How can it only be Week 2 of this internship and I’ve already learned so much?! My days at the Chrysler have been filled with many exciting things and I’m understanding more and more about how a museum operates and how the registration departments takes part in its success. I’ve sat in on meetings focused on preparations for upcoming exhibitions (one for glass and the other for a photographs) and I’ve learned that the registration team is an integral part of the planning process. Registrars assist curators in the planning of exhibitions in a number of ways: gathering information for the desired objects within the collection, providing insight for the details of an incoming exhibition (i.e. packing and transportation, copyrights, etc.), and offering suggestions about the care of the objects before they are put on display. This week I was involved with the latter.
I helped Ali, the associate registrar and my supervisor, find the storage location of 73 photographs that will potentially be used for an upcoming exhibition and made sure the photographs were in good condition and at least matted if not framed. We took measurements of the matted photos so they can be outfitted for frames, documented our notes, and sent the suggestions to the curator (who will be involved in deciding if they will use the photo) and the art handlers (who will be matting the photos and properly placing them in the frames). I really enjoy this aspect of collections management/registration because I get to work with objects in person and receive the object-handling experience I need to do this job well.
Another project I started on this week was the handbook (which I will now refer to as the data dictionary) for standardizing object record data in the database system. I went through the TMS database and began gathering information regarding the data fields that are typically used for cataloging an object. Fields such as “title”, “date”, “culture”, “object description”, etc. need standards by which a staff member can easily understand how to fill out the data element. I will be using museum cataloging standards along with the department’s preferences to create a data dictionary that staff members can refer to when necessary. It’s quite a process, but well worth it!
We also took our first intern field trip yesterday to the Muscarelle Museum of Art in Williamsburg, VA to learn about their community efforts in educating the public about art. Our group also had the opportunity to take part in a community art project for the Director of Engagement and Distinguished Artist in Residence of the Muscarelle Museum, Steve Prince. We were given pieces of wood and had to create our own design related to the concept of “1619-2019″ (when the first African slaves arrived in Virginia to today). We used the woodcut relief process to create our designs, which will then be pieced together with other community members’ work so that it can be printed on a large steam roller. It was such a cool experience and I’m glad I was able to participate in this meaningful work!
And last but not least, I FINALLY finished taking measurements for the 362 Bruce Davidson photos we acquired recently. I started this task a couple months ago (when I was a volunteer for the Chrysler) and completed the project yesterday after the field trip. Now I just need to enter the last batch of dimensions into our TMS database!
Until next time, museum lovers!
