During the Pachacamac project Fran Baas and myself will move, survey, photograph, and rehouse 2800 textiles and 1000 pots (stay tuned for more about the survey process!). In order to complete this immense amount of work, we will be relying on our team of wonderful interns, volunteers, and work studies. While they come from different backgrounds, each of them is interested in some aspect of museum work. Here is a little bit about each member of our team:
Kelsey Wingel and Jacob Bridy photographing ceramics
Jacob Bridy works at the Penn Museum as a work-study employee, meaning that this is part of his education as a student at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in paleobiology. Jacob has been working with Ainslie and Fran on the Pachacamac project since October 2011, mainly helping to photograph and remount the textiles and ceramics from the site. He hopes to someday work in a museum much like this one and is enjoying his experience here.
Kelsey Wingel is a sophomore at the University of Delaware, double-majoring in art conservation and art history. Art conservation first caught her interest in high school when she was assigned a research paper on the Shroud of Turin. Her classes in art history only added to this initial interest. While she has already started honing her treatment skills and learning about preventive conservation in this internship, Kelsey hopes to gain further experience interning over her summer and winter breaks with the final goal of continuing her art conservation education at the graduate level.
Elissa Meyers vacuuming ceramics
Elissa Meyers, a Minnesota native, has her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from The University of the Arts. For the past year and a half she has been working with natural dyes and teaching various workshops on growing and using natural dyes. Her interest in the chemistry and design of objects has given her a deep appreciation for work done in the conservation field. She currently is working to gain the experience necessary to get into a graduate school program for art conservation. Not only is she interning with us on the Pachacamac project, she is also assisting a local conservator in private practice, and the curatorial department at the Franklin Institute.
Natalie Kendall moving ceramics
Natalie Kendall is a University of Delaware student (transferring in the fall of 2012 to another University) working towards an undergraduate degree in Anthropology. After attending an archaeological field school on Catalina Island, Natalie’s interest in prehistoric archaeology became a passion and she is now working towards the goal of becoming an archaeologist. She is volunteering at the Penn Museum to gain hands on experience with artifacts and to learn about the conservation and care they receive after leaving the field.
Conservation of Masks for Maya 2012: Lords of Time
One of the projects that we’re working on in the conservation lab right now is preparations for the Maya 2012: Lords of Time exhibition (opening on May 5th!). We’re currently examining and treating Guatemalan face masks. A common problem that many of these masks have is flaking paint.
Detail showing flaking and lifting paint
Detail of flaking and lifting paint
This is probably the result of frequent overpainting. The masks would have been repainted several times throughout their lives simply to improve their appearance or change the character depicted by the mask altogether.
Overall image of 48-4-14
Detail showing the paint layers of 48-4-14
Because these masks will be going on display here at the Penn Museum and will be travelling to other museums for this exhibit, it’s important to stabilize sensitive areas and prevent any further flaking. For this task, we’re using sturgeon glue (also known as isinglass). The glue is made from swim bladders (so called because they enable fish to swim) of the Russian beluga sturgeon that lives in the fresh waters of the Caspian and Black seas. Check out the size of these fish!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUY1_i9DD4E . Ah, the conservator’s toolkit is full of fun things!
Internal Fish Anatomy from: http://www.iowas.co.uk/fish%20anatomy.html
In addition to treating these masks, we have also enjoyed looking at how they were used. As a single mask, or even as a group, it is easy to forget that these were part of a much larger whole, a costume, a dance, and a performance.
Dancers in Antigua Guatemala on New Years Eve 2004/05
Dancers in Antigua Guatemala on New Years Eve 2004/05
These dances and masks are connected to local folk lore and history. When examining the masks we found labels on the backs that often identified them as characters or as figures from history. For example, one mask is labeled as being Pedro de Alvarado, a Spanish conquistador who was involved in the conquest of Guatemala, while others are princes, and even sorcerers. We also have a mask labeled Tecun Uman, a Maya prince who fought against and was ultimately defeated by Pedro de Alvarado.
Three masks of Pedro de Alvarado (left), a Prince (center), and a sorcerer (right)
This video shows the dance of the conquest performed in Chichicastenango Guatemala, and also has interesting interviews (in Spanish) about the dance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8xM10JF7Ck&feature=related
This video shows the dance of the conquest as well as the dance of the deer in Saquija Cahabon Guatemala.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0unnC49cak&feature=related