Conservation Assessment Program Announces 2009 Participants
2010 application to be released September 4, 2009
Washington, D.C. – One hundred museums in thirty-nine states will assess the condition of their collections this year through the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP). The 2009 recipients include the Atlantic City Aquarium in New Jersey; the Toy and Miniature Museum in Kansas City, Missouri; Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper, Wyoming; and Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site in Cartersville, Georgia. To view the complete list of 2009 CAP participants, click here.
CAP helps small to mid-sized museums of all types, from art museums to zoos, obtain a general assessment of the condition of their collections, environment, and historic buildings. Following an on-site assessment by a conservation professional, the museum receives a written report recommending priorities to improve collections care. This report assists museums in educating staff and board members on conservation practices, creating long-range and emergency plans, and raising funds to improve the care of their collections.
"Small museums are our nation’s collective memory banks," said Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. "The 198 million artifacts cared for by the 12,000 small museums and historical societies across America collectively hold the stories of our rich and diverse cultural heritage. I am proud that the Institute’s partnership with Heritage Preservation, through the Conservation Assessment Program, provides small museums with the professional assessment services they need to maintain their collections for generations to come."
Since 1990, over 2,500 museums have participated in CAP, including museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico. Heritage Preservation’s CAP is supported through a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
"In these difficult times, a CAP report can be used to demonstrate to private, local, state, and federal funding sources how collections care can be a tool for engaging new audiences, contributing to a museum’s mission to promote learning and, thereby, ensuring that the museum’s collections will be available for the future," said Lawrence L. Reger, President of Heritage Preservation.
2009 has been the pilot year for an expedited schedule for CAP. In prior years, CAP applications were received in the autumn previous to the program year, awards were announced in the early spring, and assessments did not begin until the summer of the program year. With the new schedule, participants are notified of their approved status on a rolling basis, beginning as early as six weeks after the receipt of their completed applications. Participants can then begin scheduling their site visits, which may take place after January 1 of the program year. The final CAP reports must be submitted to Heritage Preservation by November 1. The expedited schedule makes the most of the CAP museums’ eagerness to start the program and to improve their preventive conservation practices.
Forms for applying for the 2010 program will be mailed on Friday, September 4, 2009, to museums on the CAP mailing list and will also be available on Heritage Preservation’s Web site at http://www.heritagepreservation.org/CAP. Applications will be evaluated in the order in which they are received, and applicants are encouraged to submit their completed application as soon as possible. The postmark deadline for applications is December 1, 2009. To be added to the CAP application mailing list or for more information, call the CAP office at 202-233-0800 or email cap(a)heritagepreservation.org.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. The Institute fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries in America. The Institute also encourages partnerships to expand the educational benefit of libraries and museums. To learn more about the Institute, please visit http://www.imls.gov.
Heritage Preservation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying risks, developing innovative programs, and providing broad public access to expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries, archives, historic preservation and other organizations, as well as individuals, in caring for our endangered heritage.
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