OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Museum has been chosen to participate in the 2012 Heritage Preservation Conservation Assessment Program.
The UM Museum joins 2,800 museums that have participated in CAP in its 22-year history of serving museums. Heritage Preservation’s CAP is supported through a cooperative agreement with the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.
“The University of Mississippi Museum is exceptionally pleased to be a 2012 CAP participant, and to express our unequivocal commitment to detailed study and active response to the assessment recommendations, in our continuing dedication to preservation of the university’s cultural treasures with which we have been entrusted,” said Robert Saarnio, UM Museum director
CAP assists museums by providing funds for professional conservation and preservation specialists to identify the conservation needs of their collections and historic structure and recommend ways to improve collections and building conditions.
Lawrence L. Reger, Heritage Preservation’s president, praised the UM Museum for “making the vital work of caring for collections a priority of their institution, even in these challenging financial times, and helping ensure that they are available to present and future generations.”
CAP provides a general conservation assessment of the museum’s collections and historic structure. Professional conservators will spend two days surveying the site and three days preparing comprehensive reports that will identify conservation priorities.
The on-site consultation will enable the UM Museum to evaluate its collections care policies, procedures and environmental conditions. The assessment reports will help the museum make appropriate improvements for the immediate, mid-range and long-range care of its collections and historic structure.
The UM Museum, at the corner of University Avenue and Fifth Street, exhibits art, antiquities and ethnographic collections. It is open to the public 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free for most museum exhibitions, and parking is available behind the museum. Special exhibitions are $5 for the general public, $4 for senior adults and $3 for students (ages 6-17). Admission is free for UM students, UM Museum members and children under 5.
Besides its permanent exhibitions, the museum is showing exhibitions on “Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art,” Rolland Golden’s “River and Reverie: Paintings of the Mississippi” and “Time on Parchman Farm, 1930s.”
Heritage Preservation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying risks, developing innovative programs and providing broad public access to expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries, archives, historic preservation and other organizations, as well as individuals, in caring for our endangered heritage. To learn more about Heritage Preservation, please visit http://www.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the institute, visit http://www.imls.gov.
For more information about the UM Museum, visit http://museum.olemiss.edu or call Alyssa Yuen at 662-915-7073.