WIKIPEDIA: FILLING OUT THE HISTORICAL RECORD

Posted on March 4, 2014 by mweldon

Hilda Worthington Smith

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting our first public Wikipedia edit-a-thon for WikiWomen’s History Month on Tuesday, March 25th, at Bryn Mawr College. Rather than having a narrowly defined theme like the Art + Feminism edit-a-thon that took place last month, this event will be geared towards the user who is interested in learning the basics of editing on any topic and using the holdings of Bryn Mawr’s Special Collections to do so. Our iteration on the 25th will be one of several such events organized between the Seven Sisters Colleges:

How to host an edit-a-thon: always provide snacks!

Barnard, Mount Holyoke, and Smith kick it off on Tuesday, March 4th (that’s today!). Join them in New York, South Hadley, or Northampton.
Radcliffe follows on March 12th in Cambridge.
Bryn Mawr wraps it up on the 25th: Our event page is a work-in-progress, but check it out now if you’re interesting in seeing a list of some of the articles that we will be working on improving.

Use hashtags #7sisterswiki and #WikiWomen to discuss the events and support those who are participating!

– See more at: http://greenfield.blogs.brynmawr.edu/2014/03/04/womens-history-month-2014-shaping-our-own-historical-narratives-and-an-edit-a-thon/#sthash.zb0QlkVx.dpuf

Bryn Mawr Special Collections on Wikipedia…

Posted on January 16, 2014 by mweldon

Staff members participating in the edit-a-thon, January 10th 2013

On Friday, January 10th 2014, Special Collections staff at Bryn Mawr College held an in-house Wikipedia edit-a-thon. Our goal for this event was to prepare for future edit-a-thons that will be open to other members of the Bryn Mawr Community and to increase the visibility of Special Collections holdings on Wikipedia. Evan McGonagill has written about this in the Blog of The Albert M. Greenfield Digital Center for the History of Women’s Education at Bryn Mawr College which can be found at: http://greenfield.blogs.brynmawr.edu/2014/01/15/writing-the-collective-record-on-delving-into-wikipedia/

To view a few of the types of some of the outcomes of this event see the links below:

New records created: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryn_Mawr_Painter

Links to online finding aids added to records:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Burr_Thompson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Shoe_Meritt

Recent Conservation of Peruvian Pottery Courtesy of The Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU

Posted on January 6, 2014 by mweldon

During the Fall 2013 semester students at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts conserved three Peruvian Vessels belonging to Bryn Mawr College Special Collections as part of a course: “The conservation treatment of inorganic archaeological & ethnographic objects”. Below are before and after treatment photographs of one of the three vessels recently conserved: a Double Spout and Bridge Bottle Depicting Ears of Corn, Nazca, 100 BCE – 750 CE, 69.1.444.

Pre-Treatment Photograph of sherds from: Double Spout and Bridge Bottle Depicting Ears of Corn, Nazca, 100 BCE – 750 CE, 69.1.444.

After-Treatment Photograph: Double Spout and Bridge Bottle Depicting Ears of Corn, Nazca, 100 BCE – 750 CE, 69.1.444.

THE CONSERVATION CENTER

The Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts is a graduate program within New York University for the study of the technology and conservation of works of art and historic artifacts. The Conservation Center prepares students for careers in art conservation through a four-year program that combines practical experience in conservation with historical, archaeological, curatorial, and scientific studies of the materials and construction of works of art. Students undertake research projects, laboratory work, seminars, and gain intensive conservation experience through advanced fieldwork and the fourth-year internship.

http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/conservation/index.htm

THE CONSERVATION TREATMENT OF INORGANIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL & ETHNOGRAPHIC OBJECTS

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the conservation of archaeological and ethnographic objects created from inorganic materials. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of visual skills used in assessing condition and treatment problems. Each student examines a variety of objects, learning proper documentation and examination techniques, and then carries out treatment of those objects. The object materials may include ceramics, stone, glass, and metals. In addition to object stabilization and treatment, environmental concerns, storage mounts, and packing strategies, as well as appropriate ethics and standards for archaeological and ethnographic objects are discussed.

Instructor:

Samantha Alderson is a Conservator in the Anthropology Division of the American Museum of History, working with the museums archaeological and ethnographic collections. In addition she is a lecturer at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University teaching advanced courses in objects conservation. She holds a BA from St. John’s College and a combined Master’s Degree in the History of Art & Archaeology and an Advanced Certificate in Conservation from the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU. Her research interests include adhesives and consolidants in conservation, and the technology and conservation of Mesoamerican ceramics.

