Adventures of a Conservator in Training

By Jessica VanOostwaard, Conservation Intern

My time at the museum was not only spent treating the artifacts in the museum’s collection but also helping out with other collection work that needed to be done. Whether it was making mounts for “The World is their Oyster: Marvelous Molluscs” exhibit, venturing down into the secluded sub-basement to help organize Archaeology storage boxes or protecting the artifacts by making boxes and monitoring for pesky insects, The Manitoba Museum provided me with useful experience that will be invaluable in my future career, and for that I would like to thank everyone at the Museum for a wonderful opportunity.

By Kathy Nanowin, past Manager of Conservation

The Collections and Conservation Department conducts ongoing maintenance and inventory activities in the Museum Galleries. Most of this work is done during our winter season, when the Museum is closed on Mondays. Recently, we changed our procedures, amalgamating tasks that formerly were done separately.

Now, when working on an exhibit area, all collections management and conservation tasks are completed at the same time: condition checks, cleaning, photography, cataloguing, and inventory checks. This involves preparatory work: searching the collections database to determine whether any new cataloguing or condition reports are needed; assigning catalogue numbers to objects which previously had none; ensuring that any loan objects have up to date paperwork.

Once in the galleries, the actual cleaning, photographing, and application of catalogue numbers takes place.

As with other aspects of collections management, sometimes the bulk of the work happens after what you see us do. In the case of gallery work, more time is often spent in the entry of new catalogue records, entry or update of condition reports, review and saving of digital images, edits or updates of location records.

Our department is focusing on ensuring we have accurate up to date database records for artifacts and specimens in the galleries. It is becoming more urgent as The Manitoba Museum plans for significant gallery changes in the next few years. Any object moves should go smoothly if our records are all perfect. But it is daunting, as we have nine permanent galleries with over 4000 artifacts and specimens on exhibit. We have just begun implementing our new process, and will continue to work at adding to, updating, and perfecting our collection records, concentrating on objects in the galleries.

Recently, conservator Lisa May worked with the Museum’s Operational Services staff to smoothly disassemble an artifact so it could be moved out of a basement storage area. The artifact is a display case that came from a prominent Winnipeg business, Winnipeg Music Supply, which closed in 1984, at which time the display case was donated to the Manitoba Museum.

It was stored for many years at the Museum’s storage building on Lily St., in a basement room. In 2010, a pipe break and subsequent water infiltration led to the decision to remove all artifacts stored at basement level, due to concerns of a major mould outbreak (See blog post “Lily St. Storage Move”, Sept. 3, 2010). Every other artifact was removed from the basement, but this display case was too big and heavy to take out as it was. Finally, last month it was taken apart; and last week, it was hoisted up onto the main floor of the storage building.

Taking the case apart was no simple operation. Lisa and carpenter Marc Hébert spent considerable time examining the case to see how it was put together. Lisa drew a diagram indicating which areas should be worked on first, noting things to check as they went along.

First of all, the drawers and all separate pieces were removed. Then the interior display surface was removed, and next the marble trim from the bottom. The pieces were all numbered for ease of reassembly. Then the back was taken off, and the case lowered onto its back side. The top was carefully pulled off. After that, the sides came apart quite easily, and finally the two halves were separated from the centre column.

The pieces were lifted to the main level of the building using a hoist, and now sit waiting, with all the other artifacts, for the time when they will be moved into a different storage facility – for this building will be demolished to make way for a much-needed multilevel parkade.

Although a relatively small project, it required careful planning and many hands (and backs!) to accomplish without damaging the artifact. Our Operational Services staff are professional and experienced, but not conservators, so Lisa’s input and guidance was required. Everything went well, and we look forward to the day (coming soon, we think) when this case will be moved into an improved storage environment.

By Kathy Nanowin, past Manager of Conservation

The Manitoba Museum recently acquired a number of objects that add to an existing collection. The Wilson family collection of bottles and crocks is an extensive one, with over 1600 artifacts. The Wilsons contacted the Museum with an offer to donate a related collection of ceramic footwarmers and various Medalta ware. Curator Roland Sawatzky recommended we accept the offered items; the subject went to our Collection Committee, which approved it on the curator’s recommendation. Follow us now through the process of preparing for and completing the acquisition.

