Good News / Bad News

Keep in mind as you read this that I have no experience working with museums and their collections.   Yes, a lowly newbie in need of training and possible spoon feeding.   The museum director wished me the best, then passed me on to the collection specialist to start my new adventure in museum research…

"This is Red Five; I'm going in! (His X-wing's lasers firing wildly)"
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 

Good News:                                                               

I finally scored an appointment with the museum collection specialist after 3 weeks of waiting.   I need to work on my timing as the specialist had been on 2 weeks of vacation, only worked 2 days a week and needed time to catch up.   I was nominally trained on their specialized museum software.   I learned that the museum collection was divided into artifacts, photos and documents.   In addition, I learned that the artifacts were stored by the month and date they were acquired by the museum mostly in stacks of archival quality banker boxes.   The procedure for requesting items was spelled out.   It was a pleasure to sit in the museum library wrapped in shelves full of books and interesting artifacts with a large table at my command feeling all of the possibilities.  

Bad News:

I had only 3 weeks left to develop a theme to finish writing the grant.  The museum’s computers were archaic and the collection specialist was going to take 2 more weeks off.   My request for an export of the collections database file was met with a blank stare.   I’m a software engineer by trade with lots of database experience.   Being told that the best method of searching the museum’s software was to start with record #1 and work my way down was alarming.   A second visit netted me only 1 artifact out of 5 requested.   Now I’m panicking that even if I pick a theme there’s no way to verify that enough of the items I needed would actually be in storage.   Should I pick the collection of bottles?   Perhaps all the glass objects?   How about those Indian artifacts?  Would farming equipment make a statement?   My corporate Spidey sense was tingling telling me the collection specialist had one foot out the door.

Good News:  

The collection specialist quit.

Bad News:   

Now I had *no* access to the collections.   Be careful what you wish for…   

Good News:

I told a friend about my dilemma - there was no way to develop a theme at this point.   She suggested making the choice of a theme part of the grant.   Brilliant!   So, I pushed this decision down the queue and finished writing the grant.   Problem solved…   I won the grant.  The museum promptly hired an experienced archivist.

Bad News:  

I couldn’t pounce on the newly hired archivist with a huge list of items to treasure hunt up and down the stacks.   I needed a new approach for theme development that was sparing of her time.   The new archivist also only worked part time limiting my access.   The new archivist has new rules. 

  

Good News:

The new archivist is technically savvy and has already extracted an MS Excel file of the collections database for her laptop.   She shared it readily.   I can now slice and dice the data on my laptop seven days a week extending my researching time.   Awesome!   In addition, she’s willing to bring me several groupings of Indian artifacts to help jump start my first surface designed fabric piece.   After that, she’s agreed to bring me one box at a time to review starting with the earliest acquisitions.   This will reduce my requests on her time.  The approach also allows me to work exclusively with available items.   Besides theme development, I’m looking for shapes and textures for my personal mark making lexicon.   Any artifact could have relevance.   I'm taking notes as I review the artifacts to help develop themes for the 38 surface designed pieces I intend to create.  When I have enough ideas, then I stop methodically sorting through the 190 artifact boxes and shift to filling in the gaps by researching the collections database file.   By that time, the archivist will be established in her job and be ready to retrieve targeted items.   That’s the current plan anyway!

Bad News:  

There is none!   My access woes have been ironed out.   I have direction.   I’m on my way with very capable assistance from the archivist.  The message here is to be persistent and don't be afraid to take a leap of faith!