Briscoe Western Art Museum Collections Storage Plan

FAIN: PG-252898-17

National Western Art Foundation (San Antonio, TX 78205-2988)
Hannah Michelle Haney (Project Director: May 2016 to June 2019)

The development of a collections storage plan for a museum that houses over 1,300 objects from the early 1600s to the present including artworks and artifacts such as textiles, furniture, weaponry, and materials relating to horse riding.  A large photography collection includes works by Edward Curtis, William Henry Jackson, and George Fisk.  The museum also houses items by noted Native American artists Allan Houser and public sculptor Glenna Maxey Goodacre.  The collections are used to explore the culture and history of the Western United States.

This project is for the Briscoe Western Art Museum's collections storage plan. We are intending to bring in conservator and consultant Wendy Jessup to help us create a comprehensive plan for the facility that meets the standards of the American Alliance of Museums. The museum's collection is currently comprised of over 1,300 objects ranging from the 1600's to present day. The collection comprises approximately 400 artifacts which include; textiles, weaponry, furniture, saddles, spurs, and instruments. It also contains about 900 pieces of artwork including paintings, photography, prints and sculptures. It is important for us to preserve these items because they play a large part in understanding the development, the importance, and the mystique that surrounds the American West. Our objects expose the visitor to a unique story that we hope travels with the visitor after they have left. That means that we need to care for our collection that we have been given.