Volume 9, Number 1, Jan. 1987, pp.13-16

Regional News

Los Angeles

Nancy Wyatt of Paris, Texas (formerly of LACMA) recently was awarded a contract for the conservation of twenty historically significant textiles from the collection of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas.

Leslie Kruth will be moving to Washington, D.C. in February 1987. Hal Kruth has accepted a job as Council to the Head of the International Trade Commission. Zachary will continue to play his role as baby and spiritual advisor. With great regret at leaving and great anticipation about the new life ahead, Leslie said, "Every so often I suppose it is good to re-pot the plant." The roots are dangling a bit; there is no new address yet, but in the spirit of Washington, she has left a temporary forwarding address composed of initials: USITC, c/o Hal Kruth, 701 "E" Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20436.

During the Fall of 1986 the textile conservation lab at LACMA had two students, Tina Nuckols and Jim Wilke. Tina, a student at UCLA, worked on storage methods for Japanese kosode fragments while Jim had a contract to prepare Hollywood costumes for catalogue photography for the December 1987 exhibition, "Hollywood and History".

Joanne Page attended a meeting on 6 January 1987 planned by Christopher Coleman, Preservation Officer at the UCLA Libraries. The purpose was to address preservation issues and problems facing library collections.

Caroline Black and Jeffrey Blydenburgh, Restoration Architect for the Community Redevelopment Agency in Los Angeles, were married in St. Louis on December 27. Caroline will take her husband's name, but for a time will use her full name, Black Blydenburgh, to avoid confusion (so she hopes.) Caroline and Jeffrey will live at 1644 North Courtney Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046.

Mark Lewis is currently volunteering one day a week in the paintings conservation lab at LACMA. He is a student at Long Beach State University and he is applying to graduate conservation programs.

Nancy Purinton, Joanne Page and Catherine McLean toured the Castle Press in Pasadena, CA during an open house on 23 December 1986. There were demonstrations on the use of the linotype machine and how color separation negatives are prepared.

Rosa Lowinger returned to LACMA's objects conservation laboratory from 20 October to 15 November 1986. She worked on a contract to help with the installation of the new Anderson Building.

Sharon Blank traveled to Rome as a courier for the exhibition, "Mosaic Minuti Romani del 700 e dell' 800", which was on view this past fall at the Vatican Museum.

Sally Thirkettle is currently spending one year as an intern in the Paintings Conservation Department of the J. Paul Getty Museum. She has recently graduated from the Hamilton Kerr Institute Conservation Training Program in Cambridge, England.

The Antiquities Conservation Dept. at the J. P. Getty Museum announces that Godeliev Vandenbulcke has begun a one year graduate internship in January 1987. Ms. Vandenbulcke is a 1982 graduate of the State University at Ghent with a degree in Greek, Roman and national (Belgian) archaeology. She is currently conducting research for her PhD on the topic of an archaeological investigation of the typological and chronological problems of an Attic vase, Skyphos.

Suzanne Deal has recently been appointed Training Program Coordinator at the Getty Conservation Institute. Before receiving her certificate in conservation and an M.A. in art history from the New York University program, she had apprenticed with Perry Huston at the Kimball Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. After graduating from N.Y.U., Suzanne spent most of two years in France working for the Historical Monument Commission and the Musee National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou.

Southern California

The San Diego Museum of Art has treated and returned to display a large and important tapestry which had not been on view since 1941 because of its poor condition. PILLAGE, from the Second Art of War series, was commissioned in 1708 for Prince Eugen of Savoy to commemorate the War of Spanish Succession. The San Diego Tapestry was woven in 1712 as the first replica from the Eugen set and is the earliest extant example of the entire scene. The designer of the series was Jan Van Huchtenburg, and the weaving master was Judocus de Vos. Stan Derelian undertook the conservation, which included extensive cleaning, resewing, repairs, and a new lining. It is rare to have as much documentation for a West Coast tapestry as curatorial research by William Chandler has uncovered, linking this piece in an elaborate chronology to 11 versions of 37 other tapestries.

Faye W. Walcher and Associates, Conservators of Fine Fabrics announces its new location at 12812 East Philadelphia Street, Whittier, CA 90601. (213)945-2669. Walcher and Associates specialize in the care of archaeological, ethnographic and historic costumes and textiles and costumes.

Rocky Mountain Region

Three large oil paintings, the largest of which measures 84" x 131" owned by Mesa Verde National Park, will be receiving conservation treatment at WCCFA. The paintings, by artists of the Santa Fe Indian School were stored rolled in a basement for over 50 years.

