Tag Archives: MOA

Short for Museum of Anthropology

Diary of a Conservation Intern

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By Nikita Johnston

It has been almost three months since I started my internship at MOA and so far it has been a great experience.

Nikita Johnston

Cleaning dust from the base of the support holding two kayaks in the Multiversity Galleries

From my very first week at MOA I was thrown right into the fray and began treatment on four Peruvian festival masks made of tin, that are now hanging at one of the entrances to the exhibit Luminescence: The Silver of Peru, which runs until December 16, 2012. The masks when I arrived were in poor condition, with many of the decorations requiring repair and reattachment. Treatment mainly involved using appropriate adhesives, determined through solubility testing, to reattach the various types of decorations.

Mask before treatment

Before treatment: Note the loose beading on the wing of the mask (MOA ID 2946/8)

Mask after treatment

After treatment: The beading was reattached using a water-based adhesive as the paints proved to be soluble in other solvent-based adhesives (MOA ID 2946/8)

One of the masks had a tooth that needed to be reattached. To do this I devised a support using conservation grade inert foam (shaped by carving), and some rare earth magnets that I inserted into the foam and secured in place with an adhesive. This proved to be a successful solution providing good grip and stability to the tooth, while remaining a completely reversible treatment, as the magnets are what hold the tooth in place, rather than an adhesive.

Reversibility is a main concept behind most conservation treatments, and along with documentation is one of the basics tenets of conservation. As conservators our job is to preserve the physical nature of objects with the least possible intervention. We do not want to change an object unnecessarily. This is also why we document everything we do to an object; to ensure that individuals in the future studying the objects we treat are aware of any alterations (such as reattaching loose decorations) we have made to restore the culturally significant qualities of an object.

Another object that I worked on that is currently on display in Luminescence (it’s an amazing opportunity having pieces I’ve worked on be on display to the public!) is a very colourful woven textile. In order for the textile to be displayed, a cotton and Velcro strip had to be sewn on to the back of the piece, to allow for secure vertical mounting to the wall. Velcro is selected because it provides support evenly across the width of the textile and reduces distortion as the textile hangs. The Velcro strip is sewn onto a cotton sleeve, and it is this sleeve which is attached to the textile, not the Velcro directly. A running or hem stitch is then used to attach the sleeve to the back of the textile. Sewing is done in a manner that disturbs the natural weave of the textile as little as possible.

Sewing a support

When sewing a support, it is important not to pierce the threads as this can cause damage and breakage down the road. It is best to sew between the warp and weft threads. (MOA ID 2946/30)

One amazing thing about doing my internship at MOA is having the opportunity to work on many different types of objects and materials. My most recent treatment involved working on a calendar from India. The calendar dates to 1992 and features a large image of the deity Ganesh. Unfortunately at some point the calendar suffered damage resulting in extensive tears, as well as some loss of the image. In order to repair the calendar I prepared a wheat starch paste, a traditional adhesive recommended for use with paper artifacts. I then used the wheat starch paste along with Japanese paper, which I tinted to better match the calendar, to repair the tears. Japanese papers known traditionally as Washi are papers made from the long inner fibres of three plants: Kozo, Mitsumata and Gampi. Japanese papers are strong, flexible and have a low-acidity making them ideal for repairs to paper artifacts.

Calendar before treatment

Before treatment: Note the large tear running from the right down to the left and up the centre (MOA ID 1645/220)

Calendar after treatment

After treatment: Following repairs made with the wheat starch paste and Japanese paper, in-painting of areas of the central image was done using acrylic paint (MOA ID 1645/220)

And for my next challenge… cleaning, reshaping and building a support for a cedar bark loose woven basket recently acquired at the museum.

Basket

Basket (MOA ID 2965/1)

Nikita Johnston is currently a student at Fleming College in the Collections Conservation and Management program in Peterborough. A 2011 graduate of Trent University, she holds an Honours BA in Anthropology.

