Gregory Allicar Museum of Art Collection Storage Enhancement

FAIN: PG-251651-17

Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO 80521-2807)
Linda G. Frickman (Project Director: April 2016 to June 2019)

A preservation assessment and purchase of shelving to house a recently acquired collection of African art that includes beaded jewelry and ceramic vessels, and which complements a larger collection of some 900 objects from across the African continent. The new collection, including 17 large ceramic vessels, documents a variety of forms, pot-making techniques, and surface embellishments and includes objects of the Yoruba, Dogon, and Lobi peoples of West Africa, and the Masai and Kamba peoples of Kenya.  The collections are used for research, teaching, and public programming.

The Gregory Allicar Museum of Art at Colorado State University requests a grant for the purchase of a Spacesaver storage carriage, and additional shelves to maximize the use of existing carriages, in order to house recent gifts of African art objects and make more efficient use of existing units. Recent gifts include 40 objects in various media and 17 large ceramic vessels. These additions enhance the eminence of the museum’s African collections by expanding existing categories, broadening artistic representation, and providing CSU with one of the few top quality collections of African ceramics in the country. The original Spacesaver system, installed in 2008, was selected with conservators Eileen Clancy and Judy Greenfield. Greenfield consulted on the preparations for this proposal and the grant will also support her two-day conservation assessment.