The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is very pleased to announce that the museum has been awarded a grant of $149,465 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The museum will use the grant funds to hire an assistant registrar to convert multiple inventory systems, including paper records and older digital files into one central electronic inventory system. The inventory will be supplemented with digital images of the collection, allowing more access for interpretation, exhibition and research.
“The Burchfield-Penney is very honored to be awarded this very important grant from IMLS. The grant is critical in enabling the museum to make its collections more accessible to the public,” said Ted Pietrzak, director of the Burchfield-Penney. “As we prepare to move to our new facility in 2008, this undertaking could not have been more aptly timed.”
“Museums for America grants invest in our nation’s communities by supporting museums as active resources for lifelong learning, cultural heritage, and community engagement. The programs and activities these grants support include hands-on educational programs, innovative uses of technology, and ground-breaking partnerships. All help to strengthen museum services and improve communities,” said Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services
Museums for America is the Institute’s largest grant program for museums, providing more than $17 million in grants to support the role of museums in American society to sustain cultural heritage, to support lifelong learning; and to be centers of community engagement. Museums for America grants strengthen a museum’s ability to serve the public more effectively by supporting high-priority activities that advance the institution’s mission and strategic goals.
Museums for America funding will support projects and activities, designed by the institution, that strengthen museums as active resources for lifelong learning and key players in the establishment of livable communities. Museums for America grants are designed to be flexible. They can be used for ongoing museum activities, research and other behind-the-scenes activities, planning activities, new programs or activities, purchase of equipment or services, or other activities that will support the efforts of museums to upgrade and integrate new technologies into their overall institutional effectiveness.
IMLS received 414 applications for $41.9 million and awarded 158 grants totaling $17.4 million.
About IMLS
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because life-long learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation. To learn more about the Institute, please visit: http://www.imls.gov.
About the Burchfield-Penney Art Center
The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is a museum dedicated to the art and vision of Charles E. Burchfield and distinguished artists of Buffalo Niagara and Western New York State. Through its affiliation with Buffalo State College, the museum encourages learning and celebrates our richly creative and diverse community. For more information, contact the Burchfield-Penney Art Center at 716 878 6011 or visit www.burchfield-penney.org.
The new 84,000 square foot Burchfield-Penney, designed by Gwathmey Siegel and Associates Architects, is scheduled to open in thespring of 2008.The two-story building will be the Burchfield-Penney’s first free-standing home and have a major presence on Elmwood Avenue in the heart of Buffalo’s Museum District.
The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is supported in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Erie County. Additional operating support is provided by Buffalo State College, the Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Trust, the James Carey Evans Endowment, the Mary A. H. Rumsey Foundation and charitable contributions by museum members and visitors. Media sponsor: Buffalo Spree.