The Virginia Association of Museums (VAM) has announced the nominees to the 2016 Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program which include the Macdowell-Eakins Archives Photographs and Negatives; c. 1880-1935 that are on display at the Taubman Museum of Art.
The public is invited to vote for their favorite endangered artifact and may also donate toward its conservation during the month of August.
World War II artifacts including a children’s map from a school in Japanese-occupied Philippines, a suit worn by Robert E. Lee, the photographic collection created by artist Thomas Eakins and his students, and documents from southwest Virginia relating to the Virginia Slave Codes, are a few of the outstanding nominations this year.
Collecting institutions, including museums, archives, libraries, and historic homes are charged with caring for our communities’ treasures. The care they provide is time-consuming and expensive. The Top 10 program spotlights their efforts as stewards of our history, culture, and heritage. The program also provides an opportunity for the public to get engaged by voting for their favorite artifact and contributing toward its conservation.
“In reading through this year’s submissions, I was humbled at the amazing breadth that exists in museum collections in Virginia,” said Jennifer Thomas, VAM’s Executive Director. “Whether an item has a connection to a famous figure like Jefferson or Lee, represents the resilience and grace of the human spirit, or celebrates a scientific or artistic genius, these artifacts represent just why it is so important to keep our history alive, so that we may honor those passed, and learn from them in the future.”
The public is invited to cast their votes at www.vatop10artifacts.org. Those wishing to make a lasting impact can also donate to the conservation of any of the twenty nominated artifacts.
The final Top 10 Honorees will be selected by an independent review panel of collections and conservation experts and will be announced ahead of October’s Arts and Humanities Month. The timeline for the program is as follows:
August 1-31, 2016: Online voting takes place. The public may vote for their favorite endangered items and make a donation toward conservation at: www.vatop10artifacts.org.
September 27, 2016: The Virginia Association of Museums will announce Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts Honorees for 2016.
Please visit www.vatop10artifacts.org for updated information and a list of nominees. Photographs available upon request.
