Developing a Storage Master Plan for the Fleming Museum of Art

FAIN: PG-263576-19

University of Vermont and State Agricultural College (Burlington, VT 05405-0160)
Margaret M. Tamulonis (Project Director: May 2018 to March 2021)

The hiring of a consultant to develop a storage master plan for an encyclopedic collection consisting of 24,000 art, anthropological, and material culture objects that span human civilization and represent ancient Mediterranean, European, Asian, African, and indigenous cultures of Oceania and the Americas. Highlights include Sumerian cuneiform tablets, Coptic textiles, African masks, prints by Dürer and Piranesi, Shang dynasty bronze vessels, and Aboriginal paintings from Australia. The Fleming Museum presents exhibitions, hosts researchers, offers extensive programming for faculty and students, and serves as an educational resource for the university, K-12 schools, and the regional community.

The Fleming Museum of Art at the University of Vermont is requesting funding to work with a conservation consultant to develop a storage master plan for its collections. The collection of over 24,000 objects is stored entirely on site, with a small offsite storage space in development on the University campus. The storage master plan will enable the Museum to significantly improve its storage space in large and small ways in an efficient and cost-effective way. The collection is used by dozens of university classes throughout the academic year, as well as in changing exhibitions. The collections include art, anthropological, and material culture objects that span the history of human civilization, from early Mesopotamia through contemporary America.