Museophilia

Expect the Unexpected

2012-02-10T22:43:00.001-05:00

As I've said before, sometimes this is museum work, too. The ingredients for oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookies for a symposium tomorrow in Portsmouth. My job is not half bad. :)

Sweet, Sweet Daylight

2012-02-09T11:39:00.000-05:00

The photo above was taken at 5:15 when I was locking up the side door of the museum. 5:15! Just a month ago, it would have been full dark at that time. We really have not had a hard winter to complain about, but still, it's so nice to stop & notice the increased daylight. Spring - we'll see you eventually!

RIP RMS Titanic

2012-02-02T11:32:00.000-05:00

Is it 2012 or 1912 around here?!? :) I'm prepping today for my April vacation program on the sinking of the Titanic. This year is the centennial, so there's lots of great material available, like these reproduction NY Times I bought. I know it's 100 years later, but the raw confusion & sorrow that even made it onto the pages of the Times have put me near tears a few times.

Transformation Tech

2012-02-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

After a busy morning at one museum, I attended a workshop this afternoon at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. The panelists talked about how their museums use technology to further museum education, whether through blogging, Twitter, or interactive iPods in the gallery. Both museums are much bigger than any that I work at, but the panel discussion gave me lots of ideas for using tech (both high and low) in my museums.

Plus, we got to take a gallery tour of PEM's newest exhibit, Shapeshifting: Transformations in Native American Art. The exhibit is really compelling and provocative. The "whale skeleton" above is from the final gallery and is made entirely of white lawn chairs. !!! I have some more thoughts on the exhibit, but will try to share them another time when it's not already 12:28 of the next day.

Home Office Sort-Of-Makeover

2012-01-24T22:11:00.003-05:00

Ta-da! I present the result of about 45 minutes labor this morning - a new & improved home office space. We got the magnetic board and picture ledge at IKEA recently and I've been waiting to put them up. I love having the board right there now, waiting for notes, reminders, inspiration, etc. And the picture ledge gives me a space to finally display my Bachelor's and Master's degrees, as well as my husband's Bachelor's and his Army Achievement Medal certificate. His Master's in teaching will take over that spot once he's got it.

Now that I'm working from home one day a week (since it's winter), I'm happy we could carve a more officey space out of the guest room. And for under $30. That's museum professional frugality at work. :)

And one more thing - happy 4th birthday to Museophilia! I started this blog four years ago for a class assignment and here we are now. To be honest, I get very few readers, but that doesn't really bother me. I just love thinking & writing about my field & my work and this space is a great way to chronicle all that!

A Museum-Only Moment

2012-01-20T23:31:00.000-05:00

You gotta love it when you are searching for an old family Bible in the museum's collection and you find one from 1814, yet it's not even the right old-ass Bible. :) What other kind of job gets you that conundrum?

Unionised

2012-01-19T23:55:00.000-05:00

Pretty cool flag, eh? One of my museums is preparing for an exhibit on women in the Civil War and this is going to be a featured artifact. A local hatmaker sewed it from millinery scraps when she realized the city's first regiment did not have a flag with which to march off to war. Love it.

Rhyming & Scheming

2012-01-05T23:04:00.001-05:00

The above shows how I spent much of my work day today. January in my museums is all about planning. We're too small to be able to plan 2012 much in 2011. So once the calendar turns over, it's go time!

Natural Heating

2011-12-11T22:37:00.001-05:00

I worked on Saturday at one of my museums, doing a public event for our annual holiday festival. The plan was to read some Christmas stories (The Night Before Christmas, the final chapter of A Christmas Carol, and Snōshoo the Christmas Bunny, which was written by one of our volunteers) by the fire in our 1710 house. After that, I had some simple Christmas crafts (paper chains, paper snowflakes, and cranberry/popcorn garlands) and a scavenger hunt set up back at the museum.

We ended up getting around seven kids and a few adults, but everyone came at different times, so I never did read the stories. Instead, I hung out over at the house for a couple of hours, tended the fire, and talked with the visitors who did come over. I may have also nibbled a few of the gingerbread men in the photo above. :)

I know our weekend manager was disappointed that more kids didn't come, but I left out the crafts and scavenger hunt for later kid visitors to do. The museum was open seven more hours after I left around 1pm, so I'm sure we got some who enjoyed those activities. And as for my part, as I said to my mother via text, "I'm hanging by the fire now. No visitors. But hanging by the fire in a 1710 house. So :)."

Grey Majesty

2011-11-23T23:42:00.000-05:00

I had to work this morning, visiting a school to talk to some young students about the Native American history of the area. It was a fun program, but a rainy, messy day, so I was happy to be done for the week around 11am. I hurried out of the building to my car, but stopped for a quick shot of this lovely church. Even grey stone on a grey day can sometimes seem to glow. Love it.

The Scuttlebutt

2011-11-17T23:48:00.000-05:00

So after a late night at the museum, I got up around 6:15 this morning and headed down to Hartford with the curator of one of my museums. We were attending the second day of the 2011 New England Museum Association conference. The workshops I attended were interesting (the view above is of people listening to a great period wallpaper reproducer), but the best part, as usual, was the gossip. ;)

Always Exciting

2011-11-16T23:52:00.000-05:00

A glimpse into the scintillating world of the museum professional tonight. Above is a shot of my dinner, which I ate in the museum kitchen around 6pm. I went in late (which gave me a lovely morning at home with the hubby and the puppy) and babysat one of our lectures until about 10pm. I'm exhausted now, but home in bed. Up tomorrow at 6am for a museum conference in Hartford! I tell ya, the excitement never ends. ;)

Holiday Cheer

2011-11-10T19:33:00.000-05:00

I know, it's too soon for Christmas decorations! I'm a big fan of waiting until the end of November in order to give Thankgiving its due. However, one of my museums has an annual tree and wreath festival and drop-off for the event has begun. I think I walked past this tree a half dozen times today. Ah well, I love Christmas, so I don't mind too much.

Solar Flaring

2011-11-09T23:58:00.000-05:00

I had a very busy day at work, but yeah, this garden is where I spent part of my morning. Can't argue with that!

Best Photo So Far

2011-10-25T23:24:00.000-04:00

I am exhausted tonight. Since yesterday, I have hosted/taught/herded 78 school kids at my museums and I think I'm coming down with something to boot.

So all you get is the photo and a short caption. The basket in the foreground is full of animal skins for the Native American history program I did this morning and the room in the background is 301 years old. No, I'm not kidding.

