GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will be revamping its archive center after receiving a $1 million grant from the state.
The museum preserves 95% of its collections at the Community Archives and Research Center, which is located on Washington Street.
The grant will pay for updates to the center and improve public access to more than 250,000 artifacts. An additional 5,000 square feet of new community space will be added to the center. There will also be classrooms, labs, meeting spaces and more, which will allow students to study the artifacts.
Dale Robertson, president and CEO, said making the collection available to the community is their top goal.
"Museums don't really do that, but we do it. We do it here because 98% of those 250,000 artifacts and specimens were donated by the people of West Michigan over 170 years," Robertson said. "So the lawyer in me says there's an implied promise to share them within the spirit of which they were given. My interpretation, and I think that of the community as well, is that it's for the most noble cause, which is inspiration and education."
The archives include items like historical artifacts, taxidermy, local history, photographs and more.
Sen. Winnie Brinks, who helped secure the grant, said the updates will support education in West Michigan.
"Cultural and recreational institutions are an integral part of our neighborhoods, creating space for community learning and for growing," she said. "So we know that when we invest in projects like these, we are investing in the very future of our city and our community."
The Community Archives and Research Center is also home to the Grand Rapids Archives and many Kent County records. You'll need an appointment to visit.