Puzzle Pieces

Several months ago, Fifi, the Museum's Gift Shop Manager, brought two prints down to my office. She said, "These were given to the Museum when Kathy and Cheryl [former Education Director] attended a conference in 2005."


Print #1: Derricks, After the Rain


Print #2: Evening Brea Canyon

"Gee, thanks. That helps a lot," I thought sarcastically. I set them aside to deal with later.

Fast forward several months and I reach a stopping point in my cataloguing project last week. So I turn my focus on the above-mentioned prints. Taking a close look at the prints, I realize they are signed by the artist JoAnn Cowans.

So I google her ... Sure enough, she has a website. And after a few clicks, I find the two prints on there. "Okay," I think. "This is the right artist." Then I click on her email address and write the following missive:

My name is Leslie Meyer and I am currently the Director of Archives & Collections at The Petroleum Museum. We have come across two prints of your paintings in our collections and have no idea who gave them to us. One is “Derricks, After the Rain” and the other is “Evening Brea Canyon”; both numbered #21 out of 400. They both have Certificates of Authenticity attached as well. I’ve attached photographs of each.

I am hoping you can help me. Do you keep records as to which numbers go to whom? If so, do you know who originally obtained these prints? I’m trying to track down who gave these lovely prints to the Museum.

The next day, JoAnn Cowan herself calls me to discuss this message. During our conversation, she indicates that I should contact Bruce Wells, Executive Director of the American Oil & Gas History Society. You see, JoAnn donated several prints to him to hand out as gifts. Ms. Cowan assures me that she would reach out to him about this.

After I didn't hear anything further, I decide to reach out to Bruce Wells myself. I find his email address online and write the following yesterday:

I am hoping you can help me with a puzzle.

I got your name from Jo Ann Cowans regarding two prints of her artwork that the Museum currently has in its possession. From what I understand, the two prints, “Derricks, After the Rain” and “Evening Brea Canyon”, were given to Kathy Shannon, Executive Director, and a fellow colleague while attending a conference in 2005 or so. Both are numbered #21 out of 400 and signed by the artist; and they both have Certificates of Authenticity attached. (Images of both are attached to this email.)

I contacted Ms. Cowans asking if she maintained records on who received which numbers of the limited prints. When she called me, she mentioned that you had obtained several prints of her artwork to hand out as gifts. Would you happen to be the donor of these two prints to The Petroleum Museum? If so, I would need you to complete a Deed of Gift and other necessary paperwork to finalize the transaction. If not, would you happen to know who might be?

And, sure enough, he calls me today. Mr. Wells confirms that he did indeed give those two prints to Kathy and Cheryl while they were attending an oil education conference in Wichita, Kansas, in 2005. What luck!

I absolutely LOVE these kinds of puzzles ... from a seemingly dead-end, I follow the trail to the end! From two prints given 5 years ago, I now have a donor. The Deed of Gift is already in the mail!

Survey

I know it's been a while since I've last posted anything ...

For one, it's been pretty quiet here at The Petroleum Museum. For the last couple of weeks, I've been pounding away at the cataloguing project of the archives and library acquisitions. Mixed in with that, I've been balancing other regular duties and responsibilities as well as helping elsewhere.

And when I think about this blog, I wonder what to write about in light of what I've been working on ... So I want to ask you (my fair and few readers), what would you like to hear more about?

Here are some ideas:

* Museum Processes
* Photographs
* Identify this Object
* Current Topics in Museum World

Please leave a comment with a suggestion!

Turkish Museums (Part I)

I apologize for the month-long hiatus; I recently returned from a 2-week vacation in Turkey . . . I hope you missed me as much as I missed you!




During that time, I saw the historical sites of Istanbul and many museums and archeological sites all over the country. Turkey offers a plethora of Greek and Roman city sites (more than Italy, according to the tour guide!) including well-known Ephesus and Troy as well as hidden gems Hierapolis and Aphrodiasis.

With such a wealth of history and a treasure trove of collections, I was confused by the museological choices those museums and sites made.

One museum, the Archeological Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, had been named the European Museum of the Year in 1997. After seeing that announcement, I was excited to enter the museum building, interested to learn from such a recognized institution. However, upon entering, I was shocked by the display of objects. Cases held numerous objects without any labels or context. Where was the story? How did the objects, the sections, the civilizations relate to each other? I often was unsure what I was looking at!






Above: Views of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations.

Unfortunately, most of the museums we visited during our tour held similar exhibits. The numerous objects got in the way of learning about the relevant topic. The lack of labels (in English or even Turkish) was very disappointing and often raised the question "What is that?"

Only one exhibit really stood out as "modern" -- the Sacred Objects at Topkapi Palace. Installed in 2007, the exhibit holds the most sacred relics and gifts to the Ottoman Sultans, including Moses' staff and David's sword. I noticed climate controlled cases and fiber optic lighting.


Above: View of the Sacred Objects rooms. Unfortunately, I was unable to take any pictures inside!

So now I'm curious to learn more about museums in Turkey. How is that a country with such a wealth of culture and history sadly lags behind in museum methods?

I put out a call to the email listserv Registrar's Committee of the American Association of Museums (RC-AAM). One person responded stating that they would be returning to the States after August 13th and would be willing to discuss Turkish museums with me. I'll keep you posted as to what I find out!