National Museum Lagos Announces Partners for Conservation Center
Lagos, Nigeria February 26, 2009
Contact: Mrs. Vicki Agili – +234-803-403-5504
The National Commission for Museums and Monuments announces a three-way public/private partnership to revitalize the National Museum Lagos beginning with the development of a Conservation Center and Laboratory to house and treat the over 40,000 objects of Nigerian art in the museum’s collection.
The two key partners in this major collaborative effort include the Ford Foundation and the newly organized Arts and Business Foundation.
Ford Foundation President, Mr. Luis Ubiñas will be in Lagos to tour the museum stores and review the work that the Foundation has funded over the past two years which includes upgrades to the museum’s infrastructure, installation of a computer lab and the initiation of a multi-faceted training program for museum professionals in the Nigeria.
The Arts and Business Foundation was formed following a Feasibility Study to determine the potential for success in bringing the Nigerian and ex-patriot business communities together to increase corporate funding for the arts in Nigeria. Funded by a grant from The Ford Foundation, the study indicated that the business community would be willing to increase arts funding, if the cultural sector could show increased accountability and added value to Nigeria’s diverse communities.
Originally referred to as the Corporate Council for Arts and Culture, the new organization has been incorporated as an NGO whose mission is to serve as a liaison between the arts and business community and distribute funding for specific cultural programmes.
The Arts and Business Foundation has chosen the renovation of the Lagos museum as its first major undertaking. Active in the formation of the Arts and Business Foundation are Mr. Tayo Aderinokun, Dr. Bola Fajemirokun, Mr. Jahman Anikulapo, Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma, Mrs. Bolanle Austen-Peters and Ms. Margie Reese of The Ford Foundation, who has served as advisor to the group in developing its goals and structure.
According to Reese, who has been one of the strong advocates of the partnership project, “Nigeria has given so much of its richness to the world; its people, its culture and its natural resources, and deserves support for preserving this important collection of art for the future.”
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