Renewal and Update to ASC Conservation and Preservation of Permanent Collection

FAIN: PG-51065-10

Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (Pine Bluff, AR 71601-4903)
Janelle McNulty Powell (Project Director: May 2009 to August 2013)

A preservation assessment of the Arts & Science Center's art collection, which includes 166 works by African American artists Benny Andrews, Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Margaret Burroughs, Camille Billops, and Jacob Lawrence.

The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas has over 1,000 artworks including paintings, sculptures, photography, drawings and prints with an emphasis on African-American art, Arkansas artists, and art of the Delta. This collection is only growing as it ranges from work by well-known artists from the Harlem Renaissance period to new artists from the state and region. The Center is seeking funding for an updated preservation plan for our permanent collection. A General Conservation Assessment was done in 2000, but due to funding cuts and staff changes, many of the recommendations were not implemented. Now, with the Center on a secure financial footing and with a steady staff, ASC wants to renew its commitment to being good stewards of the collection for generations to come. The Center is also seeking AAM re-accreditation, and this grant will help us toward that goal.