Preservation and Accessibility for Pacific Island Cultural Heritage Collection

FAIN: PB-274450-20

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (Los Angeles, CA 90007-4057)
Amy Elizabeth Gusick (Project Director: May 2020 to March 2022)

Conservation, digitization, and development of a virtual tour documenting 350-450 of the museum’s collection of Micronesian, Melanesian, and Polynesian bark cloths and woven mats. This project would retain four existing positions and create a new Assistant Collection Manager position that would last the duration of the proposed project.

Our Oceania collection contains wonderful examples of indigenous traditions that highlight the relationships between nature, culture, history, and science. The proposed project that was interrupted by Covid-19 will focus on conservation and digitization of our Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia bark cloths and woven mats as examples of how to continue advancing our mission by digitally sharing with our audiences not only our unparalleled collections and active research, but also the process for museum conservation and accessibility. By filming curation and conservation processes, and creating a dedicated web portal with a virtual tour and collection, we can make these fragile collections freely accessible and open new interdisciplinary research possibilities while expanding access to these collections for the general public.