Quita Brodhead “Untitled” to be exhibited at the Woodmere Art Museum

Posted on January 2, 2014 by mweldon

Untitled
Quita Brodhead (American, 1901-2002)
1961-1962
Oil on canvas
25 1/4 in. x 21 7/8 in. (64.14 cm x 55.56 cm)
The William and Uytendale Scott Memorial Study Collection of Works by Women Artists, Gift of Bill Scott (2006.1.30)

Beginning February 8th, 2014 “Untitled” by Quita Brodhead will be on exhibit at the Woodmere Art Museum as part of an exhibition entitled: Quita Brodhead: Bold Strokes. The painting was donated to Bryn Mawr College Special Collections in 1991 as part of The William and Uytendale Scott Memorial Study Collection of Works by Women Artists, Gift of Bill Scott. The exhibition runs through June 1, 2014. More information can be found at:

http://woodmereartmuseum.org/exhibition/quita-brodhead-bold-strokes/

Spotlight: The Elizabeth Gray Vining Collection

Posted on November 25, 2013 by mweldon

Ivory Okimono, Birds and Iris Flowers on a Wooden Stand
ca. 1950
Ivory and wood, 5 in. x 3 in. x 3 in. (12.7 cm x 7.62 cm x 7.62 cm)
Bryn Mawr College Accession Number: 2005.6.36.a-f

Ivory Sculpture of Three Rabbits Taking Dumplings to the Rabbit in the Moon
ca. 1950
Ivory and wood, 7 1/2 in. x 2 1/4 in. x 3 in. (19.05 cm x 5.72 cm x 7.62 cm)
Bryn Mawr College Accession Number: 2005.6.23.a-d

Drum and Chickens Sculpture
Wood, lacquer and metal, 11 in. x 9 in. x 14 1/2 in. (27.94 cm x 22.86 cm x 36.83 cm)
Bryn Mawr College Accession Number: 2005.6.60.a-d

Tile
Ceramic, 5 in. x 3 1/2 in. x 1/4 in. (12.7 cm x 8.89 cm x 0.64 cm)
Bryn Mawr College Accession Number: 2005.6.41

The Elizabeth Gray Vining Collection comprises more than 60 high-quality works of decorative and fine Japanese art, which were bequeathed to Bryn Mawr College in 1999. The gift was made by Elizabeth Vining, an alumna of the College, who graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in English and in Spanish in 1923. In 1946, Mrs. Vining travelled to Japan, at the invitation of Emperor Showa, to serve as an English tutor for His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince. During her four-year tenure as tutor, Mrs. Vining developed close ties with the Imperial family, a relationship which she maintained throughout her life. Her collection reflects the nature of this long-lasting association and consists primarily of finely crafted works of art given to her as gifts by various members of the Imperial family.

Scroll Painting of Birds and Flowers
Kano Motonobu
15th century
Hanging scroll, 44 1/2 in. x 16 15/16 in. (113 cm x 43 cm)
Bryn Mawr College Accession Number: 2005.6.26.a-c

In addition to its historical importance, the Vining Collection preserves a number of outstanding examples of 20^th century Japanese fine and decorative arts. It includes lacquer bowls, boxes and writing sets, carvings of ivory and of wood, ceramic vessels, small-scale sculptures, and dolls in various materials, all of exquisite quality and craftsmanship. Additionally, the collection contains cloisonné objects produced by the workshop of Namikawa Yasuyuki and by the Ando Cloisonné Company, Ltd. The work of silversmith Miyamoto Shoko and of the painter Kawai Gyokudo is represented as well. The Vining Collection thus brings together a wide array of objects and showcases multiple facets of artistic production in early and mid-20^th century Japan. A 15^th century painting by the artist Kano Motonobu stands as a second focal point of the collection.

The Art and Artifact Collections at Bryn Mawr College play an important role in the education of both undergraduate and graduate students and in the dissemination of knowledge to the wider academic community as well as the general public. Bryn Mawr students are encouraged to interact with the objects in classroom settings, through independent projects, and as part of paid or volunteer work supervised by members of the Collections staff. Outside scholars are permitted access to the collections for research or publication purposes and various programs have been implemented in an effort to teach local elementary and middle school children about the ancient and modern cultures represented by the College Collections.

