Winter 2022 - Focus Forward on the 2022 WMA Meeting - Registrars Committee Western Region
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Winter 2022
Focus Forward
on the 2022
WMA Meeting
2022 WMA Annual
Meeting Information
page 4
page 7
A Member's Perspective | Stephanie Mohr
A New Season of
Webinars Begins page 10
page 15Get to Know Idaho State
Representative Chelsee Boehm
pages 19–22
State Updates
COVER:
The California Academy of Sciences masked up
their T-rex fossil to welcome guests.
Photograph by Gayle Laird,
Since 1979, the RC-WR has California Academy of Sciences
cooperated with the CS-AAM in
advocating for the profession of
Registrars and Collections Managers
across the states of Alaska, Arizona,
2
California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada,
Oregon, Utah and Washington,
and promotes high standards and
best practices in registration.
ArtWork FAS, Cooke’s Crating,
Crozier, Gander & White, and U.S. Art.
And an especially loud round of ap-
plause for Vice Chair Beth Sanders.
Her creativity and hustle brought this
series to fruition and bolstered the
resources available to the collections
community, not only in the West, but
the world! Read about the wrap-up and
what is coming next, as well as a Mem-
ber Perspective from Stephanie Mohr.
Just as the RC-WR Board is mostly
HELLO RC-WR READERS! newly minted officers, we have
transition amongst our State Reps.
As the recently elected Chair, this Welcome to the new State Repre-
is my first issue of the Registrar's sentative in Idaho, Chelsee Boehm,
MESSAGE Quarterly. Advance appreciation for
forgiving anything amiss!
Registrar at the Idaho State Historical
Society. Read about her fresh per-
spective on the role. We bid a warm
FROM As I clumsily stumble into the role of farewell and a great deal of gratitude
Chair, I am humbled and impressed to our Northern California Representa-
THE with how robust and energetic RC-WR tive Linda Waterfield and Hawaii
Representative Charmaine Wong.
and the Western collections com-
CHAIR munity are. From deftly adjusting to
new pandemic norms and continuing
Thank you for your service and
engagement with RC-WR! If you
engagement throughout surges, I am work for an institution in Northern
so honored to be a part of RC-WR. As California, Southern California, or
we continue to navigate professional Hawaii, please consider becoming a
engagement going forward, please do RC-WR State Representative.
not hesitate to share your thoughts
and ideas with the RC-WR Board! Thank you again for your grace while
the new RC-WR Board gets comfort-
RCWR concluded a successful run able in our roles. And do not hesitate
of our conservation webinar series to reach out.
“Hands On! Practical Conservation for
the Collections Professional”. Reach- Warmly,
ing over 1,500 live attendees and now Lindsay Palaima
living in perpetuity on our youtube
channel (https://www.youtube.com/ RC-WR Chair | rcwrchair@gmail.com
channel/UCjDDjTGi3HAwIiw3JhyH Research Collections Registrar,
SjQ/videos), we deemed this webinar California Academy of Sciences,
3
programming a great success. Thank San Francisco, California
you again to all our fabulous sponsors
who supported this endeavor:
This Fall, the 2022 Annual Meeting will be held in Portland, Oregon
on October 6th– 9th, in partnership with the Oregon Museums Association.
With the theme of FORWARD, WMA 2022 will focus on the ways museums
can be adaptable, FORWARD-thinking institutions.
Request for session proposals will be open in
March with registration beginning in June.
Learn more at westmuse.org
4
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“regular" routine, I took some time to
MEMBER PERSPECTIVE
reconsider my work habits and try
to find some balance.
Last summer, we took on our first
intern in over two years. From the
beginning, I wanted to ensure that
I provided her with the most hon-
est experience I could manage. This
meant sharing both the messiness
of collections work and the joys of
working within our community. It also
included professional development. We
talked about how engaging with the wider
museum field can help you feel more con-
nected when you work by yourself; and
how much you can learn about your own
collection by hearing about the trials and
tribulations faced by your colleagues.
Making Time
Once a month, on a Thursday morn-
ing, my intern and I would have a coffee
and join in on a Hands On! Webinar. We
learned techniques for preventing rust,
—by Stephanie Mohr, Collections Manager, how to identify some common molds, and
Eastside Heritage Center, how composite objects require just a little
Bellevue, Washington more thought when going into storage.
We spent an hour with other museum
In a small museum, everyone wears many hats folks, asking questions and thinking of
and there is never quite enough help. In 2019 I had ways to apply what we had learned. After
no time. My schedule was packed and when I did each webinar, the two of us would chat
find a spare minute, I spent it tackling the catalog about the challenges of collections work
backlog. I certainly didn’t have time for workshops, and what the future of the field might
lectures, or conferences. hold. Above all, this experience proved to
me that while I still didn’t “have time”,
Then the world shut down. Suddenly I didn’t have I could make time, and it was worth it.
any programs to prepare for or volunteers to
manage. I had the time to work on things I had Preparing for this new year with its own
always put in the “someday” file—like rewriting our unique challenges, I’ve decided to incor-
volunteer handbook and cleaning up our collec- porate more of this connection into my
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tunity to do something collaboratively with your
colleagues, to learn a new skill (or fourteen), or to
get that pressing question answered by an expert?
For me, it was all of the above! I’m so grateful for
the time and expertise of our speakers, but now…
we’re getting back to the basics!
Over the next year, we will be starting on a journey
to explore the basics of our skills, touching on
collecting ethics, pest management, and our col-
lections management policies. Whether you have
been at it for thirty years, or you are just starting
out in the museum field, we all need to think about
what is behind our routines and the goals of those
long to-do lists. So watch your inbox—because
Hands On! webinar on the care of taxidermy,
these events are limited capacity [and free!]—
presented by Fran Ritchie, objects conservator for the and join us to dive deep as is only possible over a
National Park Service (NPS) Harpers Ferry Center beer or two.
—By Beth Sanders Our next series begins in February!
RC-WR Vice Chair, Collections Manager,
U.S. Naval Undersea Museum Back to Basics:
Hands On? That’s a wrap! Well, as a group of
Collections and a Cocktail
registrars and collections professionals, we will
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What is your role?
STATE REPRESENTATIVE HIGHLIGHT
I am a museum registrar at the Idaho
State Museum in Boise, Idaho. I am one
of several staff responsible for caring for
collections, working with potential donors,
coordinating loans, and keeping collec-
tions records. In addition, our team
creates, installs, and maintains all the
museum’s exhibits.
What makes your museum unique?
If you asked our visitors, they would
probably tell you the two-headed calf,
‘Deja-Moo’, is what makes Idaho’s state
museum unique. But, I think what makes
our museum unique is the people who
work here. There is a positive and sup-
portive vibe between the staff, and to
me that shows through our successful
programming and exhibits—like our
History Happy Hour virtual event, and our
big Trailblazing Women of Idaho exhibit.
We’re not perfect, but we’re pretty cool.
Can you share a
Chelsee Boehm / Idaho collections conundrum?
I would prefer to avoid conundrums! But
I’ve had some interesting experiences
trying to prove or debunk long-accepted
stories about certain objects. For example,
Why museums? a colleague and I recently worked to figure
Originally, I just wanted to study history. But out the provenance of a cannon on the
through some public history classes and then Idaho State Capitol lawn.
internships at archives and museums, I found
that I was most inspired by working with historical
collections. I have had a few undeniably visceral Though we could not piece
moments with historic pieces, like when I found a together the whole history, we
letter signed by Frank Lloyd Wright, or the first time found little bits of information in
I saw a bound foot shoe in person. I realized that
primary sources that help us to
in museums, I can introduce other people to that
experience. Hopefully, even if it’s in the tiniest way, get closer to the truth.
15
that can make some changes for the better.16
17
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STATE UPDATES
california
The California Association of
Museums (CAM) is hosting:
Registration, program
schedules, and details can
be found on the website
calmuseums.org/
arizona
Blacksmith tool art on display at
Tubac Presidio by A. Frey
CAMacrossCA
—by Lindsey Vogel-Teeter
March 10–11: San Diego
The Arizona State
San Diego Natural
The Tubac Presidio State
University Center for History Museum
Historic Park has teamed up with
Archaeology and the Arizona Artist Blacksmith
Society Repository Association (AABA) for an out- March 24: San Francisco
(CASR) was selected door sculptural exhibit, which will California Academy of Sciences
for the Foundation for run through the end of March.
Advancement in Con- The exhibit features 12 artists and April 4: Redding
servation’s Collection over 40 pieces of outdoor ironwork Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Assessment for Preserva- including whimsical and thought-
tion (CAP) program. Ad- provoking sculpture, botanical art,
ditionally, CASR recently and functional pieces such as
April 11: Fresno
hired a Curatorial Spe- garden benches, birdbaths, and Fresno Art Museum
cialist and an Anthropol- even a sundial.
ogy Collections Archivist April 25: Los Angeles
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in addition to multiple Japanese American
grant-funded positions.
National Museumnorthern idaho
california —by Chelsee Boehm
RC-WR is seeking a State Repre-
sentative for Northern California. After years of work and a few
The Region is the area north of and moves (including the literal move
includes Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, of their 1938 repurposed Chapel
Merced, Mariposa, Tuolumne, and building), the Eagle Museum of
Alpine Counties. The State Repre- History and Preservation re- Over his lifetime, Fred Kepner
sentative is the direct line of commu- opened in October 2021. They are quietly amassed a collection of 14
steam locomotives, 12 of them stored
nication from the Northern Califor- now located near Eagle City Hall.
at Merrill, Oregon
nia members to the RC-WR Board.
If you are interested, please contact
RC-WR Secretary Nicole Inghilterra
The Museum of Idaho in Idaho
Falls announced their 2022 oregon
at rcwrsecretary@gmail.com. exhibitions. Opening January 22, —by Meg Glazier-Anderson
is “Genghis Khan Conquest and
southern Culture.” Described as the Museum’s
“first-ever Asian-focused exhibit,” it
The Fred M. Kepner collection of 14
steam locomotives and other railroad
california features thirteenth century artifacts
and interactives that allow visitors
equipment was purchased by the
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad in
RC-WR is seeking a State Repre- to experience Mongolian culture, in Garibaldi. They will retain some of
sentative for Southern California. addition to learning about Genghis the collection at their facilities in
The Region is the area south of and Kahn. In addition, visitors will be Tillamook County, while the rest
includes Monterrey, San Benito, treated to live, daily performances of will be sold to other appropriate
Fresno, Madera, and Mono Coun- traditional Mongolian music. preservation organizations.
ties. The State Representative is the
direct line of communication from
The Lewis and Clark Mr. Kepner spent his life collecting
the Southern California members
steam locomotives, starting in the
to the RC-WR Board. If you are Junior Ranger program,
1970s. This collection is perhaps the
interested, please contact RC-WR available at 30 sites along single largest private collection of
Secretary Nicole Inghilterra at the Lewis and Clark steam locomotives.
rcwrsecretary@gmail.com.
National Historic Trail,
won the first place 2021 The Queen Nefertari’s Egypt
National Association exhibition arrived at the Portland
hawaii for Interpretation (NAI)
Award. Among the many
Art Museum this fall. The exhibit
gives visitors a window into the lives
RC-WR is seeking a State Rep- and roles that Egyptian royal women
resentative for Hawaii. The State organizations celebrating played between 1292 and 1189 B.C.
Representative is the direct line of this achievement is the On display are Queen Nefertari’s
communication from the Hawaii Nez Perce National His- burial chamber, items from her
members to the RC-WR Board. If torical Park in Lapwai and tomb, large sculptures, sarcophagi,
you are interested, please contact jewelry, sandals made of woven palm
the Sacajawea Interpretive,
RC-WR Secretary Nicole Inghilterra leaves, musical instruments, bronze
Cultural, and Educational
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at rcwrsecretary@gmail.com. mirrors and boxes and
Center in Salmon, Idaho. jars for cosmetic pow-
Way to go! ders and ointments.New original exhibit at the
High Desert Museum,
Carrying Messages: Native
Runners, Ancestral Home-
lands and Awakening,
highlights the historical
significance of running
in Native cultures in the
Sculpture from Queen Nefertari’s Western United States.
Egypt at the Portland Art Museum Through individual stories,
A Mockup of the Veterans’ Legacies
the exhibit features different ways World Headquarters in the Evergreen
that some Native people today are Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville,
With changing seasons, the Oregon drawing on running as a means of Oregon. A first-time, designated, physical
space for people to gather and share stories
Historical Society invited visitors empowerment, sovereignty, and
to discover the magic, awe, thrill, cultural revitalization.
and camaraderie Oregonians have
enjoyed for generations in its newest
original exhibition, Freeze the Day! A
Veterans’ Legacies, a nonprofit
organization documenting the lives
utah
History of Winter Sports in of Oregon military is opening its —by Hannah Barrett
Oregon, on exhibit December 3, world headquarters in the Evergreen
2021 through July 17, 2022. Aviation & Space Museum in In Q4 of 2021, the registrars at the
McMinnville. Their goal is to pre- Church History Museum partici-
serve the pated in inventories and collection
histories of care work at historic sites in north-
all of those ern Utah. The 12th International
who served, Art Competition is underway, and a
and the jury selected finalists out of almost
museum 900 entries. We are looking forward
is a perfect to the exhibition opening in March
partner for 2022. CHM registrars presented and
this orga- participated in the Utah Museums
nization’s Association Annual Meeting and
center of also attended ARCS virtually. We
operation. enjoyed some time off to celebrate
Their the holidays, and are ready to jump
database into 2022!
includes
stories of Springville Museum of Art sent four
more than representatives to the Utah Museums
9 million Association Conference; the Educa-
WWII vet- tion team led a label-writing work-
Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel is a professional erans as shop and SMA’s registrar discussed
runner featured in an exhibit at Bend's High Desert Museum. well as those her involvement with the Utah Black
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Photograph: Devin Whetstone / Courtesy of High Desert Museum who served History Museum. We
during also attended ARCS
peace time. virtually, andcompleted a matting and framing
course from the Northern States
Conservation Center. Our annual
vault tour for members was held—
this ultimately led to full funding for
a major conservation project, restor-
ing the first collection item, a plaster
of Paul Revere donated in 1903.
The artists of Roots Art Kollective and their completed mural at the UMFA.
Photo by Adelaide Ryder, courtesy of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts
• Handstitched Worlds: The Cartogra- Kelly became the Director of Collec-
phy of Quilts, an exhibition from the tions and continues her role as the
American Folk Art Museum in New museum's Conservator.
York, opening February 19th.
• Salt 15: Horacio Rodriguez, opened The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum
January 22nd. Rodriguez is a local art- of Art is preparing to celebrate its
ist who considers ancient ceramics in 40th anniversary in 2022, by install-
the Museum’s Mesoamerican collec- ing an exhibition of forty works of
tion as he investigates the immigration art from the collection. In an ef-
Springville Museum of Art’s first of people and things—past and pres- fort to describe the evolution of its
collection item, a Cyrus Dallin plaster of growth, one work of art will repre-
ent—across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Paul Revere
• Installation of Tightrope: Noiseless 1 sent each year of the past forty years
by the artist Elias Sime, a large sculp- of the collection acquisitions.
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts ture consisting of 132 panels covered
(UMFA) collaborated with Roots Art in reclaimed electrical components Utah’s Museum Services Program
Kollective (comprised of local artists and wires. announced 10 members of its new
Miguel Galaz, Luis Novoa, and Alan Collections Preservation Team, rep-
Ochoa) to conceive of a museum- The UMFA has several outgoing resenting the Springville Museum of
based mural exhibition titled 2020: loans appearing in museums across Art, Kanab Museum, Moab Museum,
From Here on Out. This exhibit in- the country, including: Boise Mu- Brigham City Museum of Art and
cludes four murals in the museum's seum of Art, Frye Art Museum, History, Layton Heritage Museum,
Great Hall (one by RAK and three Delaware Art Museum, Phoenix Art St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site,
by other local artist groups) and is Museum, Museum of Contemporary Uintah County Heritage Museum,
building on numerous mural proj- Art Chicago, Georgia Museum of John Wesley Powell River History
ects across Salt Lake City in response Art, Whatcom Museum, Hammer Museum, Cache Valley Daughters of
to the global pandemic and racial Museum at UCLA, Jordan Schnitzer Utah Pioneers Museum, and Fre-
injustice. The murals will remain in Museum of Art, and Smithsonian mont Indian State Park and Museum.
the museum for at least two years. American Art Museum. Members will receive two years of
22
specialized collections
The collections department is busy pre- Nicole Sandberg began a new posi- training in rural areas
paring for upcoming exhibits, including: tion as UMFA’s Registrar; Stacey across the state.You can also read
