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.
Ed Rankin has been a Frye member since 2011. Explaining why he supports the Museum, Ed says, "It's pretty simple. I love the Frye, and just about everything about it. The vibe. The art. It's free. The cafe. I can sit there for hours, drinking coffee, eating lunch, reading the paper. It's one of my all-time favorite indoor spaces. I always feel better when I walk through the doors.”
Like many of us, art plays a special role in Ed’s life. “When art is speaking to me, it gives me a sense of peace, of a connection to something beyond myself. It's meditative. It's the closest I get to a spiritual experience,” he explains. “Some of my favorite exhibits at the Frye have been Nicolai Fechin, Isamu Noguchi and Qi Baishi: Beijing 1930, Shabazz Palaces's video Ode to Octavia Part 12: (Sparkles)…Recollections of the Wraith, Chronicles of Solitude: Masterworks by Vilhelm Hammershøi from SMK, and, of course, Frye Salon.”
As a Patron-level member, Ed supports much-needed education programs, exhibitions featuring the Museum’s collection, as well as major travelling exhibitions such as Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem, which is on view through August 15, 2021.
When Café Frieda reopens, there is a good chance that you will see Ed in his favorite spot with a coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.