Cheekwood

Cheekwood’s vision is to be a nationally recognized destination renowned for its distinctive beauty, historical significance, and excellence in art and horticulture. In pursuit of its vision, Cheekwood has outlined strategic goals in the following areas:
• In horticulture, Cheekwood seeks to continue diversifying and preserving its botanical garden and grounds, protect vulnerable plant and tree species, catalogue its plant collection, and increase on-site environmental stewardship.
• In art, Cheekwood seeks to highlight pieces from its 7,000-piece permanent collection while investing in collection infrastructure, digitization, and conservation and increasing awareness of its position as a regional destination for outdoor, monumental sculpture.
• In history, Cheekwood seeks to preserve the historic mansion and surrounding landscape.
• In education, Cheekwood seeks to serve as a community resource for local and regional K-12 students, educators, and families through inclusive and culturally informed education programs that give real-world applications to classroom principles and promote lifelong learning.
• In pursuit of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA), Cheekwood seeks to act on its IDEA pledge by realizing current initiatives and developing further initiatives to expand access to Cheekwood’s cultural, educational, and wellness resources.
• In pursuit of financial stability, Cheekwood seeks to ensure a balanced budget and strong financial position to maintain Cheekwood’s sustainability as a community resource and better serve visitors by addressing key infrastructure needs.

Cheekwood utilizes the following key strategies to accomplish institutional goals:

Initiatives to complement and enrich Cheekwood’s original landscape are informed by a Cultural Landscape Report & Master Site Plan led by Reed Hilderbrand, and art initiatives are informed by Cheekwood’s refined collecting plan and permanent collection guidelines designed to elevate the institution’s artistic merit. Cheekwood’s historic preservation initiatives are rooted in a desire to grow the institution’s recognition as one of the nation’s finest Country Place Era Estates and are financially supported by a recent capital campaign to address deferred restoration. The continued development of education, outreach, and IDEA initiatives is driven by the diversification of staff and strategic input from underrepresented individuals and multicultural advisory boards. Furthermore, Cheekwood seeks to integrate IDEA principles into its mission and all programs, as outlined in its 2022—2026 strategic plan, Forward Momentum.

Cheekwood has numerous awards, certifications, and accreditations attesting to its standards of excellence and capabilities. Cheekwood is nationally accredited as a Level II Arboretum by The Arbnet Accreditation Program and recognized by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council as a Center of Excellence. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, Cheekwood is one of the nation’s finest remaining examples of an American Country Place Era estate and has a 7,000-piece permanent collection.
Cheekwood’s strategic plan focuses on community involvement, excellent horticulture, dynamic exhibitions and festivals, and compelling programming. Cheekwood welcomes over 400,000 local, national, and international visitors annually. To keep up with this demand, the operating budget and staff have grown by over 20% over the past ten years. Cheekwood is invested in its employees, striving to ensure each member of “Team Cheekwood” has the support and resources they need to excel in their service to the organization. Over the past year, staff members invested over 1,500 hours in professional development.
Finally, Cheekwood has the support of dedicated board members, donors, members, and community partners. The number of household memberships has increased to 20,000, and the institution receives financial support from generous individuals, foundations, corporations, and government institutions. Cheekwood partners with over 60 community organizations for education programming and strategic initiatives. In addition to recent operational success and completion of a $30M capital campaign, these relationships equip Cheekwood to responsibly manage its resources and learn from valuable voices in the community.

Recently, Cheekwood:
• Experienced record attendance, welcoming 435,000 visitors and 20,000 member households in 2021
• Completed a $30M capital campaign and exceeded goals by $7M
• Presented numerous world-class art exhibitions and outdoor contemporary sculpture, such as:
- The Art of William Edmondson
- Women to Watch: Celebrating the Centennial of Women’s Suffrage
- Chihuly at Cheekwood
• Acquired Alicja Kwade’s Pars pro Toto, the first addition to Cheekwood’s permanent outdoor sculpture collection since 1999
• Built the Bracken Foundation’s Children’s Garden
• Renovated and enhanced:
- the Ann and Monroe Carell Jr. Family Sculpture Trail and the Blevins
Japanese Garden for increased accessibility
- the Frist Learning Center, Cheekwood’s education hub
- the Sigourney Cheek Literary Garden
• Hosted:
- the inaugural African American Cultural Celebration, now called Black
Arts Bash
- Tu B’Shevat celebration, the Jewish New Year for Trees
- the 6th annual Japanese Moon Viewing
- El Día de los Muertos for its 22nd year at Cheekwood
• Welcomed over 1,800 students and family members through Destination Cheekwood, a program providing complimentary transportation, admission, programming, meals, and translation services for LMI students and their families to visit Cheekwood together on weekends
• Contracted 14 adult and 523 young artists & performers, engaging 12 underrepresented artists in this capacity in 2021
• Expanded the Under the Stars concert series to include Jazz, Bluegrass, & Songwriters Under the Stars
• Launched Cheekwood’s 5-year strategic plan, Forward Momentum: Cheekwood 2022-2026

Looking forward, CW is focused on:
• Increasing inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility among board, staff, leadership, partners, vendors, volunteers, members, supporters, and visitors
• Celebrating the cultural vibrancy of Middle TN by increasing depth and diversity of public programs, cultural festivals, and musical performances showcasing local talent
• Presenting exhibitions, gardens, and programs that respond to current community needs and drive attendance, while enhancing offerings for existing seasonal festivals with new horticulture and additional programming
• Enhancing education & outreach offerings, such as expanding Destination Cheekwood and launching both Head Start Tots! and Cheekwood Grows
• Refining and building Cheekwood’s permanent art collection, with an emphasis on American art from 1910-1970 and monumental sculpture, and highlighting its significant works
• Building acquisition funds to enhance the permanent collection and period rooms in the historic mansion
• Continuing treatment and management of Cheekwood’s collection of approx. 300 endangered ash trees through the Emerald Ash Borer Response Program
• Prioritizing the preservation and stewardship of Cheekwood’s historic buildings and landscape design while continuing the institution's strong financial position and no debt