Tuesday, May 30, 2006

The Outdoor Classroom

On Friday, May 19, Education Curator Mark Brown participated in the Education Day, an Outdoor Classroom project at the Laurel Sportsplex.

Here, he helps Jones County fourth-graders make a print from a wood-block:


For more information, click here

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Battle for Biloxi - New York Times

Battle for Biloxi - New York Times

From the New York Times Sunday Magazine, what looks to me like a pretty thorough description of the rebuilding process in Biloxi.

* You must register to read articles at nytimes.com, but registration is free.

a little summer reading

Conservation Fiction

The link above goes to a list of fictional works that feature art conservators &/or restorers. The idea of restoring or conserving a painting, that then becomes central to an unfolding mystery, is pretty popular with novelists these days. I'm partial to Iain Pears' art history mysteries, as well. Arturo Perez-Reverte's "The Flanders Panel" is probably one of my favorite books on the list. This list is well-annotated, and you can find a lot of these through your local library.

Jonathan Harr's "The Lost Painting," about the rediscovery of a Caravaggio masterpiece, is non-fiction but reads like a really excellent mystery novel.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Got something cool?

Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Identification and Appraisal of Objects

Here's a link to information about identifying and appraising artworks and other objects. LRMA, like the Smithsonian, does not provide these services at all. This Smithsonian web page should point you in the right direction.

Just in case...

Harpers Ferry Center: Wet Recovery

Hopefully no-one reading this will need this information, but hurricane season is approaching, we just had a nasty rainstorm here in Laurel, and the time seems right for it. Click on the link for information on salvage, recovery, and stabilization of wet paper, artworks, and so forth. Ultimately anything of real value will likely need a professional conservator, but knowing what to do as soon as something gets soaked is essential.

The National Park Service provides a whole line of "conserve-o-grams" which will answer all manner of questions about how to take care of your important stuff.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Only one more week!



"Pinturas de Fe: The Retablo Tradition in Mexico and New Mexico" closes this coming Sunday - May 15. If you've been meaning to get to see the show and just haven't gotten here, your time is running short.

Jim Meade exhibition




On Sunday April 23, the exhibition "Curator's Choice: Jim Meade" opened. We started with a performance by Stephen Redfield (violin) and Theresa Sanchez (piano), who performed a few of Jim Meade's favorite Puccini works. Meade then followed up with a talk about his work and his career, and a walk around the gallery. The show is up through July 2 in the Stairwell Gallery.

Under the Tuscan Moon


On April 21, our Guild of Docents and Volunteers hosted a fundraiser for the Rogers-Green House, the family home of Lauren Rogers that now belongs to LRMA. We use the space for offices, museum events, and private parties. The house, built in 1904, is in excellent condition but of course always needs upkeep. Hence: an annual fundraiser. This year's theme, "Under the Tuscan Moon," resulted in Italian food and gorgeous floral decorations all over the house.

Here, a view of the dining room before the party got started:


Guests examine the artworks in the silent auction:

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Recovering Collections & Artifacts

The Mississippi Department of Archives & History is co-sponsoring a series of workshops for Mississippi residents that might be of interest to many. I'll quote directly from the press release:

"These half-day workshops are open to all Mississippians.... Each session will deal generally with all types of objects but then focus on a particular category. Through lecture, demonstration, and question and answer, participants will learn how to respond promptly and effectively to stabilize damaged objects and then seek further help as necessary."

The schedule is as follows:

Biloxi, Saturdays 9:30 am - 12:00 pm, Margaret S. Sherry Memorial Library
May 20 Textiles & costumes
June 24 Photographs
October 14 Objects (glass, metal, ceramic, leather)
November 18 Furniture and Wooden objects

Jackson, Sundays 1:30 - 4:00 pm, MDAH, Winter Building
May 21 Textiles, costume
June 25 Photographs
September 24 Paintings and painted surfaces

Single sessions will be held in Oxford, Cleveland, Laurel, Columbus, and Natchez.

I wish I had a website to direct you to, but I can't find the schedule anywhere online. The contact person is Eleana Pope at the MDAH. If they put the info online, I'll add a link.