FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
April 18, 2006
Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Eileen Maxwell, emaxwell@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
Institute
of Museum and Library Services Awards Over $2.7 Million
for Critical Conservation at Nation’s Museums
Museums will match
the federal grants with an additional $4.6 million
Washington, DC—Dr.
Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the federal Institute
of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced today
the 40 museum recipients of the 2006 Conservation Project
Support grants totaling $2,772,000. The recipients will
match the grants with an additional $4,609,603. This year
the Institute received 144 applications for a wide range
of projects, including conservation treatment, training,
and surveys. Six of the recipients won additional funding
for a public education component to their conservation
project. Museums nationwide of all disciplines, from art
to zoo, are among today's recipients. Click
here for a contact list and descriptions of the projects
funded in your state.
"The urgent need for this federal conservation
assistance was recently underscored by the Heritage Health
Index, the first comprehensive survey of the conditions
and preservation needs of our nation’s museum and
library collections," said Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice,
Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
"Conducted by Heritage Preservation, Inc. in partnership
with the Institute, the Heritage Health Index found that
immediate action is needed to prevent the loss of millions
of irreplaceable artifacts."
Projects include, among others, the conservation
of early 17th century artifacts from Historic St. Mary’s
City in Maryland, research at the Zoological Society of
Cincinnati and the Center for Plant Conservation to revive
populations of 39 highly endangered plants species, and
a detailed condition survey of Indian paintings from the
13th to the 19th century of the world-renowned Mughal
and Rajput styles at the University of Wisconsin’s
Chazen Museum of Art.
Conservation Project Support awards help
museums identify conservation needs and priorities and
perform activities to ensure the safekeeping of their
collections. The grants are awarded through competitive
peer review and require, at least, a 100 percent match
by the applicant. These grants help museums develop a
logical, institution-wide approach to caring for their
collections. The program is an essential component of
the Institute’s goal of sustaining cultural heritage
as a means of creating and sustaining a nation of learners.
Applicants apply for the project that meets the institution’s
highest conservation needs.
This is the first of nine grant rounds IMLS
will announce for FY2006. The second round, Native American
Library Services Basic grants will be announced in mid-June.
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