FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 22, 2019) — The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) is excited to announce the receipt of a major grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in support of a long-term project to improve the documentation, preservation, and accessibility of its collection of Native American, Hispanic, Spanish Colonial, and 20th century American art.
In Sept. 2019, the IMLS announced grant awards totaling $21,726,676 for museums across the nation to improve services to their communities. Through the agency’s largest competitive grant program, Museums for America, and a special initiative, Museums Empowered, a total of 130 projects were selected from 511 applications. The Fine Arts Center will receive $243,000.
“As centers of learning and catalysts of community change, libraries and museums connect people with programs, services, collections, information, and new ideas in the arts, sciences, and humanities. They serve as vital spaces where people can connect with each other,” said IMLS Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew. “IMLS is proud to support their work through our grant making as they inform and inspire all in their communities.”
The FAC museum will identify priority items from its collection for digitization based on input from a community survey to launch the project. The grant will allow the FAC to photograph, research, and prepare records for 3,000 pieces from the permanent collection, with the goal of making this information publicly available through a portal on the FAC website. This will allow faculty, scholars, teachers, cultural groups, and tribal organizations to access the collections for teaching and learning.
“The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College houses one of the nation’s best collections of art from the Southwest. With this grant, the FAC museum will be able to digitize and electronically share our collection with broad audiences across Colorado and beyond. The Open Collection project enables flexible, inclusive and innovative opportunities for engagement with, and learning from, these objects. The project focuses on key parts of the museum’s mission: the preservation of historic and cultural data for future generations, and the creation of expansive networks of knowledge. I am grateful to the IMLS for their support of this ongoing work,” said FAC Museum Director Rebecca Tucker.
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