Museum Associates

THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART WILL RESEARCH AND TEST ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR ART PACKAGING THAT WILL APPROPRIATELY PROTECT CULTURAL HERITAGE OBJECTS DURING TRANSPORTATION, WHILE SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCING THE MUSEUM FIELD’S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. THE INITIATIVE WILL BRING TOGETHER MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY PROFESSIONALS—ART PREPARATORS, REGISTRARS, COLLECTION MANAGERS, CONSERVATORS, AND SCIENTISTS—WITH AN INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF EXPERT ADVISORS FROM THE FIELDS OF ENGINEERING, MANUFACTURING, AND ART PACKING AND SHIPPING. THE PROJECT WILL GATHER CURRENT RESEARCH ON SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS AND ART PACKING SYSTEMS, AND DEVELOP AND TEST ALTERNATIVE SYSTEMS. THE AGGREGATED RESEARCH AND CONCLUSIONS WILL BE PUBLISHED AS A MANUAL FOR FIELD PRACTITIONERS ON HOW TO DESIGN, BUILD, AND PACK ART SHIPPING CRATES WITH METHODS AND MATERIALS THAT REDUCE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT AND NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ART TRANSPORTATION, WHILE PROVIDING OPTIMAL PROTECTION TO CULTURAL HERITAGE OBJECTS.

STABILIZING THE PHILADELPHIA CITY HISTORY COLLECTION AT THE ATWATER KENT MUSEUM OF PHILADELPHIA

CUSTOM GALLERY ELEMENTS FOR LACMA?S BUILDING FOR THE PERMANENT COLLECTION [THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS A NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES INFRASTRUCTURE AND CAPACITY BUILDING CHALLENGE GRANT OF $500,000 TO SUPPORT THE PURCHASE OF CUSTOM-MADE CASEWORK AND CUSTOM-DESIGNED CURTAINS, TWO CENTRAL COMPONENTS FOR PRESENTING ARTWORK IN LACMA?S NEW BUILDING FOR THE PERMANENT COLLECTION, THE DAVID GEFFEN GALLERIES. THE FINAL COMPONENT OF A DECADES-LONG PLAN TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE MUSEUM?S CAMPUS, THE NEW BUILDING REPLACES FOUR AILING BUILDINGS BUILT IN 1965 AND 1987 AND WILL OFFER VISITORS INNOVATIVE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE LACMA?S GLOBAL ART COLLECTION AND EXPLORE OUR COMMON HUMANITY. DESIGNED BY PRITZKER PRIZE-WINNING ARCHITECT PETER ZUMTHOR, THE NEW BUILDING TOTALS 347,500 SQUARE FEET, INCLUDING 110,000 SQUARE FEET OF GALLERY SPACE, A THEATER, AN EDUCATION CENTER, A RESTAURANT, CAFES, AND COVERED PLAZAS FOR OUTDOOR PROGRAMMING. IT IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN TO THE PUBLIC IN 2024.]

BEYOND THE IMAGE: MESOAMERICAN COLOR [THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS A $400,000 IMPLEMENTATION GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES TO SUPPORT BEYOND THE IMAGE: MESOAMERICAN COLOR, A TRAVELING EXHIBITION ON VIEW IN LOS ANGELES, CA (SEPT 2024 - FEB 2025) AND CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, BENTONVILLE, AR (SPRING 2025). BEYOND THE IMAGE WILL SHOWCASE MORE THAN 200 EXEMPLARY ARTWORKS AND ARTMARKING IMPLEMENTS FROM ALL MAJOR CULTURAL REGIONS OF MESOAMERICA, SPANNING THREE MILLENNIA OF ARTISTIC PRACTICE, AND INCLUDING CONTEMPORARY WORKS BY LIVING INDIGENOUS ARTISTS. THIS AMBITIOUS PROJECT BRINGS DECADES OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH ON MESOAMERICAN COLOR AND ARTMAKING TO PUBLIC AUDIENCES FOR THE FIRST TIME. CURATED BY DR. DIANA MAGALONI, PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF THE ART OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS, AND DR. ALYCE DE CARTERET, POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW, ART OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS, IT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A CATALOGUE AND AN ARRAY OF INTERPRETIVE HUMANITIES AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.]

