MASON CITY – A generous grant to the MacNider Art Museum has enabled officials there to purchase puppets to add to the viewing collection for visitors.
The Charles H. MacNider Museum has received two more grant awards from the Chautauqua Circuit #889 Questers chapter of the Iowa Questers. The project funded were two Preservation and Restoration Grants from International Questers totaling with additional funds raised by the local chapter to total $10,420.
The purpose of the grant is to stabilize and restore artifacts in local communities. The artifacts must have significance to the community in which they reside. This follows closely the purpose of the Questers organization which exists to research, study, and preserve antiques for the future as well as promote the field of preservation.
For this project the Museum was granted $10,420 to send 4 artifacts to the Midwest Art Conservation Center for conservation work. As a city entity the Museum is not able to spend tax-payer funds on the preservation of artifacts and must rely on grants such as these to maintain the collection. The Midwest Art Conservation Center is one of the nation’s leading conservation labs for artifact restoration.
The selected artifacts are part of the famed Sound of Music Puppets, created by Mason City native Bil Baird. The Baird family donated the puppets in the 1980s. There have been efforts to document and create custom storage boxes for the puppets through various grants but this grant is the first one to do specific conservation work on the puppets. The puppets were transported to the Midwest Art Conservation Center where they were cleaned, stabilized, and small repairs were made. The puppets that were conserved are: Female Goat, Goat Herder, Prince, and the Male Goat.
“The Sound of Music puppets are perhaps some of the most famous puppets in the world.” stated Museum Director Edith Blanchard. “This will preserve these famous cultural icons not only for our community but for the thousands of visitors that flock to the Museum yearly to see the famous puppets.”
The grant is the third grant given by the local chapter to the MacNider for the benefit of the community.
The Charles H. MacNider Art Museum, located at 303 Second St. S.E. in Mason City, is free and open to the public. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. More information can be found at the museum’s website at http://www.macniderart.org.
