The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (FAIC) has contributed more than 500 images of community murals in the United States to the Artstor Digital Library.

This material in this collection was collected as part of the Rescue Public Murals project, an initiative of Heritage Preservation to document and conserve murals, as well as to increase public awareness about the need to preserve them. For decades, murals have been part of the cultural landscape of inner cities across the United States. They hold intrinsic value as the unique artistic expressions of muralists and as records of the shared history of their neighborhoods by representing social and political concerns. The collection also features representative examples of damage to murals, illustrating the deterioration and decay that are endangering their survival. Often located outdoors, these works are vulnerable to the negative effects of weather and time, as well as destruction through urban development. As a result, the visual representation and preservation of this ephemeral material is invaluable.

As a nonprofit organization, FAIC applies its expertise to urgent global preservation initiatives, supporting conservation, education, research, and outreach activities that increase understanding of our global cultural heritage. Following the dissolution of Heritage Preservation in 2015, FAIC was assigned the rights to the Rescue Public Murals Archive. Launched in 2006, and co-chaired by Dr. Timothy W. Drescher, Rescue Public Murals documented the works, assessed their condition, and raised the necessary support and funds to preserve them. It was assisted in this effort by a national committee of muralists, conservators, art historians, and public art professionals, and received funding from the Getty Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Booth Heritage Foundation, and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art.

For more on murals in Artstor, see Timothy Drescher: Community Murals which includes approximately 1200 images. See also San Anto Cultural Arts (SACA), Community Murals, San Antonio.