Photos by Nikita Johnston

Doug the Mentor: Don’t lose the centre line.

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By Alison Dexter

Courtesy of U'mista Cultural Society and the Audrey and Harry Hawthorn Library and Archive, MOA A002261C, Photo by Vickie Jensen

To those he mentored, Doug Cranmer’s teaching style was reflective of his individual personality. Many of his students remember his strict emphasis on technique, detail, achieving equilibrium while not over-doing the design, and his mantra to ‘never lose the centre line.’ Despite these firm guidelines, Doug encouraged his students to experiment with their carvings, trying to get them to really see what they were looking at. Many of his students helped him with major projects such as the new Alert Bay Big House, the U’mista Cultural Centre, and the Wa’kas Pole in Stanley Park. Cranmer’s advice extended beyond carving techniques, serving as a metaphor for his attitude towards life. He wanted his

students to love doing their art and encouraged taking breaks when it became a source of stress or panic, reminding them ‘it’s just wood.’ Doug Cranmer never lost his centre line and this inspired and remains alive in the work of his students.

Courtesy of U'mista Cultural Society and the Audrey and Harry Hawthorn Library and Archive, MOA A001990C, Photo by Vickie Jensen

‘If I could teach people to see what they are looking at, I would have the whole of Alert Bay carving like crazy’ -Doug Cranmer.

Questions about ‘the club’

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Since our announcement on Tuesday, March 20 of the donation of a ceremonial club given as a gift or in trade to Captain James Cook 234 years ago this month by the Nuu-chah-nulth people of BC’s West Coast, we have received many kind congratulations and comments, plus a few questions. We thought it would be great to share some of the questions that have come to us – as well as their answers, if we know them!

Bill McLennan photo

Here are a few to get us started:

Q: “I found the Global Coverage of the club very interesting! I have previously seen one very similar to it and it was made of yew wood also.  Why is the club so shiny in the photograph I found on the internet – was it varnished by a previous owner, or painted? I researched the club I previously saw many years ago and could not find one of any age, in the North American area that was similar, I did however find some similarity in Hawaii.  I believed the club was carved in Canada – Yew wood does not grow in Hawaii as far as I know – but carved by someone of Hawaii & local descent. Interested in what you think…”

A (Answer by Karen Duffek, MOA Curator of Contemporary Visual Art & Pacific Northwest): “Thanks for your interesting query! There are indeed many questions surrounding this club, and we will continue to research its provenance. We’re hoping we can do a scientific analysis of a microscopic sample of the wood at some time, although the wood does feel and look like yew, and has the right weight and density.

“MOA and other museums do have a number of similar, yew-wood, hand-and-sphere clubs, somewhat sturdier in design, and formerly used

as halibut clubs — these are all much more recent than the Cook club, with the earliest dating to the late 1800s or so, and others from the first few decades of the 20th century. These objects are, from left to right, from MOA (Kwakwaka’wakw), MOA (Northwest Coast — tribe unknown), National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC (Alaska source), and Royal BC Museum (Kwakwaka’wakw):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Cook club has a gorgeous patina that appears to be completely natural; it’s not varnish-shiny in actuality, though there is some shininess. This is a feature of patinated yew-wood objects of some age and probably lots of handling.

“Our curator with expertise in the South Pacific does not feel there is anything closely similar there, though she did hear from a colleague that there are comparable items in the Marquesas. So I will be interested to see some photos of those. I think the motif likely does have a universal presence in different forms.”

If you have other questions or comments, please let us know! Thanks…

MOA Shop Showcase: William Wasden Jr.

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By Matthew Willis and Meghan Price

photo taken by Ariel Kwan

The MOA Shop has been brining in more prints and artwork related to the Kesu’ exhibit (which just opened on Friday!). Today, the MOA Shop is show casing the work of William Wasden Jr. His full name is William Hilamas Edward Wasden Jr. Wakanalagalis “The-River-Flows-Through-Him-Forever” and like Doug Cranmer, he is from Alert Bay. William, a member of the ‘Namgis,  is a Hereditary Chief on both his mother’s and father’s side and a descendent of the Cook, Wanukw, Hunt, Alfred, Harris and Inis families.

photo taken by Ariel Kwan

At the age of twelve, his mother enrolled him in one of Doug Cranmer’s art classes where he would later learn and study under his cousin Beau Dick and Haida artist Don Yeoman. Along with visual artwork, William has a passion for singing and for preserving the songs of his people. He has been groomed by the late Chief Tom Willie and wife Elise to be a song keeper and composer for Kwawaka’wakw ceremony and

everyday enjoyment. William  leads the ‘Gwa’wina Dancers Cultural Society’, a professional dance troupe that often represents the ‘Namgis Nation. The group keeps and practises authentic Kwakwa?ka?’wakw culture and teachings in a respectful and dignified way for people all over British Columbia.

While his music is not available at the gift shop at this time, please come by and see his prints (displayed here)!

photo taken by Ariel Kwan

Here is a video documenting William’s life and career. It also gives some excellent insight to Alert Bay and the traditions and artists that it creates. http://www.bebo.com/c/video?FlashBoxId=4224284635

Doug Cranmer: The Man Who Taught Bill Reid Everything He Knew

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By Alyssa Gallant

Doug and Bill Reid carving Wasco (Haida sea wolf) at Totem Park, ubc, as part of the Haida House Project, 1961. moa 2784/3 (printed in 2009); photo by Takao Tanabe.[1]

 In 1958, Doug Cranmer received a phone call from Bill Reid inviting him to help on a carving project that had been commissioned by the Museum of Anthropology (MOA).  Until earlier that summer, Doug had spent most of his life fishing and working in the lumber industry, occasionally studying carving with his step- grandfather, Mungo Martin.  However, that summer the Department of Fisheries and Oceans had imposed its first ten day ban on fishing and in response Doug claimed that he would never fish again.[2]  That year would also be his last logging.  He moved to Vancouver to work with Bill Reid and, as Doug later stated, “That was the beginning of my carving career.”[3]

In the nearly three years the two men worked together, they experimented with various carving techniques and ways of copying images from other, older Haida poles.  In truth, the two men were at the time, quite inexperienced

in carving.  It has since been rumoured that Reid taught Doug how to use the carving tools, such as the adze and chainsaw, and how to carve in general.  However, Reid had this to say: “Nobody, I’m sure, including me, could have influenced Doug one iota in any direction…if he learned anything in that period it was just improving his technique.  He retained his own style, which he still does.”[4]  Doug worked on the project with Reid until 1961, when he accidentally adzed his Achilles tendon and had to spend five weeks in the hospital.  However, the two would work together again in 1962 and 1963 restoring the Wa’kas, Nhe-is-bik and Sis-kaulas poles in Stanley Park.[5]

After his time working with Bill Reid, Doug began carving full-time, and opened one of the first Native-run art galleries in Canada. His work gained international respect and he experimented with a variety of styles and influences – Kwakwaka’wakw and Haida being only two of many.  Doug’s work was very much his own, and it is being brought together in the first ever solo exhibit of his work in MOA’s Kesu’.

Though Bill Reid’s influence on the work of Doug Cranmer is questionable, Doug, when asked if he had ever worked with Bill Reid would respond, in fun, with, “Yes, I taught him everything he knew.”

[1] Jennifer Kramer, Kesu’: The Art and Life of Doug Cranmer (Vancouver: Douglas & MacIntyre Publishers Inc.), pp. 31

[2] Kramer, Kesu’, pp. 31

[3] Doug Cranmer, “‘Other-Side’ Man,” Bill Reid and Beyond, pp.175.

[4] Cranmer, Other Side Man,” pp.175.

[5] Kramer, Kesu’, pp. 32.