Collections Assessment for the Danforth Museum of Art

FAIN: PG-51289-11

Danforth Museum Corporation (Framingham, MA 01702-8223)
Katherine French (Project Director: May 2010 to March 2015)

Hiring a conservation team to conduct a preservation assessment for a collection of 3,500 paintings, prints, photos, and sculpture that includes works by the Boston expressionist, Hyman Bloom; sculpture by the African American artist, Myra Warrick Fuller; a collection of katsina figures; and important prints by Works Progress Administration artists.

The Danforth Museum of Art respectfully requests a grant of $6,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to hire 3 conservators from the Williamstown Art Conservation Center in Williamstown, MA, to conduct a general preservation assessment of the Museum's permanent collection and recommend a plan of action regarding the preservation, housing, and environmental conditions of the items in the collection. The assessment will also address restoration and/or repair issues and make both short- and long-term recommendations regarding the collection. The Museum wants to undertake this assessment before it makes changes to its storage facilities as recommended in a 2010 Museum Assessment Program Collections Management Assessment Report. In addition, the Museum will use this information as it begins to move forward with a strategic planning process, including the evaluation and possible renovation of its current facilities.