DINING WITH THE SULTAN: THE FINE ART OF FEASTING AT THE ISLAMIC COURTS

PORTABLE UNIVERSE/EL UNIVERSO EN TUS MANOS: THOUGHT AND SPLENDOR OF INDIGENOUS COLOMBIA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PERCEPTION, BEHAVIOR AND LEARNING IN THE MUSEUM -IN ADDITION TO THEIR TRADITIONAL ROLE AS A SOURCE OF EMOTIONAL REWARDS AND INSPIRATION, THE MODERN MISSION OF ART MUSEUMS IS EDUCATION. OBJECTS OF INTEREST ARE PRESENTED IN THE CONTEXT OF A NARRATIVE THAT THE MUSEUM VISITOR FOLLOWS TO LEARN HISTORY, MATERIALS, TECHNIQUE, AND FUNCTION, AS WELL AS RELATIONSHIPS TO THE NATURAL WORLD AND HUMAN CIVILIZATION. NARRATIVE PRINCIPLES FOR EXHIBITION DESIGN HAVE FOR DECADES EMERGED FROM SMALL SCALE OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES OF MUSEUM VISITOR BEHAVIORS, SUCH AS EXPRESSIONS OF ENGAGEMENT AND CHOICE OF PATH. BUILDING ON RECENT ADVANCES IN SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF SENSORY PROCESSING AND BEHAVIORAL CHOICE, IN COMBINATION WITH SOPHISTICATED COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF FINE DETAILS OF BEHAVIOR, A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS AND MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS WILL TURN A DESIGNATED GALLERY AT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART INTO A LABORATORY FOR INVESTIGATION OF HUMAN PERCEPTION, ACTION, CHOICE, AND LEARNING. THE BROAD APPLIED GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO OBTAIN SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL FURTHER ENHANCE THE EDUCATIONAL MISSION OF MUSEUMS. THE INTELLECTUAL IMPACT OF THE PROJECT WILL BE AN IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS THAT GUIDE HUMAN BEHAVIOR UNDER NATURALISTIC CONDITIONS. MORE GENERALLY, THE PROJECT WILL BENEFIT THE LARGER COMMUNITIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN PROFESSIONALS, AS A MODEL OF EXPERIMENTAL METHODOLOGY AND BY OFFERING A UNIQUE MULTIFACETED DATASET FOR ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. THE PROJECT BUILDS UPON SEVERAL TECHNOLOGICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL INNOVATIONS. ONE IS THE METHODS OF COMPUTATIONAL ETHOLOGY, WHICH IS A NEW APPROACH TO QUANTITATIVE BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS THAT EMPLOYS HIGH-RESOLUTION 3D MOTION CAPTURE TOGETHER WITH MACHINE LEARNING METHODS FOR BEHAVIORAL CLASSIFICATION. THIS APPROACH WILL YIELD EFFICIENT NON-INVASIVE MEASUREMENTS OF VISITOR LOCATIONS, RATES OF MOVEMENT, POSES, SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, GESTURES AND EXPRESSIONS THAT REFLECT TRANSITORY COGNITIVE STATES, SUCH AS VISUAL ATTENTION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH WORKS OF ART. OBSERVATIONS FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ANONYMOUS MUSEUM VISITORS WILL BE SUBJECTED TO DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICAL ANALYSES, TO GAIN INSIGHTS INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF EXHIBITION DESIGN AND THE BEHAVIOR OF INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIAL GROUPS, AND TO DISCOVER SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL CONTINGENCIES BETWEEN VISITOR BEHAVIORS AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN THE GALLERY. RESULTS OF THESE DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSES WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP PREDICTIVE MODELS OF VISITOR BEHAVIOR, CAPTURING THE FULL GAMUT OF INDIVIDUAL STYLES OF VISITOR INTERACTION WITH WORKS OF ART AND OTHER VISITORS, INFORMED BY VISITORS? SENSORY OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS AS WELL AS SENSORY AND MOTORIC AFFORDANCES OF THE GALLERY SPACE. IN THE FINAL STAGE OF THE PROJECT, STRATEGIC MODIFICATIONS TO GALLERY DESIGN WILL BE USED TO TEST AND FURTHER DEVELOP PREDICTIVE MODELS IN FORECASTING VISITOR BEHAVIORS. RESULTS WILL CONSTITUTE A NEW EMPIRICAL FRAMEWORK FOR EXHIBITION DESIGN AND ITS IMPACT ON VISITOR EXPERIENCE. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

CHILDREN OF THE PLUMED SERPENT: THE LEGACY OF QUETZALCOATL IN ANCIENT MEXICO

THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART WILL IMPROVE THE STEWARDSHIP AND ACCESSIBILITY OF ITS MARK AND CAROLYN BLACKBURN COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY. THE COLLECTION CONSISTS OF MORE THAN 6,600 HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHS, GLASS NEGATIVES, LANTERN SLIDES, STEREOGRAPHS, CARTES-DE-VISITE, AND CABINET CARDS FROM THE 1860S TO THE PRESENT, DEPICTING POLYNESIAN, MICRONESIAN, AND MELANESIAN GEOGRAPHY AND LIFE. THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT THE CATALOGING, PROCESSING, REHOUSING, AND DIGITIZATION OF THE COLLECTION AS WELL AS IN-DEPTH RESEARCH, RESULTING IN ACCURATE AND UPDATED METADATA. THE MUSEUM WILL SHARE THE DIGITAL IMAGES AND FINDING AIDS ONLINE ON ITS WEBSITE, AND THROUGH THE ONLINE ARCHIVE OF CALIFORNIA AND WORLDCAT.ORG, THE ONLINE FREE LIBRARY CATALOG.

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART WILL DEVELOP A REPLICABLE TOOLKIT FOR CULTURALLY INCLUSIVE COLLECTIONS DATA TERMS AND PRACTICES USING ETHICAL, INTERPRETIVE, AND ANALYTICAL PRINCIPLES. OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT, THE MUSEUM WILL BRING TOGETHER A CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL TEAM OF STAFF AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP AN ITERATIVE AND RESPONSIVE PROCESS FOR DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGING. THIS WILL INVOLVE CREATING NEW DATA STANDARDS, A NEW STYLE GUIDE, AND NEW DATA COLLECTION AND DATA ENTRY PROCEDURES. THE PROJECT TEAM ALSO WILL UPDATE AND MAP DATA TERMS AND FIELDS FOR INTERPRETIVE AND OPERATIONAL PURPOSES. INCORPORATING INCLUSIVE PERSPECTIVES INTO THE FABRIC OF THE INSTITUTION AND INTO THE COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT DATABASE WILL BENEFIT CULTURAL HERITAGE WORKERS, MUSEUM AUDIENCES, AND ORIGINATING OR SOURCE COMMUNITIES AND THEIR DESCENDANTS.

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

THE WORLD MADE WONDROUS: THE DUTCH COLLECTOR?S CABINET AND THE POLITICS OF POSSESSION DIGITAL EXHIBITION GUIDE [LACMA REQUESTS A NEH DIGITAL PROJECTS FOR THE PUBLIC GRANT TO DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE FOR AN INTERACTIVE, DIGITAL EXHIBITION GUIDE TO ACCOMPANY THE WORLD MADE WONDROUS: THE DUTCH COLLECTOR?S CABINET AND THE POLITICS OF POSSESSION, A TEMPORARY EXHIBITION SCHEDULED TO BE ON VIEW FROM JUNE 2023 TO JANUARY 2024. THE WORLD MADE WONDROUS ASSEMBLES A RANGE OF MEDIA FROM LACMA?S PERMANENT COLLECTION AND SELECT LOANS INTO A COLLECTOR?S CABINET TO INTERROGATE THE POLITICS OF POSSESSION IN THE PRACTICE OF COLLECTING IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE. THE EXHIBITION GUIDE WILL INVITE VISITORS TO RECONSIDER WHY THE MUSEUM EXISTS AS WE KNOW IT TODAY AND WHY MUSEUMS COLLECT THE OBJECTS THEY DO. THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO CREATE A PROOF OF CONCEPT THAT ENCOURAGES INTERACTION AND EXPLORATION BY BRINGING MULTIPLE VOICES INTO THE IN-GALLERY EXPERIENCE TO DEEPEN PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUMANITIES-BASED THEMES EXPLORED IN LACMA?S NEW BUILDING FOR ITS PERMANENT COLLECTION, SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN 2024.]

