Registration Internship at the Chrysler

An exciting look into my summer as a registration intern at the Chrysler Museum of Art

[jamesusilljournal]

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1652

[imonthebubble]

You can do it. Just begin.

Bernini started with this

Van Gogh started with this

Walt Disney started with this

JK Rowling started with this

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”–Plato 

Even when you think you can’t, you CAN. Just begin. 

[chryslerintern-reg2019]

Week 6-7

Wow, it’s been a while since my last post! Week 6 was a short week due to the Fourth of July holiday, but lots of good things still happened at the museum. While my main focus has been on completing the data dictionary project, I was able to take a break from it briefly when a scholar from Slovenia visited us to see a Parodi bust from the 17th century. If I can recall correctly, the scholar specialized in Italian sculptures and needed to see the Parodi bust in person to better understand the technique in its creation. Pictured below is the scholar with our conservator and the director of the museum discussing the previous restoration work that may have happened to the bust prior to the Chrysler’s accessioning. 

After the scholar was done viewing the bust, my supervisor Ali and I took him to see the rest of our sculptures on view (specifically the Bernini sculpture), which was nice because the museum was closed to the public that day and the scholar was able to see the galleries in a more intimate setting. As expected, the scholar was very knowledgeable about Italian sculptures and provided us with a lot of background information as we were walking through the galleries. Before he left we also showed him the storage area where we keep the sculptures that are currently not on view, which he appreciated. While this experience may see simple, I actually enjoyed seeing how a registrar hosts a visiting scholar. From a registrar perspective, I think it’s wonderful that we are able to share our collection and the knowledge attached to it to the academic community because the findings that come out of the research will enhance our understanding of the object, which will also be shared publicly. And if there’s one thing to take away from this blog, it’s the importance of providing accessibility to the public! 

Another fun experience I had during Week 6 was getting training on condition reporting from our conservator, Mark Lewis. From my previous posts, you’ve seen my first experiences in observing and then actually doing condition reports for works on paper and photographs. Mark Lewis specializes in conserving paintings, so this was an incredible opportunity to learn from an expert! During my lesson, Mark showed me that there are three separate things to report on when assessing the condition of a painting: the frame, the support (i.e. canvas), and the painting itself. I learned what to look for, potential causes of damages, and how to write a report on my findings. It was a very informative session and I’m glad I was able to learn about condition reporting with a real painting that had recently been restored. Below is the painting we used for the lesson and a printed photo copy of the image used to map specific areas of concern for a condition report. 

Finally, this past week (Week 7) has been all about the data dictionary. A meeting with the registration department was set up so that I could update the staff on the progress of my project and clarify any questions I had in regards to the standardization of particular fields within the database. So far, I have just under 230 fields in the data dictionary, and even though we didn’t review each field, the meeting still took two hours! It was a long but productive meeting discussing how the department wanted to standardize certain elements within the database. I then edited the data dictionary according to the decisions made in the meeting and will continue to work on completing the project for the remainder of the internship!

I can’t believe I have two weeks left! Time has flown by! 

[brooklynmuseum]

With the arrival of Pride Weekend, the Brooklyn Museum is proudly flying Phil America‘s Colors of Progress flag that reads “MAKE ROOM FOR OUR POC YOUTH ELDERS AND DISABLED.” Our very own Levi Narine, Teen Programs Assistant and organizer of the Resource Room in Nobody Promised You Tomorrow, contributed this charged call to create intersectional, intergenerational, and interabled spaces. On view through the weekend, Colors of Progress honors of the sacrifices and accomplishments made by the LGBTQ+ community since the Stonewall Uprising. 

Colors of Progress, 2019. Phil America. Producer: Tre Borden. Photo: Jonathan Dorado

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Week 5

We’re five weeks into this internship and I’m really getting into the rhythm of the museum. I enjoy coming through the back entrance every morning, saying hi to the security personnel, and making my way to the registrar department where I will check my email and get straight to work on my projects. And while the day usually always starts out as planned, there always seems to be something unexpected that comes up that the registration department needs to take care of. I’ll plan on working on my data dictionary all day, but then the department will need to help other departments prepare object files for an upcoming exhibition, transfer object locations, authorize incoming objects, etc. It seems as though the registrar wears many hats in the museum and they must always be prepared to switch gears at a moment’s notice. 

