DUBAI - Bank of America Merrill Lynch today announced that its 2013 global Art Conservation Project is open for applications. Submissions are welcome from not-for-profit arts and cultural institutions that have significant works of art across all media, requiring conservation. Submission deadline is 30 November 2012.
The Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project is a unique initiative that provides grants to not-for-profit organisations throughout the world to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art that are in danger of degeneration, in order to preserve them for future generations. Introduced in 2010 across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the programme was expanded this year to include the U.S., Asia Pacific and Latin America.
"We are delighted once again to work with institutions around the world and to play our part in preserving precious works of art and historical artifacts for future generations to enjoy and learn from," said Rena DeSisto, International CSR and Global Arts and Culture executive at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "We firmly believe that the arts help to drive economic stability and further cultural understanding. I strongly encourage applications from institutions so they can potentially benefit from our unique project."
Previous projects include the restoration of the iconic photographic archive at The Arab Image Foundation in Beirut, featuring the culturally important photographic collections of Latif el Ani and Hashem el Madani. The photographs provide a fascinating perspective on the culture of the Middle East over the 20th Century. They were at risk from damage through ageing and required archiving, digitisation and cleaning to preserve their quality.
Other grant recipients include Pablo Picasso's Woman in Blue at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid; a range of historical and artistic pieces at Westminster Abbey, London; and an early manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan.
Applicants can submit proposals online: http://museums.bankofamerica.com/arts/Conservation/Apply.
About Bank of America Merrill Lynch and the Arts
Developing substantive solutions for social and environmental challenges is at the core of Bank of America Merrill Lynch's mission, and the arts and culture platform is a key component of the company's integrated corporate responsibility strategy.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch helps a broad spectrum of arts programmes thrive, encompassing sponsorships, community grants and loans to museums from the company's own art collection. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project provides grants for the restoration of paintings, sculptures, archaeological or architectural pieces that are significant to the cultural heritage of a country or region or important to the history of art in order to preserve them for future generations.
Recent and upcoming sponsorships include, Americans in Florence: Sargent and the American Impressionists at the Palazzo Strozzi, Florence (March - July 2012), Jeff Koons: The Painter & The Sculptor at Schirn Kunsthalle and the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung, Frankfurt (June - September 2012) and Roy Lichtenstein at Tate Modern, London, opening in February 2013. The company is Season Sponsor of the Old Vic Theatre in London, as well as Global Sponsor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which travelled to Russia and Italy this year.
Through the company's Art in Our Communities® programme, the Bank of America Collection has been converted into a unique community resource. The collection has grown in size and scope in recent decades with artworks from numerous legacy institutions, and offers museums and non-profit galleries the opportunity to borrow complete or customised exhibitions at no cost. This helps to secure vital revenue for those institutions that may lack sufficient resources to fully curate and manage exhibitions on their own, and also guarantees that the collection is shared with as wide an audience as possible. Since its launch in late 2008, more than 50 exhibitions have been loaned to museums around the world. Shows in 2012 include Conversations at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin, Shared Space, part of PhotoEspaña 2012, at the Real Jardín Botánico in Madrid (June - July 2012), Andy Warhol: The Portfolios at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London (June - September 2012) travelling to the Museo del Novecento in Milan in October 2013, and Gaze: The Changing Face of Portrait Photography, at Istanbul Modern Museum (October 2012 - January 2013). Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/opportunity and follow us on Twitter at @BofA_Community.
For more Bank of America news, visit the Bank of America newsroom.
www.bankofamerica.com
Reporters May Contact:
Nerys Williams, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, +971.4.4258331
nerys.williams@baml.com
Manash Bhuyan, FTI Consulting, +971.4.4372102
manash.bhuyan@fticonsulting.com
© Press Release 2012
