“Pretty things, so what if I like pretty things” Pretty Things, Rufus Wainwright As a museum professional and public historian with over two decades of experience in collections care and archive organization, I’ve witnessed firsthand how our relationship with cultural heritage materials evolves. My career has focused on creating unified, accessible collections from dispersed materialsContinue reading “Beautiful Burdens: A Generational Shift in Collections Care”
Tag Archives: art
Rockets and Doughnuts
The morning unfolded through spaces both intimate and shared. Jaxson raced across the playground, confident and free, before we settled on a park bench to watch the world pass by. Elderly couples ambled past, teenagers laughed in clusters, and families hurried to weekend activities – each group writing their own momentary story across the publicContinue reading “Rockets and Doughnuts”
The Private Surveyor
For years, a vintage postcard of Prague has held court on my studio table, a daily touchstone that speaks to something deeper than mere architecture. The Gothic spires and medieval towers rising against that moody sky aren’t just picturesque – they’ve fundamentally shaped how I see the world around me. Through this image, I’ve understoodContinue reading “The Private Surveyor”
The Disposable Monument: Finding Truth in Transient Memory
The act of remembering is never neutral. As I’ve watched different cultures and institutions create monuments to commemorate historical violence and genocide, I’ve found myself increasingly troubled by the underlying dynamics at play. There seems to be an unspoken assumption that memorialization somehow balances the scales of history – as if acknowledging past wrongs throughContinue reading “The Disposable Monument: Finding Truth in Transient Memory”
In Defense of Patina
As I watched the old building being repainted, I wondered: Are we too quick to erase history in our quest for restoration? Are the peeling paint and the weathered surfaces also part of the building’s story? I question the common practice of stripping old paint layers on historic properties. Each layer represents a moment inContinue reading “In Defense of Patina”
Twisted Preservation 