IMLS announces grant recipients

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

IMLS Announces 2009 African American History and Culture Grants,
Convenes Annual Meeting of Grantees

Washington, DC-On July 21, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded $1.31 million to 11 organizations dedicated to preserving the history of African American life from the period of slavery to the present day as part of the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) program.

Since 2006, AAHC grants have helped African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) build capacity by supporting professional training, technical assistance, internships, and expert consultations. The grant program is authorized by the National Museum of African American History and Culture Act and developed in consultation with the Council and Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAHHC).

"African American history is American history, and the recipients of this year's African American History and Culture grants understand that they are cultivating the next generation of stewards of our collective American story," said Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of IMLS. "IMLS is proud to support their work."

This year, awardees that have proposed significant projects that will strengthen the African American museum field include:

• The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, Indianola, MS, will support professional training and development for key members of its staff through participation in national conferences, a series of management seminars, and enrollment in the Jekyll Island Management Institute.
• The Ohio Historical Society/National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, OH, will send staff to formal training in archival processing, database management, and digitization to help them build a sustainable program for the ongoing care of the museum's collections.
• The Weeksville Heritage Center, Brooklyn, NY, will establish a department of preservation and collections to more effectively interpret the site of one of the first free African American communities in the nation.

Click here for more information about this year's grantees.

In addition to grant making, IMLS works closely with the National Museum of African American History and Culture to convene an annual meeting for past grantees to share lessons learned and strengthen networks. On June 25-26, representatives of 16 current AAHC grantee institutions met in Washington to share the successes and challenges in implementing their IMLS-funded projects with their peers and IMLS staff. Kinshasha Holman Conwill, Deputy Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution, and IMLS Director Radice both spoke to the group.

Projects highlighted at the meeting included a national profile of African American Museums; a project to build institutional capacity and sustainability of African American museums throughout Florida; and a series of workshops and a summer internship program designed to benefit African American museums in the Baltimore area.

Following the convening, Jane Penn and Sheila McDaniel of the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY, wrote IMLS staff to say, "We found the gathering extremely fruitful - meeting our colleagues, hearing the stories and sharing the lessons. We also appreciated the care and effort your team put forth ensuring that our experience was a rewarding one."

The next deadline for the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture program is January 15, 2010. Click here for more information.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
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, please visit www.imls.gov.