CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.- The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia announced a grant of $815,000 by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which will be utilized to create a research center for the study of the indigenous art of Australia and the Americas at The Fralin, as well as the University’s Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection.

The grant is the result of an initiative led by Francesca Fiorani, Professor of Art History and Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities in the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, working in tandem with The Fralin, the Kluge-Ruhe, and the Mellon Foundation. In part, the grant will support the hiring of two new curators for the University’s impressive collections of indigenous art. It also will pave the way for a new residency program for visiting scholars, artists and curators. Complimented by the $886,000 in contributions by the University, the investment to the Indigenous Art Initiative totals $1.7 million. The funding will span the course of five years.

The extensive collection of art at The Fralin Museum of Art spans cultures from across the globe. The Museum’s holdings include 2,000 pieces of Pre-Columbian art; 1,100 works of Asian art; 700 works by artists of the African diaspora; 680 works by Native Americans and continues to grow.

The additional curator positions funded by the Indigenous Arts grant will focus on Native American and/or Pre-Columbian Art at The Fralin, as well as the indigenous arts of Australia at the Kluge-Ruhe.

"The Fralin Museum of Art partnered once again with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia in creating these wonderful new opportunities for the study and curation of the indigenous arts of the Americas. We welcome the opportunity to strengthen our curatorial staff with a new appointment in this area." -- Bruce Boucher, director, The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia