USC Pacific Asia Museum Awarded $83,095 Grant by Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded $83,095 to USC Pacific Asia Museum (USC PAM). The museum will use the grant funds to upgrade the museum’s collections storage area.

This is the fourth phase of a long-term project to protect the museum’s collection from the effects of seismic activity, expand collections storage capacity, improve collections storage conditions and increase accessibility. The museum’s collection is an essential resource to the community through the museum’s exhibitions and public programs. With this new funding the museum will be able to retrofit two sections of the museum’s onsite collections storage facilities for long-term care and stabilization of 1,065 objects.

“Our grants are highly competitive.” said IMLS Director Susan H. Hildreth. “Receiving a grant from IMLS is significant achievement, and we congratulate USC Pacific Asia Museum for being among the 2014 IMLS museum grantees.”
IMLS museum grants support a wide variety of projects that create learning experiences, strengthen community communities, care for collections and provide broad public access.

IMLS has supported the museum’s project to significantly improve the collections storage since 2009. In 2009-2011, the museum stabilized its collection of ceramics and other three-dimensional works in its lower-level storage facility. In 2012-2014 the museum provided new seismic mounts for all three-dimensional works of art on display in the permanent collection galleries, securing freestanding cases against seismic activity and reinforcing glass shelving with Plexiglas.

“This project will benefit the museum, its audiences and the field by providing optimal storage conditions to protect and preserve the museum’s significant historical, cultural and artistic legacy benefiting future generations,” said USC PAM Director Christina Yu Yu, PhD.

A complete list of museum recipients is available on the IMLS website: www.imls.gov/2014MuseumList.

About USC Pacific Asia Museum

USC Pacific Asia Museum is the only university museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to the arts and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands. The museum’s mission is to further intercultural understanding through the arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands. Since 1971, USC Pacific Asia Museum has served a broad audience of students, families, adults and scholars through its education and outreach programs.

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 35,000 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov.