Preservation Assessment for an Art Collection

FAIN: PG-51706-12

St. Ambrose University (Davenport, IA 52803-2829)
Heather Lovewell (Project Director: May 2011 to October 2013)

Hiring a consultant to conduct a general preservation assessment of approximately 5,000 items in the Catich collection of art and related archives, including prints, drawings, watercolors, manuscripts, sketchbooks, journals, and photographs that document the life and work of 20th-century artist, calligrapher, typographer, and authority on the Roman alphabet, Rev. Edward M. Catich.

The NEH Preservation Grant will support a general preservation assessment survey by a professional conservator of the Catich Collection of Fine Art and related archives that are housed at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. The Rev. Edward M. Catich collection is humanities based with more than 5,000 works in various media that link the study of the arts to other disciplines: notably history (e.g., development of the written alphabet and history of the Catholic Church), sociology, and religion. The general preservation assessment survey will evaluate the condition of the collection and the facilities in which they are housed to provide short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations for the ongoing care and preservation of these unique collections. The resultant report along with curatorial priorities will create a prioritized Long Range Conservation Plan (LCRP) that will provide the framework for the University’s strategic plan to ensure the future preservation of the collection.