MORE THAN $29 MILLION AWARDED FOR MUSEUMS NATIONWIDE
INCLUDES $170,332 AWARDED TO THE MSU MUSEUM
The MSU Museum was recently awarded a substantial grant that will enhance preservation and expand educational opportunities for teaching and research with its apparel and textile collection.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) recently awarded grants totaling $29,545,363 for 208 projects at museums across the nation to improve services to their communities. The MSU Museum was awarded a grant of $170,332 to enhance the preservation of and access to a large acquisition of historic clothing from the MSU Department of Apparel and Textile Design.
“The new collection includes numerous types and eras of clothing not found in the existing MSUM collection,” said MSU Museum Curator Mary Worrall. “Expanding the collection has already brought new teaching and exhibition opportunities such as a recent exhibit about women’s sports clothing in the 1910s and class discussions about design and history through the framework of museum objects.”
Specifically, the grant will help fund photography, cataloging, and rehousing of approximately 3,000 of the newly acquired pieces. The items range in date from 1810 to the early 1990s with many pieces representative of clothing worn by women in Michigan at home, at school, in the workplace, or in leisure activities. The Museum plans to hire an emerging museum professional as an assistant for the two-year project, as well as provide funding for MSU student interns.
“We have found that hands-on learning experiences, solving ‘real’ problems in the collections, are a powerful tool for engaging students and stimulating their interest in the discipline,” said Worrall. “We are excited that this grant will provide funded opportunities to train the next generation of museum professionals.”
Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the MSU Museum collects, preserves, studies and interprets cultural artifacts and natural science specimens, with collections numbering more than 1 million in four buildings on the MSU campus. The MSU Museum is committed to education, exhibitions, research and the building and stewardship of collections.
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Michigan State University Museum
The MSU Museum is the science and culture museum at Michigan State University and the state’s first Smithsonian Affiliate. The museum features three floors of special collections and changing exhibits. The Museum is located on 409 West Circle Drive next to Beaumont Tower on the MSU campus. Visitor parking is available at metered spaces at the Grand River Ramp, one block away at the corner of Grand River Avenue and Charles Street. For more information, call (517) 355-2370 or see museum.msu.edu.
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 libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.