BRIDGEPORT, CT.- Robbin Zella, Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art has been invited to participate in Connecting to Collections: The National Conservation Summit to be held June 27-28, 2007 in Washington, DC. Only four representatives, two from museums and two from libraries, from each state and the District of Columbia have been selected to attend this invitation-only national conference sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The event will underscore the risks that endanger America’s books, works of art, documents, and other treasures and promote solutions for saving them.

Those who have been selected to attend the summit have a strong commitment to conservation and are among the best people in the country to spearhead a national conservation initiative,” said IMLS Director Anne-Imelda Radice, Ph.D. “After the summit, we hope that the conversation about saving invaluable collections will continue in communities across the U.S.”

Participants in the meeting represent small and medium-sized museums, libraries, and historic organizations with a proven dedication and commitment to conservation. They will be joined at the meeting by national leaders in conservation, government officials, and leaders in private sector support for conservation.

The Housatonic Museum is housed in the Housatonic Community College campus in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is comprised of two galleries totaling over 2,000 square feet. The collection is composed of outstanding examples of 18th, 19th and 20th century art, as well as ethnographic objects from Africa, Oceania and the Americas.