The boxes were put onto carts and brought into the Museum, into the elevator and up to the sixth floor History Lab.

With all items removed from boxes, the next step is to process them. Each must be assigned a catalogue number and entered into the collection database. They also must be physically numbered, catalogued, photographed, and condition reported, before being put into their permanent storage location.

The actual collection trip took approximately a half day. However, the preparation took about the same amount of time, and the next steps will be far more time-consuming. With cataloguing and condition reporting, many entries can be cut and pasted, and the conservators can use a checklist to speed the process; however, I still anticipate that the processing of these 150 or so objects will take person-hours adding up to weeks of work!

Unless you work in a museum, most likely you have no idea of the details involved in collections work. The steps I’ve described are required for all new acquisitions. This is a glimpse into the day to day tasks the Collections and Conservation department staff tackle, although it’s just one part of what we do.

Harry Finnigan, founder and principal of McKay Finnigan and Associates in Winnipeg, is recognized internationally as a leader in downtown revitalization.

Born and raised in Winnipeg’s inner city, he has extensive experience in community economic development, policy development, urban and regional planning, and project management.

Harry overcame initial adversities in Winnipeg’s inner city with his steadfast educational development, culminating in a Masters of City planning from the University of Manitoba. Harry used his knowledge to unlock the potential in the Winnipeg downtown core area for the enrichment of all its residents.

Harry’s continued legacy of community development can be seen in the oil capital of Edmonton, America’s most livable city Pittsburg PA, and even the Republic of Botswana. In the early 90’s he was instrumental in developing the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone which we now know as the Downtown Winnipeg Biz. During his tenure as Director of the City of Winnipeg, Planning, Property and Development Department he played a pivotal role in the development of downtown’s new residential neighborhood “Waterfront Drive”.  

Harry is currently channeling his drive and experience into his own highly successful consulting firm, providing community enrichment where it’s needed most. Being a donor to The Manitoba Museum since 2004 and a Museum Tribute supporter, Harry also officially adopted the first artifact from the Museum’s Adopt an Artefact program.

Harry is continuing in the altruism that has governed his professional life by sharing a very unique and personal artifact and Heirloom from the famous Sitting Bull. This unique treasure was presented to Harry’s Grandmother Ellen Inkster as a gift by Sitting Bull himself in thanks for her kindness to him.

As seen in the June issue of Features Online:

In the 1960’s, my father wrote a short paper about the McKay family and their deep roots to the history of Western Canada. In it he mentioned that his father “soon learned to converse in the Sioux tongue and Sitting Bull told him much of his life story in the Northwestern States during those turbulent days. He presented my mother with his necklace of Grizzly Bear Claws, a symbol of authority only reserved for chiefs of high rank. In turn, my mother gave this relic to her uncle Sheriff Colin Inkster and at present I believe this is seen periodically in a glass case in the Winnipeg Civic Auditorium Museum”.

There are a few stories within the McKay family which have been passed down over the years about Sitting Bull’s necklace. They all affirm that it was given as a gift by Sitting Bull himself. One story has our grandmother sitting in the general store at Ft. Ellice when Sitting Bull walked in. She noticed the poor shape that his shoes were in so she offered him a pair of moccasins which she had made. He then gave her the necklace in appreciation of her gift. Another story suggests that the necklace was given by Sitting Bull as a gift for my grandparent’s wedding.

As chance would have it, in the early 1990’s I was invited to a small luncheon the purpose of which was to brainstorm ideas on how funds could be raised in support of The Manitoba Museum (then known as The Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature). Following the luncheon I mentioned to the then Director, that while through my family I was aware of a grizzly bear claw necklace in the Museum’s collection, I never had the opportunity to actually see it. I was encouraged to make arrangements to view the necklace through the Curator of the Native Ethnology Department at the Museum.

The viewing was organized for later that summer. I was joined by my sister Roberta McGillivary, her son Clifford, my wife Elvira, our son Shaun, and our friend (and photographer) Bill Eakin. We all followed up to the 3rd floor where the necklace was being kept in storage.

