Garst Museum is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of Ohio Humanities SHARP grant funds. Currently, the Museum is welcoming visitors but yet has not returned to its pre-COVID level of admissions. Traditional fundraisers have been modified for safety concerns, and the Museum is working to resume public programs, lectures, and school tours this fall. While income generated from admissions and fundraising activities continues to trend below pre-COVID levels, the Ohio Humanities SHARP grant award is designed to bridge the gap as the Museum strives to bring back its traditional offerings and services.
Being closed the month of January, Garst Museum applied OH SHARP funds in February towards its 2022 operating expenses, including payroll and taxes of the admission, gift shop, general office, and Research Center staff, along with utilities. The Museum also applied the funds for expenses relating to general supplies and equipment used by the Research Center.
Considered essential to maintaining local legacies and the provenance of valued artifacts, the staff of the Research Center is the contact point for those wishing for more information regarding Darke County history, local genealogy, and historical records and serves as the primary source material behind the museum’s exhibits. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the income generated from memberships and non-member fees dropped, and expenses due to inflation and remotely addressing research requests increased.
The Ohio Humanities OH SHARP grant support has been provided by Ohio Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the federal ARP Act of 2021.
Thanks to the financial help and recognition from Ohio Humanities, the Garst Museum will continue to provide extraordinary exhibits highlighting Annie Oakley, Lowell Thomas, Ohio Native Americans, the multi-racial settlement of Longtown, the Keepers of Freedom, and the Treaty of GreeneVille and its Research Center and Genealogy Library’s valuable service to Darke County and beyond.
