In a major boost to the High Museum’s ongoing conservation efforts to protect its collection, the institution has received a $3.1 million grant from the Sara Giles Moore Foundation.
The money, which represents one of the largest foundation grants the museum has ever received, will be used to assess the condition of all the High’s art work and to develop a plan for any care and restoration of pieces within the overall collection of more than 18,000 pieces.
“As an institution, we must balance our mission to exhibit the incredible works in our holdings with the mandate to responsibly provide for their preservation,” Rand Suffolk, the High’s director, said in a statement. “We’re incredibly grateful to The Sara Giles Moore Foundation for this generous grant, which is at once a watershed event for the Museum and an empowering investment in the stewardship of our community’s cultural heritage.”
The grant will be issued in installments over six years. As the assessment and restoration work takes place, the High plans to document the process and present an exhibition on the ongoing project in 2023, according to a museum spokesperson.
“In her lifetime, Sara Moore was a dedicated supporter of the High Museum, where she served on the Board for many years,” said Sara Hehir, the Sara Giles Moore Foundation board chair. “The Foundation has always aimed to honor Mrs. Moore’s commitment to the Museum through grants for exhibition support, the acquisition of ‘A Reading (or Woman in Windsor Chair)’ by Thomas Wilmer Dewing, and conservation and treatment of the American art collection. The Sara Giles Moore Foundation is thrilled to celebrate Mrs. Moore’s generosity and commitment to the long-term success of the High Museum by supporting this comprehensive collections care, treatment and education effort.”
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