Blog by Melinda Sue Robbins, Grants Manager, School for Advanced Research
SAR’s Indian Arts Research Center Receives Funding for Projects That Support Indigenous Collections Care
SAR received an IMLS Inspire! Grant for Small Museums of $49,927 for the IARC’s project to improve the stewardship of its collection of over 12,500 items of Indigenous Southwest art and history. Museum staff will inventory and barcode objects in the collection, which will result in efficient and accurate knowledge of object location and condition. Improved collections management will allow staff and community to access the collection more easily for research, exhibition, and programmatic purposes. According to the IMLS, they received 234 applications through this opportunity and SAR’s project was one of the seventy-seven projects approved to receive funding.
SAR received an IMLS National Leadership Grants for Museums of $175,587 for the IARC’s creation of the Indigenous Collections Care Guide. to support the museum field with an accessible reference tool for museum professionals who interact regularly with Native American collections. The guide will provide museums with a framework to recenter collections stewardship practices around the needs and knowledge of Indigenous community members. At the conclusion of the project, 175 tribal community representatives and museum professionals will have had a voice in the development of the guide, which will be made freely available for tribal community representatives and museums of all sizes. The IMLS reported receiving forty-eight applications for this opportunity, and SAR was one of nineteen projects to receive funding.
Institute of Museum and Library Services
The mission of IMLS is to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. The agency carries out its charge as it adapts to meet the changing needs of our nation’s museums and libraries and their communities. IMLS’s mission is essential to helping these institutions navigate change and continue to improve their services. Visit imls.gov