Hampton, Va - The Hampton University Museum has received a $95,631 grant from the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The grant, focused on African-American history and culture, will allow the HU Museum to continue to digitize select images from the museum’s art collection, creating an organized online art gallery for HU museum staff and researchers.

Transparencies and slides from the museums fine art collection as well as negatives and prints from the Reuben V. Burrell Photographic Collection will be included in the digitized collection. Burrell served as a photographer for HU for over 60 years.

Funding will also provide additional training for the museum and archives staff and provide high school students with an opportunity to participate in the Life as a MP-Museum Professional Saturday Exploratory Series. The series consist of four workshops that will introduce African-American youth to museum careers. Students attending the workshops will be eligible to participate in an internship at the museum digitizing the collection.

“I am overjoyed that IMLS has given the Hampton University Museum an opportunity to further the training of our staff and to digitize a great deal of our collection,” stated Vanessa Thaxton-Ward, curator of collections and author of the grant. “This assistance helps us to better serve our constituents.”

The IMLS awarded 15 of the 41 applicants grants totaling $1,455,606 matched with $1,668,215 of non-federal funds for Museum Grants for African American History and Culture.

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About the Hampton University Museum

Founded in 1868, the Hampton University Museum is the nation’s oldest African American museum. With galleries dedicated to African American, African, American Indian and Asian and Pacific art and artifacts, the museum contains more than 9,000 objects representing cultures and people from around the world. Within its fine arts collection is the largest existing collection of works in any museum by the artists John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence and Samella Lewis.

The Hampton University Museum is located in the newly restored Huntington Building (the former library) on the grounds of historic Hampton University campus. From Interstate 64, take exit 267/Hampton University and follow the signs to the museum. The museum is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 12 noon to 4 p.m.; closed on Sundays and major holidays. Admission is free. Call 757.727.5308 or visit http://museum.hamptonu.edu for information.