Museum Collections Equipment Upgrade

FAIN: PG-232419-16

Hockaday Museum of Art (Kalispell, MT 59901-4942)
Elizabeth Moss (Project Director: April 2015 to December 2015)
Barry B. Conger (Project Director: December 2015 to July 2017)

The purchase of data loggers and light meters to monitor environmental conditions at the Hockaday Museum of Art.  The museum’s collections feature the historic and artistic legacy of Montana and Glacier National Park, including artists of regional and national importance such as John Fery, Leonard Loop, T.J. Hileman, and Gary Schildt. The collection also includes artistic renderings of the changing landscape over time, due to recession of glaciers, and a significant archive of papers and objects related to the Blackfeet Indian tribe. The applicant seeks to replace outdated and unreliable environmental monitoring equipment with newer units, as recommended in a 2012 preservation needs assessment.

The Hockaday Museum of Art houses one of the nation's largest permanent collections of historic and contemporary art of Glacier National Park. The collection holds more than 800 artworks, 50,000 photographs and negatives, and over 3,000 titles in the library. The Museum has been accepting items into the collection for over forty years. The main objective of the collection is to preserve the artwork for future generations to enjoy. The Hockaday conducted a preservation needs assessment in April 2012. The assessment identified two areas of concern to be addressed by the project-1) environmental monitoring, and 2) management of light. The monitoring equipment in place is outdated and the ability to measure light in the exhibition galleries does not exist. The project will allow the Museum to purchase and install proper equipment to monitor environmental conditions in the collections and exhibitions areas.