From research to presentation: an organizational quest to share new, untold, and underrepresented stories of our houses and collections through a new exhibition [the preservation society of newport…

The Preservation Society of Newport County received a $498,415 Project Grant award from the National Endowment for the Humanities under the Promotion of the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access federal grant program (CFDA 45.149). The funding will support the creation of three new positions and retention of seven existing positions within the Society's Department of Museum Affairs to develop a new exhibition at Rosecliff, one of the historic mansions owned and operated by the Society.

Specifically, the Social History Curator and Special Collections Curator will research the diverse individuals involved in designing, building, and working at Rosecliff to uncover new stories for the exhibition. The Museum Educator will create educational activities and resources for both students and the general public. The final exhibition is expected to include physical and digital components as well as public programs to share these new narratives with at least 25,000 visitors annually and potentially hundreds of thousands more online. No subawards are planned under this Project Grant award, which runs from October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022.

Activities

  museum staff will undertake the planning and development of a new exhibit located at & nbsp; rosecliff, one of the gilded age mansions & nbsp; of newport, rhode island open to the public as a historic house museum. Among the activities related to this endeavor, the & nbsp; social & nbsp; history and & nbsp; special & nbsp; collections & nbsp; curators, in collaboration with department staff,  will focus on the historic objects and stories associated with the & nbsp; diversity of & nbsp; individuals who designed, built, and worked at the mansion.  the & nbsp; museum & nbsp; educator & nbsp; will research and create activities that reach students and adults alike. &nbsp

Expected outcomes

  the final exhibition at & nbsp; rosecliff & nbsp; will include a physical exhibit, digital presentations, lectures, and learning opportunities that will be accessible to audiences of all backgrounds.  beyond the exhibit itself, this program will feature in-person activities for youth attendees based on broad curriculum standards, educational resources, and informative tours for museum staff to equip them with knowledge to share with the public. &nbsp

Intended beneficiaries

  the humanities programming developed for this grant will benefit & nbsp; an anticipated audience of at least 25,000 individuals from across the country and potentially hundreds of thousands more who participate in the society?s virtual tours, lectures, and other events every year. The society oversees 11 historic properties, which received a total of nearly & nbsp; one & nbsp; million visitors annually before the pandemic, and among those visitors are researchers, educators, students, and the public.&nbsp

Subrecipient activities

  the recipient does not intend to subaward funds. ]