Phillip Cretien from Sevres, France, who trained in conservation at Versailles, has been in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area, gaining additional conservation experience since coming to the U.S. in 1982. He will be at WCCFA as Assistant to the conservators to prepare for admission to one of the official conservation training programs in this country.

The Colorado Conservation Center just completed a week in situ work at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming. At this time survey work, remedial conservation treatments, and general over-all collection maintenance recommendations were given for the Winchester Museum, the Buffalo Bill Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

For the fourth year in a row, the Colorado Conservation Center has received a contract to work on the Collection of the Eisenhower Museum. This is part of an on-going project to get the collection in good condition.

In a panel, headed by Connie Wanke, Colorado Conservation Center, entitled "Working Together, A Compromise", conservators, curators, registrars and exhibits staff of various western museums spoke at the Mountain Plains Museum Association conference in Abilene, Kansas Oct. 23rd. Christine Young, Conservator, Nelson/Atkins Gallery of Art, Kansas City, Mo. also participated in the panel.

A public lecture was given on the Care of Paper by Connie Wanke, CCC. The lecture on Nov. 12th was sponsored by the American Association of Appraisers.

Arizona

Vickie Cassman, textile conservator for the Arizona Historical Society, Tucson, is currently preparing costumes and accessories for a 1920 costume exhibit to open February 14, 1987. The costume collection at the Arizona Historical Society contains approximately 2,800 items and ranges from 18th century Spanish Colonial vestments to clothing in the 1940's.

Nancy Odegaard is in charge of developing the program at the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, for a pilot training course in care and maintenance for anthropological museum professionals sponsored by the Bay Foundation of New York, coordinated by the NIC with the cooperation of the AAM and AASLH. In addition to Nancy, a dozen visiting conservators are involved in the curriculum concentrating on the nature of anthropological collections, documentation and condition, control of environment, storage, exhibit and packing considerations, and educational and research use. The program consists of a six week course divided into two three week sessions for 15 participants.

Gloria Giffords guest curated an exhibition of La Cocina Mexicana for the Tucson Museum of Art's historic Casa Cordova. She is presently working on another exhibit concerning the Mennonites in Chihuahua, scheduled to open in the fall of 1987 at the Arizona Historical Society, Tucson.

Salt Lake Region

The newly organized Utah Conservation Association met in September at Pioneer Trail State Park in Salt Lake City to elect officers for the 19861987 year. Elected president was Dale Heaps, Conservator, LDS Archives; vice-president and president-elect, A. Glen Humphereys Director, Wheeler Historic Farm, and secretary-treasurer, Alice White, Curator of Collections, Pioneer Trail.

The fall quarter meeting was held at Brigham Young University in Provo. Rick Trela, Conservator for BYU's Art School conducted a tour of the new conservation lab. The featured speaker was Virgie Day, Collections Manager and Administrative Assistant for the planned art museum on campus. Ms. Day spoke on collections and handling policies and conservation considerations being integrated in the planning stages of the new facility.

Oregon & Washington

Sonja Sopher, Elizabeth Chambers, and Troy Lucas recently completed the cleaning of murals inside the dome of the Oregon State Capitol building. This project was started some ten years ago by Betty Engel, when she was conservator at the Pacific Northwest Regional Conservation Center, located in the Portland Art Museum.

Elizabeth Chambers began working with Sonja Sopher this summer as a conservation technician after working for some years as an administrative assistant at the Thompson Conservation Laboratory.

Troy Lucas, after growing up in the business, has begun a formal apprenticeship with his father, Jack Lucas. Welcome aboard!

The Thompson Conservation Laboratory recently completed the research and recommendation phase of a year-long project which may lead to the restoration of a large outdoor mural executed sixty years ago in the sgraffito technique. The mural occupies 89' of a concrete column which is 125' high and 13 1/2' in diameter. A short video tape by Istor Productions about the project includes a segment in which Jack Thompson conducts certain solubility tests on the design element from the comparative safety of a bucket at the end of a cherry picker at full extension. Properly persuaded, Jack can go on at length about the entertainment value of gimbaled buckets and high winds...

For those planning to drive through Portland on their way to the IIC-CG/AIC conferences in Victoria/Vancouver this coming May, the latch-string is out at the Thompson Transient Craftsmen's Hotel (7549 N. Fenwick; 289-8723 nights/248-0046 days).