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Save America's Treasures Awards $7.6 Million in Preservation GrantsMore than 100 years ago, Grand Banks schooners were a common sight in New England ports. Today, the Schooner Ernestina, which also played a role in the exploration of the Arctic, is one of the last of these graceful fishing vessels. She is one example of the thirty-one exceptional artifacts and structures that will be restored and conserved with awards totaling $7.6 million from Save America's Treasures (SAT). In this case, the SAT funds will allow her to again provide first-hand experiences to students and adults on America's Age of Sail. The Ernestina like every SAT project is at-risk of being lost-structural decay, rot, water damage and a host of other threats-but with an SAT award these cultural and historic treasures can continue to contribute to the next generation's understanding of our national narrative.  Save America's Treasures provides critical
preservation and conservation funds awards, which will help the Schooner
Ernestina return to sea again, a living link to America's Age
of Sail.
Photo courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation The National Park Service and the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities oversee the Save America's Treasures program in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Save America's Treasures competitive awards preserve the nation's most significant endangered intellectual and cultural artifacts, historic structures and historic sites. "Save America's Treasures represents an exceptional process that blends the best expertise of our federal cultural partners and the National Park Service to select and recommend projects of exceptional value to our nation's cultural and historic legacy. With the support of Congress and the White House, this program exemplifies what the public and private sector can accomplish together in preserving these pre-eminent symbols of our democracy and cultural values," says Adair Margo, Chairman of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Awards by the National Park Service will help restore both structures and places and those projects overseen by the NEA, NEH and IMLS will help meet the needs of the country's creative genius expressed in dance, paintings, prints, sculpture, and books; as well as in artifacts from ships, trains, automobiles, pipe organs and many other items of Americana. The list of this year's awards and the variety of each project's contributions to our national narrative is compelling. Outstanding National Historic Landmarks, such as the Race Street Meeting House in Philadelphia, which served as an important platform for 19th century women activists; fragile artistic treasures such as the choreographic works of Martha Graham and the musical legacy of Leonard Bernstein; and the Rev. R.O Taylor collection which a opens a rare window on the lives of African-Americans in South from the 1920s to 1950s, are just a few examples of the breadth of the American experience and creative genius represented in this year's awards. Overall, fifteen awards were made to institutions with collections, artifacts, artistic works or documents and sixteen awards were made to organizations caring for structures and sites. Some 340 groups applied for SAT funds this year with than $104 million in requests for proposed projects.
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