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Cleary awarded $320,000 grant to support Arthur Secunda Museum on campus

Cleary University is proud to announce that it was awarded a Save America’s Treasures grant of $320,000 to help support the Arthur Secunda Museum on the university’s campus.

The Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS), in coordination with the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, awarded this grant to Cleary.

Funds will be used for the Arthur Secunda Collection Conservation and Accessibility Project, to preserve, enrich and enhance a collection of more than 800 pieces of art created by internationally acclaimed American artist Arthur Secunda. Over a period of nearly seven decades, Secunda traveled the world purposefully to study a wide range of artistic techniques from the most renown talents. Through his journeys, he learned and mastered most art forms – lithographs, serigraphs, monotypes, etchings, collages, block prints and welded sculptures. The largest collection of Secunda’s art is housed on the Cleary University campus in its Arthur Secunda Museum. Secunda passed away in August 2022.

“Our goal is to ensure the legacy of this internationally recognized artist lives on for generations to come,” announces Tom Egan, Cleary director of Development and project director of the Save America’s Treasures grant. “These funds will be used to restore, maintain, preserve and share the art of this American treasure with the entire community, and what better place than a university where students, staff, faculty, alumni, families and visitors can explore the life and talents of Arthur Secunda. Through his art, Cleary will preserve the history and cultures that have shaped the world for decades.

“We expect everyone of all ages who knows a lot, or even very little, about art will leave the

Arthur Secunda Museum emotionally touched by his masterpieces and the stories behind

them,” Egan explains. “Each piece is a view into his life. In fact, when Arthur toured the museum before it first opened more than 10 years ago, he talked about how he was reliving his life through his art.”

Near the end of his life, Secunda requested that his art be preserved, explored, treasured and appreciated by everyone of all ages. He wanted children as well as adults to view his work, talk about it, feel inspired by it, and learn from it. His art life spanned three quarters of the 20th century, several wars, and a dozen great art movements and revolutions of technology.

“This American treasure is precious, inspirational, enriching, educational and motivational, and is begging to be shared with countless people,” Egan adds. “According to his son, David, this is exactly what Arthur wanted. His hope was for people to study his art, interpret it through their own eyes, and feel its impact on them historically, culturally and emotionally. This is all part of the educational experience, and this is what Arthur treasured the most.

“Cleary is overwhelmingly grateful that the Institute of Museum and Library Services shares our dream to preserve the legacy of Arthur Secunda,” Egan points out. “Cleary’s Secunda art collection, with its exceptional quality, breadth and depth, emerges as a nationally significant cultural and educational asset, poised to contribute significantly to the understanding and appreciation of the cultural heritage of our country for all to experience. With this generous funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the extensive and inspirational work of Arthur Secunda can make a lasting impact on the world, right here at Cleary University,” Egan emphasizes.

Over the next three years, through the grant funds, Cleary not only will secure the preservation of Secunda’s 800 pieces of art at the university, but also will catalogue, digitize, restore, frame and reframe his art to ensure a secure storage environment that will protect the art while making it accessible to the public.

The grant funds also will be used to hire a Curator of Art and establish partnerships with local museums and academic institutions to create a long-term preservation and enrichment plan for the Secunda collection. Cleary also plans to offer guided tours of the museum throughout the year, workshops, hands-on-learning events and many educational opportunities for established as well as promising artists.

“The enhanced accessibility, educational programming and partnerships developed through this initiative will create a lasting cultural impact, enriching the local and national artistic landscape,” Egan finds.

This year, The Institute of Museum and Library Services, along with the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, selected 31 projects across the United States to receive funding totaling $9,040,682.

Save America’s Treasures has provided over $300 million to more than 1,300 projects to provide preservation and conservation work on nationally significant collections, artifacts, structures and sites.

“Museums and libraries are the heart of any strong community,” announces Cyndee Landrum, acting director of IMLS. “Our institute is here to ensure that critical resources like the Arthur Secunda Museum at Cleary University have what they need to provide reliable, equitable opportunities for lifelong learning, career growth and exploration of their communities’ unique heritage and culture.” 

About The Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. It advances, supports and empowers America’s museums, libraries and related organizations through grantmaking, research and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from, and be inspired by, the trusted information, ideas and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov.

Save America’s Treasures is a grant program in collaboration with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, designed to support the preservation of nationally significant historic properties and collections.

The Arthur Secunda Collection Conservation and Accessibility Project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. P23AS00500

About Cleary University

Founded in 1883, Cleary University is a four-year, private, nonprofit accredited university, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees from a unique Business Arts curriculum, and

driven by a faculty of thought leaders with deep, practical experience in their industries. Offering on-campus and online education models, Cleary provides a robust athletic program of 19 sports and a rich residence life with nearly 200 students living on the quiet, rolling 50-acre campus. Cleary graduates tend to land jobs faster than their peers and with higher earning salaries at the start of their careers.

Cleary’s campus is located at 3750 Cleary Drive, Howell, MI 48843, (800) 686-1883 with an education center within the Durfee Innovation Society at 2470 Collingwood St., Detroit, MI 48206.

Cleary University

  • Ranked #1 in Michigan for ROI among private, nonprofit business schools(The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity – FREOPP)
  • Ranked #3 in Michigan for best average starting salary two years post-graduation (US Department of Education)
  • Ranked #1 in Michigan for earnings one year after graduation and 10 years after graduation for a degree in business (FREOPP)
  • Ranked #4 Best College for Business in Michigan (Niche)
  • Ranked #5 in the US for student debt ratio to starting salaries (Wall Street Journal)
  • Ranked #5 in the nation for best online business degree (University HQ)
  • Ninth best university in America for MBA online leadership degree program (OnlineMastersDegrees.org)
  • Ranked #9 in Michigan for MBA online degree program (OnlineMastersDegrees.org)
  • Ranked #3 in Michigan for Net Present Value of all private, nonprofit schools in Michigan (Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce)
  • Top 200 in America for best private college (Niche)
  • A top 25 school in Michigan for MBA program (University HQ)
  • A top 25 school in Michigan for online degree programs (University HQ)
  • One of the lowest tuition rates in Michigan among private colleges (#5 in Michigan)
  • Earned Gold Level Veteran Friendly status three years in a row from The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) for continued excellence in serving military-connected students in Michigan
  • Named “Best for Vets College by Military Times

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