Tuesday, October 25, 2011
    It's back to work at the museum today!  Play time is over.  There is a web site to build!  I have spend this week, Tuesday through Friday in meetings discussing the new NEQM web site and researching technology for building it.  I seriously considered Drupal because it offers so much flexibility and that type of modular approach is the wave of the future.  But Drupal is pretty intense and the learning curve is pretty big.  I would need someone to help me, and/or some training materials that would have to be purchased.  The museum has no budget for that. 
    I looked at some other web builders, which quite frankly are everywhere -- all over the net.  Some of them look pretty good, but they all seem to require that you host with the company offering the web builder.  I don't think it's wise to get locked into a hosting company.  Things change, and we can't predict what the museum's web needs will be in two or three years.  I don't want them to be in a position where they are forced into making changes they may not want to make.  

Finally, I think I have found something that will work well.  Joomla! is similar to Drupal, but not as high level.  It requires no coding knowledge, although you can alter the code for certain effects if you know how.  The web has an abundance of teaching tools and videos that are all free.  I have a host that caters to Joomla! and will give support for Joomla! sites in addition to the support they offer for hosting.  I have watched some videos and started building a test site to see how the system works.  I like the idea of being able to add extensions and endless functionality.  I think it will help the museum keep their site fresh as time goes along. 
     I am also helping the museum librarian, Martha Supnik, find software that will allow their book database to be searched on-line from the web site.  This library has many thousands of books.  They lend to museum members.  They also have a perpetual yard sale.  Any books donated to the library that are duplicates are for sale for $5 or $10.  So far, we are still in the software  learn and search mode.  Martha has found a library package she thinks she might like, but isn't sure.  She would like to test it out before committing.  I found that the Guggenheim Museum uses both Joomla! and the library software she likes.  Maybe that will help her decide. I was really hoping she would like a Joomla! extension that was designed for a library search.  Unfortunately, she really didn't care for it, although I thought it had all the function she needs.

    We toured the Salem Towne House, built in 1796 and moved to Old Sturbridge Village in 1952.  I was surprised by how nice it was.  There was lots and lots of wallpaper! There was a carpet in the front parlor.  The pattern was a repeated block and looked like quilt squares to me.  In the center hall and dining room there was canvas on the floor that had been painted to look like carpet.  Interesting to see that.  The guide said the home would have belonged to an upper middle class family.  It was very, very nice.  There were quilts on the beds up stairs, but we couldn't get close enough to see them very well. 

Thursday, October 20, 2011
     New York City is always a hustle bustle place and today was no different.  We drove into the city and luckily finally found a place to park that wasn't too far from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, our first destination.  It was a beautiful day and we saw everything from the Naked Cowboy singing in Times Square to a police officer on horseback to various musicians playing on the street corners.  In fact, there was a group that was singing in front of the Met.     

Faith Ringgold's  9/11 Peace Story Quilt was the first place we went.  This "story" quilt was three panels hung side by side.  It was designed in collaboration with New York City students.  Reactions to the events of 9/11 are recorded in the words and images from children ages eight through nineteen.   The overall message is one of hope and peace with a united world. 
    The exhibition Arts of Korea/Patchwork Textiles was our next destination.  These pieces, some contemporary, were beautiful and fascinating.  The stitches were tiny, tiny, and the motifs beautifully executed.  Although the name of the exhibition leads you to believe the objects will all be Korean, it also includes textiles from China, and Peru.  An Amish quilt from the United States was included to illustrate its similarity to some of the Korean pieces.  The interesting question is: how did these both develop in cultures that were not connected? 
     Unfortunately for us, we didn't have nearly enough time to spend at the Met.  However, just being in the building is exciting and intriguing.  It is so grand, so busy, so varied in its many offerings.  Everywhere you turn is something else more fascinating than the last.  When we walked from the Ringgold exhibit to the Korean textile exhibit, we literally went from one end of the museum to the other.  In between we went through the ancient near eastern art, the Asian, (last time I was at the Met I hung out there LOVE IT!), and Egyptian galleries.  It was absolute torture to have only a few short moments here and there to stop and enjoy these objects.  It was all about the parking!  We had a parking place on the street about six blocks away.  God forbid, we didn't want a ticket! We could have parked in the Met's garage, but thought $15 per hour was outrageous.  However, we saw other garages later in the day with rates up to $30 - yes, that is for each and every hour that they mind your auto!  That makes my head spin! 

