U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced federal grant funding for the Harwood Museum of Art and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. The grants, totaling $291,924, are awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Museums for America and National Leadership Grants programs.
“These funds will help expand and support educational programs that museums provide to our communities,” said Sen. Heinrich. “Fine Arts, music, and culture play a vital role in New Mexico by adding to our economic vitality and educational development.”
The Harwood Museum of Art was awarded $150,000 to establish an on-site digital photo studio, photograph each object in its collecation, and publish its collection catalog online. The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture was awarded $141,924 for conservation and restoration of the highest priority pieces in the museum’s collection, which focuses on 419 vessels that have been deemed unstable to pack, transport, or handle.
IMLS is the primary federal agency responsible for supporting the nation’s more than 17,500 museums. Over the past two budget cycles, Sen. Heinrich has requested robust support for the Office of Museum Services at the IMLS in order to ensure that important programs like these receive adequate funding.
The Museums for America grant program the largest grant program for museums provided by IMLS. The grant funding provides support of projects and ongoing activities that build museums’ capacity to serve the community. The National Leadership Grants program supports projects that address current and future needs of the museum field that have the potential to advance practice in the profession so that museums can improve services for the American public.