This year marks a century since the Morgan Library & Museum’s founding in 1924. It is staggering to think of how much the world, New York City, and the Morgan have changed since then. Once the personal library of the financier J. Pierpont Morgan, today the Morgan welcomes over 250,000 visitors on-site and over 7 million online each year, shares a collection that spans antiquity to the present day, and stewards a 150,000-square-foot campus of great architectural significance.
At this milestone, we take time to reflect on our history for inspiration and guidance. We also look ahead with eagerness and ambition to all that the Morgan has to offer the public in the century to come. I am pleased to present the Morgan’s strategic plan for fiscal years 2025 through 2029. A result of much hard work and careful thinking, the plan builds on the institution’s strengths and prepares us for the future. At the same time, it remains firmly grounded in our identity as a beloved museum and research library in the heart of New York City.
The plan is organized around five themes:
Collections, Exhibitions, and Scholarship — stewarding, studying, and sharing the extraordinary collections at the center of our institutional mission and identity.
Audience, Engagement, and Profile — deepening our commitment to engaging with and serving a diverse public from New York City and beyond.
Technological Capacity and Capabilities — strengthening and expanding the strategic use of technology to fulfill our mission.
Organization, Resources, and Facilities — building a vibrant and inclusive work culture, bolstering our financial future, and caring for our campus.
Governance — ensuring fidelity to and execution of the Morgan’s mission and building the board of tomorrow.
There are several interwoven threads across the various sections of the plan: deepening the Morgan’s commitment to scholarship, collection stewardship, access, and inclusion; building and diversifying the Morgan’s audience; improving technological systems and using them to support organizational effectiveness; fostering the excellence of the Morgan’s staff and governance; and ensuring the Morgan’s financial and organizational sustainability.
Developed in collaboration with staff, volunteers, and trustees, this plan represents a significant effort of the entire organization over the past year. I am grateful to all for their many contributions and look forward to the important work ahead.
Colin B. Bailey
February 2024