Today was a busy day at the NEQM.  We are hosting a symposium with the American Textile History Museum tomorrow, Fabrics, Fashions, and Quilts: From the Armistice to Pearl Harbor.  Collections Manager Laura Lane and I changed out some objects in the permanent gallery.  We replaced quilts in the drawers of a dresser with fabrics, catalogs, and patterns from the 1930s.  These drawers are covered with plexi-glass, so they serve as another type of display case.  I learned a new word today: ephemera, which I thought referred to these miscellaneous objects.  But when I looked it up, the dictionary says "items designed to be useful or important for only a short time, especially pamphlets, notices, tickets, etc." So I guess it might be used because we only have these objects out temporarily. 
     We also brought about 15 or so period quilts upstairs from the collections vault and stacked them flat for a "quilt turning" tomorrow. Marikay Waldvogel, our keynote speaker, arrived in the early afternoon.  We all worked together putting out the quilts and arranging some artifacts.  We  had fun looking through some recently donated scrapbooks of pamphlets, and newspaper and magazine articles and patterns dating back to the 1920s and 1930s.  It was a treat to meet Marikay because she is a knowledgeable and respected authority in the field of historical quilts, patterns, designers, etc. She is a lecturer and has authored several scholarly articles and books.  I have read some of her articles as part of my coursework.  And wouldn't you know it, Mariy Kay is a Missouri girl just like me!

This is bobbin lace that is in process.  The "pins" or bobbins are put in place on a pillow and thread is worked in a pattern.  You can see on the left side of the image the finished lace.  As the lace is finished, the bobbins are removed and placed on the other end so the lace is continuous.  I took this image today at Whipple House circa 1677 in Ipswich.  Ipswich was known for its lace making which was done by hand in the home.  It was a skill that was brought from England and passed from mother to daughter.  In mid 18th Century, lace making became an industry and women could trade a cord of wood or sixteen pounds of sheep's wool for a yard of lace. It was in style and sought after by the wealthy.  George Washington visited Ipswich to pay tribute to their lace making in 1789.  He took some black lace home to Martha!  By 1821, machinery to produce lace was imported from England.  Now that it was machine made, lace became less luxurious and lost its social prestige now that it was available to almost everyone.  While I was at Whipple House and Heard House circa 1800, I noticed a number of framed embroidered pieces.  I was pleasantly surprised, and would like to know more about them. 
     You know what they say: when in Rome, do what the Romans do.  So, of course I had to get some clams from Ipswich.  I went to the Clam Box, a local spot.  I knew it must be good because when I was here on Monday, there were people lined up out the door!  So I found it again and got some advice from another customer on what to order. Since he was a local, he was familiar with all the clam joints in the area.  He said this was the best and recommended fried clams.  So I ordered that.  They were good, but not great.  I don't think I've ever had clams before.  So, now I have!
     While I was in Ipswich, I went to the library and did indeed find some information about Thomas Dorman.  The book I found says he died in 1670 at the age of 70.  John Dorman, my ancestor, had a brother, Thomas, who was born about 1600.  They could be brothers.  I wonder what else I can find out about Thomas.  The records show he died in a town called Topsfield, a few miles away from Ipswich.  There is a will.  I wonder if I can see a copy of it and if it might give any more information about him, like where he was born?   I will call the woman who works with the archives and see what she is willing to do.  If there is a death certificate or will on file, maybe it will tell where he was born as well.

