Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan

Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan

Mission

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens’ mission is to delight and engage visitors with an experience inspired by the life of founder Marjorie Merriweather Post and her passion for excellence, gracious hospitality, art, history, and gardens.

Vision

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens presents in its stunning original setting the extraordinary life and legacy of Marjorie Merriweather Post, by developing the resources she left in trust to their fullest potential for future generations. Hillwood presents internationally significant collections of art, dynamic changing exhibitions and a fabulous historic estate and gardens, providing current audiences with a visceral sense of a dynamic life and inspiration for their own endeavors.

Core Value Statement

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, in a spirit of graciousness, strives for professional excellence and fascinated and engaged visitors according to the high standards established by Marjorie Merriweather Post.

Mandate

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Garden’s mandate is to preserve the twenty-five acre estate, museum and gardens that Marjorie Merriweather Post developed to house her important collections of Russian Imperial art, French decorative arts, costumes, textiles, and jewelry and to interpret and present them for the enjoyment of the public. Hillwood continues Post’s legacy by sharing the contributions she made in the fields of American business leadership; women’s studies; progressive thought; political history; philanthropy; community and social involvement; healthy lifestyles; Russian imperial art; French decorative arts; costume, jewelry and textile design and estate and garden design. It is an important scholarly voice on Russian and Western European decorative arts and twentieth-century material culture.

Strategic Plan

In 2016, Hillwood adopted an updated strategic plan, with three goals defining the direction for the next five years. 

The strategic goals:

  • Deepen Hillwood's engagement with visitors, members, donors, colleagues, and virtual visitors, while maintaining a consistent onsite attendance of 75,000 or above.
  • Deepen engagement with board, staff, and volunteers through meaningful, efficient, and effective work rooted in the mission of founder Marjorie Merriweather Post and clear and transparent communications.
  • Maintain and enhance the financial health, professional reputation and the campus to comport with Marjorie Merriweather Post's standards while serving contemporary audiences in an exemplary manner.