WESTON, CT – Connecticut Humanities, the statewide, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), has awarded the Weston Historical Society a $10,000 CTH SHARP Capacity Grant to support “Cataloging and Assessment of the Coley Barn Collection”. The Weston Historical Society operates independently from town government and is sustained by generous donations from individuals, businesses, grants, and fundraising events.
The historical society will work with a consultant to catalog and assess a collection of tools and farming equipment in the Coley Barn, properly identify objects, determine which objects fit with the Society’s Collections Management Policy and Mission, and identify those in need of conservation. This will allow the Society to determine the scope of the Coley Barn collection and how best to move forward with updating and reinterpreting the Barn’s exhibits.
“Our goal with this current project is to not only successfully catalog, inventory, and assess the barn collection but to make it available online for the public as well as use the knowledge to update and reinterpret the barn exhibitions to engage the community in a deeper understanding of Weston’s agricultural and industrial history,” said Samantha Kulish-Fargione, executive director. “Our plan is to hire a consultant to work with our collections volunteers to continue to catalog and assess the objects of the barn collection. The consultant would also research objects to determine the name and historical uses, research provenance and paper trails, identify objects that do not fit with our mission and collections policy as well as determine which objects might need conservation.”
The NEH received $135 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, which was approved by Congress this past spring. The state humanities councils, including CT Humanities, each received a portion of the NEH award to support museums, archives, historic sites, and other humanities-focused nonprofits. The Weston Historical Society was one of 69 organizations in Connecticut that was awarded ARP funding totaling $640,192 from CT Humanities. CTH SHARP Capacity Grants provide organizations funding for projects including building their information technology infrastructure, making their collections more accessible, conducting strategic planning, and undertaking inclusivity, diversity, equity, and access work.
“Our cultural nonprofits enrich lives, and it is important that they remain viable and accessible to all residents,” said Dr. Jason Mancini, executive director at CT Humanities.
Support for this project is provided to the Weston Historical Society by CT Humanities (CTH), through the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this announcement do not necessarily represent those of CT Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Weston Historical Society would like to acknowledge and thank its enduring annual sponsors: Fairfield County Bank and KMS Partners at Compass, as well as the Daniel E. Offutt, III Charitable Trust. The Weston Historical Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is located at the Coley Homestead, 104 Weston Road, Weston, CT 06883. For more information or to make a donation please contact the Society at info@westonhistoricalsociety.org, 203-226-1804 or visit www.westonhistoricalsociety.org.