While the events this week weren’t unexpected, there did seem to be a sense of chaos in our department. On Monday we had a scholar come in to review an object in our collection called the Book of Hours from the late 15th century. The scholar wanted to review areas of the book’s pages that had evidences of erased markings. The scholar used a blue light to see the erased markings although it wasn’t always clear what was originally written on the page. Since a certain page in the book has been on display in the museum for some time, the curatorial department decided to change the page to display so that previously shown page could rest. Below is a photo of the scholar visiting the museum’s conservation lab and a video of our associate registrar finding the page that will now be displayed. 

The curatorial department was also preparing for the quarterly Collections Committee Meeting that happened on Thursday. In a Collections Committee Meeting, new objects are presented to the committee for approval to accession into the museum’s collection (whether by gift, purchase, etc.). In order for the committee to approve the object in question, the curator needs to do research and come up with a justification for acquiring the piece. A justification can include the importance or rarity of the piece and how it will enhance the museum’s collection and mission. Since the registration department cares for the museum’s collection, the registrars work with the curators in creating and editing the temporary object record and making sure the tombstone information of the object is correct on the meeting’s agenda. I was fortunate enough to observe this meeting and learned a lot about the hard work that goes into preparing for the meeting and the process of accessioning an object into the collection. Below is a photo of our curator Seth presenting a collection of photographs to the committee.

That same day, I also had the opportunity to observe a Board of Trustees meeting. It was quite interesting to watch the meeting as I recalled our museum director, Erik Neil, discuss how a board is formed and what the board’s responsibilities are to the museum in an info session a few weeks prior. I was surprised to see how many people were on the board and how many items they needed to discuss throughout their meeting. The meeting was 1.5 hours long and they definitely did not let one minute go to waste! Some of the things they went over included reports on finance, development, collections, communications, future land plans, governance, and an update from the director. The meetings I attended on Thursday were very informative from a museum studies perspective as I learned a lot about how a mid-size museum operates and I’m glad that I was able to attend both!

While I’ve been chucking away at the data dictionary this week (which now has over 200 data elements I need to account for!), I was lucky enough to take a little break from it at the Glass Studio where my fellow interns and I learned how to make a paperweight! I won’t go into the details of how to make a paperweight, but I will say that it’s really fun and super HOT! Check out some photos of me making my paperweight below:

Well, that’s all for now museum lovers!

Jen

[historyofartdaily]

a big monday mood 

(source)

[chryslerintern-reg2019]

Happy Monday! 

[brooklynmuseum]

Upcoming Shows Through June 2019

We’re pleased to announce our advance schedule of exhibitions through June 2019, including a major show dedicated to the work and life of Mexican modernist, Frida Kahlo; a number of focused and emerging artist presentations; and the first-ever survey exhibition to explore the color work of twentieth-century photographer Garry Winogrand. In addition, and in conjunction with the citywide commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, we will showcase a group of more than twenty contemporary LGBTQ+ artists working in response to the legacy of the riots.

“We’re incredibly excited for a roster of exhibitions next season that underpin our mission to be a catalyst for courageous conversations about art and our world,” says Anne Pasternak, Shelby White and Leon Levy Director, Brooklyn Museum. “We’ll be showcasing rarely seen aspects of our incredible collection, highlighting iconic twentieth-century master artists like Frida Kahlo and Garry Winogrand, and giving special attention to emerging talents Eric N. Mack and Liz Johnson Artur, who share our values to expand the art historical canon.”

Eric N. Mack: Lemme walk across the room January 11–July 7, 2019 Great Hall, 1st Floor

We spotlight emerging artist Eric N. Mack in his first solo museum show in New York City. Mack will transform our Great Hall with a site-responsive installation of new and existing textile-based works hung, mounted, and draped in rich conversation with the classical architecture of the space. Mack presents painting as a living and multisensory practice. His work explores the boundaries of painting, sculpture, and fashion, and dynamically reflects and reframes everyday experience. Fashion and musical performance components further activate the exhibition.

