ESSEX, CT / PARIS — The Board of Directors of the FRench American Museum Exchange (FRAME) unanimously agreed to establish an Emergency Grant Initiative to support its network of 32 museums in the United States, Canada and France. The grants will support content development for online programs during the COVID-19 crisis to help museums continue to engage their audiences while their doors are closed. The emergency grants aim to increase public accessibility to FRAME museums’ collections and educational programming during the quarantine.
“FRAME’s deep commitment to cultural diplomacy in the context of museum exchanges and its dynamic fostering of collaboration is considered to be vitally important by its member museums. They also place great value on its active support, including financial support, which is typically only available to its members through a twice-yearly formal grant application process. Given the urgency of the health crisis, the Board of Directors agreed to create an additional emergency grant cycle so it could respond quickly and provide funds to its member museums who are trying to serve their constituents even while they are closed,” said William B. Beekman, North American Co-President of FRAME. “These funds will support new online programs that advance FRAME’s mission of transatlantic cooperation throughout its network and strengthen our museums accessibility to their local audiences as well as to a global audience,” said Anne-Solène Rolland, French Co-President of FRAME.
The grants can be used for a wide range of online programs for learning, education, personal health and spiritual fulfillment; or to prepare for the emotional healing process once the pandemic subsides.
The Board of Directors also entrusted an Emergency Support Committee to quickly distribute the funds. The Emergency Support Committee is chaired by Susan Talbott, Expert Director for FRAME in North America and includes : Nathalie Bondil (Director and Chief Curator, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts); Sophie Lévy (Director and Curator, Musée d’arts de Nantes); Dorothy Stapleton (Philanthropic Director, FRAME); Ronna Tulgan Ostheimer (Director of Education, Francine and Sterling Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA); Emilie Vanhaesebroucke, Executive Director, FRAME, France; and Marguerite d’Aprile Quigley, Executive Director, FRAME, North America.
This one-time special grant opportunity is intended to provide prompt support to FRAME museums wishing to strengthen their accessibility remotely through online outreach programs. The application procedure can be found on the FRAME website at: https://framemuseums.org. Projects receiving the emergency grant funds will start no later than Friday, May 15.
For more information or images, please contact: FRAME North America:
Marguerite d’Aprile Quigley at 860.581.8609 or at mdquigley@framemuseums.org
FRAME France: Emilie Vanhaesebroucke at + 33 (0) 6 82 93 96 42 or at e.vanhaesebroucke@framemuseums.org
