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52

Thayer and LaFarge will be installed in two others. Two magnificent stained glass windows by LaFarge are eventually to be installed, but cannot be shown in their present condition. Some $12,000 is needed for their restoration.

Although the installation of Ryders on the second floor was originally planned as a temporary solution when Lincoln Hall was closed, the plan is now to make this a permanent installation.

Designs for the second floor gallery to display a selection of the Hiram Powers' original plasters has been completed. The miniature gallery is designed but must await more funds. Still in the planning stage is the first floor gallery of European art. Mr. Taylor described new storage facilities on the third floor (to be examined during the afternoon session), and the plans for improved storage in the remaining areas, planned for completion this year. Rather than "storage," these areas are looked upon as "study" or "consultation" areas. It is hoped that part of the garage can be converted for the storage of frames and heavy sculpture. 

All of these developments are difficult to budget. The Office of Budget shows little enthusiasm for the needs of the collections and their maintenance, yet this work is absolutely essential to the museum. An increase is being asked for in the 1973 budget.

The Director then reviewed some of his thoughts concerning the future of the Collection. It should provide a documentation of the many currents of American art and not be restricted only to those examples found worthy for showing on the gallery walls. A problem in this long-neglected collection is conservation; an extraordinary task remains before works are presentable and in secure condition.

By the end of the fiscal year, all space suitable for gallery exhibition will have been opened, and all storage areas, although not wholly filled, will be in active use. In every area of the museum, there is space for both permanent and temporary display, in order that the entire museum be looked upon as an active enterprise. Only a small portion of the collection, however, can be shown at one time, and there is no further room for expansion. Cutting down the collection is not a solution; it must be realized that this is a basic reference collection, not just a museum for display. In fact, the collection must grow, both in the addition of recent works and in weakly represented areas of the past. Growth is made difficult by the scarcity of purchase funds.