Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Repairs Linde Family Wing Elevator With Cultural Facilities Grant

April 9, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Kelsey Abbruzzese, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2086 & 617-448-9077 (cell)
kabbruzzese@massdevelopment.com
Greg Liakos, Mass. Cultural Council, 617-858-2720
greg.liakos@state.ma.us
Karen Frascona, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 617-369-3442
kfrascona@mfa.org

MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council have provided a $37,500 Cultural Facilities Fund grant to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), located in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. The MFA is using grant funds to replace the elevator in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, an 80,000-square-foot gallery space that houses the Museum’s contemporary art galleries, a bookstore and retail shop, dining facilities, and seminar rooms.

“The MFA has been a staple in the cultural canvas of Boston for years,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Marty Jones. “Like many cultural institutions across Massachusetts, the Museum depends on grants from the Cultural Facilities Fund to address maintenance projects that are integral to their operations. We are pleased to provide this grant so the MFA may continue to provide the Commonwealth and its visitors with an exceptional artistic and educational experience.”

The MFA is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world and welcomes more than 1 million visitors annually. Its collection includes an estimated 500,000 objects from ancient Egyptian mummies to contemporary art. The Museum is one of the largest cultural facilities in New England, and features a variety of special exhibitions and innovative educational programs. On an annual basis, 200,000 people take advantage of the educational offerings sponsored by the MFA, including almost 100,000 children.

MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council administer the Cultural Facilities Fund, an initiative of the Commonwealth to increase public and private investment in cultural facilities throughout the state. Created by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2006, the Fund offers capital, feasibility, technical assistance, and systems replacement grants for eligible nonprofits engaged in the arts, humanities, or interpretive sciences. The Fund has awarded more than $55 million in grants to cultural organizations across Massachusetts. For more information, visit the MassDevelopment and Massachusetts Cultural Council websites.

MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2013, MassDevelopment financed or managed 350 projects generating investment of more than $2.4 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are projected to create more than 7,000 jobs and build or rehabilitate 800 residential units.