National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Awards Florence Griswold Museum Over $500K
Largest Federal Award in Museum’s History
OLD LYME, CT – June 9, 2004: The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme was recently awarded a grant of $510,772 from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The funding will be used to help preserve the Lyme Art Colony collection and the Florence Griswold House, a National Historic Landmark.
Of the 48 project applications submitted, only 11 were funded. It is the largest federal grant federal grant that the Museum has ever received. “The proposals are reviewed by humanities experts from all over the United States,” explains Jeffrey Andersen, Museum Director. “It is a highly competitive process. The award is affirmation of our institution and, in particular, this project.”
The Florence Griswold Museum has long been respected for its role as the home of American Impressionism and for its collection of works by Lyme Art Colony artists. The Florence Griswold House was a boarding house for a generation of America’s most distinguished artists from 1899 through early 1930s. The funds will be used to stabilize the artwork of the Colony by installing new HVAC, electrical, fire, and security systems in the 1817 Florence Griswold House. This, in turn, will permit the Museum to move forward with the installation of a new permanent exhibition of the Colony, designed to showcase the Griswold House as a boarding house for artists c. 1910.
Upon hearing of the award, Senator Christopher Dodd, who sent a letter of support to the Director of the NEH, remarked, “I am glad the NEH recognizes the importance of maintaining this historic landmark and is providing the needed assistance to preserve the collection so that future generations can have access to our rich culture and our history.”
The NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.
A Center for American Art
A historic center for American art, the Florence Griswold Museum encompasses eleven acres along the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme. In addition to the original 1817 Griswold House, where the artists of the Lyme Art colony lived, the Museum features a contemporary riverfront gallery, education center, historic gardens, and a restored artist studio. The Museum is open year round Tuesday through Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 1pm to 5pm. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, $4 for 6-12. Visitors under 6 are free. The Museum is located at 96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, exit 70 off I-95. For additional information contact the Museum at 860/434-5542 or www.flogris.org.
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