In early April, the Denver Art Museum(DAM) announced that it has been awarded a USD 1.75 million gift from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its textile art department. (The department – known for its important and substantial collections of American quilts and Qing Dynasty costumes – was also the recipient of a USD 3 million gift from the Avenir Foundation in January 2012, which permitted the expansion of the museum’s textile galleries.)
The challenge must be matched within three years, and it is intended to fund a position for a full-time textile conservator plus a $250,000 textile conservation fellowship.
In a statement made as part of the announcement, DAM director Christoph Heinrich said: ‘Textiles are triggers of cultural exchange and creative expression around the world. The DAM is devoted to exploring, preserving and presenting this underrepresented art form.’