WHERE THE TRUTH LIES: THE ART OF QIU YING

BEYOND LINE: THE ART OF KOREAN WRITING

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION "EXPRESSIONISM IN GERMANY AND FRANCE: FROM VAN GOGH TO KANDINSKY."

TO SUPPORT A TOURING EXHIBITION OF THE WORK OF AMERICAN ARTIST DAVID SMITH (1906-65) WITH ACCOMPANYING EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

TO SUPPORT THE TOURING EXHIBITION "GERMAN ART DURING THE COLD WAR, 1945-89," WITH ACCOMPANYING CATALOGUE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION AND CATALOGUE "NOAH PURIFOY: JUNK DADA" AT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART.

TO SUPPORT SHIPPING PACKING AND CRATING COSTS FOR THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ARTS EXHIBITION BEYOND THE LINE: THE ART OF KOREAN WRITING.

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION, CHINESE PAINTINGS FROM JAPANESE COLLECTIONS.

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION WOMEN DEFINING WOMEN IN CONTEMPORARY ART OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND BEYOND.

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION IN THE FIELDS OF EMPTY DAYS: THE INTERSECTION OF PAST AND PRESENT IN IRANIAN ART AT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART.

TO SUPPORT AN EXHIBITION, "THE TRIUMPH OF PAINTING IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY MEXICO" AT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART.

TO SUPPORT A TOURING EXHIBITION "CONTESTED VISIONS IN THE SPANISH COLONIAL WORLD," WITH ACCOMPANYING EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION "CAPTURED HEARTS: THE LURE OF COURTLY LUCKNOW", WITH ACCOMPANYING CATALOGUE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT AN EXHIBITION OF WORKS FROM ARTIST SIMONE LEIGH AT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART.

BENTON, HOLLYWOOD, AND HISTORY

CHILDREN OF THE PLUMED SERPENT: ART AND RITUAL OF MESOAMERICA'S LATE ANTIQUITY

THE JEWELED ISLE: ART FROM SRI LANKA

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION WHERE THE TRUTH LIES: THE ART OF QIU YING AT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART.

TO SUPPORT A TOURING EXHIBITION "ASCO: ELITE OF THE OBSCURE," WITH ACCOMPANYING EDUCATION PROGRAMS, IN CONSORTIUM WITH WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART

TO SUPPORT THE TOURING EXHIBITION CONTEMPORARY ART FROM KOREA, WITH ACCOMPANYING CATALOGUE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN CONSORTIUM WITH THE MUSEUM OF FI

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION "A UNIVERSAL HISTORY OF INFAMY" AT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART.

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION CHILDREN OF THE PLUMED SERPENT: THE LEGACY OF QUETZALCOATL IN ANCIENT MEXICO AT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART, INCLU

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT THE TRAVELING EXHIBITION, IMAGINING BLACK DIASPORAS: 21ST CENTURY ART AND POETICS, AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING AT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART.

PRESERVATION OF LARAMIE PLAINS MUSEUM ETHNOGRAPHIC AND NATIVE AMERICAN COLLECTIONS

CONSERVATION PROGRAM

CONSERVATION PROGRAM

CONSERVATION PROGRAM