Press Release
March 17, 2022
Contact: Nicole Harvey
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-5202
nharvey@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/grants
Plains Indians & Pioneers Historical Foundation Awarded Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is proud to announce that the Plains Indians & Pioneers Historical Foundation has been awarded a grant through the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program.
The Plains Indians & Pioneers Historical Foundation has been awarded $11,349 for a project titled “McDonald Collection Digitization 2022,” which will catalog, digitize and move online a vast collection of photographic negatives, slides and prints that were donated by the McDonald Studios, a studio that operated throughout most of the 20th century in Woodward. The studio served an area that covered four counties in Oklahoma, plus southern Kansas and the Texas Panhandle. When the business closed in the early 1990s, nearly 45,000 images were donated. This is phase three of the project and will digitize 4,500 images.
“Digitization of collections can increase access to important collections and ensure these historical materials are preserved for generations to come, so this is an important grant for the Plains Indians & Pioneers Historical Foundation,” said Sen. Casey Murdock, Felt. “I want to thank the members of the foundation for their hard work and dedication and the Oklahoma Historical Society for these grants.”
“We're very appreciative of the Oklahoma Historical Society for awarding us this grant,” said Robin Hohweiler, executive director. “It goes a long way toward our goal of completing the scanning and uploading of all 45,000 images contained in the McDonald Collection. The McDonald Collection is an important piece of the local history of northwest Oklahoma throughout the 20th century.”
The total amount of funds that will be distributed this year is just over $558,000, with projects ranging from collections care and strategic planning to exhibit development and educational programming. “Entering our third year of the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program, the OHS is thrilled with the program’s success,” said Nicole Harvey, director of strategic initiatives and grants administrator for the OHS. “To date, the program has funded over 120 projects that are aiding with collecting, preserving and sharing Oklahoma history for local communities across the state.”
The Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program is a grants-in-aid program offered by the Oklahoma Historical Society with a goal of encouraging the collection, preservation and sharing of Oklahoma history at the grassroots level in all parts of the state. Open to tribal and municipal governments and not-for-profit historical organizations located in Oklahoma and registered with the Oklahoma secretary of state, this grants program offers funding ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 for projects focused on collections, exhibits and programming. Applications for this annual program open in the fall and award announcements are made in January. For more information visit www.okhistory.org/grants.
The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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