In addition, my lil' camera phone did an admirable job handling both the detail on the basket and the chairs in the back. So hurrah for a good photo and it's off to bed for me!

No Plants in the Museum

2011-10-24T21:20:00.000-04:00

. . . but one or two in the office are fine! This is the purple phalaenopsis orchid that I somehow inherited for my desk on Wednesday. I'm not complaining!

Never the Same day Twice

2011-10-20T22:37:00.000-04:00

I've always said that holding three jobs in the museum field ensures that I never have the same day twice. And man, did this week prove it! Last night, I was wandering around one museum in a dress, noshing on brie and pinot noir. This morning, I was ankle deep in a muddy archaeology pit. Variety is the spice of life!

Here Comes the Sun

2011-10-15T23:56:00.000-04:00

A sunny day at work! I filled in for one of the tour guides on Saturday and it was a pleasant, breezy, sunny day in Portsmouth. I love how the sunlight fills the dining room in this house!

Fall Comes to New England

2011-10-13T22:09:00.000-04:00

Just a little taste of fall in New England on this rainy Thursday.

The Pits

2011-10-11T23:33:00.000-04:00

My wonderful husband helped me at work on Tuesday, digging a pit for my after-school archaeology program. Normally, I'd have to do this all by myself (twice a year), but he was able to knock out the first part in a few hours.

Museum Daily . . . are we even doing this anymore?

2011-10-05T00:50:00.001-04:00

OBVIOUSLY, I'm not very committed to the Museum Daily photo project anymore, but I'm pleased that I at least kept with it for over a month (most of which was last fall) and have since posted a number of a-day-in-the-life photos of my museums.

In keeping with that, this was my view for part of the day on Saturday. I was hosting an archaeology open house event for Massachusetts Archaeology Month and was stationed in the 1677 house with some 17th century artifacts from an excavation done in that town about a decade ago. We didn't get too many people (rainy day and lots of other things going on in that county and town), but we did have around 5 or so interested parties. Not a total waste! :)

Storage Success Stories, Part III

2011-09-29T13:41:00.000-04:00

More storage! I know, I know, the picture below isn't very exciting to anyone but me. I know that educational supply storage is very boring to most normal people. So I shot the bottom two photos so you can at least kind of understand why neatly labeled storage makes me so happy.

OK, see how many rubber stamps we have? And all those ink pads in the box already? First of all, I had no idea we had so much of each. If we did a program with stamps, I might have not been able to find all of these (they were spread out between three different boxes scattered throughout the dark supply closet) and bought a bunch more. Now I know what we have!

And now they're nicely organized! The small box in the lower left houses all of the loose alphabet stamps (smallest ones in the tin, larger ones in the box). The ink pads are all consolidated at the top left. All of the wooden handle stamps are turned the right way up so I can see what they are. Doesn't that look so much better?

Now multiply the lift I get from getting one supply organized by 22 (for all the boxes completed already). See why this is a treat on rainy days? :)

P.S. In both home and work organization, I get a lot of inspiration from the shelter blogs I read. In particular, I've been gobbling up Chez Larsson lately. The author has a lovely home and lots of good organizing ideas - check it out!

Modern Art

2011-09-26T23:39:00.004-04:00

Lately, I've been loving this project: WFNX & MFA acoustic sessions. One of Boston's local radio stations partnered with the Museum of Fine Art to schedule a number of modern rock bands to play in the galleries of the museum. As a fan of both the music WFNX plays and the art the MFA displays, I think it looks magical!

Love the juxtaposition of the shots below - one was taken by me on a tour of the MFA last winter; one is from the album of acoustic session photos. The bottom one shows the band Taking Back Sunday in front of this amazing "Renaissance Revival reenactment" (the exact words of our tour guide) piece.

Storage Success Stories, Part II

2011-09-09T11:40:00.003-04:00

Well, it's taken me since March (apparently) to get them assembled and start filling them with supplies. However, I've finally put some of my IKEA storage boxes to work at one of my museums! I assembled all thirty of them a few weeks ago and started filling & labeling them yesterday.

I realize this is a very small thing, but I can't explain how nice it is to look at a box and instantly know not only what's in it (thanks to my lovely labels), but how much you have of a given supply. Before, all the supplies were spread out everywhere and I was always buying more of things we already had because I didn't know we had it! Hooray for small miracles.

Topical

2011-07-20T20:46:00.000-04:00

Given that my second week of summer programming at one museum (coming up soon in mid-August!) is about Archie comics, I really enjoyed this. That is all. :)

Visions of the Past

2011-07-08T00:55:00.001-04:00

Love this set of images. I saw them a couple of weeks ago and knew I'd seen something similar somewhere . . . Then, I remembered these great images of the grounds of the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion. The one above is my favorite - I love how the photographer who merged the photos played around a bit and made it appear that the people in the older image are looking up at the lanterns in the modern image.

Whisky History

2011-06-28T23:38:00.002-04:00

This is pretty cool. The project started as a conservation story - in essence, a "project to thaw, open and examine a crate of what is believed to contain whisky from Ernest Shackleton’s 1908 British Antarctic (Nimrod) Expedition has started at Canterbury Museum, New Zealand."

Of course, once the marketing department at Whyte & MacKay company had its way with the story, it became what you can see in the video above. Read all about the conservation here (I've had the link in my sidebar for awhile now - love this story).

It's Titled "Apartment Archeology"

2011-06-21T21:03:00.000-04:00

Source

I like this. :)

The Power of the Third Place

2011-06-02T23:54:00.003-04:00

(photo credit)

Today, I ran down a hill behind a rolling hoop with a boy who can't read very well and a boy who can't speak English very well. None of that mattered. It was all flailing arms & laughter. There was no need for words and I was grateful that my museum was able to provide all three of us with that wordless connection.

Personal/Professional Connection

2011-05-25T23:30:00.000-04:00

I was in a very interesting meeting today at one of my museums. Next year is the 400th anniversary of Anne Bradstreet's birth and various museums/towns in Massachusetts are planning some celebration and recognition of "The Tenth Muse, Lately Sprung Up in America." While perusing a selected works of Anne's before the meeting, I noticed this poem, which I had first read excerpted in Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's Good Wives.

Since my husband is eight months into a year-long military deployment, Anne's words in this piece touched me on a personal level. Enjoy the poem and keep an eye out for Anne Bradstreet events in Massachusetts in 2012!

A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment

My head, my heart, mine eyes, my life, nay, more,

My joy, my magazine of earthly store,

If two be one, as surely thou and I,

How stayest thou there, whilst I at Ipswich lie?

