Collections Storage Furniture Project

FAIN: PG-263573-19

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (Hagerstown, MD 21740-6495)
Daniel Fulco (Project Director: May 2018 to February 2022)

The purchase of two storage cabinets and preservation supplies to rehouse the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts’ 3-D objects from its East Asian collection, including Chinese jade sculptures and Qianlong-era porcelain, Japanese okimono and netsuke figures, as well as Persian earthenware.  These collections include objects donated by the museum’s founders, Anna Brugh and William H. Singer, Jr., as well as items acquired by the museum’s director and donated by other local families.  Chinese and Japanese ceramics are currently on display and past exhibits have drawn upon the collection, such as Konichiwa: Japanese Culture and Ukiyo-e (2010).

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) seeks support from the NEH Preservation Assistance Grants to assist with its Collections Storage Furniture Project to adapt the existing multi-use “Art Vault” to a dedicated Painting and Print Vault (PPV). This project will relocate 3-D objects to the newly secured 3-D Storage Area. WCMFA requests NEH’s support for the purchase of two cabinets to house the Museum’s collection of East Asian artworks currently housed in the PPV. The acquisition of cabinets will open much needed space in the PPV for 2-D work and will provide an essential update to a plywood cabinet housing Asian artworks. The rehousing of 3-D objects is crucial to allow for efficient and safe access to them. Ultimately, this project will enable the WCMFA to more effectively exhibit its East Asian artworks which is critical to the Museum’s Mission of interpreting the art of world cultures and educating the public about them through humanities-based programming.