CCAHA News & Events
Your Donations at Work: Disaster Preparedness and Response

At CCAHA, we are thankful for the support of a dedicated community of people who understand and value our work. A major part of that work is helping individuals and cultural organizations plan for emergencies. Learn more about one story of our Emergency Planning & Response work, and please consider making a tax-deductible end-of-year contribution to CCAHA this season. 

Treatment FOCUS: Repairing a 1908 Gelatin Silver Photograph

Earlier this year, CCAHA Photograph Conservator Zach Long treated a 1908 gelatin silver photograph of soldiers at Fort Mott in Pennsville, NJ. Fort Mott is one of three forts constructed in the late 1800s to secure points along the Delaware River, and soldiers stationed there enjoyed activities such as baseball, tennis, and, as shown in this rare photograph, football. In the latest installment of our FOCUS newsletter, learn more about the history of Fort Mott and what went into treating this fragile document of daily life there.

Funding Opportunity: NEH Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions
 
Preservation Assistance Grants help small and mid-sized institutions—such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, cultural organizations, town and county records offices, and colleges and universities—improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections. These may include special collections of books and journals, archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, moving images, sound recordings, architectural and cartographic records, decorative and fine art objects, textiles, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, furniture, historical objects, and digital materials.

Applications for this grant will open November 15, 2019. Guidelines for the next application round have not been posted yet. In the meantime, click here to learn more.

Applications are due January 15, 2020.
 
Thinking about applying for a project involving CCAHA? Email  Lee Price, Director of Development , to get started. 
SPECIAL EVENT
With A Stroke of Her Pen: Women's Imprint on American Culture
Date:  Friday, January 17, 2020
Time: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Location: Benjamin Franklin Hall, American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia,

The Benjamin Franklin Birthday Celebration commemorates the centennial anniversary of Congress’ act to grant women the right to vote. The 19th Amendment crowned more than a century of persevering feminine activism. This event honors those who fought for the vote, as well as those women who have contributed significantly, often behind the scenes, to the development of the American nation. The event includes a luncheon and presentation of the Franklin Founder Award , a keynote address by Linda Greenhouse (left), and remarks to honor the life, career, and contributions of Cokie Roberts (right).
Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York (DHPSNY) Program Updates

The New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education contracts with CCAHA to deliver statewide services supporting organizations that safeguard New York's historical documents and library research materials. Learn more about DHPSNY.

The deadline for DHPSNY's first Planning & Assessment Services application round of the New Year is Friday, March 22, 2020 .   Applications for DHPSNY's services are accepted year-round and reviewed three times a year.  Click here to learn more and apply.
WEBINAR
Scaling Environmental Recommendations For Historic Sites
Date: Wednesday, December 18
Time: 2:00 - 3:30 PM
 
To uphold ideal standards collecting institutions are asked to strive for “appropriate” environmental conditions, but these hypothetical conditions cannot exist in a vacuum. Institutions must consider the needs of their specific collections, a limited subset of resources, competing priorities, and increasing focus on efficiency and sustainability – all considerations which become even more complex when the collection is held in a historic building. This session will explore research on sustainable environmental management as well as possible approaches for improving environmental sustainability within the constraints of limited resources.

Putting Best Practices Into Practice: Scalable Preservation Solutions is a two year program, generously funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA)  is a nonprofit conservation facility specializing in the treatment of works on paper, photographs, and books through conservation and state-of-the-art digital imaging services. Founded in 1977, CCAHA serves collecting institutions and private individuals. CCAHA’s preservation services staff present educational programs, conduct preservation assessments, and develop emergency preparedness plans. CCAHA also offers fellowships, fundraising support, and disaster assistance.
Support provided by The Philadelphia Cultural Fund