Daily Archives: December 7, 2010

Art and Culture, Asia

More Tales From the Art Crypt

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Samhain                                           Waxing Moon of the Winter Solstice

Fire extinguisher training.  All guards and registrar personnel get trained in the use of fire extinguishers.  Ken reports this is a lot of fun.  “They put pans of fire all over the room and you have to practice figuring out how to put them out.”  Waving a hand like a fire extinguisher, he went on, “See.  A double layered fire, you have to go up and down, starting at the bottom and moving across it.”  Imagine a spirited faux demonstration.  Then, one day there was a real fire.  “A contractor (notice who the bad guys are here) was smoking in the building.  Not supposed to.”  Wags finger. “Throws his cigarette in a wastebasket with…”  Wait for it.  “Sawdust in it and a fire started.”  His eyes light up, “We all jumped for it and Steve won.  He put it out.”

On a more serious note, Ken monitors scholars who want to use objects in our collection for research.  A recent example is a gentlemen who specializes in the study of Chinese Imperial silks, especially Imperial robes.  He used our collection to observe and make notes about the Chinese tendency to alter robes to fit new Imperial court members, rather than disposing of the old ones and making new.  One of our robe’s has, he pointed out, a Song dynasty fabric sewn in as part of alterations to its sleeves.  When robes would become too deteriorated to use, still usable sections would be cut out for use at a later time.

In enameled cabinets with glass windows in them, Ken opened one and pulled out a drawer.  It had a full silver setting, made by Tiffany, with hammered grips and small Japanese objects: pumpkins, turtles, grass affixed near the grip’s end.  I’m not a big silver service guy, but seeing this made me want to own one.  Just like that one.

The drawer below the Tiffany set, which held the serving utensils, there were spiral cuff-links and a tie tack made Alexander Calder.  Along side them were a pair of old eye glasses, some snips and other assorted oddments that might have rested on a table at Grandma’s garage sale.  Except these were really, really nice.

Art and Culture, Retirement

An Actual Art Emergency

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Samhain                                                     Waxing Moon of the Winter Solstice

One story from the MIA storage tour.  On a February morning, after days of below zero weather, the registrar for the permanent collection comes to work.  Blam!  Blam!  Blam!  Vibrations pound the main storage facility.  He hears clinking as Chinese ceramics move in their storage cabinets.  The phone.  “Tell them to stop!”  A burly contractor comes down, a scowl on his face, “Finally we’ve got warm enough weather to compact the soil.  We have to do it to protect the curtain wall of the Target Wing we’re building. What’s the problem?”

“Oh,”  the registrar says, “Let me show you.”  They walk over to the Chinese ceramics.  “That one, $750,000.  That one, $250,000.”   “Fine.  You have 45 minutes.”

The registrar calls all registration staff, “We have an actual art emergency.  Drop what you’re doing and come down here.”  45 minutes the T’ang, Song and Ming dynasty ceramics had a location safe from the pounding and the brutal world of building construction continued its work.

Yet one more meeting designed to get our retirement finances in order before Kate’s retirement.  We’ve got everything lined up, just need to cross ts and dot is.

A lot to it, but really a lot less than starting, say, a career.  An interesting comparison since the possible 25 to thirty years of life left is a good chunk of a career.  Now our career is to stay alive and not go broke.