Henry E Huntington Library and Art Gallery

“The huntington governing body is a five member board of trustees. We also have a board of overseers that work with each program area in making recommendations to the trustees. Some of the trustees have a family relationship with some of the overseers. All relationships are reviewed by the audit committee annually, and any potential conflicts of interest have been addressed.”

“Prior to the filing, the entire draft 990 was sent to all trustees. Comments and corrections were strongly encouraged, and the form was reviewed and discussed in a meeting of the audit committee. In addition, an outside cpa firm, singerlewak, reviewed the form and went over the form in detail with the controller.”

“Conflicts of interest statements are requested annually from all trustees, overseers and non-board members' chairs of active committees as well as employees. Any conflicts or potential conflicts are reported to the audit committee. The audit committee makes a decision on how each conflict should be handled, including abstaining from voting on certain matters.”

“In reviewing and approving the compensation for the president and cfo, the huntington's board of trustees (referred to as the "approval body" below), uses the following process: 1. Impartial decision makers: the compensation arrangement must be approved in advance (before any payment is made) by the approval body of the huntington composed entirely of individuals who do not have a conflict of interest with respect to the compensation arrangement (example: neither the executive whose compensation is being determined nor any of his/her family members may be present during the discussion/debate or participate in the vote). 2. Comparability data: when the approval body is considering compensation to covered individuals, it must rely on comparability data that demonstrates the fair market value of the compensation in question. For example, when crafting compensation packages, the approval body must secure data that documents compensation levels for similarly qualified individuals in like positions at like organizations. This data may include the following: a) expert compensation studies by independent firms; b) written job offers for positions at similar organizations; c) documented telephone calls about similar positions at both non-profit and for-profit organizations; and d) information obtained from the irs form 990 filings of similar organizations. 3. Concurrent documentation: the approval body must document how it reached its decisions, including the data on which it relied. To qualify as concurrent documentation, written or electronic records of the approval body (such as meeting minutes) must note: a) the terms of the compensation and the date it was approved; b) the members of the approval body who were present during the debate on the compensation that was approved and those who voted on it; c) the comparability data obtained and relied upon and how the data was obtained; and d) any actions taken with respect to consideration of the compensation by anyone who is otherwise a member of the approval body but who had a conflict of interest with respect to the decision on the compensation. All other officers and key employees have their compensation reviewed annually by the approval body, which may or may not include comparability data.”

“The organization's form 990 can also be viewed by the public on www.guidestar.com”

“Governing documents, conflict of interest policy, financial statements, and form 990 are available to the public upon request.”

“Building on henry e. Huntington's legacy of renowned collections and botanical gardens that enrich the visitor, the huntington today encourages research and promotes education in the arts, humanities, and botanical sciences through the growth and preservation of its collections, through the development and support of a community of scholars, and through the display and interpretation of its extraordinary resources to the public. The collections the huntington has assembled primary materials, art objects, and living collections which reflect the development of western culture, from the ninth century to the present. These collections embody the diverse and interwoven contributions of many cultures, peoples, and nations. The huntington's holdings of rare books, manuscripts, art objects, and botanical specimens speak to our contemporary audiences because they reveal the complexity of the human experience. Stewardship with its outstanding collections in the arts, humanities, and botanical sciences, the huntington has the responsibility to preserve and protect for posterity mr. Huntington's legacy and to insure its growth and financial health. Stewardship extends as well to the buildings, grounds, and infrastructure of the institution, not only because they protect the collections and facilitate their use, but because mr. Huntington's estate is an important historical document of great significance to the public and to the understanding of the history of southern california. The huntington's communities the huntington is a hub for communities whose boundaries extend from local to the international. As a local institution, it serves schoolchildren, families, and scholars with a broad array of programs centered in the collections. To the national and international communities, the huntington serves as a haven for independent scholarship and as a repository for a broad fund of knowledge represented in the collections. One of the huntington's great strengths, however, is the reciprocal nature of its relationship with its communities. Volunteers provide leadership, stewardship, and resources. Scholars bring their own intellectual depth and diverse interpretations to the collections. Staff supplies expertise and energy. And visitors bring curiosity, expectations, and experiences which challenge the huntington to the greater fulfillment of its mission.”

