Grant Launches Online Prendergast Archive and Study Center

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has awarded the Williams College Museum of Art a $150,000 Museums for America grant to support the museum’s efforts to raise the profile of and provide visibility for the Prendergast artworks and archives.

The college museum is home to the world’s largest repository of works by the Prendergast brothers, artists Maurice (1858-1924) and Charles (1863-1948). The collection of more than 450 works and the family archives were a gift from Charles’ widow, Eugénie Prendergast, for research and educational purposes.

The three-year project will fully integrate the Prendergast archives into the museum’s permanent collection, including digitally photographing the entire Prendergast collection of paintings, works on paper, hand-carved frames, sketchbooks, decorative arts, letters, documents, ephemera and carving tools. The digital images will be made available to the public via the museum’s website and a virtual research center, the Prendergast Archive and Study Center.

Museums for America is the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ largest grant program for museums, supporting projects and ongoing activities that build their capacity to serve their communities.