2009 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections Presented

Nominations Sought for 2010 Award: Deadline is December 15, 2009

In late September, Historic Cherry Hill in Albany, New York, and the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont were presented the Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections.

Historic Cherry Hill

Lawrence Reger presents the 2009 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections to Cherry Hill Board President Michael Beiter.

On September 17, Lawrence Reger, President of Heritage Preservation, traveled to Albany to present Historic Cherry Hill’s award. Wint Aldrich, Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, was in attendance, along with other community members including local civic leaders and elected officials.

Three proclamations were issued in honor of the occasion by State Senator Neil Breslin; Assembly Majority Leader Ronald Canestrari and Assembly Member John McEneny; and Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings.

Ronald Canestrari, Majority Leader of the New York State Assembly, congratulates Historic Cherry Hill.

Lawrence L. Reger, President of Heritage Preservation, said, "Historic Cherry Hill is a remarkable institution, and we are fortunate to have such a valuable collection in our national cultural history cared for with such close attention and thoughtful planning. The awarding committee was especially impressed by Cherry Hill’s ongoing work to refine its conservation plan and its collaborative relationship with other groups and the Albany community."

Historic Cherry Hill was the home of the Van Rensselaer-Rankin family. Built in 1787, it was lived in continuously by the family until 1963. Containing a wealth of information for scholars of social history and material culture, Cherry Hill is an invaluable cultural resource because of the well-documented provenance of its varied collection. The museum was founded when the entire estate, including 20,000 objects, 30,000 manuscripts, 7,500 textiles, 5,000 books, and 3,000 photographs, was donated by Emily Rankin.

Historic Cherry Hill was chosen to receive the award for several reasons, including its response to an urgent storage crisis in 2003. When it was found that the house and its collections were in immediate danger, the Board and staff constructed a 3,500 square foot, state-of-the-art storage facility. To date, more than 20,000 objects and 30,000 documents have been moved to the new facility and are being cared for in accordance with the latest advances in preservation.

In addition to this remarkable achievement, Historic Cherry Hill has researched and adopted many sound conservation practices to maintain its collection. From installing ultra-violet filtering and blackout shades throughout the house to obtaining grants and developing and executing a long range conservation plan, Historic Cherry Hill is a superb example of what the dedication and hard work of a few people at a small institution with limited resources can accomplish. They demonstrate that example at every opportunity by holding training sessions that share their acquired knowledge with outside institutions and the community.

Shelburne Museum

On September 25, Eryl Wentworth, Executive Director of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, came to the Shelburne Museum to present their award.

Pictured from left to right are: Stephan Jost, director; Nancie Ravenel, objects conservator; Rick Kerschner; Eryl Wentworth; James Pizzagalli, chairman of the board of trustees; Michael Polemis, board member and chairman of the museum’s Collections Committee.

Shelburne Museum, founded in 1947 by Electra Havemeyer Webb, is one of the nation's finest, most diverse, and unconventional museums of art and Americana. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in a remarkable setting of 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds. Impressionist paintings, folk art, quilts and textiles, decorative arts, furniture, American paintings, and a dazzling array of 17th- to 20th-century artifacts are on view. Shelburne is home to an extensive collection including 19th-century American folk art, quilts, 19th- and 20th-century decoys, and carriages. Shelburne Museum was selected for showing a sustained and exemplary commitment to preserving America’s heritage and for enriching the community by caring for its unique and varied collections through dedicated planning and effort. Those efforts include the gamut of collections care from innovative lighting to environmental control and security measures that allow the public safe access to artifacts. The national award was presented on Friday, Sept. 25 and was awarded jointly by Heritage Preservation and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

"The committee was especially impressed by the museum’s creativity and innovative thinking in caring for such a unique and varied collection," said Eryl Wentworth, Executive Director of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. She also applauded the museum’s "long standing commitment to preserving its extraordinary collection."

"We are honored to be recognized by our peers for our work in caring for the many and varied collections at Shelburne Museum," said Rick Kerschner, director of preservation and conservation at Shelburne Museum. "The museum’s diverse collection coupled with the environmental challenges presented by Vermont’s climate make our work both challenging and rewarding."

The Award

The Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections has been presented on an annual basis since 1999. Previous recipients include nationally prominent organizations such as Colonial Williamsburg and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and smaller institutions such as the Historical Society of Frederick County (Maryland) and the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. In 2008, the Arizona State Museum and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners received the award.

Nominations are invited for the 2010 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections. Self-nominations are welcome. The deadline is December 15, 2009. For additional information, see http://www.heritagepreservation.org/awards/aic.htm.