American Folk Art Museum

REMOTE PROGRAMS AND CAPACITY-BUILDING PROJECT

VIRTUAL PROGRAMS AND NEW EDUCATION DEPARTMENT STAFF [THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM REQUESTS FUNDING FROM THE NEH TO BOLSTER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT INITIATIVES: SUPPORTING AND ENHANCING ONGOING VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING AND THE ADDITION OF A NEW STAFF POSITION, A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EDUCATOR. SUPPORT WILL ALLOW THE MUSEUM TO BUILD ON THE INITIAL SUCCESSES OF VIRTUAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS DEVELOPED DURING THE PANDEMIC THAT REACH A WIDE NATIONAL AUDIENCE. SUPPORT WILL ALSO BE USED TO HIRE A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EDUCATOR, A NEW POSITION THAT WILL CAPACITY OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND DEEPEN OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH DIVERSE COMMUNITIES IN NEW YORK AND BEYOND. BOTH ACTIVITIES WERE IDENTIFIED AS A PRIORITY IN OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN, ADOPTED DECEMBER 2020, TO INCREASE OUR DEAI (DIVERSITY, EQUITY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND INCLUSION) ENGAGEMENT AND IMPACT.] [PURPOSE:?THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP ONGOING VIRTUAL PROGRAMS AND TO BETTER INCLUDE THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.  ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE MUSEUM WILL CONTINUE AND ENHANCE VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING SUCH AS EXHIBITION TOURS, PRESENTATIONS BY CURATORS AND ARTISTS, K-12 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING, AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, AND PROGRAMS FOR TEENS AND FAMILIES. A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EDUCATOR WILL BE HIRED TO HELP BUILD A MORE DIVERSE AUDIENCE PROXIMATE TO THE MUSEUM?S ESTABLISHED LOCATIONS IN QUEENS AND MANHATTAN.   EXPECTED OUTCOMES:?THE PROJECT WOULD IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN VIRTUAL PROGRAMS AND EXTEND ITS AUDIENCE.  INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: LOCAL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING. THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WILL BENEFIT FROM A MUSEUM THAT BETTER ATTENDS THEIR NEEDS. FOLK ART RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS WILL BENEFIT FROM ACCESS TO THE MUSEUM?S COLLECTIONS.   SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES:?THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT INTEND TO SUBAWARD FUNDS. ]

THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM WILL UPGRADE ITS COLLECTIONS STORAGE INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO OBJECTS AND ARCHIVAL MATERIAL, ALLOWING FOR THE FUTURE EXPANSION AND GROWTH OF THE COLLECTION. THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON STORAGE FOR MORE THAN 500 OBJECTS AND OVER 700 FEET OF ARCHIVAL MATERIALS THROUGH AN UPGRADE TO MOBILE STORAGE UNITS AND THE ADDITION OF PAINTING RACKS AND FLAT FILES. IMPLEMENTED OVER TWO YEARS, THE PROJECT WILL IMPROVE ACCESS TO THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS FOR SCHOLARS, RESEARCHERS, CURATORS, AND OTHER CONSTITUENTS. IT ALSO WILL ENHANCE THE MUSEUM'S CAPACITY TO CARE MORE EFFECTIVELY FOR THEIR HOLDINGS WHILE BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE GROWTH OF THE COLLECTION.

THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM WILL USE FUNDS TO PRESERVE AND DIGITIZE THE FIRST SEVEN VOLUMES OF HENRY DARGER'S MASTERWORK, "THE STORY OF THE VIVIAN GIRLS, IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL, OF THE GLANDECO-ANGELINIAN WAR STORM, CAUSED BY THE CHILD SLAVE REBELLION" (ALSO REFERRED TO AS "IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL"). HENRY DARGER (1892-1973) WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SELF-TAUGHT OR ?OUTSIDER? ARTISTS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. THE 15,145-PAGE MANUSCRIPT (7,269 PAGES OF WHICH ARE INCLUDED IN THIS PROJECT), ACCOMPANIED BY 22 LARGE-SCALE WATERCOLOR PANORAMAS, TELL THE EPIC STORY OF THE VIVIAN GIRLS - A STORY OF WAR AND PEACE, OF GOOD VERSUS EVIL, WHICH LOOSELY PARALLELS EVENTS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR. THE WORKS WERE CREATED IN COMPLETE SECRECY BY DARGER BETWEEN 1930 AND 1973. THE CONSERVATION TREATMENT OF THESE FRAGILE MANUSCRIPTS AND THE DIGITIZATION OF THEIR CONTENTS WILL ENABLE BROADER ACCESS FOR RESEARCHERS, SCHOLARS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND WILL BE MATCHED BY $157,375 IN NON-FEDERAL SHARE.

THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM WILL WORK WITH NEURODIVERSE ARTISTS WHOSE ARTWORK IS PART OF THE MUSEUM’S COLLECTION AND CREATE AN ONLINE RESOURCE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT NEURODIVERSE ARTISTS. A COLLECTIONS ASSOCIATE HIRED FOR THE PROJECT WILL RECEIVE TRAINING ON THE COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND ASSIST WITH DIGITIZATION AND COLLECTIONS PHOTOGRAPHY. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO INCLUDE A CONVENING OF INDUSTRY EXPERTS TO DEVELOP A WHITE PAPER THAT WILL SERVE AS A GUIDE FOR MUSEUMS COLLECTING AND EXHIBITING WORKS OF ART BY NEURODIVERSE ARTISTS.

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION AND RELATED PROGRAMMING FOR "ALTER EGO: PERFORMANCE IN ART BRUT." COPIES OF THE EXHIBITION CATALOG ARE THE REQUIRED PRODUCT

PLANNING TO DIGITIZE AND CREATE BROAD ONLINE ACCESS TO THE HENRY DARGER PAPERS

THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM IN LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK, WILL UPGRADE ITS SOFTWARE AND DATABASE TO MAKE MORE IMAGES OF ART AND ARCHIVAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE. DIGITAL CONTENT HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE MUSEUM'S WORK FOLLOWING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THE NEW SOFTWARE WILL ALLOW THE MUSEUM TO ADD AUDIO, VISUAL, AND OTHER MEDIA FILES TO ITS WEBSITE FOR THE FIRST TIME, INCLUDING ADDING ARCHIVAL PHOTOS, LETTERS, EPHEMERA, AND RECORDINGS TO AN ARTIST'S WEB PAGE TO GIVE A FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR WORK. THE UPGRADED SOFTWARE WILL BE AVAILABLE TO INDIVIDUALS FROM ANY WEB-CONNECTED DEVICE. THE MUSEUM WILL PRIORITIZE DIGITIZING IMAGES AND ARCHIVES FOR ARTISTS WHO HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE ART WORLD INCLUDING BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND OTHER ARTISTS OF COLOR; WOMEN-IDENTIFIED ARTISTS; AND NEURODIVERSE ARTISTS TO MORE ACCURATELY REFLECT THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS.

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION UNNAMED FIGURES: BLACK PRESENCE AND ABSENCE IN THE EARLY AMERICAN NORTH AND ACCOMPANYING CATALOGUE.

"A FEVER WITHIN: THE ART OF RONALD LOCKETT" AT THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION PHOTO/BRUT AND RELATED PROGRAMMING.

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION VESTIGES & VERSE: NOTES FROM THE NEWFANGLED EPIC AND ACCOMPANYING CATALOGUE.

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION "A FEVER WITHIN: THE ART OF RONALD LOCKETT."

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT AN EXHIBITION, PROGRAMMING, AND CATALOGUE ON THE WORKS OF ARTIST MADALENA SANTOS REINBOLT (1919-77).

TO SUPPORT A SERIES OF LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA TO COMPLEMENT MUSEUM PROGRAMMING.

DIGITAL PRESERVATION ASSESSMENT AND STORAGE PROJECT [AFAM REQUESTS FUNDING TO COMMISSION A DIGITAL PRESERVATION ASSESSMENT FROM THE NORTHEAST DOCUMENT CONSERVATION CENTER (NEDCC). THE MUSEUM HAS DIGITIZED A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF OUR ART AND ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS AND IS PLANNING FURTHER DIGITIZATION PROJECTS TO FULFIL OUR 2021-2026 STRATEGIC PLAN?S COMMITMENT TO INCREASING ACCESS TO OUR HOLDINGS AND ADVANCING OUR INSTITUTION THROUGH A LENS OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND INCLUSION. THE NEDCC ASSESSMENT WILL ENABLE COLLECTIONS STAFF TO PREPARE AND IMPLEMENT A LONG-TERM PRESERVATION PLAN THAT ENSURES OUR GROWING DIGITAL COLLECTIONS REMAIN ACCESSIBLE TO FUTURE GENERATIONS. WIDE AND SUSTAINED ACCESS TO DIGITAL RESOURCES RELATED TO FOLK AND SELF-TAUGHT ART WILL DIVERSIFY THE PUBLIC?S UNDERSTANDING OF AMERICA?S CULTURAL HERITAGE; OFFER ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON ENTRENCHED NATIONAL NARRATIVES; AND SHED NEW LIGHT ON BROAD HUMANITIES THEMES SUCH AS RACE, GENDER, SEXUALITY, RELIGION, COMMUNITY, FAMILY, AND THE AESTHETICS OF DAILY LIFE.]