Volume 13, Number 1, Jan. 1991, p.32

AYMHM: Articles You May Have Missed

Corzo Named Getty Institute Director, by Suzanne Muchnic, Los Angeles Times, November 22, 1990, p. F2.

Miguel Angel Corzo has been appointed director of the GCI. Corzo received a BS from UCLA and did postgraduate study as a Fulbright scholar at Harvard University, focusing on finance, energy and international politics. He served as a consultant and director of special projects for the GCI between 1985 and 1987. While he was president of the Friends of the Arts of Mexico Foundation, Corzo organized the exhibit "Mexico: Splendors of Thirty Centuries." Other professional highlights include: organizing an archaeological conservation conference in Mexico, coordination of conservation efforts in the tomb of Nefertari in Egypt, serving as dean of academic affairs at Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City, and consulting for the Museum of Black African Civilizations in Senegal, the Louvre in Paris and the Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

NEA Won't Fund Boston Show of L.A. Artist, by Allan Parachini, Los Angeles Times, October 23, 1990, pp. Fl, F7.

The recommendations of two NEA review panels have been overturned, and a grant has been rejected to Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art for the mounting of a retrospective work by Los Angeles artist Mike Kelley. The reasons for this rejection are unclear. David A. Ross, director of the Institute said, "This portentous act on the part of the endowments chairman appears to be motivated purely by what we consider to be political considerations completely inappropriate for the endowment's mission. During a time when those who would urge the endowment to play the role of ideological censor have been shown to be out of step with mainstream American values, this move by Mr. Frohnmayer seems an unnecessary capitulation to those same reactionary voices."

The Measurement and Model Predictions of Indoor Ozone Concentrations In Museums, by James R. Druzik, Mark S. Adams, Christine Tiller, & Glen R. Cass. Atmospheric Environment, Volume 24A, No. 7 (1990), pp. 1813-1823.

"Eleven museums, art galleries, historical houses and a museum library were monitored for 38 days during the summers of 1984 and 1985 to determine whether high outdoor ozone concentrations are transferred to the indoor atmosphere of museums. A mathematical model was used to study the ozone concentrations within these buildings to confirm that the differences in indoor ozone levels between buildings can be explained in terms of building and ventilation system design."

Lost Heritage, the Destruction of African Art, by Andrew Decker, ARTnews, Volume 89, No. 7 (September 1990), pp. 108-119.

This interesting and lengthy article investigates the reasons for the conditions existing within West African museum collections. The author concludes the writing by stating, "..the museum collections of West Africa are static, of little interest to its citizens or governments, and suffering desperately from lack of care. As these countries modernize and move away from traditional cultures and religions, it will be increasingly difficult to save or replace the magnificent artifacts of their cultural past."

Unlocking the Secrets of the Past, The Analysis of Archaeological Textiles and Dyes, by Pamela A. Martoglio, Steven P. Bouffard, Andre J. Sommer, J.E. Katon & Kathryn A. Jakes. Analytical Chemistry, November 1, 1990, pp. 1123A-1128A.

"Our research has shown the potential of microspectroscopy for analyzing dyes in archaeological textile fibers. Establishment of a standard dye spectrum library that includes natural dyes native to Peru would help to provide clues about prehistoric Peruvian dyeing technology. Similar work can be performed on other textiles from different periods of history and regions of the world. We believe that microspectoscopy will continue to serve as a powerful tool for unlocking the secrets of the past."

Faking It, by Susan Tallman, Art in America , November 1990, pp. 75-81.

The British Museum presented a show put together by Mark Jones, the assistant keeper of coins and medals, of some 600 artistic, scientific, political and historical frauds. "Jones proposed that fakes--the motives behind their creation, the circumstances of their acceptance and their subsequent dismissal--tell us as much about the culture of a particular time and place as does the history of legitimate objects. Sometimes more."

Scot Free!, Newsbriefs, Archaeology, September/October 1990, pp. 14-15.

Eberly Davis, Union County Attorney in the Ohio Valley, has had charges dropped against the men accused of looting the Slack Farm site in Kentucky and desecrating more than 600 burials at the site. The County Attorney claimed, "I can't base prosecutorial decisions here in Union District Court on national interests." The public interest in this case has inspired legislative action to further insure the longterm protection and preservation of archaeological sites and cemeteries.

LC Invites Proposals for Deacidification Service, Abbey Newsletter, Vol. 14, No. 6, October 1990, pp. 97-102.

On September 13 the Library of Congress issued a Request for Proposals "to provide deacidification on a mass production level of paper-based books in the collections of the Library of Congress." The 135-page request carefully delineates the requirements to be met in the proposals.

Artists' Rights Bill Awaiting Bush's Signature, by Allan Parachini, Los Angeles Times, November 6, 1990.

"An obscure amendment to a bill that Congress passed minutes before it adjourned has established for the first time in federal legislation the right of artists, photographers, sculptors and printmakers to protect their work from unauthorized mutilation and change. Although President Bush has not yet signed it, the measure is seen as virtually vetoproof since the artist provisions are an amendment to a criminal justice reform act."