Eric N. Mack: Lemme walk across the room is curated by Ashley James, Assistant Curator, Contemporary Art, Brooklyn Museum. This emerging artist is presented at the Brooklyn Museum with the support of Deutsche Bank.

Eric Mack in his studio, 2018. Digital photograph. (Photo: Lula Hyers, © Lula Hyers)

Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving February 8–May 12, 2019   Robert E. Blum Gallery, 1st Floor

Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving is the largest U.S. exhibition in ten years devoted to the art and life of Frida Kahlo, and the first in the United States to display a collection of her personal possessions from the Casa Azul (Blue House), the artist’s lifelong home in Mexico City. The objects, ranging from clothing, jewelry, and cosmetics to letters and orthopedic corsets, will be presented alongside works by Kahlo—including ten key paintings and a selection of drawings—as well as photographs of the artist, all from the celebrated Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art. Related historical film and ephemera, as well as objects from our extensive holdings of Mesoamerican art, are also included. Offering an intimate glimpse into the artist’s life, Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving explores how politics, gender, clothing, national identities, and disability played a part in defining Kahlo’s self-presentation in her work and life.

General ticketing is officially open—book your advance ticket now!

As always, Members see it free. Simply purchase a Membership and ticket bundle when reserving to access complimentary tickets.

Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving is organized by Catherine Morris, Sackler Senior Curator for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, and Lisa Small, Senior Curator, European Art, Brooklyn Museum, and is based on an exhibition at the V&A London. The Brooklyn exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Banco de México Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, and The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and The Vergel Foundation.

Nickolas Muray (American, born Hungary, 1892–1965). Frida in New York, 1946; printed 2006. Carbon pigment print, image: 14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum; Emily Winthrop Miles Fund, 2010.80. Photo by Nickolas Muray, © Nickolas Muray Photo Archive. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

One: Egúngún February 8–August 18, 2019   Ingrassia Galleries, 4th Floor

Focusing on a highlight from our renowned collection of historical African arts, One: Egúngún tells the life story of a singular early twentieth-century Yorùbá masquerade costume (egúngún). Using new research and multiple perspectives, the presentation emphasizes the global connections and contemporary contexts of African masquerades. Made during the early twentieth century in southwestern Nigeria, this egúngún is composed of over three hundred different textiles from Africa, Europe, and Asia, which swirl in motion during festival dances honoring departed ancestors. Also on view are four distinctive West African textiles and garments that demonstrate the role of cloth in Yorùbá belief and aesthetics. The presentation is accompanied by photographs and footage of Yorùbá masquerade festivals; related textiles; and filmed interviews with Nigerian scholars, contemporary artists, and masquerade practitioners. At their request, this exhibition will honor the name of the Lekewọgbẹ family of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́—the makers of this mask—by telling the story of their family’s masquerade heritage in their own words, incorporating video filmed at their compound in August 2018.

One: Egúngún is curated by Kristen Windmuller-Luna, Sills Family Consulting Curator, African Arts, Brooklyn Museum. One Brooklyn is made possible by a generous contribution from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Yorùbá artist. Egúngún Masquerade Dance Costume (paka egúngún), circa 1920–48. Lekewọgbẹ compound, Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́, Ọ̀yọ́ State, Nigeria. Cotton, wool, wood, silk, synthetic textiles (including viscose rayon and acetate), indigo dye, and aluminum, 58 x 7 x 70 in. (147.3 x 17.8 x 177.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Sam Hilu, 1998.125

Garry Winogrand: Color May 3–August 18, 2019   Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing, 4th Floor

Garry Winogrand: Color is the first-ever exhibition dedicated to the nearly forgotten color photographs of Garry Winogrand (1928–1984), one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century. The presentation will feature an installation of slide shows comprising more than 400 rarely or never-before-seen photographs that demonstrate the artist’s commitment to and experiments with color. Though primarily known for his black-and-white images that pioneered a “snapshot aesthetic” in contemporary art, Winogrand also produced more than 45,000 color slides between the early 1950s and late 1960s. In 1967 he included a projection of 80 color transparencies in the landmark exhibition New Documents at the Museum of Modern Art, though the installation was removed after the projector malfunctioned and little is known about its content. Our exhibition includes rotating projections of the lush color photographs Winogrand took of New York City and elsewhere in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. By presenting this group of largely unknown color work, the exhibition sheds new light on the development of color photography before 1970.

