Museum News

Museum Increases Art Storage Capacity by 50% with Support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services

December 12th, 2024

A hand cleans adhesive off of a watercolor architectural drawing.

Sarah Schroeder cleans adhesive off of an Arthur Pillsbury watercolored architectural rendering. 

Illinois State University junior Art History and Anthropology double major Sarah Schroeder was the first intern to work on this project. They recently completed their first semester of the internship and are excited to continue learning from Cain next semester. "I've gotten a really well-rounded experience," Schroder shares after listing off a variety of hands-on activities, such as repairing tears with wheat paste and "washing" paper with chemicals to remove the adhesive. 

Interns like Schroeder will significantly contribute to the project as the Museum works to conserve and catalog the collection. Once cataloged, the individual art pieces will be added to the Museum's Online Object Database, where people can access the objects from anywhere, at any time.

Bloomington, Ill. (December 12, 2024) The McLean County Museum of History is increasing its art storage capacity by 50% thanks to funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. 

On July 17, 2024, the federal organization awarded the Bloomington-based Museum $72,350 as a part of its Museums for America granting initiative. The money allows the Museum to renovate an existing storage space, retrofitting it with Spacefile storage to not only better preserve its significant art collection but also increase the collection's accessibility and provide hands-on learning opportunities to emerging museum professionals. 

"This grant allows us to reimagine our art storage, creating a space that preserves and protects our existing collection while also providing room for us to grow the collection, ensuring its legacy for future generations," says Curator of Collections Jackie Cain.

The Museum's art collection consists of over 550 pieces of locally significant art, some dating back to the 1800s, and some as recent as the 2000s. However, Cain estimates that over 50% of said art needs conservation work. 

Cain will oversee the project and provide internship opportunities with hands-on instruction for object handling, condition reporting, introductory conservation repairs, photography, inventorying, and database management. Together, they will ensure each piece is photographed, its condition documented, and added to the Museum’s Online Object database which anyone can access at any time. The database currently features 1,126 objects from the Museum’s collection and averages 1,000 searches per month. 

The Museum’s Executive Director Julie Emig notes that “ This grant will significantly improve our capacity to care for and preserve the artwork in our collection. I am especially excited about the learning opportunity for college interns who are working with us on this project; they will help to create access to cultural items that represent over 100 years of life in Central Illinois.”

It is estimated to take 19 months to complete the project and the Museum will share in the cost, contributing an additional $73,587 for a total project cost of $145,937.

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. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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The McLean County Museum of History is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to preserving, educating, and collaborating to share the diverse stories of the people of McLean County. Located in the heart of historic Downtown Bloomington, Illinois, the Museum is nationally accredited and welcomes visitors from around the world six days a week. For more information, please visit mchistory.org.

Micaela Harris

Director of Communications

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