Farnsworth Museum gains grant from Luce Foundation> $150,000 to be used for anniversary celebration

On Monday, the Henry Luce Foundation announced more than $2 million in new grants to 19 American museums and other institutions, including the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. The program’s primary objective is to expand the knowledge and scholarship of American Art.

The Farnsworth received a two-year grant of $150,000 to support a 50th anniversary permanent collection celebration. Activities will include a series of exhibitions, the publication of a collection catalog, the reinstallation of the permanent collection, scholarly symposia and a promotion campaign.

“On the most pragmatic level, this means we’ll be able to carry forward with projects that have to do with education,” said Christopher Crosman, the museum’s director. “On a different plane, it has to do with recognitions of the quality of the permanent collection and a higher profile for the museum.”

The award, said Crosman, is one of the most important and competitive grants the museum has received.