“The huntington library is one of the world's great independent research libraries concentrated in the fields of british and american history, literature, and art and in the history of science stretching in time from the 11th century to the present. Among the collections: 7 million manuscripts; 420,000 rare books; 275,000 reference books; 1.3 million photographs, prints, and ephemera. The library main exhibition hall showcases some of the most outstanding rare books and manuscripts in the collection. About 150 rare objects are grouped thematically around 12 key works, prompting visitors to consider each item in a wider context. The dibner hall of the history of science is a permanent exhibition on the history of science, focusing on astronomy, natural history, medicine, and light. The west hall of the library presents temporary exhibitions. The 90,000-square-foot munger research center provides storage capacity for further collections development, work space for scholars and staff, and facilities for conservation, preservation, exhibition preparation, digital imaging, and photography. The library is open to scholars, known as readers, 303 days of the year, with an average of 83 scholars visits daily. Exhibits during the year included: * geographies of wonder * y.c. Hong * magna carta”

“Encompassing approximately 120 acres of the 207-acre grounds, the botanical gardens contain more than a dozen principal garden areas. Highlights * liu fang yuan, the garden of flowing fragrance, reflecting the traditional style of scholar gardens in suzhou, china, and featuring a 1.5-acre lake, a complex of pavilions, a teahouse and tea shop, stone bridges and waterfalls set against a wooded backdrop of mature oaks and pines. * the desert garden, one of the largest outdoor collections of mature cacti and succulents in the world. * the japanese garden, with traditional japanese house, a moon bridge, a walled zen garden, and bonsai court, and seifu-an, a ceremonial teahouse and garden. * the frances and sidney brody california garden in the steven s. Koblik education and visitor center. Arranged along a central allee of olive trees, the garden includes native and adaptive plantings set among hedge rooms in a nod toward more formal landscape design. * the frances lasker brody botanical center, featuring: * the helen and peter bing children's garden, introducing youngsters to the wonders of the natural world through interactive sculptural elements. * the rose hills foundation conservatory for botanical science and the associated foundations teaching greenhouse, providing hands-on botanical science opportunities for children and families, and showcasing orchids and other tropical collections. * adjacent laboratories offering opportunities for botanical research. Plant biologists are testing ways to safely freeze aloe tissue as a preservation method. Genetic research on cycads is revealing much about the plant's evolutionary history. * the ranch garden, testing and demonstrating contemporary ideas for sustainable urban agriculture. * additional garden areas are devoted to roses and camellias, each collection having more than 1,400 different cultivars. The camellia collection is considered one of the most comprehensive in the world. * the australian, herb, jungle, lily ponds, palm, and subtropical gardens are among other important botanical attractions. Exhibit during the year included: * weird, wild & wonderful each year, the huntington hosts botanical shows, conferences, lectures, and plant sales that focus on specific themes; more than 175 cactus and succulent enthusiasts attended the annual desert garden forum, 140 people attended the annual succulent plants symposium, and 100 people attended the chinese garden symposium. The north american clivia society show, southern california camellia show, california bonsai society show, aiseki kai viewing stones show, the cactus & succulent society of america annual show, huntington orchid show, and the bonsai-a-thon are hosted by the huntington each year and are open to the public and attended by hundreds of visitors. The gardens also hosted multiple workshops intended to educate the public and specialty plant growers on management of tree pests, the polyphagous shot-hole borer in particular. Recently the gardens initiated a much stronger program in conservation and research focusing on plant variation, cryopreservation and propagation, as well as productivity in urban settings.”

“The huntington art collections focus on european art from the 15th to the early 20th century and american art from the late 17th to the mid-20th century. The holdings continue to grow by gift and purchase. In total, the european art collections include about 420 paintings, approximately 370 works of sculpture, more than 2,500 decorative art objects, and 20,000 prints and drawings. The american art holdings now number about 270 paintings, 80 works of sculpture, 1,000 decorative art objects, 9,500 prints and drawings, and 1,800 photographs. Access to the public of about 600,000 visitors is provided through permanent installations and special exhibitions, publications and research. The european collections are displayed in the huntington art gallery, the original huntington residence. American art is on view in the virginia steele scott galleries of american art which includes the original 1984 structure and a 2005 addition, the lois and robert f. Erburu gallery. Special exhibitions are presented in the marylou and george boone gallery. Smaller, focused exhibitions are presented in the works on paper room in the huntington art gallery and in the susan and stephen chandler wing of the scott galleries. The huntington also regularly loans art objects for special exhibitions at museums nationally and internationally. Exhibits during the year included: * yasuhiro ishimoto * spirit boys * the artist's garden * alex israel at the huntington * friends & family * a world of strangers * american made * funny business * velvet paintings”