The white box containing the necklace was opened and voila – there it was! Roberta exclaimed: “That’s it, that’s it. I’ve heard so much about it! Can I try it on?” I turned to her and said: “Roberta, it’s a precious artifact, and this is a museum!” However, to my surprise the curator lifted the necklace from the box and gently placed it around Roberta’s neck. I immediately had this vision, or strange sense of a special moment from long ago – of Sitting Bull placing his necklace on my grandmother, Ellen Inkster. It was a powerful feeling and hard to explain.

Displayed below is the photograph of my sister Roberta wearing the bear claw necklace. After the meeting, I provided the curator with my father’s paper on the McKay family, as well as a few old newspaper clippings and other documents connecting Henry McKay with Sitting Bull reinforcing our interesting family history and connection of Western Canada.

“Every time I visit the Manitoba Museum, I make a point of going to the Parklands/Mixed Woods exhibit, where Sitting Bull’s Bear Claw Necklace is on permanent display. I am reminded of my grandmother and her connection to the iconic Aboriginal leader, Sitting Bull; and I think fondly of my sister Roberta who passed away on January 2, 2011. I am pleased to have been able to adopt this priceless artefact in her memory.”

Harry H. McKay Finnigan

The Manitoba Museum uses a collections management database program called Cuadra STAR, licensed from Cuadra Associates, a California software company. The program is used for documenting the Museum’s permanent object collection.

The collections management work the Collections and Conservation Department does relies heavily on this database program. It is where we record all of our collection transactions, from the time an object is considered for acquisition to when it legally becomes Museum property; through its life here, any use for loan, exhibit, conservation, or research. Any information that we have about an object is contained in its STAR database record. There are more than 530,000 records to date.

Over the past year, the Manitoba Museum received grant funding from both The Winnipeg Foundation and the City of Winnipeg Museums Board to perform a technical upgrade to the program. The project focused on our inventory location system. First, our location descriptions were standardized, following discussion with and input from Curatorial staff. We were fortunate in having a summer student, partially funded by Young Canada Works, to complete the vast majority of work designing, printing and applying new labels in all our collection storage areas. She made almost 5000 labels!

In the meantime, consultation was underway with Cuadra Associates to determine required changes to the database. It took many months for the work to be completed. Collection Database Administrator Betty-Ann Penner liaised with Cuadra Associates staff to ensure a smooth process and minimize errors. The final product was delivered in March, and now our collection inventory location system is much improved.

The Museum’s collection database is vitally important to our mission and the work we do. It was a bit nerve-wracking during the upgrade; we had to work through glitches, but it is such a relief to have the improved system. We continue to examine our processes and look for more ways to improve our use of the database program.

The Manitoba Museum is extremely grateful for, and wishes to acknowledge the support it received from The Winnipeg Foundation Community Grants Program, and the City of Winnipeg Museums Board Special Project Grant Program. Without this funding assistance the work would not have been possible.

By Ann Hindley, past Collections Assistant

Part of a Collections Assistant’s work in the Museum’s History Department is to fully catalogue artifacts which have been acquired for the permanent collections.

This involves assigning a unique museum number to the object, writing a description, explaining how it was used and by whom, and researching how it relates to Manitoba’s history. When researching artifacts, the Museum has an excellent Reference Library, where staff can check out books related to many historical topics; the internet is also a valuable resource. The information gathered is entered into an in-house collections management database, and the artifact is also photographed before being placed in a storage room or on exhibit.

In 1936, Ferdinand Dichl made a full-length animated film entitled, “The Race between the Hare and the Hedgehog”, using bendable figures. In 1951, Dichl Films sold the copyright to the West German magazine Horzu for the immensely popular characters to be made into a comic strip.

At the same time, the Steiff company bought the rights to make the hedgehog characters into toys. The Steiff company was established by Margarete Steiff and her brother, Fritz, in the late 1800s. They produced a line of toys, including felt or plush animals, teddy bears, gnomes, and Kewpie dolls. The company is now the largest manufacturer of soft toys in Germany, and one of the most recognized brands of toys in the world. Each of their animal toys has a trademark metal button inside the ear, which is used to distinguish Steiff toys from fakes. The Museum has one other Steiff toy in the history collection, which is a pull-along teddy bear on wheels dating to the early 1900s.

There are many interesting objects in the collection which have not yet been exhibited, but Collections Assistants attempt to provide as much information as possible for Curators and researchers, so that the history of the objects is documented for future use in exhibits, publications, etc. Sometimes the research process can be frustrating when there’s a lack of information on the objects, but that’s one of the challenges of cataloguing museum artifacts, which makes the job all the more interesting.