Today I met Maureen Smith, the marketing director for the museum.  Next week we will spend some time together and come up with a plan for the Web site.  I worked on more condition reports for the incoming quilts.  I found a button was missing on one; thankfully we had an image of the quilt so I could see it was missing.  I asked Pam if that needs to be reported to the owner of the quilt.  I wonder if they know it's missing?  Pam has had me document very carefully exactly which quilts are in each box.  She wants to return them after the show in the same manner in which they were received.  I spent a little bit of time with Laura, the collections manager today. As I unpacked the quilts for the exhibit and did condition reports, I put sheets between each quilt and stacked them on top of each other.  When Laura saw them, she told me that they usually stack the quilts on top of one another without sheets in between, because they don't have enough sheets.  I wonder if that is the customary practice in most museums?  It seems that if a quilt was contaminated in any way (and you likely would not know that) it could cause a huge upset to expose it to other quilts.  They don't have an isolation room, so there is no way to have any kind of control over the the things a quilt might bring into the museum.  Humm??? Is that a problem, or am I over thinking this? 
     I also continued working on my power point/catalogue adding information about the collection each quilt came from, maker, date, size.  These issues may seem mundane, but important to know and hard to track down sometimes!   
     The weather has turned cooler now and I'm afraid there will be no more days at the beach.  But, now the leaves will really turn and reach their peak soon!  I'd like to drive up to the Shelburne Museum in Vermont before they close at the end of the month. This weekend we are hosting a symposium on Saturday and we will be changing exhibits on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  The next weekend Pam and I will be in Winterthur at a needlework conference and the last weekend we will have our opening for Patience to Raise the Sun.  I don't know where I will find the time but there must be a way!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011
I continued to work on my power point and searched for additional quilts for the C&C exhibition coming up. Pam and I began condition reports for incoming quilts for the Patience to Raise the Sun Exhibition that will be hung next week. Pam said she is in favor of clean hands instead of using gloves when handling the quilts.  She said some museums are no longer using gloves because of they tend to pick up dirt which then can be transferred to other quilts. 
     So into the vaults we went. The NEQM is located in an old bank building.  There are two vaults complete with heavy steel doors.  That's where the quilts are kept; one holds their permanent collection, the other holds quilts that are on loan and is used for a little bit of other storage.  Frankly, there is a lot of junk in there and it could do with a good cleaning and reorganization -- let me at it!  The vault housing the permanent quilt collection is much larger and although not in perfect order, it does have an organization system.  All the quilts are in archival boxes and stored on labeled shelves.  I suppose there is a list somewhere of what goes where.  The BEST part is that all the boxes have an image attached to the outside so you know what's in that box!  I noticed they have a lot of crazy quilts in their collection.  I could see that just from walking through the vault.  I think vaults must be fireproof, so these are a good place to protect them in case of fire or flood (?). 
     The NEQM does not have a true isolation room.    Pam said there are insect traps in the museum, but they do not track the temperature and humidity at all. I think they need to make some strides in the way of organization and quality control to protect the quilts they house. Pam has acknowledged there are a number of procedures she would like to institute at the museum.  She started with the museum only three months ago, so she has lots of challenges ahead of her in evaluating current procedures and instituting changes she thinks will be good for the museum. 
Since the only thing I have to compare the NEQM with is the International Quilt Study Center (the best of the best!) I don't necessarily have a realistic point of reference.  This small museum (and many others like it I'm sure) has limited funds and manages to make them stretch a long way.  They don't have space for a true isolation room, and the vault where they receive quilts, and store those on loan that are not on exhibit, is small. 

Monday, October 10, 2011
Today I went on the water tour of the canals in Lowell given by the Lowell National Historic Park.  It was interesting to see how the locks work and the ranger explained how the drops in the water in this area (37 feet) create the "water rush" and force that made the  water wheels turn underneath the factories to create the power/movement that ran the machines.  Unfortunately, the water levels were too high for us to go out on the Merrimack River.
     I also saw a movie at the park about the history of Lowell that went from farmland to industrial center in the early 19th Century to "blight" in the early to mid 20th Century to the revitalization beginning in the 1970s that it enjoys today.  This is a very busy community and the "come back" has been very successful!  Part of that revitalization has been the transformation of many of the mill and factory buildings into art studios, condominiums, and other things as well.  In fact, the condo where I live was once a mill.  That explains the 20+ foot ceilings and gigantic windows!
      This was such a BEAUTIFUL fall day -- sunny and 80 degrees -- the kind of day that you want to put in a can and pull it out in February!  I HAD to take advantage of it so I decided to drive to Ipswich, a small town on the coast of Massachusetts.  Thanks to Monica, my navigator, I drove "over the river and through the woods."  It was sooooo lovely :)  Some of the roads were canopied with colorful trees and lined with ponds, cottages, stately homes, and mom and pop businesses like the Clam Box. It was nothing less than picturesque.  Now this is what I think of when imagining New England in the fall!
     I arrived at the Ipswich visitor center after surviving the intersection from hell and driving over Choate Bridge, c. 1764, claimed to be the oldest bridge in America.  I knew the museum was closed today but since it was such a beautiful day, I wanted to go anyway just to check things out and see what the town was like. 
Ipswich was settled in 1625 and according to the records I've seen on line, Thomas Dorman was a resident there in 1634 - 1636.  My mother was a Dorman and her ancestor, John Dorman arrived in the colonies sometime before he married in Somerset, Maryland in 1638.  He had a brother named Thomas.  Was this Thomas in Ipswich him? The very helpful lady at the visitor center (what was her name???) sent me to the library, which was closed because it's Columbus Day.  But I'll be back!  She also told me that the Ipswich Museum does in fact have examples of lace made there centuries ago.  Lace making was a thriving industry in Ipswich at one time.  I want to see that stuff!
     Ipswich has many seemingly well preserved homes from the 17th and 18th Centuries.  Driving around these homes have oval plaques on the front of them with the date and (must be) surname of a family -- perhaps the first owner.  It was pretty amazing how many there are.  They all seem well kept.  I'm just amazed that so many are still standing!  When I come back to go to the museum, there are two, the 1670 Whipple House and 1800 Heard House, that I will tour.  Can't wait!
     It was such a gorgeous day, I HAD to go to the beach.  I had a map, and decided to try this one on my own, without Monica's help.  To my surprise, shock, and amazement, I got there without making any wrong turns.  Being from the Midwest, I knew there would be some culture shock.  I thought that would be about the people.  The people are great, but the roads are HORRID!  It's like someone threw a plate of spaghetti down on a map and made roads out of it!  No Kidding!  They make no sense, they aren't in straight lines, there are many one-way streets, they wind this way and than, they change names two or three times from one end to the other, and they all seem like one of those mazes we use to do in magazines on road trips when we were kids.  So, saying I made it to the beach without Monica is saying something!    
      Crane Beach was lovely and I'm so glad I decided to go.  There were many families there soaking what will probably be the last day of Indian Summer.  There were kites flying, Frisbee games, people riding horses along the beach, a few boats, and a lovely view.  I brought a blanket and a book, so I read and enjoyed the view -- I just took it all in.  I did venture down to stick my feet in the water -- I had to do that!!!  It was a bit chilly, but what a nice feeling to sink into the sand and feel the water rolling over my feet.  :) It was a great day and one to be remembered!