The Vining Collection is an integral part of the College’s Asian Art & Artifacts Collection and, as such, is in regular use. For example, objects from the Vining Collection have been featured in three recent campus exhibitions including The Way of Tea, curated by an undergraduate student, Taking Her Place, created by members of The Albert M. Greenfield Digital Center for the History of Women’s Education and Home: Departure and Destination, curated by students in the Graduate Group in Archaeology, Classics and History of Art at Bryn Mawr College.

Ando Cloissone Co., Ltd.
Pair of Cloissone Vases
Cloissone Enamel, 13 in. x 25 in. (circumference) (33.02 cm x 63.5 cm)
Bryn Mawr College Accession Number: 2005.6.58.a-d

Tea Caddy
Lacquer
Bryn Mawr College Accession Number: 2005.6.2.a-c

Home: Departure and Destination

Posted on October 4, 2013 by mweldon

Complementing the 9th biennial Bryn Mawr College Graduate Group Symposium, an exhibition of domestic artifacts and imagery is being held in the Kaiser Reading Room in Carpenter Library on the theme of “Home: Departure and Destination.” Held in honor of Bryn Mawr Professor Emeritus Barbara Miller Lane, the Symposium reflects her notable research on architecture, culture, and the role of the home.

In this exhibition, we endeavor to capture just some of the home’s many iterations in both visual and material culture. In doing so, we also wanted to represent the broad range of disciplines called upon in the Symposium to define the home.

Whether it’s the objects from a local Bryn Mawr home, or those intimately tied to the functions of the generic home, we hope you find a way to meaningfully engage with the diverse range of photographs, artifacts, manuscripts and decorative objects on display here. In our choices, we sought to engage with the ways each object represents the home as a dynamic, multivalent category capable of physically, psychically, and emotionally defining us as individuals and as a society.

The exhibition opens on October 4th and will remain on view through the Fall term.

Spending the Summer with Special Collections

Posted on August 7, 2013 by mweldon

With my final year of college rapidly approaching, I have been thinking immensely about how I would apply my History of Art degree after graduation. Because attending a liberal art college has equipped me with a wide variety of skills, narrowing the list of potential careers is rather arduous. Thank goodness for my position this summer in Bryn Mawr College’s Special Collections, as I have had the opportunity to explore a myriad of job types surrounding the visual arts.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, I devote my time to working in the Arts and Artifacts Collection. This summer, the department is gathering items around campus that once belonged to President M. Carey Thomas and her partner Mary Garrett in hopes of creating an exhibit about the Deanery, the women’s residence for many years. They collected an astounding number of precious items for their home—chairs, tables, dressers, prints, vases, lamps, and much more. Working alongside fellow students, both of the undergraduate and graduate levels, has provided me with a great amount of experience handling art and decorative objects. Additionally, we’re responsible for photographing, measuring, and inputting information to be viewed on TriArte, the TriCo’s art database. Our responsibilities, particularly photographing, are exciting and new, and I’m ever-so-grateful for the experience.

My focus shifts on Wednesdays and Thursdays towards digitization, the process of converting information and works into digital formats. Another position of mine is within the Digital Archives to reorganize its expansive collection of alumnae photo albums and scrapbooks. This mostly involves cataloguing, crafting custom boxes, and rehousing. My favorite benefit of this position is the ability to explore each of the scrapbooks and discover how Bryn Mawr College has—or hasn’t—changed over the years. Gazing at the personal words, photographs, and Bryn Mawr memorabilia conjures a connection within me to the school that completely lacked at the start of the summer. It’s refreshing to reflect upon how I contribute to the college’s legacy.

I utilize Fridays to complete what is both the most challenging and exciting task entrusted upon me this summer: completing a digital exhibit for the Albert M. Greenfield Digital Center for the History of Women’s Education. I spent the earlier half of the summer acquainting myself with the website and easing accessibility for visitors. Currently, I am researching and organizing information regarding lesser-known aspects about the college. An incredible amount of work goes into planning an exhibit, but I find the process enthralling. It implements many of the practical and critical skills I’ve honed at Bryn Mawr and newly acquired this summer. Creating this exhibit, in addition to working within the Digital Collections and Arts and Artifacts, has provided me with amazing insight towards potential library- and archive-related careers following graduation. While I’m sad that this experience is coming to an end, I’m eager to apply what I’ve learned towards my future art historical endeavors.

