The resignation of Caroline Baumann as director of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum has local ties to another institution with its roots in design.
East Hampton’s LongHouse Reserve was at the center of an inspector general’s report that found Ms. Baumann was in violation of the Smithsonian’s standards of conduct regarding the venue, dress, and promotion of her 2018 wedding, the ceremony of which was held at LongHouse with a champagne toast and tour of the gardens.
Ms. Baumann and Jack Lenor Larsen, the founder and occupant of LongHouse, have been friends for more than two decades, according to Matko Tomicic, LongHouse’s executive director. The wedding, with 20 guests, took place on “Sept. 17, 2018, in an hour-and-half ceremony, and a reception at the personal invitation of Jack Lenor Larsen,” Mr. Tomicic said.
Ms. Baumann joined the Cooper Hewitt in 2001, when she was hired as an assistant director. She was promoted to director in 2013. Because Mr. Larsen and Ms. Baumann’s relationship originated from her position there, the investigation found that she “did not satisfy the exceptions for receiving a gift from a prohibited source.” When they were interviewed during the investigation, both stated that they became friends during the time she was at the Cooper Hewitt. Ms. Baumann, however, disagreed that her position had influenced Mr. Larsen’s decision to allow her to have the ceremony on the property.
The report found archived emails from Ms. Baumann’s Smithsonian account that showed she had requested the use of the venue from Mr. Larsen. This was considered a “solicitation of a gift.” Even if it had been given without her request, the report stated that she was still required to pay its fair market value and declare it.
What Mr. Tomicic said was missing from this analysis and other reporting was the fact that LongHouse is still Mr. Larsen’s private residence and that his invitation was personal and separate from the LongHouse Reserve, which is usually paid a $25,000 site fee for events held there.
“The wedding had nothing to do with LongHouse,” he said. “Jack Larson still owns the property. He pays the entire tax bill on the property. He can invite anyone he wants to have a wedding there as his guest.”
Further complicating the matter is that the Smithsonian is not a typical nonprofit organization because of its connections to the federal government in both its founding and funding.
Mr. Tomicic said LongHouse held two board meetings at the Cooper Hewitt without being charged, one before the wedding, on Dec. 6, 2017, and one not long after the wedding, on Nov. 15, 2018. Amounts of $5,000 to $25,000 with other fees attached are typically charged for corporations to use spaces at the Cooper Hewitt.
The report noted that waiving fees was allowed at the discretion of the director. The office of the inspector general did not make a determination as to the appropriateness of this instance, which could have been billed at a total of $33,875 for a corporation. Along with the free wedding venue, however, it found that the two events created an appearance of a “quid pro quo.”
Mr. Tomicic said that was preposterous. “We have two board meetings in the city every year. We have to meet somewhere.” The second meeting took place at the Cooper Hewitt after a law firm that had offered its conference room backed out at the last minute.
He added that nonprofits, which are all operating within tight budgets, typically offer one another their spaces free of charge. “We have meetings at Wave Hill, Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, at the Battery Conservancy, and at the High Line. Of course there is no charge, and there’s no charge when me meet at a law firm. If there is a charge, we have to go somewhere else.”
In the wake of the forced resignation, seven of the Cooper Hewitt’s board members quit in protest and were not consulted before Ms. Baumann was asked to leave, according to The New York Times. In prepared remarks released to some news outlets but not seen by The Star, her attorney indicated that she will challenge the assertions in the report.
“If she was wrong, seven trustees would not have stepped down,” Mr. Tomicic said. “It’s a sad day for the arts, a sad day for Caroline, and an even sadder day for the Cooper Hewitt.”