So many steps, head from the heart to sever,

If but a neck, soon should we be together.

I like the Earth this season, mourn in black,

My Sun is gone so far in's zodiac,

Whom whilst I 'joyed, nor storms, nor frost I felt,

His warmth such frigid colds did cause to melt.

My chilled limbs now numbed lie forlorn;

Return; return, sweet Sol, from Capricorn;

In this dead time, alas, what can I more

Than view those fruits which through thy heat I bore?

Which sweet contentment yield me for a space,

True living pictures of their father's face.

O strange effect! now thou art southward gone,

I weary grow the tedious day so long;

But when thou northward to me shalt return,

I wish my Sun may never set, but burn

Within the Cancer of my glowing breast,

The welcome house of him my dearest guest.

Where ever, ever stay, and go not thence,

Till nature's sad decree shall call thee hence;

Flesh of thy flesh, bone of thy bone,

I here, thou there, yet but both one.

A Gaggle of Dustpans

2011-05-13T23:44:00.001-04:00

Probably not the right collective noun there. :) I got a kick out of this arrangement of dustpans and brushes that I was hosing down for my archaeology program and had to take a picture. This was on a Tuesday around 2pm, I think. The museum world is very different from the for-profit working world . . .

Museum Daily #Who Knows Anymore

2011-05-10T10:21:00.001-04:00

This was my morning yesterday. :) Helping to plant a 3 Sisters raised bed garden with 12 preschoolers in the sunshine. Not a bad way to start the week . . .

They can't be sure . . .

2011-04-26T00:24:00.001-04:00

As a museum professional, I was extremely amused by this sign at St. Andrew's Castle (which I saw when I was in Scotland over the last couple of weeks. which I was, by the way.)

1677 Floor

2011-04-02T22:21:00.004-04:00

That's what I wanted to stare at today - the lovely wooden floor of one of the 17th century houses where I work. Just think of this: on a normal workday a couple of weeks ago, I was walking around on a floor that was built from trees that were cut down the year that William & Mary were married. That's crazy! And that's why I do history. :)

Bond . . . Crimson Bond

2011-03-29T11:57:00.006-04:00

Haha, I kind of love this. As a museum educator, I buy a lot of my reproduction items from this company, James Townsend & Son. It looks as though they've created a short movie about the Revolutionary War, using a lot of their products. Very smart! And if their funny YouTube instructional videos are anything to go by, should be entertaining, too!

My New Office!

2011-03-28T00:28:00.002-04:00

We recently relocated the office space at one of my museums, from an outside rental to a room in one of our historic houses. Last Friday, I moved lots of boxes and small items into the new space and this Friday, members of the Board and I moved the heavy stuff. I was there again today to set up the wireless network (really proud of myself for being able to do it!) and get things a little more organized. The boxes currently on the floor will all go into closets, but they're being used as weights to even out the carpet for now. ;)

I'm really excited to have a space right on site, which will make it easier for me to check on the houses and keep a general eye on things. Plus, the house is a lovely little 1740s gem. And, yes, that door to the left of the window in the last picture does in fact lead to a parlor where George Washington took tea, thankyouverymuch. :)

In the Flesh

2011-03-18T23:51:00.000-04:00

This is kind of awesome. My favorite part is when the docent asks what "King Philip" eats upon being told he's 400 years old. :)

And One More!

2011-03-13T18:41:00.009-04:00

Here's my list for my third job:

Must Do:

~~set up new office in one of the historic houses~~
~~submit volunteer project description by 3/25~~
~~attend citywide meeting of cultural organizations on 3/25~~
~~mail state public television auction donation~~
~~respond to donation requests from NYC high school~~
~~make sure intern is all set with projects during my absence in April~~
~~email volunteer website designer re: structural updates to site~~
~~get estimate from local graphics company for summer exhibit text panels and family tree panels~~
~~back-up computer before move to new office~~
~~pack up office~~

Would Like to Do:

~~create estimate for framing supplies for exhibit~~
~~give treasurer estimate for exhibit budget~~
finalize new logo with Board and volunteer graphic designer
get to work on reprinting membership cards
schedule photo shoot of one of the houses with local photographer
schedule meeting with former house manager to talk collections

Holding Myself Accountable

2011-03-10T18:38:00.020-05:00

While we're sharing, here's my to-do list at one of my other museums. Maybe posting them on the internet will help me stay focused and get everything done!

Must Do:

~~3/28 shoe history program with local nursery school~~
~~Write article about after-school archaeology program for local paper (due 3/30)~~
~~Publicize after-school archaeology program:~~

~~Schools~~
~~Websites (the museum's & other sites that list kids' programs)~~
~~Local paper article & calendar listings~~

~~Nail down final after-school archaeology program details~~

~~field trip details~~
~~supplies~~
~~permission slips/letters~~

Would Like to Do:

Start thinking about summer exhibit workshop (June?)

Storage Success Stories!

2011-03-08T23:34:00.000-05:00

See, look how neat that looks (see previous shot of the closet here)! And after today's trip to the local IKEA (photo below), I've got 30 more boxes to continue my organization spree. It's the little things . . .

A Month in the Life

2011-03-03T22:43:00.010-05:00

In case you ever wondered what I get up to at my museums. :) Below is my to-do list for the month of March for just one of my three museums. This month's a bit busier than usual because I'll be out the first couple of weeks of April.

It definitely helped me to get everything down and get to work on it (note that the first item is already crossed off). A to-do list, huh? Simple & old-school, but it works. :) UPDATE: I'm going to cross things off as I go. Huzzah!

Must Do:

~~spend Staples Rewards $ ($50~, various program supplies)~~
~~prepare for home school group's visit for shoemaking program on 3/17~~
~~decide on summer camp themes & dates and have brochures printed~~
begin to distribute brochures and ~~publicize program~~ (esp. spring preview once date is set - 4/30)
send camp info to CITs and counselor
~~develop and publicize April vacation program~~
~~schedule guest speakers and alternate activities for first 2 weeks of after-school archaeology program~~
~~consult with curator and website designer on education needs for new website~~
~~write a raise proposal to the Board (mention competitive wages & accomplishments)~~
~~order gift shop items and new ice cream maker~~
~~spend donation from city councilor (raccoon fur for Native American program basket and IKEA organization boxes for educational supplies closet)~~

Would Like to Do (if Time):

get back in touch with local art teacher re: collage workshop for area seniors & our award of grant money for senior programs
contact local Council on Aging coordinator to book future senior lectures
contact schools who didn’t visit museum in fall and try to schedule them for spring
follow up with Scout groups who got in touch over the winter

Virtual Representation

2011-02-28T14:34:00.002-05:00

If you couldn't make it to DC for Museums Advocacy Day 2011 (like me), here are some things you can do from home, via AAM's President Ford Bell:

On Tuesday March 1, share the same key messages with your legislators that advocates are taking to Capitol Hill. Use the Contact Congress feature of Speak Up for Museums on Tuesday or throughout the week to send letters to your legislators in support of funding for the Office of Museum Services at IMLS, the role of museums in comprehensive education reform and the fact that museums are economic engines.
Museums Advocacy Day participants are also sharing with legislators an Economic Impact Statement for their museum. Prepare and share yours today!
Ask your legislators to sign-on to support “Dear Colleague” letters being circulated in the House and Senate by Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in support of the Office of Museum Services.
Encourage your trustees and visitors to your museum to weigh-in with legislators.
Use the web and social media to further our collective advocacy efforts. Add a link to Speak Up for Museums to your museum’s website, connect to AAM on Facebook, or post an entry about issues affecting museums and the legislators that represent your museum on your museum’s blog.

The Beginning

2011-02-20T16:18:00.003-05:00

I posted a few weeks ago about my desire to start organizing the supplies in this closet at one of my museums. It contains many art and craft supplies that I use for my school programs and vacation camp programs. Most of the supplies have their own containers (baskets, boxes, etc.), but the disorganization is pretty widespread.

So I decided that containers of uniform sizes and shapes were the key. I picked up a few KASSETT boxes at IKEA and filled them with crayons and colored pencils. It may not look like much now, but imagine the whole closet full of white, well-labeled boxes. A small step in the right direction!

Shadows & Light

2011-02-07T21:49:00.001-05:00

Passing by the windows of one of my museums last Thursday, I was struck by the pattern of shadows on the snow - amidst my excitement at actually physically being at work, for the first time in two weeks! So I snapped a picture. Also - that large oak on the right is at least 363 years old and was used as a prayer meeting location for early settlers of the town from 1648 on. Very cool.

Lunch @ Home

2011-01-26T22:29:00.000-05:00

Working from home, as lovely as it is, is getting a bit old. ;) The above was my lunch yesterday. Not bad, really, but let's compare it to a couple of work lunches I took pictures of last spring & fall.

On the hill by the river at one of my museums.

At a lovely sidewalk table in the town of one of my other museums.

Sigh. I realize the weather and season are big factors here, but it's just not even close, is it?

Museum Daily (sort of, kind of)

2011-01-21T23:50:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if I want to count this as a Museum Daily, because it's not from today or even this week. However, it's a photo I took of one of my days in the museum, so I suppose it counts. :)

These two notes are thank you notes from the kindergarten classes at a school who visits one of my museums annually. These sweet kids come every fall to do one of our programs on Native American life in Massachusetts. Despite their young age, they're generally very interested and well-behaved.

And every year, I get a tall thank you note, written by the lead teacher and signed by each of the little kids. How sweet is that? I pinned them to the wall in the shared office to remind me of what it's all for on the days when I'm feeling frazzled or tired.

Work Resolutions

2011-01-16T23:34:00.002-05:00

I haven't made New Year's resolutions in my personal life for about four years. I have nothing against them, but I'm not sure they ever really stick with me. Without writing down a step-by-step schedule for achieving goals, I have a hard time keeping up with them. And I find myself just too busy living life to follow a schedule! However, it seems like a good thing to attempt with my work life. I like the idea of having a work plan for the year - a list of major things to achieve.

In the fall, a local city councilor generously donated $500 to one of my museums, and the curator graciously handed it off to my department - the education department. I think one of the best uses for the money is to buy boxes with labels and properly organize the closet in the photo above. It's a simple goal, but having that closet - which contains a lot of my educational supplies - neat & easy to navigate would be wonderful!

Art Restoration on a Snowy Day

2011-01-12T11:43:00.004-05:00

Since my road looks like this:

I will not be going into work today. :) Instead, I'm working from home at the desk in the guest room and savoring a second cup of coffee.

I wanted to share this interactive from a December 18th article in the NY Times. The Met has a painting in their collection that has, in the sixty years it's been at the museum, been alternately identified as a Velázquez, repudiated as such, and now vindicated. It's a really interesting story, but what attracted my attention even more was the accompanying interactive.

Extensive restoration work was done on the painting over the last eighteen months, which was key in revealing the true identity of the work. To help readers see the difference in the painting pre- and post-restoration work, the Times layered photographs of the two stages (pre-restoration on top & post- on the bottom). Readers can move a slider back & forth to see more & less of the images. The difference is astounding!

I love the idea of using an interactive like this for a museum exhibit, particularly one that includes paintings and can therefore raise those specific issues of art conservation. However, you could also do something like it to illustrate any kind of restoration work, from furniture to documents. It's a more sophisticated version of the "before & after" trick and I think it's probably quite easy to execute on the technical side. Hmmm - I'm getting ideas . . .

Just for Fun

2011-01-07T12:51:00.002-05:00

(Image from The Onion)

This article from The Onion, from a little over a year ago, is pretty funny. It actually reminds me of a commercial for Dos Equis beer, about their faux spokesperson, "the most interesting man in the world." Each commercial lists things about this man that are amazing and/or show how important he is. A line in one of them goes, "At museums, he's allowed to touch the art."

Museums in the News

2010-12-31T00:39:00.012-05:00

I'm enjoying the motivation that the Museum Daily series provides me, but as I've been off work this week, there's not so much daily museum stuff going on! And sometimes, I like to go back to my old standard, Museums in the News. Besides, there have been some really interesting stories from the last few months in the NY Times. Enjoy!

And a letter from the director of the Met in response to the previous article: Museum as Archaeologist

And Happy New Year!

Modern Inspiration

2010-12-20T22:27:00.009-05:00

So, this should have been my Museum Daily on Thursday, because that's when I actually found out about it at work. One of my museums is in a city where shoes were produced, in large quantities, in the 19th and 20th centuries. Hence, my museum has a very large & very interesting collection of locally made shoes. Over the summer, the curator had a visit from Penelope Guerrero, Women's Senior Shoe Designer at Timberland. They spent some time talking about the shoe industry and looking through our shoe collection.

I wasn't around the day she visited, but the curator received an email from Ms. Guerrero last week saying that she had designed a collection of shoes inspired by my museum's collection! Very cool. Even cooler, she attached a few photos of the shoe design she thought "most reflects the inspiration" she received at the museum. The photos are below.

Isn't the shoe gorgeous? And yes, I went straight to Timberland's website to see if they were available for purchase yet. Couldn't find them, so perhaps they're a 2011 model. Keep your eyes peeled for these shoes!

UPDATE: Just found this video on the website, featuring Ms. Guerrero talking about how she finds inspiration for her shoe designs. Very, very cool to think that our collection was part of her design process.

Christmas Spirit

2010-12-17T12:08:00.005-05:00

Love this wreath gracing the door of one of my historic houses. The real front door, a fifteen-panel, mostly-original one from the mid-18th century, is behind the door you see here, installed for protection from the wintry elements. I really like how the wreath, put up by the caretaker, adds a little seasonal charm.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like . . .

2010-12-15T15:48:00.008-05:00

Christmas at the Museum!

A jaunty 19th century marble bust at one of my museums.

The Many Faces of Museum Work

2010-12-13T21:19:00.008-05:00

Many days, I spend my time scheduling field trips with teachers and volunteers, researching grant possibilities, developing future programming, supervising interns, researching elements of local history, responding to phone calls & emails about two of the historic houses I manage, and teaching school age kids about their town's history.

But, the above is museum work, too. One of my museums hosted a gingerbread cookie decorating workshop as part of its holiday offerings last weekend. So, I spent a few hours last Saturday making & rolling out dough, cutting bear shapes, and baking the cookies. It's nice to have a little variety!

Appreciation

2010-11-30T14:40:00.008-05:00

No photo today, but something happened as I was leaving a classroom of school kids that made me smile and I thought I'd share it. I'd just spent an hour talking with the students about how the Native Americans in the area lived - how they built homes, hunted game, caught fish. I passed around reproduction stone fishing plummets & spear points and real antlers & animal skins. Then I finished up with a snack of corn bread, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds. All standard fare for me - this was the second class of the day at this particular school and probably the ninth time I'd given this spiel in the last few weeks.

As the kids munched their snack, I asked them if they had any final questions about Native Americans in the area. A few raised their hands and we talked about a couple of aspects of native life not yet covered. Then, a small boy near the front stuck up his hand and I called on him. His words? "I don't have a question, but today was awesome!"

Things like that remind me what it's all about. :)

Off work most of this week . . .

2010-11-23T22:41:00.002-05:00

for Thanksgiving! However, wanted to leave you with this unbearably clever video about the shortage in arts funding in the UK, via Museos Unite. Be sure to check it out!

One of THOSE weeks

2010-11-19T19:32:00.005-05:00

My apologies for no Museum Dailies this week, but it was just one of those weeks. As of today at noon, I taught/survived over 200 school children since Monday (and that's with no kids on Wednesday!). Whew - I need a breather.

However, I wanted to give you something to look at, so here are some amazing bedhangings that I saw last week at the Museums of Old York. I promise a longer post about the hangings soon!

Museum Daily #24

2010-11-12T10:41:00.001-05:00

As usual, I'm behind on Museum Dailies, but I'm not going to let it bother me. I do this in addition to working three jobs, taking care of my dog, maintaining a household while my husband is deployed with the military, and writing two other blogs. Things will get posted when they get posted and I have to be ok with that.

This lovely piece of botanical art is currently hung in an exhibit at one of my museums. The work in the exhibit is great and this detailed look at a fern is my favorite. I forget the artist's name, so I'll have to check on that this week. Lovely to look at, though!

Museum Daily #23

2010-11-09T21:16:00.003-05:00

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but it's the start of something Christmasy at one of my museums!

Back to the Daily Grind

2010-11-08T23:55:00.002-05:00

I'm back from Wisconsin and right back into my daily schedule. One of my field trip groups cancelled today because of the rain & wind, but as always, there were plenty of other things that needed attention. After working an 8-hour day at that museum, I headed to the annual meeting for one of my other museums.

After a pleasant and mercifully short meeting, one of our Board members presented a great illustrated talk on veneering Federal furniture. Above is the screen showing one of his slides of the shell carvings on an amazing New England secretary desk (click on the image to see some of the detail). I enjoyed the talk with a glass of Spanish red in hand. A busy day, but not a bad way to end it!

See you next week!

2010-11-01T20:50:00.002-04:00

No posts this week, as I'll be in Wisconsin visiting my husband before he deploys to the Middle East. I'll leave you with this great photo of a 18th century tombstone to tide you over and give you a preview of the post I'll write when I get back. Catch you next week!

Museum Daily #19, 20, and 21

2010-10-29T23:18:00.003-04:00

So, I'm quite behind on Museum Dailies this week. It was a very busy work week, then my dog ate my internet cable (again!) last night. Therefore, you will get three Dailies from this week, all in one post. Plus, I took some great photos in a 17th and 18th century graveyard for work today, so I'm planning to share those in a longer post. Huzzah!

This photo was from Monday. I spent much of the day running around buying supplies for the museum's Halloween party, so I had pumpkins on the brain. This is the kitchen table in the museum, replete with jack o' lantern tablecloth, decorative gourds, and postcards for an upcoming exhibit which feature an amazingly detailed Indian corn drawing.

This is from Tuesday. I attended a workshop at the Addison Museum at Phillips Academy in Andover. They just reopened in September after a 2-year renovation, which added storage, teaching, and administrative space to their 80-year old building. The wall drawing pictured is being done by a modern artist in their museum learning center. It's done by a sharpie pen attached to a simple machine that reads a code the artist created. Very neat!

This photo, taken on Thursday, is of the backseat of my car. I tend to collect the detritus of my jobs in my car's trunk or backseat - reproduction artifacts brought to schools, mail for the museum, etc. In this photo, all three of my jobs have deposited rubble in my backseat. On the left, a folder of archaeology worksheets for my after-school kids at one museum. In the middle and right, copies of the fall newsletter for another museum. At the bottom, a newspaper from one town being brought to another town's museum to cover tables for pumpkin painting at the kids' Halloween party. Whew!

Museum Daily #18

2010-10-22T22:41:00.007-04:00

This is the dining room of one of the houses I manage. Isn't it stunning? A Board member and I met a few women who are involved in the local wedding industry at the house today. We're considering opening the house up to wedding photo shoots and intimate (read: small) ceremonies. And the pros loved this room the best, too!

This great shot of the room was taken by Philip Case Cohen of The Daily Portsmouth. Click on it to make it larger if you want to see some of the lovely details.

Museum Daily #17

2010-10-21T19:54:00.004-04:00

Today's shot has no real significance - I just really like it. The green glass bottle used to hold "Emerald Oil," which I assume was some sort of patent medicine. We use it in our archaeology program sometimes, but since I brought it last week for the kids to see, I decided to bury things they haven't seen yet.

