Arader Galleries helps create Audubon exhibitions

From: Peter Baldaia 
Date: Wed, Aug 24, 2016 at 3:19 PM
Subject: Re: Exhibition of Audubon Bird Prints at Huntsville Museum of Art
To: "Michael A. Mouron"
Cc: David Reyes, graham arader 

Hello Michael:

Nice to hear from you. We know Graham Arader through the Museum's recent acquisition of the Told Collection of Audubon’s viviparous quadrupeds . If you bought your works from Graham, I’m sure they are as beautifully presented as the Tolds’ works.

Per your request, we will amend the title of the exhibition to read Audubon Aquatints from the Kathy and Michael Mouron Collection. 

Do you have a database of visual images of your collection that I could access? If not, I could look at the Arader Gallery website and elsewhere on the internet to compile a file of visuals. That will be essential in coming up with a final list of images that we would request for the show.

Regarding a trip to Birmingham, how does the week of September 19th look? We are free for a visit Wednesday the 21st through Friday the 23rd. 

All the best,

PETER

-- 

Peter J. Baldaia

Director of Curatorial Affairs

Huntsville Museum of Art

From: "Michael A. Mouron"
Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at 1:21 PM
To: Peter Baldaia
Cc: David Reyes 'graham arader'
Subject: RE: Exhibition of Audubon Bird Prints at Huntsville Museum of Art

Dear Peter – thanks for the email below.  Kathy (copied) and I are excited that much of our Audubon collection will be available to be enjoyed by others.  I have also copied Graham Arader, the NYC gallery owner from whom the Audubons have been acquired, and who knows Christopher Madkour and introduced us to him.

There are a few modifications to the email below I would like to request.  The Audubons are owned by Kathy and me, and the Audubons are “Aquatints”, so I would like the acknowledgement to read, “Audubon Aquatints from the Kathy and Michael Mouron Collection”. 

I have attached a listing of the thirty four (34) Audubon Aquatints we own, and note those highlighted in Orange are on loan to the University of Tennessee and are thus not available for the Huntsville Museum Show.  The two (2) highlighted in Yellow hang in Kathy’s and my home but ARE eligible for the Huntsville Event.

Note that for “Birds of America” Audubon painted all images on double elephant folio paper so that all could be shown life-size.  As a result of the manner in which Audubon painted each bird some are vertical and some are painted horizontally.  All Kathy’s and my Audubon Aquatints are beautifully framed using museum grade materials and glass, and in gold colored frames that are approximately 37” x 49”.

Given our Audubons are larger than you expected, and given the fact that some images are horizontal, might you and some others at the Huntsville Museum want to access a source which features the various images and make your choices accordingly?

Lastly, Kathy and I will both be out of the City September 15^th and 16^th but we could meet on Monday the 12^th or Tuesday the 13^th.  If neither of those dates work for you and your Associates we will continue to compare calendars.

We look forward to meeting you in person and moving forward on the July 23 – October 29, 2017 Huntsville showing of Kathy’s and my Audubons.

Michael A. Mouron

Chairman

CAPSTONE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS, LLC

From: Peter Baldaia
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2016 4:31 PM
To: Michael A. Mouron
Cc: David Reyes
Subject: Exhibition of Audubon Bird Prints at Huntsville Museum of Art
Importance: High

Dear Mr. Mouron:

Christopher Madkour, Director of the Huntsville Museum of Art, has handed off the above project to the Curatorial Department to move to completion. Accordingly, from this point on I will be your primary contact regarding the exhibition.

The Huntsville Museum of Art intends to present Audubon Bird Prints from the Michael A. Mouron Collection from July 23 through October 29, 2017. The gallery earmarked for the show will accommodate 24 framed prints, assuming they are 35 x 41 inches in size. Reviewing the checklist of available works, it seems as if we will have just enough works to make a show without resorting to filling in with works from our own Audubon collection.

I’m not sure how Christopher indicated the works would be transported to and from Huntsville, but our standard procedure is to handle the packing and shipping ourselves using a rented truck. The Museum would cover the insurance on the works from the time they left your possession until the time they are safely returned — that includes in-transit. We will also produce a folded announcement card for the exhibition, and plan a Preview Reception for our members and your guests on the evening of Saturday, July 22nd.

I would like to tentatively schedule a visit to Birmingham next month to meet with you to discuss the show in more detail and finalize the available works for the exhibition. Would late morning or early afternoon Thursday, September 15th or Friday, September 16th work for you? I don’t think we would need much more than an hour of your time. I would plan to come with my colleague David Reyes, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections.

I look forward to hearing from you, and working to present your Audubon collection to our audience in Huntsville.

All the Best,

PETER

-- 

Peter J. Baldaia

Director of Curatorial Affairs

Huntsville Museum of Art

From: Christopher Madkour
Date: Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 9:23 AM
To: Peter Baldaia
Subject: FW:

From: Michael A. Mouron
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2016 10:49 AM
To: 'Christopher Madkour'
Cc: ; 'graham arader'
Subject: FW:
Importance: High

Christopher – your letter of March 17^th is most exciting and I am thrilled a portion of our Audubon collection will be shown at the Huntsville Museum.  To that end, I have attached a schedule above as to the aquatints we now own.  Note the two images with a yellow background are hanging in our home – and two images will need to remain – but if you had a special interest in either or both we could “exchange” for others to hang at home during the Show.  The same is true for the magnificent “Great Horned Owls” that currently hang in my office.  Those highlighted in orange are on loan to the University of Tennessee and will not be available for the Huntsville Museum’s showing.  You may note I have added a few aquatints to the Collection since you visited my office, and if Graham does not quit enticing me my office will itself have to become an Audubon museum!

Also, Kathy and I are now the proud owners of a Catesby First Edition in excellent condition.   Given my understanding of the impact Catesby had on Audubon’s work,  I did not know if you thought such a Catesby might be an interesting “addition” to a show otherwise exclusively dedicated to Audubon.  Please advise.

The method of transportation you described sounds professional, and I will need to discuss with my insurance company if my coverage will include such transport and showing.  Do you have any thoughts on this matter?  Also, we will donate $5,000 to the Huntsville Museum to defray some of the related costs.

Thanks for your continued interest in our Audubon collection.

Michael A. Mouron

Chairman

CAPSTONE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS, LLC