Things vs People

This spring, I pursued and completed a certificate program in Museum Studies at the School of Professional Studies at Northwestern. I learned so much during the quarter and walked away with some wonderful resources and connections. What struck me the most in our discussions in class is this shift in museums as a whole - away from strictly serving the role of a repository and towards a space of facilitation and connection. Simply put, museums are trying to be less about stuff and more about people. Part of my interest in and motivation to work in cultural heritage institutions has been the stuff. I feel that there is so much we can learn from unique objects and materials. That being said, I understand and agree with the movement to make these institutions less static, more welcoming, and more relevant to the audiences they are supposed to serve. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the field, and I hope museums, libraries, archives, and galleries can adapt and embrace change.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the House of Terror in Budapest. This institution is dedicated to telling the story of Hungary under fascist and communist regimes in the 20th century. Wandering through the exhibition spaces, visitors are immersed in environments - not reproductions of historical spaces per se, but rather rooms meant to illicit emotion. There are objects and artifacts on display, but these are not the focus; interpretive text accompanying objects is minimal, instead there are paper handouts in nearly every room which provide background information to the topics covered. Multimedia elements, interviews and music in particular, are used frequently. The hardships faced under the regime were personalized by individual accounts, and it was clear that the intent with this was to generate a connection between history and visitors. While the subject of the museum may not be a welcoming one, the contemporary exhibition approach facilitates a relationship between those who lived under the regimes and those visiting the museum today. There are aspects to the exhibition I might approach differently, but I did find it to be an interesting example of this user-centered experience we discussed in our classes. 

The imposing exterior gives a good indication of the challenging subjects addressed inside.

Courtyard with victim portraits. 

Room dealing with justice under the regimes.

Room dealing with "normalcy" in popular media under the regimes. 

Re-created office of a communist party official. 

Volunteering at the Museum of Holography

A few months after I moved to Chicago, I attempted to visit the Museum of Holography with a friend who was in town. Unfortunately, we discovered that the museum was closed indefinitely. The collections have been locked away for years at this point, but that’s beginning to change. An anonymous benefactor has assured that the collection will remain intact, and volunteer efforts are underway to sort, clean, accession, and catalogue the materials in the former museum. I attended a object handling and cleaning training session in the old space this weekend and spent some time after helping to clean holograms for the upcoming temporary display at SoHo House. It was so heartening to see people coming together to lend their time and expertise to benefit this amazing collection, and it was fantastic being able to view and handle some truly unique objects. There’s so much to the story of this museum and its holdings, and I hope that it can develop into a permanent museum again someday soon.

The exhibition featuring highlights from the Museum of Holography is on display July 28th from 7pm - 10pm at SoHo House. 

There are so many treasures in this collection! 

Reviewing some preservation issues: glass plates that are fused together.  

Collections awaiting processing. 

Digitization Challenge: Oversized Material

I work in the department in the library which fulfills patron, faculty, staff, and curator image digitization.  One recent request I was tasked with at work involved the scanning of several large maps that are part of the library’s collection.  And I do mean large:  two of the maps had to be captured in six separate exposures to be stitched together.  Our department’s most recent production equipment purchase was an A1 planetary scanner, but even its 23” x 33” bed couldn’t capture the maps in one shot.  The maps themselves had been encased in mylar to protect them, but had to be removed from this housing for digitization.  They dated to the World’s Columbian Exposition, and they were and still are rather brittle.  Paired with the unwieldy size, and digitizing them proved to be quite the challenge.  It was a treat to explore them in such detail, and a good excuse to make sure my Photoshop skills are up to snuff.

The setup. 

The smallest map from the order. 

Art and Science Symposium

Last week, I attended a symposium for Northwestern University Library's new exhibition Art and Science:  Traversing the Creative Spectrum.  Speakers included S. Hollis Clayson, Professor of Art History at Northwestern; Harriet Stratis, Senior Research Conservator at the Art Institute of Chicago; Susan Russick, Northwestern University Library Conservator; and Oliver Cossairt, Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern.  The discussions all related to the intersection between science and art, and I was drawn to the discussions of imaging science in particular.  Using rapidly advancing technology has enabled researchers to learn more about historic works of art - Gauguin's working process via Infrared imaging, for example.  I always appreciate it when the cultural heritage imaging field is recognized for its contributions, and it was an interesting group of presentations.

Oak Grove Library Center Tour

Last week, I had the chance to visit Northwestern University Library's offsite storage in Waukegan. It's a pretty incredible operation. They have room to store nearly 2 million titles with their current shelving units and already have well over a million titles barcoded, boxed, and shelved. The organizer in me was very pleased by all this order. 

Those dots at the end of the walkway are people, just to get a sense of the scale. 

Lift to get all those books put away. 

Grid heaven. 

New Orleans Museum of Art

I visited New Orleans this week, and I was fortunate to make it to NOMA. It was refreshing to see such a pride in displaying local art, and I enjoyed the exhibits Photo-Unrealism and Josephine Sacabo: Salutations. 

The geometry in this photograph by Arthur Gerlach appeals to me on a deep level. 

Josephine Sacabo's work is dreamy. 

It's been far too long since I've made time to visit any art museums, I was glad to remedy that with this trip. 

National Public Housing Museum Open House

I attended the open house for the National Museum of Public Housing on Saturday, and I’m so glad I did. The new executive was introduced, and there were thoughtful photography exhibits on display by the residents of the Robert Taylor Homes and David Schalliol.

A number of individuals affiliated with the museum spoke at the event, and what they had to say about the vision for this organization resonated deeply with me. Board member Crystal Palmer spoke to the importance home in public housing and showing all sides of this history - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I think it does have such a specific, negative association in our society, and it will be crucial to tell a balanced story to change perceptions of this important part of our collective history. Curator and associate director Todd Palmer emphasized the idea of civic belonging and telling the stories of those who often haven’t had a voice. Historic homes have largely reflected the histories of the wealthy, and this museum will provide an important break from that trend. He also talked about the history of the project, and how those who originally campaigned to save the last standing Jane Addams Homes envisioned the space as a monument. Newly appointed director Charles Leeks discussed his personal history with public housing, with housing politics in his work in Lawndale, and with the need to focus on public good. He reflected on histories, both those of everyday Chicagoans and those of notable figures who lived on the west side, erased over time.

These speakers, in addition to those current public housing tenants who attended and told their own stories at the event, drove home the importance of documenting and sharing this broad, incredibly important part of our urban history.

I first started learning about the history of public housing in Chicago after working a freelance photography gig that took me all over the city photographing real estate. I was curious about the diversity of properties from neighborhood to neighborhood, and what the story was behind what remained of the high-rise projects (Cabrini Green), especially when contrasted with the glistening new construction down the road. After five years of research, I feel strongly that there needs to be more opportunity for the broad range of experiences in public housing to be discussed, the full story needs to be told. With that, a large and often silenced portion of the population needs to be given a voice equal to that of all other groups in our society. Needless to say, I am excited about this museum.

Lillstreet Gallery - Midwest Contemporary 2015

After a year-long hiatus from exhibiting personal work, I recently had an image chosen for the juried Lillstreet Gallery Midwest Contemporary show.  The juror chose a wonderfully diverse group of images, and I enjoyed his statement.

The exhibit is up through April 19, check it out if you're in the area.