Museum Daily #16

2010-10-19T17:10:00.003-04:00

I took a group of middle schoolers to the burial ground today and the sight of them roaming around the old stones was priceless. At first, they were nervous and made jokes about zombies (it IS close to Halloween, after all), but then they really got into it. They found children & married couples & family plots and came running to tell me about them. Unfortunately, I didn't think to get out the camera, so I have no image of them besides that in my own mind. The late afternoon sun angling through the trees, the chestnuts and crunchy leaves underfoot, the delicate slate gravestones . . . Strange as it sounds, it was really lovely.

However, the shot above is of the river we walked by on our way to the burial ground and it's a lovely thing on its own. Hope it's a decent substitute!

Museum Daily #15

2010-10-18T23:02:00.005-04:00

Pumpkins! A fun image today, of the 89 or so (it was a rough count) little pumpkins we have stockpiled for the museum's Halloween party next week. I love how one of the staff members piled them in the nooks & crannies of the oak tree's roots. :)

Museum Daily #14

2010-10-15T23:56:00.006-04:00

Pictured here is the newell post in the front hallway of one of the houses I manage. I'm currently editing our newsletter, and one of our Board members, who is a fine woodworker, wrote an interesting article about the post. Below is an excerpt detailing the post's construction method:

The post is constructed of at least two parts, the inside spiral turning and the cage of four vertical ribs that surrounds it. First, the cage section had to have a hole bored through it. This blank would be slid over a plain temporary spindle that would fit tightly in the hole. This spindle would be mounted on the lathe as a temporary center, and the turnings above and below the cage would be done. A fat column would be turned that corresponded to the outside curve of the cage verticals, and these would be carved by hand with the spindle in place for most of the process in order to avoid breaking the cage.

The interior spiral would then be turned in a separate operation using a specially adapted lathe for the double spiral. The temporary spindle would then be removed and replaced by the finished spiral one, which would be glued in place. The foliate carved cap covers the hole in the post at the top.

Photo and excerpt by Allan Breed.

Museum Daily #13

2010-10-14T22:37:00.012-04:00

It doesn't look like much, I know. It looks like a wide, shallow hole in the ground, which is basically what it is. However, it's also so much more.

This is the mock archaeology pit where I will be leading my middle schoolers through a dig. At the moment, it's dug down to its lowest depths. On Tuesday, I will seed it with period-appropriate artifacts (reproduction, of course) and rebury it in layers. Then, over the next six weeks, the kids will excavate it (and hopefully learn something about archaeology in the process)!

Museum Daily #12

2010-10-13T23:55:00.001-04:00

Today's photo is of a lovely folk art painting, being used to advertise and promote the recreation of a 17th century timber-framed house in town. The painting was done by a folk artist and I think is an excellent way to help visitors visualize the house, in its location, in the 1600s.

Museum Daily #11

2010-10-12T23:38:00.003-04:00

Kind of a random assortment of items, but this is what I brought to one of the middle schools in town today. It was the "pitch" day for a local after-school program and I'll be doing an archaeology section with the eleven kids who chose my option. I picked out some interesting items I thought they'd like, such as the iron cannonball and the green glass bottle. I also included a fork, to remind them that archaeology is often about sorting through people's trash.

Museum Daily #10

2010-10-08T21:19:00.004-04:00

How would you like to come home to that view every day? Pictured above is the lovely front hallway of one of the historic houses I manage. This shot doesn't even do it justice, but can you imagine arriving home each day to this hallway? It would make divinity of the banal, I think.

Museum Daily #9

2010-10-07T21:57:00.007-04:00

Today's museum daily is a shot of the local newspaper in one of the towns where I work. And that woman on the far left? Is me! I don't think I've had my picture in the paper since senior year of high school . . . It's kind of neat.

Museum Daily #8

2010-10-05T23:37:00.002-04:00

This is called "exhibits on the fly!" During the middle school music & history program, I've been bringing some photographs, maps, and artifacts to help illustrate the shoemaking industry in the town in which we're working.

I've set these items up in various places and on various surfaces for the students to view and handle. I think this is my most basic set-up, though. The large-scale photographs are propped against seats and held up by wooden shoe lasts. Not great for permanence, but gets the job done!

Museum Daily #7

2010-10-04T22:24:00.008-04:00

One of the museums where I work recently acquired a 17th century wooden chest made by a local craftsman. It will join a chest made by the craftsman's father, already on display at the museum. Naturally, the museum and those interested in furniture-making and woodworking are fairly excited about all of this.

But for those of you who don't know much about 17th century craftsmanship, I thought I post this detail view of a similar chest in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The level of quality and detail is just stunning, isn't it?

Museum Daily #6

2010-10-01T21:55:00.004-04:00

In the spirit of a behind the scenes tour, please enjoy this slanting sunlight view of the attic window at one of the houses I manage. The downstairs floors are filled with stunning Georgian lines and ornate woodwork, but somehow this simple image appeals to me today.

Museum Daily #5

2010-09-30T23:24:00.004-04:00

Now for something completely different. Today's shot is from a concert I attended this morning at one of the local middle schools. The museum where I work is collaborating with a local musical group to teach middle students how to understand music & history and how the two can be related. A concert in a cafeteria - not a bad way to start your morning!

Museum Daily #4

2010-09-29T23:33:00.002-04:00

I'm cheating a bit today, as I did not take the photo myself. However, it was a busy day, capped by staying late for an evening lecture, and this is the best I can do. See the great 17th century kitchen in the photo? I locked and alarmed that house this afternoon. :)

Museum Daily #3

2010-09-28T20:36:00.003-04:00

For today's photo, we have a shot of the flags of various empires (French, British, etc.) that flew in New England at various times in the 17th and 18th centuries. They're currently hung in an exhibit that looks at a particular town in the period from 1640-1770.

I've noticed that these early years often get lost in the teaching of history, as many local historical narratives go right from early settlement to that town's role in the Revolution. However, there were a number of significant events during this time, both on the European continent and here in North America. "Remember the mid-17th to mid-18th century!" isn't a very catchy motto, though. ;)

Rainy Monday

2010-09-27T22:27:00.006-04:00

Reader, I swear I did not lie to you! I came home on Friday, all ready to post the second of my "museum work dailies" (might tweak that title) and my dog had chewed my internet cord! I know, I know - it sounds like an excuse. My dog ate my homework, etc., etc. However, it's true and I'm sorry.

