KENNEBUNK – The Brick Store Museum preserves over 55,000 objects and archives relating to the history, art and cultures of Kennebunk and the surrounding communities. In March, the museum hosted a March Madness-style competition, in which museum visitors voted for their favorite piece of art from the museum’s list of conservation projects.

According to an press release, even simple conservation projects can cost at least $3,000 per painting and the museum is generally only able to conserve one piece per year.

On April 1, the museum announced the winner of the March Museum Madness vote: the painting of the Kennebunk ship, NEVA, painted with watercolor on paper. The work is in severe need of conservation. It came to the museum in 1969 from the estate of Edith Cleaves Barry, the museum’s founder and great-granddaughter of the owner of the original ship.

The ship NEVA was the first vessel to be launched by William Lord, of Kennebunk, in 1832. The contract for building the ship was made by William Lord with George W. Bourne, partner of Henry Kingsbury, at the shipyard once located behind what is now known as the Wedding Cake House. The vessel was 80 feet long at the keel, 18 feet deep, and about 25 feet wide. The ship’s painting shows it leaving the port at Le Havre, France.

Art conservation often costs thousands of dollars, because of how specialized the work is. The object will travel to a paper conservation center for repairs and conservation to its paper backing, allowing it to be strong enough to exhibit for future generations. According to the news release, “a donor who volunteers at the museum kick-started the fund with an incredible donation.”

The museum is seeking help from the community to restore this piece of Kennebunk’s history, at a cost of $2,500. For more information about the NEVA or donate, visit www.brickstoremuseum.org/support.