Thursday, October 6, 2011
Pam introduced me to the Campaigns and Commemoratives: Quilts for Presidents Exhibition that opens in January.  We reviewed the quilts, and sorted which ones still need to be tracked down, and the status (paperwork received, still negotiating details, etc.) of the others slated to be in the show. Pam has a notebook where she has kept all her notes, images, emails, etc. for each quilt she is including in the show.  She explained to me how this evolves into a legal document because of the loan agreements, receipt of the quilt, condition reports, etc. 
    Pam set me loose a little bit and I was able to track down a website for Charlotte Christainsen Bass – her quilt The Grand Old Party is one we would like to have for the show.  Pam wants to represent a balance of political viewpoints, but she said she is having trouble finding anything that represents Republicans. 
      We spent some time in the museum library.  WOW WOW WOW!!!!  They have almost 4000 books related to quilting and textiles.  Some are duplicates that are loaned out to museum members.  They have a database in house of their book collection that they would like to get on line. 
     Pam and I met with Connie to discuss the Website.  I told her they need to set short term and long term goals for their site.  I asked about the possibility of getting a grant to have the site completely redesigned using current technology and bringing the “look” up to date.  I also suggested they partner with the University of Massachusetts here in Lowell and see if she can plant the seeds for an on-going relationship with them for technology and graphic design assistance.  Connie has a contact with UMass through the husband of a board member and she will pursue this idea.   We discussed what changes they wanted for their site in the short term.  Maureen Smith, the person who keeps their current site up-to-date is out of town until next week, so our discussion was a bit limited.  

Wednesday, October 5, 2011
I found the museum!  It's only about two blocks from my new home away from home. On the way, I passed the Lowell National Park Visitor Center.  When I arrived I joined an already-in-progress staff meeting with Director Connie Barlow, Curator Pamela Weeks, Collections Manager Laura Lane,  Community Outreach Coordinator Rhoda Galpern, Office Manager Joan Ciolino, and Shop Manager Quita Schillhammer.  Connie was very welcoming and graciously thanked me for the gift of 300 hours of my time!  I am very appreciative of this wonderful opportunity and can't wait to get into the thick of things :)
      Pam gave me an abbreviated tour of the museum and filled me in about who’s who, and things that were discussed at the staff meeting.  Then we went to get coffee and get acquainted.  Later, I talked with Quita about her hopes for an on-line shop presence, and Polly, one of the many dedicated volunteers, about her comfort level of maintaining the shop page on the Web site.  Mostly today was getting acquainted with the staff and the museum.
     One thing about NEQM that is not what I expected is their large shop.  When you enter the museum from the front door, you are in the shop.  They have quite a variety of items to purchase: antique sewing tools, quilt kits, antique and new quilts, small journal-sized art quilts, fabric, thread, jewelry, jackets, blankets with star designs, books, greeting cards, tote bags, and an array of consignment items including old (antique maybe?) fabric sample cards from the manufacturer.  The list goes on and on! It's not the typical museum shop since you can actually purchase sewing supplies there!
    The museum gallery is upstairs.  Currently there is a show called Maine's Quilt Heritage.  This weekend it will come down, and the next show, Patience to Raise the Sun: Art Quilts from Haiti & their Power to Change Women's Lives will go up. So we will be working Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and maybe Wednesday changing over the exhibition.  A lot of work, but a great experience for me!