This year is Indiana’s bicentennial, and the Brown County Art Gallery Foundation has received a grant from the Indiana Historical Society for supporting the state’s heritage.
The foundation received a $12,750 grant to create a more comprehensive inventory of its art collections, a news release from IHS states.
The art gallery has been the home of Indiana’s artists since 1926.
“In that time, it has also become home to more than 360 works of art,” according to the news release.
The grant funds will be used to hire an archivist and to buy the computer and software needed to create a database for the collection.
Funds will also allow the art gallery to gather more information on each piece including the date, location, origin and donor information.
“The Brown County Art Gallery is very grateful to be able to properly catalogue our collection, thanks to this funding,” said Lyn Letsinger-Miller, the Brown County Art Gallery Foundation president.
“It will also make our collections more accessible to the public, as a digital format will allow us to share our paintings via the internet.”
Other grants were awarded to organizations recognized in the first round of Heritage Support Grants.
The grants were made possible by a Lilly Endowment Inc. grant that will allow IHS to award a total of $2.5 million in at least five grant cycles through 2019.
Organizations that apply for grants will also receive access to grant-writing coaching and individual coaching. The IHS is also organizing fundraising workshops led by its Local History Services staff.
“The role of our local history heroes cannot be overstated,” said John A. Herbst, IHS president and CEO. “IHS estimates more than 900 Indiana organizations hold collections that total more than 20 million historical objects and 424,000 feet of historical documents. We are proud to support their work in communities across Indiana.”
The deadlines for the next cycle of IHS grants are July 1, for both small and large grants. Small grants run between $500 to $999 while the larger ones are between $1,000 and $50,000, according to the release.
Eligible organizations must be nonprofits in Indiana and should be history related or propose a project that is “clearly history focused,” according to the release.
Organization annual budgets must be less than $300,000.
Guidelines and applications are available at www.indianahistory.org/grants. Organizations looking for more information can also call IHS at 317-232-1882.
