FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2008
IMLS Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
Mississippi
and Louisiana Museums Receive Hurricane Relief Awards
WASHINGTON, DC--Eleven
museums in Mississippi and Louisiana will receive Hurricane
Relief Awards totaling $225,000 to assist in their continuing
recovery from Hurricane Katrina, announced Anne-Imelda
Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS) on April 9, 2008.
IMLS made the awards in partnership with
the Atlanta-based Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC).
The awards cover museum operations such as creating new
materials to attract visitors, collections management,
supplies and equipment, conservation of damaged objects,
educational programming and archival storage needs.
“The Hurricane Relief Awards are
part of IMLS’s ongoing commitment to support museums
and libraries in the affected gulf coast region. Our past
efforts to support gulf coast museums focused on emergency
conservation and collections care,” Radice said.
“These new grants fund a much broader range of activities
such as public programs and institutional infrastructure.
We could not have done this without our partner SEMC and
its expert knowledge of the area museums and the ability
to reach out to the institutions.”
“SEMC is delighted to be partnering
with IMLS to continue providing much needed assistance
to museums so severely affected by damage from Hurricane
Katrina on the gulf coast. One of SEMC’s goals is
to continue to provide assistance to southeastern museums
affected by natural disasters, and we hope to be able
to assist other museums in the future,” said Richard
Waterhouse, SEMC Executive Director.
“These grants for rebuilding museums
are a vital part of the ongoing federal commitment to
improve education and quality of life for citizens across
the gulf coast. Today’s announcement is another
positive step forward for the region and its recovery,”
said Paul Conway, Interim Federal Coordinator for Gulf
Coast Rebuilding.
The eleven grant recipients are:
Louisiana
Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum
- Madisonville, LA
Award Amount: $25,000
Contact: Dr. Jay Martin
Director
(985)845-9200; jay.martin@selu.edu
Project Title: "Conservation of Damaged
Lighthouse"
The Tchefuncte Lighthouse is the oldest and most intact
of the lighthouses in the New Orleans area. The museum
oversees this structure and will use the IMLS grant of
$25,000 to restore and stabilize the lighthouse’s windows,
door, and external brickwork that were damaged in the
hurricane.
Hermann-Grima/Gallier Historic Houses
- New Orleans, LA
Award Amount: $19,577
Contact: Ms. Carolyn Bercier
Deputy Director
(504)525-5661; hgrimagallier@aol.com
Project Title: "Purchase of Conservation
Equipment"
The damage from the storm highlighted the museum’s need
for basic conservation tools for daily maintenance and
recovery of its collections. It will receive $19,577 to
purchase a variety of conservation equipment (e.g., thermohygrometers,
acid free storage boxes, dehumidifiers) and routine maintenance
items (e.g., vacuums, mat cutters, flat file storage).
Longue Vue House and Gardens - New Orleans,
LA
Award Amount: $24,375
Contact: Ms. Bonnie Goldblum
Executive Director
(504)488-5488; bgoldblum@longuevue.com
Project Title: "Replacement of Damaged Technology
Equipment"
The waters from Hurricane Katrina flooded the basement
of the facility, which housed all the technical equipment
to run the museum’s computer systems. The museum will
receive $24,375 to replace servers, hard drives, and software
and to pay for data conversion.
Ogden Museum of Southern Art - New Orleans,
LA
Award Amount: $13,574
Contact: Dr. J. Gruber
Director
(504)539-9605; rgruber@ogdenmuseum.org
Project Title: "Salary Support for an Administrative
Assistant"
An IMLS grant of $13,574 will be used to hire a part-time
administrative assistant. After the hurricanes in 2005,
the museum reopened to large crowds eager to reconnect
with others in the New Orleans community. This new position
will assist the current museum staff with museum programming,
collections management duties, and preparations for traveling
exhibitions.
Louisiana Children's Museum - New Orleans,
LA
Award Amount: $18,091
Contact: Ms. Julia Bland
Executive Director
(504)586-0725x201; jbland@lcm.org
Project Title: "Expand Learning Pathways
Program to Local School Groups"
The Children’s Museum will expand on a 2003 Learning Opportunities
Grant to implement learning pathways for children through
the museum’s exhibits. The planned opening of this project
was delayed when Hurricane Katrina closed the museum.
This $18,091 grant will allow several activities to resume,
including hiring curriculum and education staff, training
local teachers, and subsidizing admission and bus transportation
for New Orleans area children.
Historic New Orleans Collection - New
Orleans, LA
Award Amount: $18,052
Contact: Mr. Burl Salmon
Director of Development and External Affairs
(504)598-7173; burls@hnoc.org
Project Title: "Support an Ongoing Study
to Engage Community"
The museum was the first in the New Orleans area to reopen
after the 2005 hurricanes, and it found its audience and
attendance had changed significantly: there was a sudden
increase in visitors to special exhibitions and a decrease
in other museum activities. This $18,052 grant will be
used for a community audience study to enable the museum
to better understand and meet the needs of the post-hurricane
New Orleans population.
