The LOS angeles county museum of art will research and test environmentally sustainable solutions for art packaging that will appropriately protect cultural heritage objects during transportation,…

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) was awarded a $744,095 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grants for Museums (CFDA 45.312) program. The grant will fund a 3-year initiative to research and test environmentally sustainable solutions for art packaging that can protect cultural heritage objects during transportation while reducing the museum field's environmental impact. The project will bring together museum professionals, engineers, manufacturers, and other experts to develop and test alternative packing systems, with the goal of publishing a manual on designing, building, and packing art shipping crates using methods and materials that minimize the carbon footprint of art transportation. This grant-funded project aligns with the IMLS National Leadership Grants program's objectives of advancing professional practices and developing innovative models that can be widely used across museums and related institutions.

The LOS angeles county museum of art will research and test environmentally sustainable solutions for art packaging that will appropriately protect cultural heritage objects during transportation, while substantially reducing the museum field's environmental impact. The initiative will bring together museum and art gallery professionals-art preparators, registrars, collection managers, conservators, and scientists-with an international committee of expert advisors from the fields of engineering, manufacturing, and art packing and shipping. The project will gather current research on sustainable materials and art packing systems, and develop and test alternative systems. The aggregated research and conclusions will be published as a manual for field practitioners on how to design, build, and pack art shipping crates with methods and materials that reduce the carbon footprint and negative environmental impact of art transportation, while providing optimal protection to cultural heritage objects.