UTICA, N.Y. — The Munson Museum of Art has recently been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for the reinterpretation and reinstallation of its galleries of 19th-century American art. From November 2025 to December 2026, the entire first floor of the Museum of Art, comprising three galleries, will be renovated to display […]
UTICA, N.Y. — The Munson Museum of Art has recently been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for the reinterpretation and reinstallation of its galleries of 19th-century American art.
From November 2025 to December 2026, the entire first floor of the Museum of Art, comprising three galleries, will be renovated to display American art made before 1920. The space will draw attention to relationships between materials, places, and ideas, Munson said in an Aug. 1 announcement.
Over the past century, the Munson Museum of Art has formed a “renowned collection of American art,” with strengths in 19th-century landscapes, 20th-century realism, and abstraction in addition to important focused collections of American decorative arts, works on paper, photography, European modernism, and contemporary art. This grant from the Henry Luce Foundation will make possible “a fresh approach” to the museum’s presentation of its 19th-century American art collection, Munson said.
The recent addition of Robert Duncanson’s “Vale of Kashmir” (1864), has drawn renewed attention to the museum’s collection of American art made in the 1800s and has contributed to the diversity of artists represented within it. This reinstallation project will identify global connections within Munson’s collection, as well as areas for potential growth, the museum noted.
With Luce Foundation support, Munson will create new interpretive materials incorporating local expertise in cultures and languages from around the world in collaboration with The Center and members of Utica’s refugee community among others. This bank of multilingual audio and text guides will be available for future visitors. English and other language guides will feature approachable, community-influenced explanations of American art, history, and culture.
Munson will also develop a new advisory committee, conduct a year-long seminar exploring the museum’s pre-1920 collections, and fund a project-specific research assistant with support from the Luce Foundation to support its mission of exhibiting exceptional art and creating meaningful experiences for all.
A leader in arts funding since 1982, the Luce Foundation’s American Art Program advances the role of American art “in realizing more vibrant and empathetic communities.” Through support for innovative projects, the foundation empowers institutions to “celebrate creativity, elevate underrepresented voices, challenge accepted histories, and seek common ground.”
Munson, located at 310 Genesee St. in Utica, is a fine-arts organization, serving diverse audiences through a Museum of Art, live performances and events, community arts classes, and Pratt Munson College of Art and Design, the upstate extension campus of the Pratt Institute.
The Henry Luce Foundation says it seeks to deepen knowledge and understanding in pursuit of a more democratic and just world. It was established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc.
