Amherst College (Mead Art Museum)

The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College will complete the digitization of its works on paper, decorative arts, and sculpture. A photographer and data specialist, funded through this grant, will produce accurate digital images of the museum's currently un-illustrated works on paper, decorative arts objects, sculpture, and furniture; archive those images on the museum's secure server; and link low-resolution copies of those images to the museum's publicly accessible collections database. With virtually all of the collection available for browsing online, Amherst faculty will be able to select relevant collection objects for teaching far more effectively than they currently can, as well as assess student discussions of museum artworks more knowledgably. Museum staff will likewise find collection images invaluable for exhibition planning and design. The wider public will also benefit from access to an illustrated collection database.