Shelburne Museum has received two major federal grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Museum Director Stephan Jost announced. The museum has been awarded IMLS grants totaling over $210,000, to underwrite new educational programs for school-age children and to conserve a group of 19 American paintings in the museum s permanent collection.
The IMLS grants support us in our mission to better connect with the community through educational programming and conservation projects that enrich the arts experience for our visitors, Jost said.
The educational programs funding is part of an IMLS grant program called Museums for America. Shelburne Museum was among 167 museums in 46 states and Puerto Rico selected from a pool of 433 applicants vying to receive MFA grants. A total of $19,176,000 in MFA grants was awarded in 2009. The grants recognize excellence in museum programming, said Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of IMLS.
By making it their mission to provide the public with top-notch programming and knowledgeable staff, the 2009 MFA grantees have demonstrated that they know what is important to their communities, said Radice. Referencing IMLS s report, InterConnections, Radice added, In 2006, 156 million U.S. adults visited museums 1.2 billion times, in person and remotely. These numbers prove that museums, like this year s MFA recipients, are vital institutions that play a significant role in people s lives.
Shelburne Museum received the following from the IMLS:
Passport to Learning grant, in the amount of $148,832, to fund the museum s new educational program, which will serve the 10,000 kindergarten through eighth grade Vermont school children who visit Shelburne Museum annually. Passport to Learning features hands-on workshops and is designed to integrate Vermont state curriculum standards into the museum s programs.
Painting conservation grant from the IMLS Conservation Project Support program, in the amount of $61,665, to hire a paintings conservator to examine and treat 19 American paintings from the museum s permanent collection. The museum was among 35 grantees selected from a pool of 129. The conservation treatments will stabilize deteriorated painted surfaces and recover as nearly as possible the artist s original intent. The examinations will allow the museum to learn more about the painting techniques and practices of important artists represented in the collection.
About Shelburne Museum: Located in Vermont's scenic Lake Champlain Valley, Shelburne Museum is one of the nation's finest, most diverse and unconventional museums of art, design and Americana. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in a remarkable setting of 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the museum grounds. The museum s collection includes works by the great Impressionists Claude Monet, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas as well as a prized collection of folk art including trade signs, weathervanes and quilts. For more information please visit www.shelburnemuseum.org.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services: The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.