Garry Winogrand: Color is curated by Drew Sawyer, Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Curator of Photography, Brooklyn Museum, with Michael Almereyda and Susan Kismaric. Leadership support for this exhibition is provided by Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Charitable Trust.

Garry Winogrand (American, 1928-84). Untitled (New York), 1960. 35mm color slide. Collection of the Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona. © The Estate of Garry Winogrand, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco

Liz Johnson Artur May 3–August 18, 2019   Ingrassia Galleries, 4th Floor

For more than thirty years, Liz Johnson Artur has been creating a photographic representation of people of African descent across the globe. The Russian-Ghanaian artist’s intimate pictures capture the everyday beauty and distinctiveness of individuals and communities that she has encountered on the streets, in restaurants and clubs, or at public gatherings. Johnson Artur’s first solo museum exhibition will present an installation of photographs, sketchbooks, and films drawn from the London-based photographer’s vast “Black Balloon Archive,” which she began during a trip to Brooklyn in 1986.

Liz Johnson Artur is curated by Drew Sawyer, Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Curator of Photography, Brooklyn Museum. This emerging artist is presented at the Brooklyn Museum with the support of Deutsche Bank

Liz Johnson Artur (Russian-Ghanaian, born 1964). Brother Michael Peckham, 2013. chromogenic print, 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm). © Liz Johnson Artur

“Nobody Promised You Tomorrow": Art 50 Years After Stonewall May 3–December 8, 2019   Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, 4th Floor

“Nobody Promised You Tomorrow”: Art 50 Years After Stonewall presents a group of more than twenty LGBTQ+ artists born after the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and working, five decades later, in the hometown of the riots. Borrowing its title from the rallying words of transgender artist and activist Marsha P. Johnson, “Nobody Promised You Tomorrow” commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the multiday rebellion, which was ignited by a routine police raid on a New York City gay bar, The Stonewall Inn, by exploring its profound legacy in contemporary art and visual culture. The exhibition aims to expand our understanding of the Stonewall Uprising beyond the image of protesters in the streets to consider the everyday acts of care that underpin such public activism. The featured artists form part of the vanguard of queer artistic production, and include Mark Aguhar, Felipe Baeza, David Antonio Cruz, Mohammed Fayaz, Juliana Huxtable, Linda LaBeija, Elle Pérez, Tuesday Smillie, Tourmaline, and Sasha Wortzel, among others.

“Nobody Promised You Tomorrow”: Art 50 Years After Stonewall is curated by Margo Cohen Ristorucci, Public Programs Coordinator; Lindsay C. Harris, Teen Programs Manager; Carmen Hermo, Associate Curator, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; Allie Rickard, Curatorial Assistant, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; and Lauren Argentina Zelaya, Assistant Curator, Public Programs, Brooklyn Museum.

Tuesday Smillie (American, born 1981). S.T.A.R., 2012. Watercolor, collage on board, 9 ½ x 11 in. (24.1 x 27.9 cm). Courtesy of the Artist. © Tuesday Smillie

Rembrandt to Picasso: Five Centuries of European Works on Paper June 21–October 13, 2019   Robert E. Blum Gallery, 1st Floor

Marking more than a hundred years of collecting European works on paper, we celebrate masterworks from our collection—many on view for the first time—in Rembrandt to Picasso: Five Centuries of European Works on Paper. Ranging from spontaneous preliminary studies to fully realized compositions, the works on view will feature intimate portraits, biting social satire, fantastical visions, vivid landscapes, and more, arranged thematically to emphasize affinities and ruptures across centuries of artistic practice. The exhibition will include over 120 works by William Blake, Rosa Bonheur, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Albrecht Dürer, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Paul Gauguin, Francisco Goya, Vincent van Gogh, William Hogarth, Kathe Kollwitz, Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, among others.

