FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cowgirl Hall of Fame Receives True Vue Optium® Conservation Grant
Award Assistance to Conserve Parade Flag from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (August 12, 2014) – The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame – the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage in their trailblazing efforts – was awarded the Tru Vue Optium Conservation Grant from the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation to help conserve and frame a parade flag from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The rare flag will become a centerpiece of the Museum’s new permanent exhibit opening in 2015 exploring the significant role women performers played in the Wild West shows.
Tru Vue Optium Museum Acrylic will protect the flag from UV exposure, reduce the weight of the oversized frame, and provide an optimal viewing experience by reducing glare. AIC Professional Associate Melanie Sanford of Textile Preservation Services of Texas will clean and mount the large flag.
“This flag is significant to us because many of our Honorees in the Museum worked under this banner,” said Dr. Diana Vela, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame Associate Executive Director, Exhibits and Education. “The wild west shows allowed these women opportunities they likely would have never had. With funding from the Tru Vue Optium Conservation Grant, the flag will be properly conserved and framed for the benefit of the public for years to come.”
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame purchased the parade flag at auction in 2012. It is one of four designs known to be in existence. Two of the designs are with other museums. One is known only in photographs and is presumed lost. The parade flag owned by the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is the fourth.
Tru Vue, Inc. has partnered with FAIC to offer grants and donated Optium Acrylic Glazing to support projects with glazing applications for preservation of museum and library collections. Twenty Tru Vue Optium Conservation Grant awards have been awarded since 2008. A full list of recipients can be found at www.conservation-us.org/grants. FAIC thanks Tru Vue for its generous support, which has helped so many museums, libraries, and historic houses care for their collections, and looks forward to its new partnership with Tru Vue to offer scholarships for international travel for professional development projects. Go to http://www.conservation-us.org/grants-scholarships to learn about the new Tru Vue individual international scholarships.
For more news about the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, visit www.cowgirl.net, and follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NCMHOF, Twitter at www.twitter.com/cowgirlmuseum, Instagram www.instagram.com/cowgirlmuseum, Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/cowgirlmuseum, and YouTube at: www.youtube.com/user/cowgirlmuseum.
About FAIC
FAIC, the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, supports conservation education, research, and outreach activities that increase understanding of our global cultural heritage. Learn more about FAIC at www.conservation-us.org/foundation.
About Tru Vue
Tru Vue is a manufacturer of high performance glazing products for the custom picture frame and museum markets and corporate supporter of the arts, partnering with art organizations worldwide for over 40 years. Tru Vue is a leader in both UV protection, as well as anti-reflective and specialty glazing products for these markets. The company is located in McCook, Illinois and Faribault, Minnesota and is a subsidiary of Apogee Enterprises, which is traded under “apog” on the NASDAQ. For more information on Tru Vue, visit the company website at www.tru-vue.com.
About the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame honors and celebrates women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience, and independence that helped shape the American West, and fosters an appreciation of the ideals and spirit of self-reliance they inspire. The Hall of Fame’s purpose is twofold: to preserve the history and impact of western women living from the mid-1800s to present day, and to foster an appreciation for their ideals and spirit of self-reliance. These women are the legacy of legends — artists and writers, champions and competitive performers, entertainers, ranchers (stewards of land and livestock), trailblazers and pioneers. The Museum is considered an invaluable national educational resource for its exhibits, research library, rare photograph collection, and award-winning distance-learning programs for grades K-12 and adults.
Located at 1720 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76107, the Cowgirl is open Monday (Memorial Day to Labor Day) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for children ages 3 to 12 and senior citizens (60+) and $10 for adults (ages 13+). For more information, please visit www.cowgirl.net or call 817-476-FAME (3263).
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MEDIA CONTACT
Tara Trask
817-509-8969
ttrask@cowgirl.net