NYSCA/GHHN Conservation Treatment Grants Announced:

$177,384 Awarded Across New York State

The Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN) and the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) are awarding $177,384 in conservation treatment grants to 28 organizations, located in 18 New York counties. Conservation Treatment Grants fund professional conservation to stabilize and preserve historical objects and works of art in New York museums, history centers, and cultural organizations.

The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation is generously providing 50% of the funding for conservation treatment projects on Nassau & Suffolk counties and New York City.

Over the past year, the NYSCA/GHHN Conservation Treatment Grants guidelines were revised to make funding more accessible for projects that reflect the spectrum of communities and cultures across New York State. Supported conservation projects include a yueqin, a traditional Chinese pluck string instrument from the Museum of Chinese in America; an early 19-century Medicine Chest & Glass Bottles from the Quogue Historical Society; 16th-century oil-on-wood-panel painting of Madonna and Child in a Landscape by Andrea Previtali (ca. 1580-1528) at the Yager Museum of Art & Culture at Hartwick College; Tony Bennett’s portrait of Louis Armstrong at the Louis Armstrong House Museum; and a settle (bench) designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Graycliff. A full list of recipients can be found below.

“The field of conservation is continually changing,” noted Greater Hudson Heritage Network Executive Director Priscilla Brendler. “It requires practitioners who have demonstrated high levels of proficiency and advanced knowledge, adherence to the ethics and standards of the American Institute of Conservation (AIC), and are recognized for their expertise in the museum field. We are so pleased that these awards will involve 15 individual conservators and 3 conservation labs - all members of the AIC.”

NYSCA Chair Katherine Nicholls said, “Through our partnership with the Greater Hudson Heritage Network and the support of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, these fascinating objects, each with their own stories and provenance, will now be conserved for generations to come. With the essential support of Governor Hochul and the Legislature, NYSCA funds critical projects like this to preserve our shared cultural heritage found in communities all across the State. On behalf of staff and Council, I congratulate all the grantees for their vital work, as they enrich our understanding of the multifaceted history of New York.”   

This year, 44 grant applications were received at GHHN from institutions in 27 counties in New York State, requesting an aggregate of $281,255 in grant support. In all, requests were made for the treatment of 70 objects of which 28 organizational awards totaling $177,384 were recommended by a peer panel of conservators, curators, and museum professionals. Of the 28 organizations that received funding, 26 received full funding and 2 partial funding. 2023 Conservation Treatment Grant awards range from $690 to the maximum amount of $7,500. Of the 44 applicant institutions, 11 had budgets under $99,000, 10 had budgets between $100,000 and $300,000, 3 had budgets between $300,001 and $1 million, 12 had budgets between $1 million and $5 million, and 2 institutions had budgets over $10 million. Organizational operating budgets of 2023’s grant recipients span a stunning range from $3,350 to $109 million.  

Congratulations to the 2023 Conservation Treatment Grant Recipients:

Albany Institute of History & Art

(Albany County)

$3,488 for the conservation of the painting 'Woman in Green,' a portrait of Martha Hess by Samantha Littlefield Huntley (1865-1949) painted in 1901. Conservator: Hallie Halpern Painting Conservation.

Bard College

(Dutchess County)

$7,500 for the conservation of two watercolor portraits created by Miriam Sands (ca. 1834-1911): Doctor John Bard (1716-1799) and his niece, Rebecca Campbell Frazer (1743-1820). Conservator: Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center.

Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum*

(Bronx County)

$7,400 for the conservation of a 19th-century New York Pier Table. Conservator: Cynthia Moyer, Gilding and Decorative Arts Conservation.

Bowne House Historical Society*

(Queens County)

$7,500 for the conservation of the oil painting of Mrs. Robert Bowne Parsons (1909) by artist Edwin B. Childs. Conservator: Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center.

Cambridge Historical Society and Museum

(Washington County)

$7,500 for the conservation of two quilts: a wool cloth Calimanco quilt, 1730-1820; and a white-on-white cotton Greek Revival Medallion Trapunto quilt, 1820’s. Conservator: Spicer Art Conservation.

Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University

(Niagara County)

$5,000 for the conservation of oil on canvas painting by Jean Charlot, "La Tormenta" (The Storm II) and frame (1935). Conservator: Tracy Dulniak-Koepp, Great Lakes Art Conservation.

Dia Center for the Art*

(New York County)

$7,500 for the painting conservation by abstract painter Agnes Martin’s Untitled #12 (1975). Conservator: Nadia Ghannam Fine Art Conservation.

Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center

(Rockland County)

$7,015 for the conservation of a Portrait of Elizabeth Griffiths by Jacob Lozier, watercolor and ink (1824); Portrait of an unidentified Seated Woman by Jacob Lozier, Watercolor, graphite and ink (1830): Portrait of John Lozier reading the Book of Job by Jacob Lozier (1819); painting of reclining figure wearing a turban by Jacob Lozier, watercolor and graphite (not dated). Conservator: Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts

Everson Museum of Art

(Onondaga County)

$7,500 for the conservation of acrylic on canvas painting entitled "9 Cubes" by Al Loving (1967). Conservator: Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center.

Graycliff

(Erie County)

$690 for the conservation of a settle (bench) designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Graycliff (1929). Conservator: Sean Fisher Woodwork Conservation.

Historic Cherry Hill

(Albany County)

$7,500 for the conservation of hair leather-covered travel trunk that was passed from Elizabeth Van Rensselaer (1770-1898) to William James Knapp (1843-1885). Conservator: Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center.

Hudson River Museum

(Westchester County)

$7,235 for the conservation of acrylic on linen painting by Shozo Nagano (1928-2007), “Remote Land,” (1970). Conservator: Moro Studio.

Lewis Latimer House Museum*

(Queens County)

$3,000 for the conservation of the bust of Lewis Latimer (sculpted 1961) and Lewis Latimer's pocket watch (1880). Conservator: A.M. Art Conservation.

Livingston County Historical Society

(Livingston County)

$7,500 for the conservation of the last known remaining 20th-century mule cart, used in the Retsof Salt Mine in Livingston County. Conservator: B.R. Howard & Associates.

Louis Armstrong House Museum*

(Queens County)

$5,000 for the conservation of oil on canvas of Tony Bennett’s Portrait of Louis Armstrong and Anonymous Painting of Louis Armstrong's hands (Not dated). Conservator: Carolyn Jean Tomkiewicz.

Marcella Sembrich Memorial Association, Inc. 

(Warren County)

$7,500 for the conservation of the couture “Queen of the Night” costume worn in 1900 for the Metropolitan Opera’s debut production of Mozart’s "Die Zauberflöte" (The Magic Flute). Conservator: Spicer Art Conservation.

Merchants House Museum*

(New York County)

$4,925 for the conservation of a stuffed toy pig and stuffed toy dog (1800-1850). Conservator: The Found Object Art Conservation.

Middlesex Heritage Group

(Yates County)

$5,900 for the conservation of the hand-painted photograph of the Old Rushville High School (1882). Conservator: Gary Albright.

Museum of Chinese in America*

(New York County)

$7,165 for the conservation of a yueqin, a traditional Chinese pluck string instrument (circa 1926). Conservator: A.M. Art Conservation.

National Bottle Museum

(Saratoga County)

$5,794 for the conservation of a lady's fan awarded to the Saratoga Vichy Water Company at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Conservator: Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center.

Onondaga Historical Association

(Onondaga County)

$3,750 for the conservation of a marble bust of Mrs. Percy McCarthy Emory (1844-1907) carved in 1880. Conservator: Kasia Maroney Conservation.

Quogue Historical Society*

(Suffolk County)

$6,975 for the conservation of an early 19th-century Medicine Chest & Glass Bottles. Conservator: The Found Object Art Conservation.

Southold Historical Society*

(Suffolk County)

$7,500 for the conservation of a coverlet owned by Matilda Landon Mulford (1833-1899). Conservator: The Textile Conservation Workshop. 

The Fort Ticonderoga Association

(Essex County)

$7,500 for the conservation of a framed oil on canvas full-length portrait of Fanny Montresor-Buchanan-Allen-Penniman (1760-1834) c.1771, attributed to John Singleton Copley. Conservator: Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center.

The Heckscher Museum of Art*

(Suffolk County)

$7,500 for the conservation of a portrait of artist Emma Stebbins (1815-1882) by her instructor, Henry Inman (1801-1846). Conservator: ArtCare Conservation. 

The Hyde Collection

(Warren County)

$7,500 for the conservation of an abstract outdoor sculpture “The Falls,” (1977) by Dan George. Conservator: Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center.

The Long Island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages*

(Suffolk County)

$6,546 for the conservation of oil on canvas of Captain Jonas Smith by William Sidney Mount (1807-1868), painted 1836. Conservator: Jen Munch Art Conservation.

The Yager Museum of Art & Culture at Hartwick College

(Otsego County) 

$7,500 for the conservation of the oil on wood-panel painting, Madonna and Child in a Landscape, 1st quarter 16th century, by Andrea Previtali (ca. 1480-1528). Conservator: Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center.

* Indicates additional funding from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation