2009 Save America's Treasures Grants

The following Save America's Treasures grants are being supported by the Arts Endowment.

LOUISIANA

New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans – $300,000
The museum's permanent collection, which numbers over 32,000 objects and spans over 5,000 years, escaped Hurricane Katrina almost unscathed. However, the museum's storage facility was compromised by the storm. Save America's Treasures assistance will allow the museum to purchase equipment to protect its collection in a new building, insuring against future catastrophes.

MASSACHUSETTS

Jacob's Pillow, Becket – $59,000
The collection of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, one the nation's premiere presenters of dance, is a repository of dance history with photographs that show the beginnings of modern dance dating from the 1910s and illustrate its diverse evolutions throughout the 20th century. The project will preserve some 10,500 photographs and 500 slides through digitization, allowing greater access.

Faneuil Hall Art Collection, Boston – $200,000
Faneuil Hall, America's first town meeting hall, has played a crucial role in the political and social life of Americans for almost three centuries. The art collection displayed in the Great Hall reflects this history. It includes 24 paintings, 7 sculptures, 3 functional objects, 5 works of art on paper, 27 pieces of historical furniture, and 59 historical architectural features, all of which will be restored, cleaned, and repaired with funding from Save America's Treasures.

MAINE

Moving Panorama of Pilgrim's Progress, Saco – $51,940
 This 800-foot-long painting presents a continuous narrative of John Bunyan's 1678 allegory "The Pilgrim's Progress." It was completed in 1851 by artists associated with the National Academy of Design, including Frederick Church, Jasper Cropsey, and Daniel Huntington. With the support of the Save America's Treasures program, the entire panorama will be treated and a digital version created so that it can be dynamically displayed as it was intended to be seen.

NEW YORK

Raíces Latin Music Collection, New York – $75,000
The Raíces Latin Music Collection comprises the world's largest and most significant collection of materials pertaining to the Latin music genre known as salsa. Grant funds will support the re-housing of 11,250 recordings, the entire collections of scores and posters, and 55 scrapbooks to ensure their continued availability for, and safe handling by, researchers.

Everson Museum of Art Video Collection, Syracuse – $25,000
The Everson Museum of Art's art video collection includes rare and original work by Vito Acconci and William Wegman, among others, made between 1968 and 1985. Assistance from the Save America's Treasures program will go to the treatment and transfer to digital media of 52 reel-to-reel tapes; this will both conserve the media for its long-term preservation and make the collection immediately accessible to Museum staff, scholars, and the public.

PENNSYLVANIA

Romare Bearden's Mural "Pittsburgh Recollections", Pittsburgh – $100,000
Romare Bearden is regarded as one of the most creative and influential American artists of the 20th century. His ceramic mural "Pittsburgh Recollections", which references the city's history and the artist's experiences there, was commissioned by the Port Authority of Allegheny County for the Gateway Center light rail station in 1984. Grant funds will support the removal, conservation, and reinstallation of the artwork in a reconstructed Gateway Center station.

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