Volume 13, Number 2, May 1991, p.1

President's Letter

Conference suggestions made at our last business meeting included requests for a natural setting, interesting museums and a stimulating art scene. It seems that we've found it all in Seattle! The city lies in a spectacular natural setting on Puget Sound, with a backdrop of jagged peaks and a string of ancient (and not so ancient) volcanoes--Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens. Prehistoric archaeological sites and one of the few rain forests in North America are found on the Olympic Peninsula, a short ferryride across the sound.

You want culture? Seattle has a major symphony, an opera and a ballet company, as well as diverse museums. The Seattle Art Commission has developed a Public Art Program which is considered a model for its placement of art throughout the city.

After lengthy debate, the WAAC Board chose an urban rather than rural site for our conference activities. Located on Pier 67, the Edgewater Hotel is the only waterfront hotel in the city. It is a short walk or trolley ride from the Edgewater to Seattle's downtown, the Pike Place Market, the Aquarium, great shopping and great eating. Some of the Edgewater's rooms are located directly over the water, where the Beatles (among others) cast fishing poles from their rooms into the bay.

Our mid-year board meeting was held on March 22 at The Getty Conservation Institute. Among the WAAC activities discussed: the initial success of the WAAC Resource File, facilitation of a McCrone course on Microscopy for Art Conservators, publication of a short handling guide for anthropology collections, professional exchanges with Mexican conservators, and WAAC sponsorship of short seminars and conferences on specific topics. These projects will be reported in the newsletter as they develop.

Based on the enthusiasm expressed at our last business meeting, Tatyana Thompson is already planning for our 1992 annual meeting in Santa Fe.

Registration packets for this year's conference will be mailed in May. Please register as soon as possible to facilitate planning. I look forward to seeing you in Seattle!