SAN DIEGO — The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, named for the late Jewish abstract expressionist artist, has granted $100,000 to the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park to upgrade its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system as part of the Foundation’s $5.1 million program to address climate change in behalf of the visual arts.
“We take our mission of making fine art accessible to everyone very seriously, particularly on the heels of a pandemic when arts and culture are needed more than ever,” stated Executive Director, Megan Pogue. “Thanks to the generosity and forward thinking of the Frankenthaler Foundation, our visitors can feel confident knowing we have made this significant, groundbreaking investment that provides a safe, welcoming and enriched environment for all.”
This grant from the Frankenthaler Foundation Climate Initiative will support the Timken’s installation of state-of-the-art, patented, anti-viral technologies, according to Pogue. This innovative system will maximize the “capture and kill” rate of airborne pathogens at a level considerably higher than that of hospital operating rooms. The upgrades will be a more cost-effective, low maintenance, and energy saving system that will also reduce emissions, control humidity, and a variety of harmful airborne pathogens.
The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative was launched in 2021, making the Timken a leader in climate action and one of the first museums worldwide to attempt carbon neutrality. As the only museum in San Diego to be a recipient of the grant, the Timken is grateful for the opportunity to further San Diego’s community climate pledge and initiatives, Pogue said.
The Timken announced last year that it was in the process of upgrading its HVAC system to facilitate a pressure cascade inside the museum that minimizes the possibility of spreading many types of infectious diseases among visitors with up to 99.997% efficacy. With support from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, the Timken will move forward on its campaign to provide exceptional ventilation in the museum for the health, comfort and safety of visitors
and the collection while creating a greater impact on the community’s climate change efforts.
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Preceding based on material provided by the Timken Art Museum.