Conservation at the National Museum of the American Indian -- Carambelas

Pipebag, c.1890

Hide, glass beads, porcupine quills, sinew.

Oglala Lakota: South Dakota.

78 cm x 19 cm x 2 cm

Collection of the NMAI (14.2585)

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As noted by former Secretary of the Smithsonian, Robert McCormick Adams, museums have moved "decisively from the older image of the museum as a temple with its superior, self-governing priesthood to... a forum... committed not to the promulgation of received wisdom but to the encouragement of a multi-cultural dialogue." For my paper I decided to look at how the role of the conservator and conservation efforts have been affected by this change through examining three case studies from the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). These case studies included the loan of 24 Navajo blankets for exhibition and educational use, the loan of Siletz Nay Dosh (Feather Dance) regalia for ceremonial use, and the collaborative treatment of two Lakota bags for display. I also examined the case of repatriation of human remains as an example where cultural context completely overrides scientific endeavors (here science is taken to be DNA analysis rather than conservation).

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While the museum's collections are legally owned by the citizens of the United States, they are taken to be culturally owned by the source communities and their decedents. Therefore, the museum holds itself to be the steward, not owner, of the objects it houses. Authority over the collection, including decisions about conservation treatments, is shared and worked out through collaborative efforts which often privilege cultural context. This has resulted in a fundamental shift in conservation theory from there being one right way to conserve an object towards the idea that the function or cultural value of the object is to be preserved.

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The case studies highlight the importance of collaboration, knowledge sharing, respect, and, to a degree, willingness on the part of the conservator to give up control. Such collaborations means a broadening of methods, processes, and concepts of value. However, it cannot be assumed that there is a dichotomy between cultural preservation and object preservation. Because the objects are sources of information for Native communities and even embody their cultural beliefs, the two processes must work together for there to be success on both sides.

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Links:

Video: Interview with Marian Kaminitz, Head of Conservation at NMAI.

Video: Interview with Jessica Johnson, Senior Object Conservator at NMAI.

Video: Talk by Marian Kaminitz.

Parfleche Bag, c.1875

Rawhide, paint, wool cloth, cotton, sinew.

Hunkpapa Lakota: North Dakota.

24 cm x 20 cm x 11 cm

Collection of the NMAI (23.3065)

(After and Before treatments: Sorry for the reversal or order!)

Using Objects So That They Live or Die

Kongo nkisi figure, 19th century, wood, vegetable fibers, and metal
Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Ashton: In this week’s readings, we explored the ways in which some artworks are intended to continue “living” even after their artist’s death. This goal presents many challenges for conservators to weigh the importance of “original” objects to the work versus the ability for the object to “live,” the desire to preserve the actual object versus the intended use or function of an object, and the cultural context of the object versus the ethics of the museum. I was especially interested in Kaminitz’s discussion of the benefits of reciprocity between native groups and the museum – that cooperation allows the museums to obtain crucial information about the background of the objects and provides native groups the opportunity to preserve their cultural objects and practices as well as control of the interpretation of the objects. This is a more moderate approach compared to Jones-Amin’s look into the difficulty and ultimate failure of the museum to replicate cultural context while upholding conservation principles.

Jean Tinguely at work on Homage to New York (1960)
Courtesy Museum Tinguely, Basel, and The New York Times

Hughes: In the interview portion of “Reconstruction of a Moving Life, The Playful World of Jean Tinguely: An Interview with Ad Petersen,” Petersen, a former curator, half-laments “In a museum […] a certain fossilization occurs; you can’t do anything about this.” This idea seems to be the subtext of most of the readings this week. Art and objects taken out of context and placed in the museum setting often just sit there, no longer actively used. Mellor points out that African objects, even if they were at one time magical, sacred or powerful, lose these intangible qualities when they are removed from their cultural context. While a certain “fossilization” may be inevitable (or even desired when handling vengeful artifacts such as the Kongo nkisi figure), the viewer would prefer for objects to live as long as possible. The case of Tinguely’s Gismo, with all of its mechanical parts, was a particularly complex problem for conservators. Exhaustive art historical research led the team to conclude, “Gismo has to move, otherwise it does not ‘live.’”