"In repairing the object you really ended up loving it more, because you now knew its eagerness to be reassembled, and in running a fingertip over its surface you alone could feel its many cracks - a bond stronger than mere possession."
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00000000000000000000000000000 - Nicholson Baker, Room Temperature (1990)
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Nicholson Baker has published 18 books, most from his home along Maine's Penobscot River. Among them are The Mezzanine, Double Fold, Substitute, and Baseless. He has received numerous awards and prizes for his writing and also for his efforts to save newspapers and other paper-based media from being destroyed.
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That's the theme of this issue, acknowledging the complex ongoing work to replace mechanical systems in the Cultural Building, protect museum assets, refashion programs and exhibits, and develop exciting new ones. These are sizable and time-consuming tasks for museum staff members and for numerous technical consultants and contractors. (You can follow building progress on the museum website and in issues of the monthly Museum Roundup.)
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Given the theme, it seemed like an appropriate time to check in with Objects Conservator Teresa Myers. Teresa joined the staff of the Maine State Museum six years ago after working for two years at the Museum of New Mexico and then, for eleven years, running a private practice back here in Maine.
Teresa, tell us a bit about your training in museums and conservation work.
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I started working in museums while an undergraduate at Orono, at the Hudson Museum. I secured my first Conservation internship just before graduating and spent the next three years working in the field and preparing to apply to graduate school. I did my graduate work in Art Conservation at Buffalo State College, which was a real honor, because they only accept ten students each year! Between college, graduate school, and various internships, it was a full nine years of training in everything from exhibits and collections care to disaster planning and pest management.
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What is one of your favorite objects or installations at the museum?
An all-time favorite is the Lynchville signpost located in the Cars and Boats gallery. I love that it’s a tourist attraction, and our version is unique (see caption below). Mostly, though, it's a favorite because I conserved it for the museum before I came to work here. Whenever I’m in the gallery, I check on it to see how the treatment is holding up!
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Travel the world in Maine! The first "international" signpost was erected in Lynchville in the 1930s, and there have been several iterations. The Maine Department of Transportation donated the ca. 1980 one at left to the museum. Their replacement sign - here, ca. 2000 - swapped the bottom two sections for a proper sequence. (MSM 2009.33.1 and MSM 2001.42.1)
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How has the museum’s extended closure affected your work?
My work priorities have definitely shifted. Prior to March 2020, most of my projects related to exhibits and were primarily hands-on. I still do hands-on work associated with removing objects from exhibits and a collection conservation survey. I also have some long-term research projects, and I’m involved in many meetings, mostly via Zoom, relating to behind-the-scenes initiatives as we move collections out of harm’s way and plan new spaces and equipment.
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Can you tell us about a particularly interesting conservation project? |
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The Blaine House displays some items from the Museum’s collection, and in the dining room, there’s a group of three silver serving dishes from the USS Maine, which sank in 1898. On one visit I noticed that the silver was tarnishing in a bad, patchy sort of way.
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I was able to bring the pieces back to my lab, clean off past coatings and cleaning compounds, lightly polish out the tarnish for an even look, and recoat with a nice, clear lacquer. Before treating, I did quite a bit of research and practiced on a few personal objects lent by some gracious colleagues!
You live in lovely Sebec. How do you spend your free time there?
Lots of walks in the woods with my dog, who has felt pretty entitled, seeing more of me since the pandemic! My family keeps busy with projects around the place, keeping small gardens, orchards, poultry and bees.
My husband’s the Executive Director of the Center Theatre for the Performing Arts in Dover-Foxcroft, which did a great job staying afloat during social distancing. They made both screens available for private, social-bubble parties, so it was fun getting to go to the movies! Since getting vaccinated, I've had a lot of opportunities to visit with friends, plus there's been a family reunion and a birthday party in our field that included a surprise wedding!
Check out this video of Teresa at work, treating objects from ice harvesting and granite quarrying.
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There are only two more days to register for We'd Like to Propose a Toast! The festive online party takes place this Thursday, July 15! Join museum staff, plus special guests Gov. Janet Mills, Senator Angus King, State Senator Jeff Timberlake, and Sheriff Joel Merry as we celebrate a big Maine birthday, other milestones, and share stories about collection highlights.
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Until our next connection, please stay happy and healthy! |
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