Middlebury, Vermont (December 11, 2024) - The Henry Sheldon Museum (HSM) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $650,000 grant by the Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. HSM received funds from the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place initiative, designed to “[support] a fuller, more complex telling of American histories and lived experiences by deepening the range of how and where our stories are told and by bringing a wider variety of voices into the public dialogue.” 

Distributed over three years, the Mellon Foundation grant will allow the HSM to advance exhibition research and curatorial practices to include new stories and narratives in the permanent exhibits. The Museum aims to explore and engage in a more comprehensive and complex history of our region, highlighting the voices and experiences of people who have previously been left out of the Museum’s narrative. This reimagining of the Museum’s permanent exhibits seeks to better reflect the diversity of experiences in the community, with the goal of becoming a true community partner that holds space for the varied stories from Vermont’s past and opens a critical dialogue about the future.

“The Mellon Foundation’s support is nothing short of a transformational shift in the history of the Henry Sheldon Museum, the oldest community-based museum in the country”, said Coco Moseley, Executive Director of HSM. “The Museum has been engaged in critical conversations about our collections, curatorial practices and exhibitions for the last several years, led by our Archivist, Eva Garcelon-Hart, and this funding allows us the incredible opportunity to bring these conversations into practice. We are thrilled to receive this support and are greatly appreciative of the Mellon Foundation’s recognition of this important work. A grant of this caliber brings far-reaching possibilities to the future of the Museum.” 

Funding exhibitions research, development and curation, the grant will allow the HSM to expand its staff capacity, including hiring a 3-year post-doctoral position in Public History to work alongside staff and stakeholders to guide the Museum’s development of new permanent exhibitions and programming initiatives that invite community members and visitors to connect with our area’s history. 

About the Henry Sheldon Museum: Founded in 1884,the Henry Sheldon Museum offers art and history exhibits, programs, and events for all those seeking to gain a deeper appreciation of the local and larger community’s art and history. Located within the Museum, the Stewart-Swift Research Center houses one of the state’s premier archival collections, documenting the history of Middlebury, Addison County, and greater Vermont, which serves the research needs of scholars, students, genealogists, and the community.

Media Contact:  Executive Director, Coco Moseley, cmoseley@henrysheldonmuseum.org