Community invited to contribute to Museum’s artifact conservation efforts

A Corliss steam engine, the premiere artifact in the Adopt-an-Artifact campaign, is awaiting conservation in the National Museum of Industrial History. In its heyday, the engine pumped 8 million gallons of water a day to the town of York, Pennsylvania. It ran continuously from 1915 to 1956 and weighs 115 tons.

The National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH) has announced a brand new program aimed at the preparation and conservation of featured historical artifacts, as well as the design of exciting interactive stations which will be on display when the museum opens in the summer of 2016. The Adopt-an-Artifact program will allow benefactors to underwrite the conservation, installation and design costs of a wide variety of objects and interactives, helping NMIH to forge a connection between America’s industrial past and tomorrow’s innovations.

“We are launching this program because we want to engage the community and encourage them to become an integral part of the museum’s design as we work to open this summer,” said Amy Hollander, President and CEO of the museum.  “It’s a unique opportunity where donors can choose an artifact or interactive that means something to them and have a tangible impact on preserving a piece of this region’s industrial legacy.”

Various levels of giving will allow for a range of donations from $100 for personal items used by steel or textile workers to $50,000 to help conserve NMIH’s Corliss engine, a centerpiece of the museum. Lisa Harms, Collections Manager and Education Coordinator for the museum added, “Choosing to help conserve a museum artifact ensures that its historical relevance can be preserved, allowing the next generation of visionaries to be inspired by the story it tells.”

The Adopt-an-Artifact program includes an ‘adoption certificate’ for all benefactors and recognition on social media. The higher adoption levels include additional benefits such as exclusive tours of NMIH’s Collections Storage Facility, recognition of adoptees on the exhibit floor, and invitations to an exclusive reception.  All adoptions will apply to the preservation or creation of the selected artifact or interactive for one year following the museum’s grand opening.  Artifacts can be adopted by visiting the museum’s website at http://nmih.org.

The program will be updated annually with new objects in the museum’s collection that require conservation and preservation.  The National Museum of Industrial History is currently installing and conserving artifacts and is on-schedule to open in the summer of 2016.

About the National Museum of Industrial History

A Smithsonian Affiliate, the National Museum of Industrial History is dedicated to preserving America’s rich industrial heritage. Restoring a 40,000-square-foot, 100-year-old former Bethlehem Steel facility on the largest private brownfield in America, the Museum will be home to exciting exhibits, engaging programs and amazing history.