The Museum’s Conservation Department, in partnership with the Department of Anthropology, received an IMLS Conservation Project Support grant of nearly $150,000 for a 24-month project to provide environmental improvements for 670 Latin American costumes, including huipiles (traditional shirts), pants, skirts, vests, jackets, ponchos, shawls, sashes, collars, bags, and hats.
This project will dramatically improve environmental conditions for this impressive collection of the Latin American costumes. The customized pallets and boxes fabricated from conservation-approved materials will provide individualized support for each costume, and remove them from the proximity of wood and cardboard containing volatile organic compounds. The more organized storage conditions will also allow the DMNS to better implement any emergency response and salvage of the costumes. This project will increase access to these costumes for researchers, the public, the region’s growing Latin American community, and future generations.
