ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Allentown Art Museum is set to receive $700,000 in state funding that it will use for needed building renovations and crucial improvements, and to protect artwork, officials said Thursday.
The funds will be delivered as part of the 2022-23 state budget.
Museum staff said they appealed to state Sen. Pat Browne, who is chairman of the senate appropriations committee, for the funding, and the sum granted now will let the museum address the "vast majority" of key improvements it hopes to make.
Browne announced the funding at a news conference at the museum.
- State Sen. Pat Browne announced $700,000 in funding for building improvements at the Allentown Arts Museum on Thursday
- Museum leadership said it will help them make most of the key upgrades needed in the aging building for preservation of the collection and other needed improvements
- Earlier this year, the museum got another state grant of $400,000 for other improvements throughout the building.
The planned work includes replacing the decades-old gallery lighting system and a century-old window in the Samuel H. Kress Gallery, updating the museum’s kitchen and repairing and replacing aspects of its security system.
Art Museum President Max Weintraub said upkeep of the collection in a building that dates to the early 20th century is very expensive in ways the public may not realize, and upgrades are essential for the aging building.
“Seven hundred thousand dollars for physical plant repair and improvements is something that is so critical to an arts institution, but it's often not considered when it comes to the costs of maintaining a collection.
“So to have Sen. Browne and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania supporting us in ways that will ensure the safety and preservation of our collection and the well-being of our staff and visitors in a way that we can address behind-the-scenes needs is just incredible,” Weintraub said.
Without the grants, Weintraub said, it's unclear when the building improvements could have been made.
The new funds come on the heels of the museum receiving a state Keystone Grant of $400,000, which went to replacing heating and cooling units and will go toward upgrading the in-gallery Wi-Fi and replacing two large air handling units earlier this spring.
“These improvements are essential to our operation as a public resource,” said Chris Potash, the museum’s manager of marketing and public relations. “Still, we had more capital improvements that need to be made.”
The museum staff credited Browne for his role in securing the state funds as chairman of the state Senate Appropriations Committee, saying he made the procurement possible through his direct efforts.
“In many ways the arts community is the beating heart of Allentown and our entire region."State Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh)
“Our community sees or receives in return for the tremendous asset this has been throughout the years, not only a deeper understanding and appreciation of artistic expression, but the invigoration of the imagination, and the invitation to think critically of our surroundings and imagine a bigger and better world,” said Browne in remarks at the museum.
“If [museum founder] Walter Emerson Baum could see what his creation has grown into, I have no doubt that he would be standing here and beaming with pride with all of us."
Allentown Art Museum recently removed admission fees and includes art ranging from contemporary to Renaissance era.
“While the rebirth renewal of Allentown's commercial corridor continues, we must also continue to invest in the cultural assets that make our city a tremendous place to live, work and play,” Browne said.
“In many ways the arts community is the beating heart of Allentown and our entire region,” Browne said.
Weintraub said, “We're really excited for the future. We've had some really exciting changes to our galleries already. These funds will allow us to continue to improve the visitor experience so that everyone in the Lehigh Valley and beyond can enjoy the great treasures in this museum.”
