I love Angels Projects. There is nothing precious about them. They are practical, down-to-earth conservation projects in which the rubber meets the road, and they give AIC members a chance to reach out to ordinary people who care passionately about their unique collections. On May 8, 2012, several new Angels earned their wings at the Sandoval County Historical Society, working side by side with volunteers to preserve archives, rolled maps, photographs, and oil paintings.
Sandoval County Historical Society is located in Bernalillo, New Mexico, in the home of artist Edmond DeLavy. DeLavy studied illustration at the Pratt Institute in New York, and following World War II, he moved from Maine to homestead the Bernalillo property: two and a half acres of what had been Santa Ana Pueblo lands. (The tribe is now buying back the surrounding land; they own the successful casino next door.) Before DeLavy’s death in 1989, he bequeathed his adobe home and studio to the local historical society.
Its collection includes dozens of DeLavy’s original paintings and hundreds of photographs documenting the local Spanish villages and Indian pueblos, many of which have been mounted on posterboard. The historical society also collects archival documents, genealogies and family histories, bound volumes for its library, and maps. Its all-volunteer staff includes Martha Liebert, who acts as the archivist, and Dirk van Hart, who has been single-handedly digitizing the society’s photographs. Many of these photos are themselves copies of family pictures belonging to the local people, who often burn the originals after the deaths of those depicted. Often, the Sandoval County Historical Society retains the only images witnessing to the Spanish or Indian heritage of the surrounding families. The posters that illustrate this heritage travel to local schools and service organizations to educate and instill pride in today’s Sandoval County residents.
Last Tuesday, about fifteen volunteers with AIC’s Angels Project joined the society’s volunteers to begin the task of organizing and re-housing its maps, oil paintings, and archives. One team hauled the paintings from their storage closet, where they had been stored in groups in large plastic bags, and rewrapped them individually where necessary. Another team gathered the rolled maps for flattening and rehousing in a map case. A third team, which included me, gathered the society’s most-used archival documents and transferred them from acidic bankers’ boxes to new folders and polyethylene sleeves in alkaline boxes.
As is often the case with Angels Projects, we worked with few tools and a narrow assortment of supplies. We were forced to be creative, and to make efficient use of the short time we were given. The team rehousing the paintings lined them up against the walls and selected the most vulnerable images–for example, those without frames–to wrap in paper. They then returned the paintings to their storage closet, ensuring that no canvases were in danger of denting or stretching. Without a humidity chamber, the map team resorted to mechanical flattening, using stones in polyethylene sandwich bags as weights. Over the course of the morning and afternoon, they gradually unrolled and rehoused all of the society’s rolled maps, which are now stored flat in a dedicated case.
In the archives team, faced with mountains of paper, photos, and newspaper clippings, we debated about how we could be of most use. Should we start an Excel database of each folder? Each item? Should we attempt to reunite loose materials with the folders where they belonged? Where should we start? And how could we include the society’s volunteers, who were desperate to help? Eventually, we decided to begin with the most used materials, and to spend our time removing staples, paper clips, and sticky notes. We rehoused items that had been fastened together in polyethylene sleeves, and we moved sticky notes to sheets of acid-free interleaving folded around the originals. When folders were overstuffed, we subdivided them into new archival folders, and we kept records of the types of materials found in each folder.
More importantly, we sat down with the volunteers and gave them a basic overview of archival maintenance. We explained how fasteners and sticky notes can damage paper and photos in the long term, and offered suggestions for their removal and replacement. We also discussed possible options for cataloging the collection and for storing and backing up its digital images. All afternoon–after a delicious home-cooked lunch of deviled eggs, enchiladas, salads, cakes, and pies provided by the volunteers–we worked side by side to improve the housing and organization of the society’s archives.
The day was a tremendous success, and we all left feeling that we had made a big difference. The work was a reminder that sometimes we need to set aside our conservation ideals–the clean benches, the lab coats, the high-tech gear and the high-brow jargon–for simple conversations. We need to explain what we do and why, in plain language, without condescension. We need to empower other cultural caretakers to do whatever they can for their collections. In short, we need to make colleagues and friends.
Like all Angels Projects, the work with the Sandoval County Historical Society opened a short window in which to build long-lasting connections. We helped its volunteers preserve their own cultural heritage, whether they are rehousing their collections themselves or calling a conservator for advice, guidance, or to undertake a complex treatment. Next year, be an Angel! It might be the best outreach project you’ll ever undertake.
Renee, thanks so much for this summary, I was just trying to remember what we did at the Historical Society and this is so helpful.
I am definitely going to volunteer for an Angels project next year, I love it.