New Jersey, 19 July 2011
The Newark Museum has received a one million dollar subsidy from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in order to assemble African art collections. The endowment will also go towards the appointment of a new curator for the department and research about African art.
The donation was made at a critical point, as the museum’s public subventions have decreased by 50% over the past years. The Newark Museum was even forced to close for a month in 2010 and had to dismiss 15% of its employees.
The institution hopes to be able to expand and refit its collections by 2015. To do so, it has to raise $1.5 million from private institutions and donors to obtain a $500,000 subvention from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Mrs Price, the director of the museum, declared that the required amount is gradually being collected.
The Newark Museum is the most important museum in New Jersey. It comprises eighty galleries housing American, Asian, European and African art collections. The museum was set up in 1909 and celebrated its centenary a few years ago. Its future is not at stake, but it is in need of further donations to continue running.