MAPR Awarded Important Grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the Conservation of Works and a New Permanent Exhibition

The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (MAPR) has become the recipient of an important grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's Arts and Cultural Heritage Program. It is an emergency grant that addresses the conservation needs of the MAPR collection following the impact of hurricanes Irma and María. Since then, the MARP has been working on a yearlong multifaceted comprehensive project that includes the evaluation, conservation and treatment of works of art from its collection, as well as the development of a new permanent exhibition. After the havoc created by the passing of the two hurricanes through the Caribbean island, the MAPR and its collection of more than 1,100 Puerto Rican artworks—produced between the 18th century and today—faced 51 days of temperature fluctuations and humidity as result of the loss of power. Despite the implementation of a successful internal preparation and response plan led by Sol E. Rivera, curator of the institution, some works were affected and required the implementation of a specific plan for their recovery. Once outlined, the museum submitted the plan to the New York based foundation, an organization known for supporting cultural and higher education institutions around the work through a humanist philosophy. "The particularity of this grant is that proposals are not submitted through an open call, but rather by invitation. And the MAPR was invited," said Marta Mabel Pérez, Interim Executive Director of the Museum. Under the title "Curatorial and Conservation Relief," the subsidized project supports the development of a new and ambitious, open, and inclusive curatorial proposal that will promote the study and research of the curated works, among other things. This curatorial proposal will become the new permanent exhibition at the museum. The development process is being documented and it will be shared through the blog 299 De Diego (http://blog299dediego.wordpress.com), a communication outlet of MAPR that offers information to the public about behind the scenes experiences leading to the mounting and opening of the exhibition.