Questions From Our Wall

Sometimes it feels like my sarcasm has run out…and then I read some of the comments left on our ‘ask a curator’ wall and I immediately find my rhythm again.  

Q: There should be more descriptive tags downstairs for some of the unidentified pieces. (more of a statement, I know.)

A: You are absolutely right. I am working on close to 200 labels that we will be able to switch in and out downstairs to give a little more clarification to what it is you are looking at.

 

Q: What was this house made of?

A: Wood. More specifically oak, cedar, teak and walnut. Throw in some nuts, bolts, screws and nails and you’ve got yourself a Hermitage.

 

Q: How did you get your ideas for this wall talking thing?

A: Lauren Northup who remains smarter and more savvy than I.

 

Q: You need more on the Sloane family, kids and pets!

A: While family history is interesting Mrs. Sloane did not want her personal life to be the focal point of the museum. She was more interested in you coming in and looking at the art she purchased. Of course some background is necessary to explain where things came from and why, but you wont be hearing about their daily lives anytime soon. (Also, this is an excuse to plug the book that will be coming out later this year…and another to follow in 2014.)

 

Q: How much is this house?

A: Interesting question. If a buttload equals 126 gallons then I would have to say it is at least five elephants and a blue whale.

 

Q:Why does it cost money to visit?

A: We are not funded by the state or federal government. This is a private institution. We need money to stay open (alive?). $5.50 is incredibly cheap considering you also get to walk around our gardens and let your pets wreak havoc on our shrubs.

 

Q: What was Mrs. Sloane’s favorite breakfast food?

A: Scotch eggs. Just Kidding, that’s mine. 

 

Q:What was her (Mrs. Sloane) favorite painting?

A: Brilliant question for which I don’t have an answer. You could argue that the portraits of her sons by Douglas Volk might rank high, or perhaps her good friend Helen Turner’s pieces. Stephen Reid is all around the house as well…

Likely, each work brought something unique to her collection and heart so picking just one would probably have been hard for her as well.

 

Bedroom Repairs

We (as in professionals, not me) have taken down two of the walls in the master bedroom for repairs. They were taken off site for treatment and will return in a few months to be put back up in a far more attractive state. Here are some photos of the disassembling.

 

Surprisingly, or maybe not, there were only a few carpenters nails keeping this attached to the substrate. This is why there was substantial bowing in the veneer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How are art dealers greeted by St. Peter?

I am a relatively lighthearted individual who tries to find some sort of humor in even the saddest of moments. So when a letter pops up regarding the suicide of one Mrs. Sloane’s art dealers you can be sure I sat back and let out a heavy sigh. 

I immediately followed that sigh with a chuckle as I read the note that followed,

 It appears that I am not the only one who has the ability to be inappropriate at the wrong time. 

This Guy….

 

Did you know that Bill Paxton is one of two actors who has fought an Alien, Predator and a Terminator? He was also great in Twister.

Did you know that Edmund Kean is regarded by most to have been a better actor than Bill Paxton? I know, doubtful…

Just because you have a Derby figure made of you portraying Richard III in the early 19th century doesn’t mean you are better than this….

Apparently Mrs. Sloane disagrees with me and decided to purchase a set of these objects from Christie Manson & Woods in London, England. Then again she did not have Bill in 1929, so I guess we can’t fault her.

Kean, by the way, is one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the 19th century. How do  I know this? I don’t…but I do trust books and old reviews of his plays.

 

She isn’t dead, but she did go to a farm

Intense, right? I like to draw you in with serious headlines and then proceed to disappoint you with sub-par blog entries.

Back to the title…

In January this museum lost its director of eight years to another institution. I won’t lie, I was shocked. Not a bad, “why are you leaving us” cry for help, but rather a heavy, “Huh?”  There was (and still is) a level of camaraderie that will be difficult to replace and I think that is what bothered me the most; that and she left me to deal with the insurance company *shakes fists*

But seriously, she was a great director, friend and mentor. Since she has been gone we (the staff) have resorted to a tribal like atmosphere similar to Lord of the Flies and can be found sacrificing Canadian Geese in the rose garden to appease the museum gods.

I kid, again.

Actually we have been very productive and look forward to what a new director can offer this institution. Hopefully they do not bring a filter to this most uncouth of social outlets otherwise I will be moderately devastated.

In conclusion…. if you are ever in Middleburg, VA stop in the National Sporting Library and Museum, ask for Melanie Mathewes and see if you can’t get a free tour.

The Board of Trustees donated to have a painting restored in her honor. This will be the plaque beside it once it is back on the wall. Also note reigning Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco who inspires me to curate at a less than elite, but better than average level.

Poynter cont.

I meant to slap some images on the last post, so here are two of our art wizard…I mean conservator…Mark Lewis ***Merlin of the Chrysler*** helping pack the Poynter for shipping.

 

What makes art better? sweater vests (drops the mic and walks away)

Poynter, Yale, Opulence

Nothing is cooler than getting actual hard mail. None of this digital jazz with attachments and links to male enhancement pills. Letters from people who actually exist and free exhibition catalogs are all I need, thank you very much.

After blacking out to word documents sometime around 1 pm I arose to the sound of, “Colin, you got real mail.” Ummm…what? Pretty sure I usually get junk mail and the occasional cool auction house letter (wish I still got Highlights Magazine) . What is this “real” mail you speak of? Turns out it was a fresh smelling copy of the show catalog for Edwardian Opulence, which our Poynter painting is in:

http://yalebooks.co.uk/display.asp?K=9780300190250

….And according to the New York Times the show is not a waste of time:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/nyregion/a-review-of-edwardian-opulence-at-the-yale-center-for-british-art.html?_r=0

I would show you pictures of my copy, but I’ve got a feeling there are legal boundaries which would restrict me from sharing the pages I want. My suggestion to you is to buy the book, support the arts and learn something in the process. Win, win, win.