Written by Samone Rowe, Class of 2014

The Deanery

Posted on August 5, 2013 by mweldon

For most students at Bryn Mawr, “the Deanery” is an unfamiliar name. Half a century ago, however, this would certainly not have been the case. The Deanery was the home of the first Dean and second President of the college, M. Carey Thomas. When she moved there in 1885 at the age of 29, it was a modest Victorian cottage of five rooms, situated downhill from what was then the central campus building, Taylor Hall. Thomas lived in the Deanery for almost five decades, sharing it first with her friend Mamie Gwinn and later with her friend and partner, Mary Garrett. In 1896 and again in 1908, the building was renovated and expanded, ultimately becoming a sprawling 46-room mansion filled with the art and furniture that Thomas and Garret collected on their travels. While Thomas lived there, she entertained such famous figures as Henry James, Bertrand Russell, and Anna Howard Shaw, but she also held Senior receptions and other events for Bryn Mawr students.

When Thomas moved away from the campus in 1933, she left the Deanery and most of its contents to the Alumnae Association for use as the college’s Alumnae Center and Inn. It stood for another 35 years as a living memorial to the President, until it was demolished in 1968 for the construction of Canaday Library, which stands on the site today. In 1974, the Deanery’s garden was transformed into the Blanca Noel Taft Memorial Garden, which can still be visited behind Canaday.

Over time, the memory of the building, which had as much personality as the women who lived there, has faded from Bryn Mawr’s collective consciousness. I had never heard of the Deanery before I was assigned to work on this project, despite the fact that an exhibition called “The Deanery Remembered” was held in the Canaday foyer in 1985, as part of the college’s Centennial Celebration.

As work on the project has progressed, archival material from that exhibition as well as hundreds of works of decorative art have resurfaced. One of the most exciting aspects of the project is the search for objects around campus that were used in the Deanery; once found, many are brought to Special Collections for cataloguing and conservation. The “treasure hunt” has brought to light beautiful eighteenth- and nineteenth-century suites of furniture, charming bronze statues and figurines, and fragments of the brass filigree stencils and painted burlap panels that decorated the Deanery’s ceilings, among many other wonderful finds. As we dust off the china and bring the chairs out of their forgotten hiding places, we are able to slowly reconstruct what was clearly a unique and amazing place.

We have made incredible progress this summer in reassembling the Deanery Collection, but much work remains to be done. I am looking forward to the end result of our endeavors: the exhibition that will bring the Deanery back to life and remind us again of the significance of Bryn Mawr’s heritage collections. Check out the Deanery portfolio on Triarte!

by Rachel Starry, Graduate Student in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology

Endymion Recumbent (Sleeping Pan) Leaves Bryn Mawr College

Posted on June 26, 2013 by mweldon

Today Bryn Mawr College’s life-size marble sculpture of Endymion Recumbent by William Rinehart was safely packed for transit to New York by Atelier Art Services, Inc. (http://www.atelierartservices.com). There the sculpture will undergo conservation in the studio of Steve Tatti (http://www.stevetatti.com).

The marble was originally purchased in 1874 by Baltimore railroad tycoon John Garrett. Later it came to Bryn Mawr with John Garrett’s daughter Mary Garrett and was on display at the Deanery as a garden sculpture. After an encounter in which young men spending the night at the Deanery decorated the Endymion with a mustache, pink cheeks and clothing the sculpture was placed in storage where it has remained. (For a history of the Deanery see: http://repository.brynmawr.edu/bmc_books/7/)

Although there is no immediately obvious evidence of the pre-1947 grafitti, the sculpture has dirt engrained in its surface from many years in an outdoor environment. The first part of the conservation treatment is to clean the surface. At that point, we will re-examine the work and determine if additional surface re-finishing is necessary and make decisions about replacing broken elements. Our goal is to exhibit the sculpture in Carpenter Library upon completion of its conservation treatment.

This conservation treatment was generously funded by an alumna of the college who wishes to remain anonymous.

Asian Scroll Conservation

Posted on June 24, 2013 by mweldon

Last Friday we took a Japanese Scroll Painting of Birds and Flowers by Motonobu Kano, a 15th century painter, to Nishio Conservation Studio for a condition report and treatment estimate. Above is a detail image of the painting in it’s current condition. Below you see conservator Yoshi Nishio examining the scroll.

The painting was donated to Bryn Mawr College by Elizabeth Gray Vining, Class of 1923. Vining was the tutor for the Crown Prince of Japan from 1946-1950 and received this scroll as a gift from the royal family.

For an oral history interview with Elizabeth Gray Vining go to: http://greenfield.brynmawr.edu/items/show/1452

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The latest on what's happening in Special Collections at Bryn Mawr College

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