catalogue that accompanied the 1999 traveling exhibit of Saint-Gaudens’ work);
• Production of several films and videotapes including Masque of the Golden Bowl (a portrait of the sculptor’s life shown on PBS’ “American Masters” series), Wax Blood/Bronze Skin (a documentary on the art of bronze casting) and Conservation of the Collections: Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site Preserves and Protects;
• Design and construction of protective housing for monumental works at the Site;
• Creation of a monumental bronze cast of Saint-Gaudens’ heroic statue Admiral Farragut for placement on the original bluestone base at the Site; and
• With the National Park Service, development of a 20-year management plan for the future protection of the Site’s valuable art collection and preservation of the Site’s special character and scale.
• Preservation and casting of the Shaw Memorial (the masterful work that commemorates Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the men of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment–the first black regiment raised in the north to fight for the Union cause– almost half of whom died at the battle of Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina, in 1863). The monumental plaster, formerly at the Site, was preserved and relocated to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. where it will be maintained and remain accessible to the public. A mold taken from the plaster allowed for creation of a bronze cast, which continues the presence of Saint-Gaudens’ last version of this important work at the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site.
In 1998, the Memorial acquired a 48-acre tract of land across Route 12A from the historic site. This parcel, historically known as Blow-Me-Down Farm, was the home of Charles Coatesworth Beaman, the lawyer who originally invited Saint-Gaudens to New Hampshire. The trustees are ensuring the preservation and historic integrity of this property and, when feasible, intend for it to be transferred to the National Park Service for inclusion as part of the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site.
