Melissa,
There is the "Save America's Treasures" program that funds specific
conservation and preservation projects on nationally significant buildings and
collections.
I sure don't think you need to uncomfortable or bashful about doing
essentially the same thing!
Preservation and conservation needs are a fact of life - and the more
awareness and participation we can bring to the public about that all the better. The
idea of an object conservation adoption program would really give the
supporters a sense of participation and ownership of preserving an important piece of
the past.
If you have a conservator involved who has done the condition assessments and
treatment proposals, I am sure that they would be happy to consider giving a
talk about the conservation needs of an object or the collection.
I did something quite similar for a donor society and board members of a
museum during a condition survey of renaissance metalware - the talk was supposed
to last for 20 minutes and many people stayed for an hour-and-a-half.
Perhaps you could call your effort: "Save Rock County's Treasures"!
Cheers!
Dave
David Harvey
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