Press Release - USS Monitor Receives Prestigious Keck Award

For Immediate Release

The Mariners’ Museum USS Monitor conservation project receives prestigious International Institute for Conservation Keck Award
Lead Conservator Eric Schindelholz to travel to Munich, Germany, for award presentation

Newport News, Va. September 1, 2006-- John B. Hightower, President and CEO of The Mariners’ Museum, is pleased to announce the USS Monitor Museum conservation team has received the prestigious International Institute for Conservation (IIC) Keck Award consisting of a certificate and cash prize of 1000 UK pounds (approx. $1,800). Every two years the Keck Award is offered to an individual or group who, in the opinion of IIC Council, has done the most to further the public appreciation of the work of the conservation profession.

"The announcement of this award could not be more timely for The Mariners’ Museum. We are a year away from opening the USS Monitor Center, a major component of which is a four-story, 25,000-square-foot conservation laboratory," Hightower said. "This laboratory will be among the largest in the nation and will add a new, dramatic dimension of active science and research to the capacities of the Museum. The talented conservation team at the Museum has already established working relationships with universities, companies and organizations that have been recognized and now rewarded by the IIC Council made up of distinguished conservators throughout the world.

"Sheldon and Caroline Keck were well known, much admired conservators in Cooperstown, N.Y., where their laboratory there was legendary. To have known them personally adds a pleasing, nostalgic note to this special award," Hightower added.

The USS Monitor conservation project team recognized by this award consists of Marcie Renner, chief conservator; Eric Schindelholz, Monitor lead conservator; Eric Nordgren, conservator; David Krop, assistant conservator; Susanne Grieve, assistant conservator; Tina Gutshall, conservation assistant; and Gary Paden, artifact handler.

"Every person on this team has dedicated a large part of their time to public awareness and education of the importance of conserving USS Monitor artifacts," Renner said. "We’ve staged and participated in a number of conferences around the country; authored articles published in industry and trade magazines; participated in documentaries for PBS, BBC, History Channel and Discovery Channel; and partnered with various organizations and institutions including Old Dominion University, Clemson University, Leica Inc. and MAGLEV to name a few. It’s an honor to receive such a prestigious award for doing something the team and I clearly love."

The IIC is an independent international membership organization that promotes the knowledge, methods and working standards needed to protect and preserve historic and artistic works. It does this through publications and conferences, and by acting as a channel of communication between professionals with responsibility for the cultural heritage. It promotes professional excellence and public awareness through its awards and bursaries.

David Leigh, secretary-general of the Institute, said, "This award recognizes the enormous importance we attach to conveying to the public the tremendous expertise which is nowadays being applied to conserving the best of the world’s heritage. The Council of IIC was hugely impressed by the way in which The Mariners’ Museum is promoting the painstaking conservation work on the USS Monitor as widely as possible, and we are delighted to be able to present them with the Keck Award during our 2006 Congress in Munich next month."

Schindelholz received the award on behalf of the USS Monitor Conservation team during the 21st IIC International Congress that took place in Munich, Germany, Aug. 28 – Sept. 1, 2006.

In 1987, The Mariners’ Museum was designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on behalf of the federal government, as the repository for artifacts and archives from the USS Monitor. Working jointly with NOAA and the U.S. Navy, the Museum has received over 1,200 artifacts from the Monitor, including the steam engine, propeller and revolving gun turret.

On March 9, 2007, exactly 145 years after the historic clash between the Civil War ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, The Mariners’ Museum and NOAA will open the doors to one of the premier Civil War attractions across the nation—the USS Monitor Center. This dramatic new $30 million, 63,500-square-foot facility will enthrall families with exciting exhibits, bring students face-to-face with history, house state-of-the-art conservation labs and offer historians rich resources for research.

The Mariners’ Museum is conducting a $30 million capital campaign for the USS Monitor Center. NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program has provided $9.5 million in federal funds contributing toward the $20 million that will be raised from public sources. The Mariners’ Museum is conducting a $10 million private sector campaign raising funds from corporations, foundations and individuals across the nation. Currently, over $27 million of the total $30 million has been raised. For more information, visit www.MarinersMuseum.org.

For more information:
Contact: Amy Richie, Public Relations Director
(757) 591-7738 or (800) 581-7245
E-mail: pr@MarinersMuseum.org

The Mariners' Museum, an educational, non-profit institution accredited by the American Association of Museums, preserves and interprets maritime history through an international collection of ship models, figureheads, paintings and other maritime artifacts. The museum is open from 10 A.M. until 5 P.M. Monday through Saturday, and 12 to 5 P.M. Sunday. It will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For information, visit www.marinersmuseum.org, call (757) 596-2222 or (800) 581-7245, or write to The Mariners' Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606.

The Mariners' Museum and The South Street Seaport Museum of New York City are partners in America's National Maritime Museum, an innovative alliance recognized by an act of Congress in June 1998 to share collections, exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and other endeavors.