Carnegie Museum of Natural History Sustainable Anthropology Collection Storage Improvement

FAIN: PF-50445-14

Carnegie Institute (Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4007)
Sandra Lynn Olsen (Project Director: December 2013 to May 2014)
Gretchen Anderson (Project Director: May 2014 to April 2018)

The improvement of storage environments for over 2 million ethnographic and archaeological objects produced by native peoples of the Americas, as well as similar materials from other parts of the world. The project would support the consolidation of storage spaces and the installation of compact shelving at the museum, based on environmental and facilities data collected during a year-long planning effort that identified ways to reduce energy consumption and improve collections storage.

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History's (CMNH) Anthropology Section possesses one of the world's outstanding collections. Ranking fifth in the nation, its holdings include 100,000 ethnological and historical objects, as well as 1.5 million archaeological artifacts, representing most of the continents. To ensure the future of these valuable holdings, the CMNH Section of Anthropology is undertaking an ambitious program to improve conditions in the off-site facility housing its collections. The main goals of this implementation grant proposal are sustainability, improvements to collection storage and climate control, and reorganization of areas by function. Once completed, the CMNH Section of Anthropology's collection conditions will be vastly improved and the collections will be much more accessible.