Media Contact: Julianna Verboort, 253.272.4258 x3011 or JVerboort@TacomaArtMuseum.org
TACOMA ART MUSEUM AWARDED GRANT BY INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES
(Tacoma, WA) – Today, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded a Museums for America grant of $129,509 to Tacoma Art Museum (TAM). IMLS grants are highly competitive. This year IMLS received 554 applications requesting $56,247,161, and of these, 196 projects were selected to receive funding totaling $20,405,211. Along with TAM, Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma received a grant; other area recipients included Frye Art Museum, The Museum of Flight, Pacific Science Center, Northwest African American Museum, Suquamish Tribal Council, and University of Washington.
The museum will use the grant funds to digitize 4,340 works from its permanent collection of Pacific Northwest art, to create internet access to the collection and provide a more audience-focused learning experience. TAM will capture high-quality photography, obtain rights and reproductions documentation and manage digital files to make nearly 100% of the collection widely accessible online. The project will allow visitors to freely explore the collection online, at home, or at museum kiosks, and will enhance learning for students and general visitors through new education initiatives. It will also provide digital content for the creation of a wide variety of learning experiences; generate new entry points for learners to engage with art, and allowing the museum to keep pace with changing visitor needs.
“Tacoma Art Museum’s mission is connecting people through art. The IMLS grant award enables us to accomplish a project that aligns precisely with that mission. Digitizing images of thousands of works of art will provide substantial benefits to our community, visitors, scholars, and many others who may not have physical access to our museum but who have an interest in our collections. We are grateful to IMLS for supporting this significant undertaking,” said Stephanie A. Stebich, Director of Tacoma Art Museum. “The grant award is timely, as we welcome 295 works of western American art in the Haub Family Collection on November 15 and our Northwest collection continues to grow.”
IMLS museum grants support a wide variety of projects that create learning experiences, strengthen community communities, care for collections and provide broad public access. “Our grants are highly competitive. The Institute of Museum and Library Services enlists hundreds of library and museum professionals throughout the United States to review grant applications and make recommendations on projects most worthy of funding,” said IMLS Director Susan H. Hildreth. “Receiving a grant from IMLS is a significant achievement, and we congratulate Tacoma Art Museum for being among the 2014 IMLS museum grantees.”
IMLS Grant Awarded to TAM – September 18, 2014 – Page 2
A complete list of museum recipients is available on the IMLS website at www.imls.gov/2014MuseumList. For information about IMLS museum grant programs, see: www.imls.gov/applicants/available_grants.aspx.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. The mission of IMLS is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. IMLS grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow IMLS on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information and images, contact Julianna Verboort at 253.272.4258 x3011 or JVerboort@TacomaArtMuseum.org.
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