Museum Conservation Institute receives Mellon grant--addendum

    **** Moderator's comments: See original announcement in
    Conservation DistList Instance: 24:2 Thursday, May 27, 2010

The Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute is pleased to
announce that it has completed a $1.75 million challenge grant
awarded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in December 2009.  With
the required $3.25 million in private gifts in hand, the research
center can now establish a $5 million endowment for the MCI
directorship-a position currently held by Robert Koestler.

With the salary, benefits, and research funds provided by the
endowment income for the MCI directorship, the incumbent will be
able to focus on emerging technologies and deterioration processes
that advance the Institute's scientific efforts as they apply to
cultural heritage conservation and preservation. Koestler is known
for his advances in art conservation research and practice,
including quantification and early detection of biodeterioration;
assessment of visual changes in material surfaces; and control of
insect and fungal infestations in objects. He will use the endowment
income to encourage new research in these areas.

The 21-member Institute, located in Suitland, Md., is the
Smithsonian's center for advanced scientific study and conservation
of museum collections, and it plays a vital role in protecting the
artistic and cultural legacy of the Smithsonian's diverse
collections by providing scientific expertise for all nineteen
museums. 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 is a private foundation that makes
grants on a selective basis in the areas of higher education,
museums and art conservation, performing arts, and conservation and
the environment. The Mellon 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 24:4
                   Distributed: Sunday, June 13, 2010
                        Message Id: cdl-24-4-010
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