Rembrandt to Picasso: Five Centuries of European Works on Paper is curated by Lisa Small, Senior Curator, European Art, Brooklyn Museum.

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973). Head of a Young Man (Tête de Jeune Homme), 1923. Grease crayon on pink Michallet laid paper. Brooklyn Museum; Carll H. de Silver Fund, 39.18. © 2018 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

One: Titus Kaphar June 21–October 13, 2019   Robert E. Blum Gallery, 1st Floor

Opening in conversation with Rembrandt to Picasso: Five Centuries of European Works on Paper is Titus Kaphar’s large-scale painting, Shifting the Gaze, famously completed live onstage during a TED talk in April 2017. The work is based on a seventeenth-century Dutch painting by Frans Hals, and powerfully reconsiders the representation of Black people in the history of Western art. In completing the work, Kaphar painted over a Caucasian European family in broad white strokes, thereby shifting our focus onto a young Black servant and drawing attention to those who have traditionally gone unseen and unheard. One: Titus Kaphar is part of our ongoing One Brooklyn series, in which each exhibition focuses on an individual work chosen from our encyclopedic collection, revealing the many stories woven into a single work of art.

One: Titus Kaphar is curated by Eugenie Tsai, John and Barbara Vogelstein Senior Curator, Contemporary Art, Brooklyn Museum. One Brooklyn is made possible by a generous contribution from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Titus Kaphar (American, born 1976). Shifting the Gaze, 2017. Oil on canvas. Brooklyn Museum, William K. Jacobs Jr., Fund, 2017.34. © Titus Kaphar. (Photo: Courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery)

See you soon!

Top Image: Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954). Self-Portrait with a Necklace, 1933. Oil on metal, 13 ¾ x 11 in. (35 x 29 cm). The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation. © 2018 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 

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Week 4

I’ve been out of town for most of the week driving my family’s car back to Chicago, so there isn’t much to report. Although this isn’t completely related to the Chrysler Museum, it is related to some artwork we have in our collection. Last week on my way to Chicago I took a detour to Pittsburgh and visited The Andy Warhol Museum for the first time. I had a wonderful time exploring all seven floors of the museum and learning about Warhol’s life and his experimentation with various art mediums. Unfortunately, the famed Marilyn Monroe piece was not on display but I did see so many other great works of his. Check out a few of my favorites below!

I have to say that my all-time favorite work was the screen test of Salvador Dali, which I took a 15 second clip of.

I’ve been catching up on a lot of work since my return to the museum yesterday. I feel as though the weeks are just flying by and I won’t be able to complete my intern projects! Lately my priority is working on filling out the data dictionary. There are 172 data elements that I need to specify how to properly enter the information into the TMS database. It’s meticulous work, but it needs to get done! 

Yesterday I helped Ali with a newly accessioned photograph by Greta Pratt. Part of a registrar’s job is to track all incoming and outgoing artwork into the building. Ali and I greeted Greta at the entrance and helped her bring the large photograph in for review before it officially gets accessioned by the museum. Pictured below is a photo of our curator, Seth, with the artist as they review the new photograph. 

And even though I was only in the office two days this week, I definitely made up the work today! This morning I assisted in doing condition reports for the watercolor exhibition that will soon be deinstalled. Objects that are put up for exhibitions whether they are part of the museum’s collection or loans from outside institutions need to be assessed for their current condition as they both enter and exit the museum/exhibition. This was a great way to practice my condition reporting skills! As registrars you need to check for any areas of concern for the object including any lifting or warping of material, foreign objects on the object or its support, discoloration, and any other type of damage that may have occurred before or during its time at the museum/exhibition. The documentation of this is essential for both liability and conservation purposes. You need to have great lighting (but if you’re in a pinch you can use your phone’s flashlight, which we did in the gallery) and a sharp eye (which comes with practice). I’ll be training on condition reporting more throughout the remainder of my internship (specifically with paintings), so I was thrilled to get a head start!