Mississippi
Ohr- O'Keefe Museum of Art - Biloxi,
MS
Award Amount: $10,650
Contact: Ms. Holly Zinner
Executive Director
(228)473-5547; holly@georgeohr.org
Project Title: "Purchase of Collection Storage
Materials"
The important pottery collection of this museum was moved
offsite due to damage from Hurricane Katrina and will
be periodically rotated back to the museum for exhibition.
IMLS funds of $10,650 will be used for crates and storage
materials for the ceramic objects to ensure their safety
during shipping between the museum and the storage site.
Maritime Seafood Industry Museum - Biloxi,
MS
Award Amount: $25,000
Contact: Ms. Robin David
Executive Director
(228)435-6320; schooner@maritimemuseum.org
Project Title: "Conservation of Damaged
Artifacts and Expanded Archival Storage"
The museum was severely damaged by the hurricane, and
this grant of $25,000 will support conservation of damaged
artifacts and expanded archival storage. The museum was
able to rescue a number of damaged items in its collection
and will begin treatment under a plan for object conservation
approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In
addition, the museum will use IMLS funds to expand the
educational components of a camp for local artists.
Lynn Meadows Discovery Center - Gulfport,
MS
Award Amount: $25,000
Contact: Ms. Kathryn Shanks
Interim Director
(228)248-0071; kshanks@lmdc.org
Project Title: "Continue Outreach Programs
to Local School Groups"
This museum is across the street from the Gulf of Mexico,
and incurred extensive hurricane damage. With many of
the museum’s constituents still in FEMA trailers,
roads not completely repaired, and schools not fully functioning,
the museum’s grant will go to reaching children
and their families through the WINGS program, which includes
science, art, drama, and hands-on activities. This award
will enable this program to continue for the full 2007/08
academic year.
William Carey University - Hattiesburg,
MS
Award Amount: $20,882
Contact: Ms. Iris Easterling
Assistant Professor of Language & Literature
(601)318-6148; iris.easterling@semcarey.edu
Project Title: "Support for Conservator"
The campus of the university sustained severe damage from
the 2005 hurricanes, and the building that houses the
art museum was completely destroyed. All supporting collection
materials were lost. An IMLS grant of $20,882 will be
used to conserve seventeen damaged works prior to their
reframing, to support a registrar to assess and recover
information about the collection, and for archival storage
for the works of art.
Walter Anderson Museum of Art - Ocean
Springs, MS
Award Amount: $24,799
Contact: Ms. Gayle Petty-Johnson
Executive Director
(228)972-3164; director@walterandersonmuseum.org
Project Title: "Support Program with New
Software and Membership Manager"
The museum will use the $24,799 grant from IMLS to expand
infrastructure and to hire a membership manager to reach
out to the local community. The museum has addressed the
physical damage to the building and collection from Hurricane
Katrina, but it is still struggling to achieve full staffing.
This grant will support a crucial position, buy software
and hardware, and pay for publishing a brochure about
the museum’s programs.
In 2007, IMLS made a commitment to provide
support for museums affected by Hurricane Katrina. The
$350,000, two-part Hurricane Relief Awards also included
a partnership between Tulane University's Amistad Research
Center and the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, both
in New Orleans, and the River Road African American Museum
in Donaldsonville, LA. The organizations, which focus
on African American history, art, and culture, shared
a $100,000 grant to improve access to collections, communicate
with members, and enhance their ability to attract new
audiences.
In addition to the Hurricane Relief Awards,
IMLS provided:
- $670,000 in financial assistance to seven museums
in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi to improve emergency
preparedness and response. Read
more.
- $866,284 for SOLINET (Southeastern Library
Network), which created staff capacity and strengthened
staff skills in 16 public library systems in Louisiana
and Mississippi that suffered severe damage and destruction
from hurricanes.
- Funding, supported by the Foundation of the American
Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic
Works, for the development of a team of “rapid
responders” that can be mobilized to provide emergency
assistance to museums in the wake of hurricanes, earthquakes,
and other natural and man-made disasters. Read
more (pdf).
- Funding for the development of dPlan, a free online
program created by the Northeast Document Conservation
Center in Andover, MA, which helps institutions write
comprehensive disaster plans. Read more at www.dplan.org.
- Funding, in conjuction with Heritage Preservation,
for the pilot Program for Risk Evaluation and Planning
(PREP), to help museums develop disaster plans and create
guidelines for first responders and local emergency
managers. Read
more.
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