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In This Issue

Introduction

Coming Home to Wisconsin – Dard Hunter, the Man Who Knew Paper

Farewell to the Museum

Rare Book Library

Japanese Papermaking

Artifact of the Month

Volunteering at the Museum

From the Director

From the Director

Hello,

This summer is very hot, and it is a good time to visit the museum and get out of the heat into a nice cool gallery. 

We are excited about being a part of American Craft Week from October 1st through the 10th. Museum and galleries around the country will participate and encourage people to learn about crafts. For that week we will off a 50% discount in our gift shop on all purchases. On October 8th and 9th there will be a conference “Crafting a Nation” at the Smithsonian. The conference is free and you can sign up for it by visiting the web site:
www.americancraftweek.com 

We are always looking for volunteers to help with tours, work with the collections or help design graphics. Please send me an e-mail at: cindy.bowden@ipst.gatech.edu
if you are interested.

Thanks,
Cindy Bowden

Once again the museum is on the road with exhibitions, this time in Wisconsin Rapids.  This exhibition tells the story of Dard Hunter’s career. His research in Siam (Thailand), Korea and India are featured and include one of a kind artifacts such as Korean Imperial envelopes, paper blackened with burned betel nut shells from Siam, and a paper loom from Ghandi. Dard’s expertise in papermaking is presented including his investigations concerning counterfeiting and balloon bombs.

Changing Exhibition Gallery at the Wisconsin River Papermaking Museum

Juan Chevere and Cindy Bowden worked with Susan Feith, George Mead, Cynthia Henke, Jerry Feith, Denise Sanger, and Ron Rybicki to set up the display in two galleries. 

The Wisconsin River Papermaking Museum is located at 730 1st Street, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin and open Tuesdays and Thursday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. For other times please call 715-424-3037. 

Changing Exhibition Gallery at the Wisconsin River Papermaking Museum

There is a lot to be said about Georgia Tech. One of the Institute’s most impressive characteristics originates from its wide array of classes and extra-curricular activities. From student government to undergraduate research, the opportunities are boundless.

In the fall 2009 I registered in an Introduction to Museum Studies class offered jointly through the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum and History, Technology and Society. The class was simply to fulfill one of my social science electives. What I did not realize was that class would solidify my life-long goals.

As an aspiring architect, many of my thoughts have been consumed by buildings. I always assumed commercial architecture would be where I ended up. The museum class widened my eyes to the broad realm of architecture, in particular historic preservation. By starting with smaller historic objects, I realized just how much I care for preservation. So my goal became obvious, utilize every opportunity to learn the most I can about preservation and exhibition.

After the museum class was completed last April, I was given the opportunity to work in the museum during the summer as an intern completing undergraduate research. This opportunity, which further taught me skills of preservation, also became an excellent networking tool.

Alas, the summer semester is ending and my education into architecture continues. As my college career progresses, the eight months spent at the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum will never be forgotten. The skills I acquired through the museum will continue to inform my decisions for years to come.

The Rare Book Library at the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum is a wonderful asset that has been under utilized in recent years. An initiative has begun to catalog and computerize the rare and unique literature within the library to better. All files pertaining to the location of books and artifacts within the Rare Book Library are being rebuilt with the help of Adam Davis, Steven Johnson, and Amaris Gutierrez-Ray.

Elbert Hubbard's Scrap Book

The Library houses books including a rare special edition of H. G. Wells’ “The Time Machine”, first editions by both Dard Hunter and Elbert Hubbard, and invaluable collections of technical books on the papermaking process from every perspective.

The project will be finished shortly, and upon its completion employees and outside researchers will again be able to find the valuable information they seek.

Twenty-two participants successfully completed the week-long Japanese Papermaking workshop at the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum on June 25th. They learned about the history and development of papermaking in Japan.  Participants prepared the fibers for papermaking and had an opportunity to make wonderful sheets of Japanese paper with kozo and gampi fibers. The workshop included a session on building a Japanese mold (Sugeta) and one on Asian-style bookbinding. Teachers who participated received 3 PLUs for participating in this 30 hour workshop.

Making a Sugeta (Japanese mold)

We have been very busy with guided camp tours this summer and are getting ready for guided school tours in the fall. We are building a new exhibition space and a new tour option to open at the end of January 2011.The new tour” Paper in Our World” will tackle the issues of recycling and sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint. It will focus on how trees and papermaking play a role in this important global effort. We hope you will take the opportunity to see the new exhibition space, coming soon.

Punding fibers to make pulp

Cleaning can lead to some interesting finds including a copy of a 1783 printing of “Il Decameron”. The Decameron is a set of tales written by Giovanni Boccaccio written in the Mid-14th century. This set of stories, masterful in their own right, helped influence and inspire other great writers in the centuries after, most notably Chaucer and Shakespeare.

“Il Decameron” by Giovanni Boccaccio

The framework of the stories is that a group of 10 people have fled Florence to attempt to escape from the black plague. To pass the time, for ten evenings, each person tells a story. There is an assigned theme each day to which the stories must adhere, with the only exception being the last tale of the day. These themes range from trickery to charity to achievement. Many of these stories have been a cornerstone for modern theme, style and symbolism. In fact, even today filmmakers are retelling these tales on the screen. Unfortunately I cannot read the Italian, so I will not be able to get lost in Boccaccio’s tales at the museum. But I recommend everyone find an English version to read.
 

Come be part of the museum! Robert C. Williams Paper Museum is looking for volunteers to help with data entry and general collection storage organization. Training provided, hours at your convenience. This is an excellent opportunity to help record and preserve the cultural importance of paper. 
For more information please email Steven Johnson at steven.johnson@ipst.gatech.edu.

The Dard Hunter Research Center in the Museum

Thank you for your continued support here at the Museum.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or ideas for the newsletter please feel free to email me at Brian.Calahan@ipst.gatech.edu, and I will get back to you in a timely manner.