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Joan Evans Anderman, a prominent Denver community leader and Denver Art Museum supporter, died Monday. She was 73. Services will be held Thursday, June 29 at 4:00 p.m. in the Schlessman Hall of Denver Art Museum. Mrs. Anderman was born August 28, 1926 in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated in 1949 from the University of New Mexico with degrees in Anthropology and Political Science. She began her career as a journalist with the Albuquerque Journal, and also wrote for the Santa Fe New Mexican, Art News, and Life. She married oilman George Gibbs Anderman in 1953. Mr. Anderman preceded her in death. In 1955, Mr. and Mrs. Anderman moved to Denver, where she began her longtime association with the Denver Art Museum. She was a member of the Museum Board of Trustees from 1973-1979, as well as a founding member of the Museum's Douglas Society, Associate Membership Program, and First 100 Program. She was a member of the Museum Collections Committee during her Board tenure, and again from 1985 until her death. Denver Art Museum Director Lewis Sharp said of her,"Joan was a devoted advocate of the American West, with a deep respect and love for contemporary and tribal arts. She and her husband, George were great patrons of the arts in Colorado and New Mexico, not only as philanthropists, but in initiating public projects and in their relationship with numerous cultural institutions. I will greatly miss Joan's strong-willed and independent convictions, which constantly challenged me to open my eyes and mind to the new and unfamiliar." In recent years, Mr. and Mrs. Anderman supported the purchase of a number of important Museum acquisitions, including the Wolf Photography Collection, the sculpture Snow Flurries by Alexander Calder, and a Claes Oldenburg work in progress. In addition, she and her husband were strong supporters of the Native Arts and Oceanic collections of the Museum, and were major underwriters of the installation of the American Indian Art galleries in 1988. Mrs. Anderman established an endowment for a curator of African and Oceanic art in 1996. She gave the Andermans' personal collection of 1500 Oceanic art works to the museum in 1995. Equally important, Mrs. Anderman was known for her generous support of the day-to-day needs of the Museum. Said Dianne Vanderlip, Contemporary Art curator,"Joan really understood what a curator needed to be a curator. She didn't just give for glamorous works, but provided funds for travel, that extra book, or just taking someone out to dinner." Mrs. Anderman was also a major benefactor of the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA), Flagstaff, Arizona. As Museum Trustee from 1981 until 1999, she underwrote establishment of the Anderman-Shoemaker Field Camp, a residential complex for visiting scholars, and helped fund many other projects. Said Michael Fox, MNA President/CEO,"For nearly two decades as a Museum Trustee and many years before as a friend, Joan has shown a passion for and understanding of the Colorado Plateau and the role of the Museum on it. As an MNA benefactor she has been a major supporter of the Museum's capital projects, and has eagerly and generously shared her astute perspective on the Museum's value to the region and nation with the Board and administration. She will be very much missed...." Mrs. Anderman was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Colorado Historical Society, and of the Aspen Art Museum. She was a member of the Douglas Society of the Denver Art Museum, the Fortnightly Club, and People for Silver Plume. She and her husband maintained residences in Silver Plume (1959), Aspen (1960), and Regina, New Mexico (1981). Mrs. Anderman is survived by a brother, Jerome Evans, South Lake Tahoe, NV; a daughter, Ellen Anderman, Denver; two sons, Evan, Denver, and Tad, Albuquerque; and five grandchildren. Memorial gifts may be made to Museum of Northern Arizona, Anderman-Shoemaker Field Camp, 3101 N. Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001; the Denver Art Museum, African and Oceanic Collections, 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway, Denver, CO 80204; and the Jonson Gallery of the University of New Mexico, c/o UNM Foundation, 2 Woodward Center, 700 Lomas NE, Suite 108, Albuquerque, NM 87131.
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