Everson Museum receives $230K grant for digital-archive effort

SYRACUSE — The Everson Museum of Art announced it has received a $230,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to transform the accessibility of its historical ceramics department through the creation of a digital catalog of the ceramics collection and archive.

Support from the Henry Luce Foundation will initiate the first phase of long-term plan that includes space renovation and reconfiguration, along with the reinstallation of the ceramics collection, the Everson Museum said in a news release.

 “In this digital age, where so much information is accessible through the Internet, a digital archive is imperative to attract museum goers, especially those of the younger generations. It will allow for the Everson to live up to public and scholarly expectations of accessibility and technology,” Steven Kern, Everson Museum of Art executive director, said in the release.

The Everson Museum says it is internationally recognized for its comprehensive world ceramics collection that includes one of the “finest representations of modern and contemporary American ceramics in the United States.”

The Everson also has the complete archive of the Ceramic National Exhibitions, which were presented at the museum from 1932 to 1972. The archive has many unique documents relating to the history of ceramics in the United States. Unlike the collection, the archive is currently all but inaccessible to scholars, collectors, and curators, the release noted. Neither the collection nor the archive has an Internet presence.

Contact Carbonaro at mcarbonaro@cnybj.com