Lastly, I worked on a collection of ten photographs by Joe Maloney for an upcoming exhibition (a couple photos will be chosen for the show). I had to measure the dimensions, write up a description for the image, gather information about the inscriptions on the back of the photos, and do a condition report. This all took quite a bit of time as I wanted to make sure everything was accurate because I had to create object records for each photograph in our database, which the public would have access to. I really enjoyed this project because I haven’t had the chance to catalog important data elements in the database such as the description of the object. It may sound trivial, but a proper description of an object is critical in the event that a photograph of the object is lost and the only way to determine what the object looks like is by its written description.

I’m adding to my repetoire of skills every day in this internship and I’m loving it!

[rickstevensart]

opening June 28th!

[brooklynmuseum]

We warned you, the BKM Staff loves their Art Memes. Thus, Art Meme Mondays.

Join in by browsing our digital collections and memeing one of your own—and don’t forget to tag us @brooklynmuseum​!

Samuel Colman (British, 1780-1845). The Edge of Doom, 1836-1838. Memed by Sam Kelly

[chryslerintern-reg2019]

Lol Brooklyn Museum shares the best art memes. Happy Friday!

[chryslerintern-reg2019]

Week 3

Another week down and more registration experiences had! Monday was by far the most interesting day I had this week since so many unexpected things happened. I thought I would be working on my intern projects as usual, and while I was able to make some strides on my work throughout the day I was also able to assist the registration department in some exciting tasks. 

Before I get in to that I would like to proudly announce that I entered the final dimensions of the 362 Bruce Davidson photos into the TMS database. Woohoo! It’s a small victory but one that I will gladly take as it feels like it’s been hanging over my head for the past couple months. I started out by helping our registrar, Melanie, enter the dimensions into TMS as she was measuring the photos and calling out the numbers to me (while I was still a volunteer). Not long after, I was able to take the measurements of the photos along side Melanie so we could tackle the project faster. I must admit, however, I was not as quick in measuring the photos at first. I wanted to make sure I had the exact dimensions right and kept on double checking my work, which probably slowed the process down a bit. It was definitely a learning moment for me because from then on I learned to just be confident in my measurements and move on to the next photo. Just before I started the internship, I was given the opportunity to work on measuring the photos and entering them into TMS solo. It felt so wonderful knowing the registration department trusted me to handle the photos properly and take the measurements accurately. And a couple of solo sessions later the project is finally complete! I know that I probably shouldn’t be so excited about completing the data on a batch of objects since that is precisely part of a registrar’s job, but I think in this instance it’s a little more special to me because of the progress I made as an aspiring registrar/collections manager. I started out with just observing our registrar take the measurements and entering them into the database for her to doing the entire process on my own! I love how much I am growing as a registrar here at the Chrysler! 

Now on to the other fun things that happened this week! On Monday the registration team helped the art handlers de-install the Nick Cave piece entitled “Soundsuit” in order to give the artwork a rest (especially since it contains textiles) and to display other objects in our collection. It was my first time de-installing a piece and handling an object that was not a photograph, so it was an interesting experience. Some things I observed in the process: wearing gloves is crucial so the natural oils on your hands don’t contaminate the object, strategize how to dismantle the object and make a clear path so it’s easy to transport, and having extra hands and sets of eyes are always helpful (as long as they are trained in object handling and know what to look out for). I’ve learned these things from my collections management class but it was very cool seeing it all in action! 

Later that day, our associate registrar, Ali, had to open a safe in our storage to retrieve a coin that needed conservation work. Security is certainly crucial when dealing with museum objects and the registrar plays an important role in the process, so it was great learning about the Chrysler’s security procedures for this task. The coin we pulled out from storage was a 1838 copper token from the Anti-Slavery Society with an inscription that reads: “AM I NOT A WOMAN AND A SISTER”. 

At the end of the day, a UC Berkeley Egyptologist that visited the museum last week came back to take detailed photos of the sarcophogi that we have in our collection. The photos he took that day will be used to create 3D models of the sarcophogi for research purposes. Ali and I assisted and monitored the Egyptologist while he was photographing the objects. I’ve learned that as a registrar you not only have to coordinate with those who wish to see an object up close for academic purposes, but to also monitor them while they do it for the protection of the object. I didn’t realize that this was part of a registrar’s job, but it definitely makes sense! Museums are all about providing education and access to the public when it comes to their collection, so allowing a researcher to come and analyze an object certainly fits the bill. 

