Community: bloggers@brooklynmuseum

In addition to continuing to x-ray the animal mummies,  the Conservation Lab has started preparing to send several human mummies to North Shore University Hospital. Some readers of this blog may remember that we took the Mummy Demetrius to North Shore for computed tomography or CT scanning before touring as part of the exhibition To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum.  Demetrius and this exhibition are currently at the Columbus Museum of Art, in Ohio.

The first step before traveling the mummies to the hospital is an examination to determine if they are stable and in a state of preservation that makes CT scanning worth the effort. This week, we examined one of the humans that has been in the museum since 1937.

The mummy and his coffin have been in storage, and neither the Curatorial Department nor the Conservation Lab had any previous record of the coffin having been opened in Brooklyn.

The lid of the coffin was sealed shut due to a previous mounting added when it was part of the Collection at the New York Historical Society.  The coffin was brought to the lab in order to document the condition and remove the lid.

Once we gained access to the interior, we found inside a mummy covered with a thick layer of dust, and evidence of unwrapping.

Through x-radiography, it was determined that the torso, although extant, was disturbed, and that the soft tissues were not likely present.  CT scans are very useful at looking at soft tissues, while traditional x-rays are sufficient when examining denser substances such as bones.

Kerith Koss, the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Objects Conservation pieced together images of the x-rays so that we have a better idea of the mummy’s overall state of preservation.

In consulting with the radiologists at the hospital, we have decided to not send this mummy for CT scanning, as there is likely not more information to be gained. However, while in the lab, he did get a much needed vacuuming. Stay tuned for more updates of this project.

Lisa Bruno

Did you know that we have 1stfans residing in 17 countries around the world?  Outside of the United States, we have the most 1stfan representation in Australia, so we couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that Australian-born Tracey Moffatt is joining us in May for the 1stfans Twitter Art Feed.  Tracey has several works in the Brooklyn Museum collection—you may have seen Tracey’s Lip as part of the exhibition Burning Down the House: Building a Feminist Art Collection or Love, which had been on view during Global Feminisms.

Since video is something that we see people posting frequently to Twitter, we thought it would be cool to get an artist that works with video to take over the feed for a month to post some clips. Tracey agreed, and rather than posting deep, brooding avant garde art films (that people on Twitter probably wouldn’t have time to watch), Tracey has decided to post her favorite YouTube clips with a bit of commentary about each. Some clips will be funny and familiar while others more obscure, but all will say a lot about Tracey, so we hope our 1stfans will have a fun time watching and getting to know her through them.

In keeping with the interactive vein, I’ll re-tweet some of the 1stfans @replies with their own related video clips on the feed (look for the “WC” at the end of the tweet so you know it’s me posting and not Tracey). We’ve seen a preview and this is going to be pretty wacky and fun!

Have you ever had one of those days where everything falls into place? When Eugenie Tsai blogged about Valerie Hegarty’s Fallen Bierstadt back in October, she mentioned we needed to do a follow-up post with our paintings conservator, Carolyn Tomkiewicz.  Eugenie said we needed get her to explain the process of arranging the debris.  This piqued my interest, but I got a little busy and forgot to follow-up with Carolyn.  Last Monday, I was touring a couple of friends around the Museum, which was closed for the day, and as we entered 21: Selections of Contemporary Art from the Brooklyn Museum, I spotted Carolyn on the floor with the debris:

Luckily, we all had plenty of cameras to document the moment and Carolyn was gracious enough to give us a quick on-camera video interview about what in the world she was doing. So, now, meet the conservator:

Having trouble viewing the video? It’s also up on YouTube.

It was about 4:30pm on Saturday when Shelley called me. Interestingly enough, I was here at the Museum giving a talk to our Student Guides on Membership and leading a group from my college’s alumni association through our Caillebotte exhibition. Now, if you know Shelley you won’t be surprised to hear that she has no problem calling anyone she works with anytime, including nights and weekends.  This time, she was calling to say that something crazy was happening. “A support revolution is getting started online,” she said. Sure enough, she was right.

Friday was an up and down day here at the Museum and on Saturday afternoon, 1stfan Member Nina Simon seized the moment when delivering her closing plenary at the Museums and the Web conference by encouraging anyone who cared about the Brooklyn Museum to join as a Member. Roughly around the same time, New Curator put out a similar call to action.

Then, 1stfans and colleagues from other institutions lit up twitter with the same message. Within hours, 21 people had signed up for 1stfans Membership, many of them from around the world. In New Zealand, Courtney Johnson joined and wrote a spectacular blog post in which she volunteered to buy 1stfans Memberships for four people who would comment on her post or would pass it along to others.

In tough times, I find that Members often can help the Museum with the important work that needs to be done. Not only do they contribute much-needed financial support, but they bring friends when they visit, they shop at the Museum and share their experiences in a variety of ways.  This weekend was no exception, but the support generated online was so swift and heartfelt, that it took us by total surprise. We continue to be extremely grateful for the support of every one of our members: thank you all.

Brooklyn Museum Director Arnold Lehman has announced a series of measures the Museum is undertaking to address the current—and what may likely be ongoing—economic crisis. The measures proposed are conceived so that our public and our visitors can continue to benefit fully from the Museum’s exceptional resources. As valued friends of the Museum, I want to draw your attention to this letter, which is being sent to Museum donors and Members. Arnold’s letter articulates in depth how we will move forward during these challenging times and remain a vibrant destination for all people.

Download Letter

You can also find a message from Arnold on the Web site.