Announcing Successful NEH Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Proposal

I am delighted to share that last week, when the National Endowment for the Humanities announced $43.1 million in funding for 214 humanities projects nationwide, Saint Peter's Lutheran Church in New York City was awarded $350,000 as one of 14 grants under the Endowment's Sustaining Cultural Heritage program. Nevelson Chapel, From Entry to Cross of the Good Shepherd To prepare the proposal I worked with the Church staff members Jennifer Eberhart Powell, facilities manager Sam Hutcheson, and Pastor Jared Stahler. I also worked with the project art conservator Sarah Nunberg who is my co-PI on an NEH Research Grant on Life Cycle Assessment in sustainable collections care through the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. We developed an holistic approach to improved climate conditions and room construction to find a safer way to present, preserve, and protect the Nevelson Chapel and its artwork as it is restored. I will join that planning team for implementation for 2018-2019. When announcing the award, Pastor Amadus J. Derr wrote this to his parishioners and supporters:

Thanks is due in particular to our Project Managers: Debra Inwald with Christine Wahba and Jigme Pokwal of Works-in-Progress Associates. Debra, Christine and Jigme not only kept design of the project moving along, but were instrumental in ensuring and multidisciplinary environmental upgrade team submitted materials required by the grant application on time. The NEH's award is high praise for the work of Sarah Nunberg, our conservator, and this remarkable team:  Jane Greenwood with Jamie Downie and Marian Prado of Kostow Greenwood Architects; Michael Ambrosino of ADS Engineers;  Michael Henry of Watson & Henry Associates;  Ryoko Nakamura of LOOP Lighting;  Dominick Pilla and Elise Martos of Dominick R. Pilla Structural Engineer Associates;  Stephen Short of Lite-Trol Lighting Control Service;  Sarah Sutton of Sustainable Museums He gave particular thanks to the champion for the project, a man whose passion for the history and setting of this cultural icon made all the difference: Pastor Jared R. Stahler, whose organizing and administrative skills and unwavering passion for this project have played the major role in the success of these grant applications. [The project has also received significant support from the Henry Luce Foundation.] What a pleasure it is to work with an inspired team of passionate cultural professionals: climate and culture on the same team.  If you are on Lexington Street in New York City, in the vicinity of the old Citicorp Tower before work begins in mid-October, please stop in to the church, and sit and visit with the sculptural installation that is this remarkable gem of chapel in the hidden in the heart of the City. Press Release: Nevelson Chapel is the artist’s only remaining complete environment always open to the public. Restoration of this New York City treasure hidden in plain sight will conserve an important piece of cultural heritage for the future and secure Nevelson’s legacy as one of the most influential and celebrated sculptors of the 20th century.

The Power of Hope: Monarchs or GDP?

You can imagine Supergirl telling Superman "this constant saving the planet is hard work!"

We greenies feel that way too, and sometimes it is overwhelming.

Each time I get to that point where I wonder about the futility of hoping for global reversal required for human survival I come across that person who cheers me on, who makes a change I hadn't expected, or tells me of a great success story.  

Bob Beatty at The Lyndhurst Group and AASLH has saved me a couple times. When my mom

www.learnaboutnature.org

started recycling even when I wasn't around, it blew me away, and so did this speech from Mexico’s National Commissioner for Natural Protected Areas, Alejandro del Mazo Maza. He gave it at the Opening Forum Ceremony of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's World Conservation Congress earlier this month: This last season we received around 84.7 million Monarch butterflies and had a 255% increase from last season. This pair of small wings have already moved three countries. President Pena Nieto, President Obama, and Prime Minister Trudeau made a commitment to protect the Monarch butterfly across our countries. And we are getting there. When there is will, there is action, and where there is action there are results.

Del Mazo closed with this: Today most countries are measured by their GDP, in a few years from now, countries will also be measured by the amount and quality of their natural resources. Today the conservation of nature is see as a public spending, a luxury; conservation of natures should be a public investment.

We who work at zoos, gardens, museums, and heritage sites are in the business of public investment. We educate, inspire, and engage the people who grow up and do this work, the people who are grown up and still learning - and still voting, and the people who are grown up and choosing new ways to live and work. 

Every day we do this. We cannot stop, or rest, but we can certainly cheer for each other share our successes, and keep up the good work.