The AAMG board sends our thoughts and prayers to all of the communities in Texas and Louisiana affected by Hurricane Harvey. AAMG members know how important university museums and galleries are for their students, faculty, and communities. As the full extent of damage to college and university museums and galleries is revealed, we earnestly hope that these invaluable academic and cultural resources will be priorities for conservation and repair.
AAMG is not a field service organization, but we are happy to funnel information to university museums and galleries about available resources. The NEH and NEA have issued the following statements regarding response to Hurricane Harvey:
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced plans to award $1 million in emergency grants to libraries, museums, colleges, universities, and other cultural and historical hit by Hurricane Harvey, which has devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana with record-breaking rainfall and flooding.
“NEH has designated these funds to support the people in Texas and Louisiana in their efforts to protect the historic materials that document their invaluable contributions to American culture,” said Jon Peede, acting NEH chairman, in statement. “We are proud to partner with Humanities Texas and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and their dedicated staffs in a coordinated federal-state response.”
The emergency fund includes $200,000 for the humanities councils of both states, which will be allotted to needy institutions based on local needs. The NEH will also provide funding for the Texas Cultural Emergency Response Alliance and the Heritage Emergency National Task Force to conduct outreach and assess damage.
“The National Endowment for the Arts expresses its deepest concern and most heartfelt sympathies for the millions of people in Texas and Louisiana affected by Hurricane Harvey. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are confronted by this disaster. We are working to coordinate support for arts organizations in the regions designated a disaster area by FEMA, and we stand ready to support the recovery of the arts and cultural communities in the devastated areas. In the past, the NEA has responded to national emergencies, including disaster relief in the wake of September 11th, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the devastating tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri, and Tupelo, Mississippi. We are coordinating with the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Division of the Arts in the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development to assess the situation and those arts organizations hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey. As the current situation stabilizes, the National Endowment for the Arts is prepared to direct additional funds to these state arts agencies for re-granting to affected organizations, as we have done in the past.”
Sincerely,
AAMG Board of Directors
Categories: General Announcement