Isabella Stewart Gardner believed in the potential of art to change people’s lives and better society. At a time when rigid standards governed women’s roles, Isabella defied convention and used her privileged position and bold personality to courageously champion art through acts of civic leadership while engaging the public in unique, creative experiences. Today, the Museum continues to serve our communities by looking to her story for inspiration and making visible the relevance of our art—historic and contemporary—to the present.
Our Values:
- Creativity is our legacy
- Community is our purpose
- The collection is our catalyst
- Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion are our commitments
Mission
Mission Statement
Strategic Plan
Renewing the Promise for the Public Forever
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility
Our Commitment
Museum Climate Action Plan
Cultivating a More Sustainable Future
Board of Trustees
Current board members and life trustees
Land Acknowledgement
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum resides on the homelands of the Massachusett Tribe, who belong to this place and continue to regard these lands and waters as sacred.
This land acknowledgment is our recognition of the longstanding history and continuing presence of Tribes who were here before white colonizers arrived, pushed or forcibly removed Indigenous Peoples from the land, and changed the uses of that land. We recognize that Indigenous People remain and are an integral part of the land today and will be for many generations to come. After several years of partnership with members of the Massachusett Tribe in the development of programs, the Massachusett Tribe and the Gardner agreed to deepen its partnership with a long-term commitment to shared conversation and discovery. Together, we hope to shift the narrative to one of respect, reckoning, and, in time, reconciliation. We commit to a genuine exchange with our partners and to reflection on concepts of archive, collection, colonialism, and more. The land acknowledgment is not the end of this renewed partnership, but the beginning.
