US awards grant to train Nigerian wood curators

THE United States Mission in Nigeria has launched the 2022 Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) project to train Nigerian museum professionals in wood conservation, documentation, and storage.

The Yale University Art Gallery was awarded the AFCP grant to implement the project: ‘Sustaining a Partnership in Wood Conservation between the National Museum, Lagos and the Yale University Art Gallery.’

Through the AFCP project worth $114,000, the Yale University Art Gallery will conduct training workshops on wood conservation for National Museum Lagos conservators, helping them preserve Nigerian historical artefacts through advanced storage, documentation, and treatment techniques.

Speaking at the MOU signing ceremony in Lagos on Monday, U.S. Consul General Will Stevens highlighted the longstanding commitment of the United States government to partner with Nigeria to preserve its rich history and culture.

He said, “As a strong supporter of efforts to preserve Nigerian culture through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, or the AFCP, the U.S Mission in Nigeria has funded projects worth over $1 million across Nigeria over the last five years.

“We hope the partnerships initiated through this project will continue far into the future and serve as a lasting example of the partnership between the United States and Nigeria to protect Nigeria’s cultural heritage.”

The Director General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Professor Abba Issa Tijani, lauded the impact of AFCP projects across Nigerian museums.

“The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has yielded great results in capacity building, documentation and digitization of our rich cultural heritage. We look forward to many more productive partnerships with the U.S. government,” Tijani said.

Stephanie Wiles, Director of the Yale University Art Gallery, expressed appreciation to the U.S. Mission for the generous grant that supports the university’s ongoing collaboration with the NCMM.

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“This grant will support workshops in wood conservation and breakthroughs in sustainable conservation practices that are mutually beneficial for the National Commission for Museum and Monuments and the Yale University Art Gallery,” Wiles said.

In collaboration with the NCMM, the AFCP project will take place at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut and the National Museum, Lagos.

The AFCP project will also focus on the National Museum, Lagos’ late 19th and 20th century Yorùbá wood objects and is being done in preparation for the upcoming exhibition, Bámigbóyè; A Master Sculptor of the Yorùbá Tradition.