PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From: Coastal Conservation League
January 25, 2023
Contact:
Diane Knich, Coastal Conservation League, [email protected], (843) 530-0211
Avery Research Center awarded $2 million grant from Mellon Foundation
We congratulate the Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston, and Dr. Tamara Butler, the center’s Executive Director and member of the Coastal Conservation League’s Board of Directors, for being awarded a $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.
The funding, says Dr. Butler, will allow the center to explore and share new and rich cultural histories. The grant will allow Avery to broaden the reach of its archival collections through training, professional development, and community outreach.
“This grant emphasizes our commitment to preserving and promoting the Avery Research Center’s histories,” Dr. Butler said. “We are overjoyed about the opportunity to tell stories about our 160-year-old evolution. I am grateful for this team of phenomenal scholars. This grant is only possible because of dynamic faculty, supportive leadership and committed staff.”
Outcomes of the four-year project will include, but are not limited to:
- Processing, describing, and digitizing of selected historic manuscript and audiovisual collections from Avery for public use.
- Increased community engagement in the center’s archives and programming.
- Creating accessible and creative interpretations of Avery’s histories at the intersections of art, public history, and archives/museum studies.
We are fortunate to have Dr. Butler on our Board and wish her and her team the best with this endeavor.