Museum Conservation Institute receives Mellon grant

Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute Meets Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation Challenge Grant Establishes Endowed Directorship

The Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute has matched a $1.75
million grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with the required
$3.25 million in private gifts. The research center now can
establish a $5 million endowed director's position.

The new endowed position will allow MCI's director opportunities to
focus on emerging technologies and deterioration processes that
advance the Institute's conservation science efforts. The 21- member
Institute, located in Suitland, Md., is the Smithsonian's center for
advanced scientific study and conservation of museum collections.
MCI conducts in-depth studies of artistic, anthropological and
historic objects using state-of-the art analytical techniques to
explain their provenance, composition and cultural context, and to
improve the Smithsonian's conservation and collections storage
capabilities. The Institute's knowledge of collections and unique
analytical capabilities annually result in hundreds of requests for
consultations from organizations around the world and about 50
publications per year.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation ranks among the nation's largest
foundations. It makes grants in program areas that include art
conservation, the environment, education, scholarly communications,
information technology, and the performing arts. The Foundation has
been a long-standing benefactor to the Smithsonian, supporting, in
addition to this gift, a wide array of scientific, cultural and arts
projects.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:2
                  Distributed: Thursday, May 27, 2010
                        Message Id: cdl-24-2-010
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