I recently attended a very interesting conference in Oaxaca, Mexico. It was the 8^th North American Textile Conservation Conference. Naturally, the focus was on preservation of textiles. Although I’m not a textile conservation specialist, I do work on textiles here at the Museum, and the conference offered a chance to visit a different area of Mexico, one less travelled by tourists.

As with most conferences, there were paper presentations, posters, receptions, workshops, and tours. The theme I found most interesting was that of preservation of traditional knowledge and techniques. Several papers talked about curatorial research on this subject, in different areas of the world ranging from Romania and Greece to Mexico and a Ukrainian-settled area of Cleveland, Ohio.

The tour I went on also had a focus on traditional knowledge and techniques. We first visited the farm of a local man who is trying to maintain the traditional practice of obtaining cochineal dye from insects that live on nopal cactus. He also collects guano from his ducks to use as a mordant in dyeing.

Next we visited a family of artists. The women are all very skilled weavers, using traditional backstrap looms, while the son is a painter. The women gave us a weaving demonstration, and we were able to buy some of their wares. We then went to the home of another weaver, who is teaching young children the use of the backstrap loom, and who wove all the bags the conference attendees received.

Finally, we went to a town where many families carry on a tradition of making painted woodcarvings. The painting is a more recent variation on a long-known tradition of carving the local copal wood.

The transmission of traditional knowledge is also a cultural practice. It’s important for conservators today to bear in mind cultural context in many aspects of the work we do. Attending this conference reinforced that for me.

The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) is part of the federal Department of Canadian Heritage, created to promote the preservation of Canada’s cultural heritage. Every two to three years, CCI develops and hosts in Ottawa a symposium on a conservation topic.

For a week in October conservator Lisa May attended Symposium 2011 – Adhesives and Consolidants for Conservation: Research and Applications.

Internationally attended, the symposium covered the newest research, techniques and products for a wide range of adhesives and consolidants used in conservation. Papers and posters addressed use of these products on virtually every type of material that conservators encounter.

A dedicated poster session and generous breaks allowed for opportunity to speak to the presenters as well as mingle with the over 200 participants. In addition, one afternoon was dedicated to tours of Ottawa institutions.

The last day of the symposium was at CCI where the paper authors, as well as other conservators and scientists working at CCI, demonstrated their new research, techniques, and applications. There were over 30 participants presenting 25 minute demonstrations, with each offered four to five times during the day to accommodate all those in attendance. -Lisa May

The opportunity to attend this symposium has allowed for Lisa to return with new contacts and up-to-date information we will use in conservation treatments. In particular, there are some Natural History specimens awaiting our attention, about which she gleaned pertinent suggestions on materials and techniques. Below are three photos Lisa took during the demonstration day.

Look up, way up… at the dust on the Nonsuch’s rigging and spars. Museum staff have not been able to climb the ship rigging since Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health regulations were amended several years ago. In order to address the stricter requirements, steel safety cables were installed in the Nonsuch Gallery two years ago. However, they turned out to be less usable than we hoped.

As part of a Conservation Assessment, the Nonsuch was examined by a team including conservation consultants and a ship rigger. One of the recommendations from the assessment was to switch to rope safety lines, for reasons relating to ease of use during climbing. Another recommendation was to add more safety lines, at different spots on the gallery ceiling.

The new locations were confirmed, the anchors installed and new synthetic rope safety lines attached. The last task remaining is to do a Risk Assessment and Job Hazard Analysis. After that, we’ll be able to once again climb in the rigging, to do some much-needed cleaning of the lines and sails. Because it’s been several years, we need to plan how best to attack the dust.

The Nonsuch is an unusual thing: a full-sized ship replica, with working rigging, in an indoor setting. There are few other museum ships like it. Although it is an artifact, it is important to keep the rigging at least in working order. Similar to some artifacts in science museums, keeping moving parts static will contribute to their deterioration – ropes will get stiff and develop kinks, making their movement harder and harder, and affecting other parts such as the blocks the lines run through. Keeping the Nonsuch “shipshape” requires regular cleaning and maintenance; soon, one part of that work will be resumed.