Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections Nomination Guidelines
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and Heritage Preservation seek nominations for their joint Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections. Click here for information on previous recipients.
The award is presented annually to an organization in North America that has been exemplary in the importance and priority it has given to conservation concerns and in the commitment it has shown to the preservation and care of its cultural property within the context of its broader mission, which may include interpretation, research, scholarship, education, and/or public outreach.
Nominations for the award must be postmarked by December 15. Anyone may submit a nomination. Nominees should meet the following criteria:
1.
The nominee should be a North American not-for-profit organization of any size responsible for cultural property that may include collections, historic sites and structures. Cultural property is defined as material that may be artistic, historic, scientific, religious or social and is an invaluable and irreplaceable legacy that must be preserved for future generations. Collections can include fine arts, library and archival materials, natural history, natural science, musical instruments, textiles, technology, archaeology, ethnography and photography. If a collection is located in a historical building or site, that building or site should be considered part of the collection.
If the nominee does not own objects, historic structures or sites, a case may be made regarding how its activities affect cultural property, for instance through funding or advocacy. Organizations that have preservation or conservation as their sole and exclusive purpose are not eligible recipients of this award.
II.
The nominator should provide evidence of the nominee’s sustained and exemplary commitment to the preservation and care of its collections through description of its conservation and preservation activities, special programs and involvement of conservation professionals in decision-making processes.
III.
Providing evidence of how the organization has broadened its community’s understanding of the goals of conservation and the importance of preserving cultural property through its conservation activities can strengthen a nomination.
The nominator can be any individual within or outside the organization, although when the nomination comes from outside it is useful if the nomination package includes a letter from the institution's director. Letters of support are welcome, and are most appropriate when they come from outside the organization and from individuals knowledgeable about conservation. Visual documentation (slides or photos) and other supporting materials (publications, etc.) are encouraged. When possible, 6 copies of all materials are requested. If it is cost prohibitive to submit 6 copies of visual documentation and supporting materials, one original and 6 itemized lists will facilitate review by committee.
See Nomination Tips for advice on nominations.
Six copies of all nomination materials, including letters of support, must be postmarked by December 15 and sent to the AIC office:
AIC
1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 320
Washington, DC 20005-1714
Please note: two complete copies of nomination materials will be retained by AIC and Heritage Preservation. All others will be returned upon request.