Historic Cherry Hill and the Shelburne Museum receive Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections
Historic Cherry Hill and the Shelburne Museum have been selected to receive the 2009 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections. This annual award is selected by a panel of distinguished conservation experts from across the nation and is presented jointly by Heritage Preservation and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). The two recipients have shown a sustained and exemplary commitment to preserving America’s heritage enriching their communities by caring for their unique and varied collections through dedicated planning and effort.
Historic Cherry Hill
Historic Cherry Hill, in Albany, New York, and the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont, have been selected to receive the 2009 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections. Recipients of this annual award are selected by a panel of distinguished conservation experts from across the nation. The award is presented jointly by Heritage Preservation and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.
The two recipients have shown a sustained and exemplary commitment to preserving America’s heritage, enriching their communities by caring for their unique and varied collections through dedicated planning and effort.
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Historic Cherry Hill, built in 1787 |
Historic Cherry Hill is the home of the Van Rensselaer-Rankin family. Built in 1787, it was lived in continuously by that family until 1963. A wealth of information for scholars of social history and material culture, Cherry Hill is a unique 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 Catherine Putman Rankin to become the invaluable cultural resource it has become today.
Historic Cherry Hill’s programs and publications provide an unprecedented view into one family’s life and the community in which they lived. The size and richness of the collections literally had the house bursting at the seams – floors that should have carried 30 pounds per square foot were discovered to be carrying 100 pounds by a structural engineer hired to review the site after staff members noticed severe cracking in the walls of the home in 1996.
Assertively responding to this crisis, the board and small staff successfully conducted a half million dollar campaign to design and construct a 3,500 square foot, state-of-the-art storage facility, which was completed in 2003. 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.
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The Edward Frisbee Center for Collections & Research, housing more than 20,000 objects and 30,000 documents |
In addition to this remarkable accomplishment, Historic Cherry Hill has researched and adopted many innovative and exciting 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 when inspired. And, in fact, they provide that example at every opportunity by holding training sessions that share their acquired knowledge with outside institutions and the community at large.
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."
Shelburne Museum
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.
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The restored 220-foot steamboat Ticonderoga is a National Historic Landmark |
Shelburne Museum demonstrates a laudable commitment to the preventive conservation of its collections: the Conservation Department was established in 1983 with the expressed intent of providing such care as a major aspect of the museum’s purpose. Producing a plan to implement this vital component of collections care presented challenges when considered for a collection that includes buildings, carriages, a lighthouse, a covered bridge, and a steamboat in the climate of Vermont. Shelburne met the challenges, producing two long-range preservation plans that are revised and updated yearly and followed carefully.
Through education and training, the Shelburne Museum has enriched the field of conservation care exponentially. Over 25 years, 61 conservators have been trained at Shelburne. Public outreach through exhibits and fundraising programs, such as its "Adopt a Carousel Animal" project, have been successes both in terms of raising awareness of the museum and the importance of conservation care for the pieces of our shared national cultural history, large and small.
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Shelburne Museum's 400-plus 18th and 19th-century American quilts collection is known internationally for their exceptional artistic quality. |
Eryl Wentworth, Executive Director of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, applauded the museum’s "long standing commitment to preserving its extraordinary collection. The committee was especially impressed by the museum’s creativity and innovative thinking in caring for such a unique and varied collection."
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 (MD) and the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. In 2009, the Arizona State Museum and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners received the award.
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Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) - Louisine Havemeyer and her Daughter Electra, 1895 - Pastel on paper |
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.
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works is the national membership organization of professional conservators dedicated to preserving the art and historic artifacts of our cultural heritage for future generations. Heritage Preservation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving our nation's heritage. Its members include museums, libraries, archives, and other organizations concerned with saving the past for the future.