Long Island Museum Announces $40,000
in NEH Support
Grant will help fund new Interactive Carriage gallery
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The Long Island Museum announced today its award of a $40,000 grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to help fund A World Before Cars, the final phase of the LIM’s Carriage Museum revitalization project, begun in 2003.
Long Island Museum Executive Director Neil Watson said “we are thrilled and honored that the NEH is supporting our proposal to plan a new fully-immersive gallery that will help visitors understand how carriages and horses connect to our modern automotive culture. Working with world-class designers and consultants, the museum will create an exciting and engaging interactive new 2,400-square-foot gallery.”
The Long Island Museum’s is one of 245 humanities projects in this round of funding, NEH’s third and last for fiscal year 2017. The total $39.3 million in total grants nationwide will support vital research, education, and public programs in the humanities. These peer-reviewed grants were awarded in addition to $46.1 million in annual operating support provided to the national network of state and local humanities councils during fiscal year 2017.
A World Before Cars represents the latest phase of a major redesign of the LIM’s Carriage Museum, which contains one of the largest and finest holdings of horse-drawn vehicles and related transportation artifacts in the country. Utilizing the expertise of skilled consultants and the highly-regarded H. Lee Skolnick Architecture and Design Partnership, the LIM will plan an interpretive gallery composed of hands-on activity areas that explore the experiences of carriage riding/driving, the integral role of horses in 19th century America, and the ways in which carriage design innovations informed and influenced automobile design. From a ride simulation exercise to interactive computer kiosks and a comparative display of carriage and automobile parts, this new gallery will be designed to engage a variety of different visitor age and experience levels, providing an immersive entry into the world of carriages, and the unexpected ways in which they connect to our modern lives.
“Carriages are much more than old timey props for Hollywood, or the romantic open-air vehicles we might see around Central Park,” explained Joshua Ruff, LIM’s Director of Collections and Interpretation. “Carriages were once at the very center of this nation’s transportation. This support from the NEH will help us connect our amazing collection of historic horse-drawn vehicles to new generations of visitors for years to come.”“NEH grants ensure that Americans around the country have the opportunity to engage with our shared cultural heritage,” said NEH Acting Chairman Jon Parrish Peede. “From traveling exhibitions and teacher workshops to efforts to preserve local history, these projects demonstrate the power of the humanities to build connections, stimulate discovery, and contribute to vibrant communities.”
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National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.
Long Island Museum
Located at 1200 Route 25A in Stony Brook, the Long Island Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate dedicated to enhancing the lives of adults and children with an understanding of Long Island’s rich history and diverse cultures. Regular museum admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors 62 and older, and $5 for students ages six to17. Hours are Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 631.751.0066 or visit the museum web site at www.longislandmuseum.org
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