jessica.vaughn@imaginuity.com
ORANGE, Texas, September 16, 2008 - The Stark Museum of Art survived Hurricane Ike with no damage or water intrusion. The Stark Museum
and its collections remain in excellent condition despite the effects of
Hurricane Ike upon the City of Orange,
where the museum is located.
Museum staff members had fully implemented the Museum's
hurricane plan well in advance of the storm's landfall and had taken steps to
protect the collections in the event of possible flooding. Essential employees
of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, which owns and operates the
Museum, remained in the Museum at all times during the hurricane to monitor
conditions and protect the collections.
Although the City of Orange
experienced flooding from the hurricane, the floodwaters did not enter the
Museum. While electricity has not yet been restored to the city, the Stark
Museum of Art has been and continues to maintain climate control through power
from its generator.
Because of the extensive damage throughout the City of
Orange and the lack of city services as a result of Hurricane Ike, all events
that were previously slated to be hosted by the Stark Museum of Art will be canceled
until further notice, including the Fall Family Day scheduled for October 4.
The Stark Museum of Art will remain closed to the public
until such time as city services resume, power is restored and exhibitions are
reinstalled in the galleries. This includes cancellation of all group tours and
school field trips scheduled for September, with scheduling for subsequent
months to be determined as additional information becomes available. In the
meantime, the Stark Foundation and Stark
Museum staff will work
diligently to ensure the preservation and protection of the Stark Museum of
Art, and the staff will endeavor to return to normal operations as soon as
possible.
For updates and further information, visit the Stark Museum
website at www.starkmuseum.org.
About the Stark
Museum of Art
The Stark Museum of Art focuses on the stunning land, the
dramatic people and the diverse wildlife of the American West. Paintings,
sculpture and prints interpret the West from nineteenth century frontier
artists to the twentieth century artistic colonies in New Mexico. Artists include John James
Audubon, Frederic Remington, Charles Marion Russell, and many others.
The museum also features a significant collection of
American Indian art, including baskets, pottery, clothing, and weavings. Other
permanent collections in the museum include the complete porcelain American
Bird Series by Dorothy Doughty and the only complete series of The United
States in Crystal, a collection of crystal urns
produced by Steuben Glass to depict the 50 states and the Union.
Located at 712
Green Avenue in Orange, Texas,
the Stark Museum of Art is a program of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation. Admission is free. For more information call 409.886.ARTS (2787) or
visit www.starkmuseum.org.
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712 Green
Avenue
Orange, Texas
77630-5721
Phone: 409.886.ARTS (2787)
www.starkmuseum.org
