Viewable Storage for the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection

FAIN: PZ-50080-07

Morris Museum, Inc. (Morristown, NJ 07960-4612)
Erin Dougherty (Project Director: October 2006 to July 2007)
Deborah Farrar Starker (Project Director: July 2007 to July 2009)

The purchase of cabinetry and shelving for the visible storage of the Murtogh D. Guinness collection of American and European mechanical musical instruments and automata, which date from the early 16th to the 20th centuries.

The Morris Museum is currently undergoing an expansion and renovation project which includes initiatives focused on the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. Acquired in late 2003 and currently stored in an off-site storage facility, the Guinness Collection complements and enhances the museum?s existing collections and offers rich opportunities for humanities programming. The Guinness-related initiatives include construction of a wing to house an interpretive exhibition; a Resource Center for the study of mechanical music and automata; and Guinness Viewable Storage, where the collection will be properly housed and publicly accessible. NEH funding is requested to 1) purchase and install a high-density mobile storage system and related housing materials and supplies for on-site viewable storage of the Guinness Collection and 2) relocate the collection from its off-site location to the Morris Museum, including necessary packing and supplies.