{"id":1237,"date":"2011-06-23T02:37:04","date_gmt":"2011-06-23T07:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.conservators-converse.org\/?p=1237"},"modified":"2011-06-23T02:37:04","modified_gmt":"2011-06-23T07:37:04","slug":"39th-annual-meeting-objects-session-june-2-the-impact-of-access-partnerships-in-preservation-by-chuna-mcintyre-kelly-mchugh-ainslie-harrison-and-landis-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/2011\/06\/23\/39th-annual-meeting-objects-session-june-2-the-impact-of-access-partnerships-in-preservation-by-chuna-mcintyre-kelly-mchugh-ainslie-harrison-and-landis-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"AIC’s 39th Annual Meeting – Objects Session, June 2, “The Impact of Access: Partnerships in Preservation” by Chuna McIntyre, Kelly McHugh, Ainslie Harrison, and Landis Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

I found this to be a very inspirational and moving talk on many levels, in particular the exemplary collaborative nature of the projects described by Ainslie Harrison and Chuna McIntyre during the second day of the Objects Specialty Group session.\u00a0 Ainslie introduced the subject of ethnographic collection access and the changing nature of access as academic methodologies have evolved within museums.\u00a0 Over the past few decades, museums have become more inclusive through contacting native communities for repatriation, consultation, and advisory committees.\u00a0 These partnerships can offer vast benefits and a dialogue that flows<\/ins> in both directions to preserve both the tangible and intangible aspects of museum collections.<\/p>\n

The 2007 Anchorage Loan Project was the first collaboration between the Smithsonian and Chuna McIntyre, a Central Yup\u2019ik Eskimo born and raised in the village of Eek in southwestern Alaska.\u00a0 Chuna learned his ancient traditions from his grandmother, including dances, songs, and stories of his ancestors.\u00a0 He currently shares his cultural heritage through travels, performances, and Yup\u2019ik language instruction at Stanford University.\u00a0 Ainslie detailed Chuna\u2019s collaboration with the Smithsonian for the upcoming exhibition through several examples, including:<\/p>\n

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  1. A treatment on a pair of dance fans that had lost their plumage.\u00a0 Chuna advised the conservators that a dance fan is designed to move through the space when you are dancing; without its feathers, it becomes a static object devoid of its original purpose.\u00a0 Ainslie outlined the conservators\u2019 concern that traces of the original quills remained inside the holes in the fan and they were hesitant to remove this original material.\u00a0 Thus, a solution was found by designing a plexi backing for the attachment of new feathers.\u00a0 In this way, the original material remained but the meaning and life of the object was restored for the visitor\u2019s experience.<\/li>\n
  2. A wooden Yup\u2019ik diving seal mask had lost appendages (including its four-fingered spirit hand) during its lifetime in the Museum, but the pieces could not be located in storage.\u00a0 Chuna expressed concern that the mask now told a different story, and he was able to carve new appendages that were pegged into the object.\u00a0 The additions are based on photographs of the missing pieces, are reversible, and were documented by the conservators.\u00a0 In addition, the existing feathers were static and old, and Chuna\u2019s first instinct was to replace them.\u00a0 Through his collaborations with conservators he acknowledged that for conservators, if something is intact, it needs to remain on the object.\u00a0 Conservators were able to clean the existing feathers and stabilize other damages to bring the mask back to life.<\/li>\n
  3. While at the Smithsonian, Chuna was able to access objects in the collection for his own study and cultural knowledge.\u00a0 In one cited example, he was able to study a parka and make a glassine pattern to bring home to construct his own parka.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Chuna McIntyre then took the podium with a moving and inspirational combination of personal stories, anecdotes, and treatment examples.\u00a0 He started with a Yup\u2019ik quote, which he translated:\u00a0 \u201cA language is a spiritual mansion from which no one can evict us.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

    He described his feelings during the 1970s when touring the Bronx museum, when he could never get to the other side of the glass to access his ancestor\u2019s objects. \u201cObjects have a way of telling their stories, but they are told front to back, top to bottom, and inside and out.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

    As someone who is constantly thinking of ways we can use digital technology to enhance a visitor\u2019s experience, I was particularly fascinated with Chuna\u2019s view on technology.\u00a0 He said: \u201cThe Yup\u2019iks are not squeamish about using new things.\u00a0 We find them exciting and they help us augment our culture and our place in this universe.\u00a0 We\u2019re all aborigines to this planet.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

    He then described his involvement with the history of Central Yup\u2019ik mask restoration.\u00a0 If an object needs its proper fur and feathers and the object itself is not accessible, then new technology will allow Chuna to virtually restore the object.\u00a0 He cited virtual and physical restoration examples<\/a> from the Fenimore Art Museum<\/a> in Cooperstown, NY and the Arctic Studies center<\/a> at the Smithsonian. \u201dIt is a privilege to work with these objects.\u00a0 These are our world treasures and museums house them.\u00a0 It is a privilege to go to museums and view these objects.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

    Chuna described his experiences visiting sites in Egypt, such as the pyramids and Tutankhamen\u2019s tomb, and relayed his excitement at seeing the pharaoh by saying \u201cI sang to him in Yup\u2019ik, I couldn\u2019t help myself!\u201d<\/em><\/span> He mentioned his impressions of Ankor Wat<\/a>, Petra<\/a>, and Macchu Pichu<\/a>, and that great expanses of the sites were actively restored and maintained.\u00a0 His ancestor\u2019s masks are no different \u2013 they are monuments to his culture \u2013 and should be restored for us and for our future generations.<\/p>\n

    The talk concluded with a traditional Yup\u2019ik song of thanks that Chuna learned from his grandmother:<\/p>\n