Not too shabby for a Monday, huh? And the rest of the week has been going just as well! Ali and I are currently collaborating with the Corning Museum of Glass to discuss how we can better catalog our glass collection (specifically when it comes to glass nomenclature). We’ve realized there seems to be a bit of a gap in nomenclature within the academic realm of glass so we’re working with our glass curator, Carrie, to address it in our collection. In other news, the Eric Carle exhibition opens tonight!

[artlgbt]

Frida Kahlo.

[chryslerintern-reg2019]

Happy Pride Month! Frida Kahlo with Chavela Vargas.

[catchymemes]

[chryslerintern-reg2019]

Well that’s one way of looking at it lol...must be difficult to catalog this collection! 

[chryslerintern-reg2019]

Week 2

How can it only be Week 2 of this internship and I’ve already learned so much?! My days at the Chrysler have been filled with many exciting things and I’m understanding more and more about how a museum operates and how the registration departments takes part in its success. I’ve sat in on meetings focused on preparations for upcoming exhibitions (one for glass and the other for a photographs) and I’ve learned that the registration team is an integral part of the planning process. Registrars assist curators in the planning of exhibitions in a number of ways: gathering information for the desired objects within the collection, providing insight for the details of an incoming exhibition (i.e. packing and transportation, copyrights, etc.), and offering suggestions about the care of the objects before they are put on display. This week I was involved with the latter. 

I helped Ali, the associate registrar and my supervisor, find the storage location of 73 photographs that will potentially be used for an upcoming exhibition and made sure the photographs were in good condition and at least matted if not framed. We took measurements of the matted photos so they can be outfitted for frames, documented our notes, and sent the suggestions to the curator  (who will be involved in deciding if they will use the photo) and the art handlers (who will be matting the photos and properly placing them in the frames). I really enjoy this aspect of collections management/registration because I get to work with objects in person and receive the object-handling experience I need to do this job well. 

Another project I started on this week was the handbook (which I will now refer to as the data dictionary) for standardizing object record data in the database system. I went through the TMS database and began gathering information regarding the data fields that are typically used for cataloging an object. Fields such as “title”, “date”, “culture”, “object description”, etc. need standards by which a staff member can easily understand how to fill out the data element. I will be using museum cataloging standards along with the department’s preferences to create a data dictionary that staff members can refer to when necessary. It’s quite a process, but well worth it!

We also took our first intern field trip yesterday to the Muscarelle Museum of Art in Williamsburg, VA to learn about their community efforts in educating the public about art. Our group also had the opportunity to take part in a community art project for the Director of Engagement and Distinguished Artist in Residence of the Muscarelle Museum, Steve Prince. We were given pieces of wood and had to create our own design related to the concept of “1619-2019″ (when the first African slaves arrived in Virginia to today). We used the woodcut relief process to create our designs, which will then be pieced together with other community members’ work so that it can be printed on a large steam roller. It was such a cool experience and I’m glad I was able to participate in this meaningful work! 

And last but not least, I FINALLY finished taking measurements for the 362 Bruce Davidson photos we acquired recently. I started this task a couple months ago (when I was a volunteer for the Chrysler) and completed the project yesterday after the field trip. Now I just need to enter the last batch of dimensions into our TMS database! 

Until next time, museum lovers!

Jen

[aal-archaeology]

The “Archaeology/ History Jokes & Puns (Or GTFO)” page on Facebook is truly incredible

[chryslerintern-reg2019]

We had a researcher from UC Berkley visit us yesterday at the Chrysler Museum to see the sarchophogi in our collection!

[classicarte]

Soirée d'Été Nordique (Nordic Summer Evening) Sven Bergh Richard, ca. 1899/90

[chryslerintern-reg2019]

Summer came early in Hampton Roads and even though the heat has been unbearable in the day I’m looking forward to all the lazy summer nights to come!

[romegreeceart]

Rome: 2nd-century mosaics unearthed during the construction works of Metro Line C (2016, Click the source link if you want to see more photos)