At any rate, since today was a rainy, rather gloomy day at one of the museums where I work, I thought I'd post a photo from last week, on a sunnier day. It features the windows of an 19th century carriage barn. Enjoy!

Neglect & A Gimmick

2010-09-23T18:28:00.012-04:00

Did anyone see that tumbleweed go by? As you may have noticed, it's been very quiet around here lately. I've had a lot of things going on in my personal life this summer that have made it hard to keep up with professional writing. BUT. I've decided to jump back in with a fun idea.

I work at three different museums. Between them, I'm at some kind of historic site every working day (which sometimes includes the weekends). I see and work around all kinds of interesting historical objects - from small items to buildings - all the time.

So, without necessarily revealing where I work (still pondering whether that's a good idea), I'll be posting a photo every working day of "life in museums." Sometimes, they'll be intellectually compelling - sometimes, they'll be silly. Hopefully, they will all be somewhat interesting!

The first one - is just silly. Here is a portrait, thinking about a portrait, using the mosaic mode on my new phone's camera.

More News . . .

2010-09-08T22:18:00.001-04:00

Because apparently with all I have going on now, I've become nothing more than a new aggregator. ;)

Brooklyn Museum to Extend Hours

Egyptian Culture Minister Talks with Prosecutors in van Gogh Theft

Debt Problem Has Museum Scrambling

Museum Acquires Storied Trove of Performances by Jazz Greats

Recent Finds . . .

2010-08-20T21:32:00.006-04:00

Contemplating what I was going to post about tonight, I went to the National Trust for Historical Preservation's website to find an update on federal funding for historic preservation. Here is their most up-to-date section on the President's 2011 budget and its cuts in funding for historic preservation programs. Outlook is still unclear.

However, I did find something that cheered and intrigued me: the Slave Cabin Project. Joe McGill, who is a staffer at the National Trust and a Civil War reenactor, has decided to spend the night in a few slave cabins in South Carolina. He is trying to get a sense of what life might have been like for the people who lived in these homes and, as he says, "assist in bringing attention to an aspect of American history that is often overlooked." Very interesting!

Museums in the News

2010-08-04T19:13:00.003-04:00

I was away for a week of vacation, but home today and browsing the New York Times. Found some interesting news stories about museums:

Rolling Museum Casts Lights on Present-Day Forced Labor

The Ascent of Man: Museum of Natural History Offers a New iPhone App

Leopold Museum to Pay $19 Million for Painting Seized by the Nazis

Museums in the News

2010-07-16T21:39:00.004-04:00

I've just ended a week of summer camp at one of my museums. Managing 10 kids under 12 and 5 CIT's aged 13-17 for 7 hours a day is in fact as exhausting as it sounds! Hence, a lazy news post. Enjoy!

New Museum Tells Krakow's Stories of World War II

From Museum Basement, a "New" Dinosaur

Metropolitan Museum Posts Best Attendance in Nearly a Decade

Opulent and Elegant, Dresses as Art

Organizers of Art Show Convicted in Moscow

Wedding Recess

2010-07-08T21:57:00.004-04:00

Sorry for being AWOL for the last few weeks. I got married on June 26th, then spend the following week in Montreal for my honeymoon. However, I'm back now and promise to resume at least weekly posting.

In honor of my wedding break, I wanted to share an interesting exhibit at Ohio State University's Historical Costume & Textile Collection online: http://costume.osu.edu/exhibitions/wedding/. It was on display 12 years ago, in 1998, and showcases a sampling of wedding dresses from different eras in American history. Enjoy!

You may have also noticed a bit of a change in the blog's design. Blogger came out with new templates and I had a bit of a field day. I think I like the new brown background and map header. Hope you do too!

Museums in the News

2010-06-16T23:13:00.019-04:00

Recent museum news from the NY Times:

Enclosing a Frick Portico Would Create a Gallery
Whitneys That Never Were
Craft Shop Family Buys Up Ancient Bibles for Museum
Brooklyn Museum’s Populism Hasn’t Lured Crowds
And one that's not exactly about museums, but certainly about threats to cultural resources: Trophy Hunters With Their Eye on Interiors

To Tip or Not to Tip

2010-06-09T18:14:00.001-04:00

That's not the only question.

At this point, the thread is old news, but back in March, someone began a very interesting thread on the AAM EMP* discussion board. It was about tipping and whether or not museum tour guides should accept tips. There were a wide variety of opinions and only some agreement on the question.

Then, the ladies at Museos Unite posted about the conversation twice (here and here). If you missed this very interesting foray into assessing the value of what we do as museum professionals, definitely check it out.

*American Association of Museums Emerging Museum Professional. ;)

Old Beans

2010-05-21T11:05:00.005-04:00

This is really cool: 4,000 year old lentils ready to be planted. Scientists at a Turkish university are attempting to transfer 17 lentil plants from the lab to the outdoors. Those 17 plants? Were germinated from three - just three - seeds found during an archaeological dig. Amazing.

Museums in the News

2010-05-15T17:49:00.002-04:00

Some interesting news stories about museums from the last week or so. From the NY Times, as usual.

New York Museum Showcases Custom-Made Bicycles

At a Roman Museum, Jazz Joins the Mix

A Lower East Side History Show, in the First Person

Melvin the Mummy's New Clothes

Radio Silence

2010-05-11T23:20:00.001-04:00

My apologies for not checking in here for a little while. I recently had a death in the family and have been busy elsewhere. Hope to be posting again soon. Thanks for your patience!

Museums in the News

2010-04-20T18:48:00.008-04:00

Some interesting museum stories in the last month or so:

At Ground Zero Museum, Voices of 9/11

And related, $2.29 Million for Ground Zero Memorial and Museum

And in international museum news:

‘Smurf House’? ‘Chinese Hat’? Museum Intrigues

What to Pair With Monet? Try Classical Music

Tulipmania at Amsterdam Museum

Save America's Historic Funding

2010-04-16T22:13:00.003-04:00

Don't worry - I won't get too political on you. However, as a museum professional and a preservationist, I pay attention to funding sources for historic preservation and how they are doing. And at the moment, Save America's Treasures is not doing well.

It's on the chopping block for the FY 2011 proposed federal budget. You can read more about it at the National Trust's page (biased view, naturally) or read the actual proposed budget on the White House's website.

Wherever you decide you come down on the issue, I found the above map really interesting. As you can guess, it shows all of the locations across the country where Save America's Treasures (as well as Preserve America and the National Heritage Area program) has helped preserve and restore historic buildings and sites (you can see a bigger version here). Food for thought.

