June 2009
Within one week this June, the Jewish Museum of Florida received a $25,000 Arts Recovery Grant from Florida Division of Cultural Affairs (funded by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [ARRA] of 2009 and the National Endowment for the Arts), an IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, which is a core set of conservation books and online resources, and New Times’ selection as “Best Museum.”
The special one-time Arts Recovery funding provides a salary to rehire a part-time Museum educator. This position had been cut with the economic downturn. The Museum was one of only 18 recipients of this highly competitive grant out of 273 eligible applications from cultural organizations throughout Florida. Less than 7% of the requests were funded.
Through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Jewish Museum of Florida is one of 907 American institutions that will receive this essential set of resources, based on its application describing its archival collections and the needs and plans for the care of its material evidence of Jewish life in Florida. The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries’ special collections. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues. The IMLS Bookshelf was made possible by a cooperative agreement with the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) with support from the Getty Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. The IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.
“Each of these awards is validation that our Museum has a compelling mission, is operating efficiently and effectively and is worthy of support from the community,” said Marcia Jo Zerivitz, founding executive director and chief curator. “Especially in these economic times, cultural donors are looking for results and accountability, and we have proven that our Museum is meeting a need and will be here for the long-term.”
Jewish Museum of Florida
301 Washington Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305.672.5044
www.jewishmuseum.com
Be the first to comment