Mexic-Arte Museum Preservation Project

FAIN: PG-50938-10

Mexic Arte Museum (Austin, TX 78701-3542)
Toni Nelson Herrera (Project Director: May 2009 to November 2011)

Funding supports the museum's first preservation assessment, which will include a site visit, report, and one day of staff training. Two flat files will also be purchased to accommodate the museum's growing print collection. Approximately 90 percent of the permanent collection consists of works on paper of 20th-century Mexican and Mexican-American art.

Currently, plans are being developed by Mexic-Arte Museum for a new facility for the museum supported by a City of Austin $5 million Bond Program. However, important incremental plans must be made to immediately care for the museum's Permanent Collection, as well as preparation to relocate and preserve it during the renovation/construction phase of the new facility. Items in the Permanent Collection can be classified into six main categories: works on paper, paintings, textiles, photographs, popular art masks, and sculptures. The grant will provide funds for consultant fees for the Preservation Needs Assessment and Planning Report, and a One Day On-Site Consultancy with Senior Staff and a key volunteer on current preservation and care of the Permanent Collection. Additionally, the consultant will advise on how to handle the Permanent Collection going forward as the Museum plans for its transition to a new facility.