Spoiled for a Desk Job . . .

2010-04-03T12:24:00.003-04:00

I spent my Thursday afternoon on the grounds of one of the museums where I work, burying reproduction artifacts in our mock archaeology pit for an upcoming program. It was tiring, heavy work, but it was glorious to be outside in the sun, with a cool breeze off the river. I came in about halfway through and the curator said, "You're spoiled for any desk job now, aren't you?"

And I suppose it's true.

Highlighting Museums

2010-03-23T22:05:00.005-04:00

A good friend passed along this link last week, to the NY Times' special section on museums. Definitely worth a click through to browse the list of interesting articles about various aspects of the museum world. My favorites at present?

The New Guard of Curators Steps Up: "Far from the stereotype of fusty academics, curators in their 30s and 40s are bringing eclectic backgrounds and a fresh eye to Manhattan’s museums."

Out of Ruin, Haiti's Visionaries: "Many of Haiti’s museums were damaged in the country’s earthquake, but an exhibition scheduled there for 2012 hopes to revive the fortunes of the country’s creators."

On Safari, Off the Beaten Path in Kansas: "A museum dedicated to Martin and Osa Johnson — explorers and household names in the 1920s and ’30s — is finding relevance today."

Don't Think of Them as Mausoleums: "Restaurants and events are attracting increasing numbers of visitors to museums despite the economic downturn."

Museums in the News

2010-03-15T23:57:00.002-04:00

Haven't done a museum news round-up in awhile. As per usual, all news from the NY Times. Enjoy!

Et Tu, British Museum? Coin Commemorating Caesar’s Murder Goes on Display

Switzerland’s Quirky Transportation Museum

Museum Sets Grand Stage for Strings and Horns

Louisiana Museum Confronts Segregation

Take This Museum and Shape It

Museums of Innocence and Bad Art

2010-03-07T21:33:00.001-05:00

(Image from the collection of the Museum of Bad Art)

I found an interesting article the other day via Museumist. Called "The Museum of Innocence and Other Bizarre Art Houses," it highlights a few of the more unusual museums in the U.S., Mexico, and France. Lo and behold - it mentions the Museum of Bad Art, just down the road in Boston. Must make a trip soon . . . Work like the piece above (titled "See Battle") is not to be missed!

Photo-tastic

2010-02-26T21:02:00.003-05:00

I love this idea - New Yorkers who own older buildings are turning to the municipal archives to help guide restoration efforts. According to this article in Preservation Nation,

in the late 1930s, city officials used Works Progress Administration funds to hire dozens of unemployed workers to photograph every single building in the city for the Department of Finance. By 1941, those photographers had taken more than 700,000 pictures.

What a wonderful resource for those who want to attempt a historically sensitive home renovation!

Creative Re-use

2010-02-19T20:44:00.002-05:00

This post from the Smithsonian Museum of American History blog reminded me of the wedding dress exhibit I talked about last month. The Smithsonian post is about the dress above, from the costume collections at the museum.

This dress was made (by the bride) from the parachute her husband used in 1944, jumping from a plane in a night bombing raid over China! Very neat story.

Lincoln's Birthday

2010-02-12T10:11:00.008-05:00

In honor of Lincoln's birthday today, here are some interesting news stories about him over the last year or so. Enjoy!

December 12, 2008: The Literal Powers of Words

May 28, 2009: Letter by Lincoln, Lost for Decades, Is Returned

July 14, 2009: Leading Visitors Through a Historical Journey to a National Heartache

October 8 2009: When Honest Abe Met This Querulous Metropolis

January 15, 2010: Of Mutual Influence: The City and the 16th President

February 7, 2010: Rare Lincoln Items at Historical Society

UPDATE: The National Museum of American History posted today on its Facebook page about an 1860 life mask done of Lincoln. Apparently, when the great man saw it, he said "There is the animal himself!" More info here.

Dire News for State Parks & Historic Sites

2010-02-04T22:51:00.000-05:00

This is bad: History Under Fire. According to the article, from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's magazine, the states of Pennsylvania, California, and Arizona have taken the drastic step of closing some of their state parks. Further, other states are considering the same measures in today's climate of budget tightening and slashing.

As the article describes, some of these parks and sites are being kept open by dedicated volunteers and friends organizations, but many have stayed closed. And the latter adds an unfortunate side effect to an already unfortunate situation - the cumulative effect of being closed for a year or more means that buildings fall into disrepair, staff and supporters drift away, and the community can forget about the site. The article quotes Linda Kaat, a Friend of the Brandywine Battlefield, ""Once they are closed, it is difficult to get sites reopened."

Museophilia

Expect the Unexpected

Sweet, Sweet Daylight

RIP RMS Titanic

Transformation Tech

Home Office Sort-Of-Makeover

A Museum-Only Moment

Unionised

Rhyming & Scheming

Natural Heating

Grey Majesty

The Scuttlebutt

Always Exciting

Holiday Cheer

Solar Flaring

Best Photo So Far

No Plants in the Museum

Never the Same day Twice

Here Comes the Sun

Fall Comes to New England

The Pits

Museum Daily . . . are we even doing this anymore?

Storage Success Stories, Part III

Modern Art

Storage Success Stories, Part II

Topical

Visions of the Past

Whisky History

It's Titled "Apartment Archeology"

The Power of the Third Place

Personal/Professional Connection

A Gaggle of Dustpans

Museum Daily #Who Knows Anymore

They can't be sure . . .

1677 Floor

Bond . . . Crimson Bond

My New Office!

In the Flesh

And One More!

Holding Myself Accountable

Storage Success Stories!

A Month in the Life

Virtual Representation

The Beginning

Shadows & Light

Lunch @ Home

Museum Daily (sort of, kind of)

Work Resolutions

Art Restoration on a Snowy Day

Just for Fun

Museums in the News

To Each His Own Museum, as Identity Goes on Display

The City as It Was, A Web Site Away

Toledo Museum to Return Stolen Artwork

Modern Inspiration

Christmas Spirit

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like . . .

The Many Faces of Museum Work

Appreciation

Off work most of this week . . .

One of THOSE weeks

Museum Daily #24

Museum Daily #23

Back to the Daily Grind

See you next week!

Museum Daily #19, 20, and 21

Museum Daily #18

Museum Daily #17

Museum Daily #16

Museum Daily #15

Museum Daily #14

Museum Daily #13

Museum Daily #12

Museum Daily #11

Museum Daily #10

Museum Daily #9

Museum Daily #8

Museum Daily #7

Museum Daily #6

Museum Daily #5