Supporter Spotlight is a feature where we shine a light on our members and donors to learn about their connections to the Frye and why they support the Museum.
Todd Rosin and Todd Armstrong are Contemporary Council members with a deep connection to art and the Frye. A mutual love of art has been a cornerstone of their relationship: “Art provides an opportunity for us to discover and discuss new things. It draws us closer together as a couple both intellectually and joyfully. We don't always see art the same way, and because of that, we can learn from one another. Art is also a driver in where we go and what we do when we travel—often, we travel just to go see art.”
Together, they are avid art collectors. Rosin began collecting art at the age of just 10, when he bought a print of American pop artist Robert Indiana’s work. Encouraged by his parents, who were also collectors, he seeks out art he likes from any genre or era, but keeps a particular focus on disaster and LGBTQ+, British, and Pacific Northwest artists. “The Frye's salon-style hang of the Founding Collection first gave me permission to cover every square inch of wall space with art,” he recounts. Armstrong is similarly averse to bare walls; he loves portraits, folk, and abstract art, as well as pieces acquired during his travels that serve as a memory of the adventure.
Armstrong discovered the Frye while living on Capitol Hill twenty years ago and Rosin became a frequent visitor not long after. Both have been struck by the consistent focus on exhibitions that go beyond the staid and obvious. Rosin says, “It cannot be overstated how ahead of the curve the Frye has been with regard to highlighting underrepresented artists and their work...My entire appreciation of art has been dramatically and meaningfully enhanced by the museum's sincere, mission-driven belief that art is more than the old-school canon. For the museum to grow from the Founding Collection to one that so boldly embraces the diversity of creative culture is even more extraordinary.” Their generosity has directly contributed to the diversification of the Frye’s collection: Juventino Aranda’s Untitled (Badlands), currently on view in Recent Acquisitions in Contemporary Art, was gifted to the Frye by Rosin and Armstrong in 2019.
In addition to being a Contemporary Council member, Rosin has gone the extra mile to support the Frye by including the Museum in his estate planning. Rosin cites his motivation to become a Legacy Member as “supporting a stronger art community [at the Frye], opening eyes and minds just as it has done for me in my life.”
Thank you both for sharing your story! The Frye is grateful to have you as forward-thinking champions of the arts and supporters of the Museum.
Learn more about joining the Contemporary Council and Planned Giving.