Jean Outland Chrysler Library

What's In a Vertical File?

2012-01-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered why libraries keep hundreds of vertical files safely stored in the stacks? What could possibly be in all those files? The Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library's new exhibit What's in a Vertical File? answers these questions and more.

So what is a vertical file? Verticalfiles are repositories of “ephemera” -- things that are not meant to last along time. The ephemera collected in artist files often consist ofannouncements of exhibitions, small catalogs, press releases, clippings fromvarious print sources, and correspondences. Since the objects in vertical files are not meant to be retained or last forever, many of them are very rare. The two files featured in the library's exhibit are artist files of Faith Ringgold, perhaps best known for her painted story quilts, and Lucas Samaras, an artist currently featured in the Chrysler Museum's exhibition remix.

The Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library keepsvertical files on a wide variety of topics, including artists, art relatedsubjects and objects in the museum’s collection. Consider stopping by the library on your next visit to the museum and browsing the vertical file on your favorite artist or artwork!

Art & Books at the JOCL!

2012-01-18T07:44:00.000-08:00

Back by popular demand, the JOCL Art & Books bookclub will be meeting tonight at 6:30 in the Museum's Gifford Room. We will be discussing Steve Martin's novel An Object of Beauty, a sardonic tale of the art world and the country from the late 1990s through today. If you haven't had a chance to read the book, don't worry! The conversation is always lively and everyone is welcome. The cost is free for members and $5.00 for all others, with light refreshments served. See you there!

2011-12-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

Jean Outland Chrysler Library Holiday Hours

The Library will close early at 12:30pm Friday, December 23rd

The Library will reopen for regular hours

Wednesday, December 28th through Friday, December 31st

10:00am-4:45pm

In the week between Christmas and New Year's, the Chrysler Museum will be open the Monday and Tuesday we're normally closed. The Glass Studio will be offering free demonstrations at noon each day, and we'll be playing a free family-friendly movie at 1 p.m. every afternoon Monday through Friday.

Have a happy and relaxing holiday! -J.R.

Exhibit: Symbols of the Holidays: from the Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library Collection

2011-12-09T07:41:00.001-08:00

Thomas Cole (American, 1801-1848)
The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds, 1833
Oil on Canvas, 101.5 x 182.5 in (257.81 x 471.17 cm.)
Chrysler Museum of Art

Decemberis a special time of year for everyone. Thebrisk wind and the hint of snow herald a time of year to celebrate. Both Hanukkah and Christmas occur in themonth and each has their most recognizable symbols, such as the menorah and thedreidel for Hanukkah and the Christmas tree and the Nativity for Christianity.

Various menorot used for Hanukkah.
From the 1901-1906 Jewish Encyclopedia
Courtesy of Wikipedia

Combingthe Jean Outland Chrysler Library collection, we have found images of familiarholiday traditions both new and old to share with you. Some are photographs from our Tidewaterregion, some are from the Holy Lands, some are clever references to traditionalsongs, and some are beloved paintings from Norman Rockwell.

Taro Yamamoto, American, 1919-
Christmas Card to Jean from the artist
Paper
Chrysler Museum of Art

Theseimages also reflect the general collection of the Chrysler Museum. As the Museum holds pieces ranging from theancient to the modern, so does our selection of images. See a menorah from the 18thcentury, a Nativity scene from the 15th century, and art glass fromthe 20th century among many others in the Library Reading Room. To see the symbols of the holidays, stop byand have a look at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library.

Lynne Fors
Library Assistant

What's new?

2011-11-18T09:41:00.001-08:00

There are many exciting new things happening at the Chrysler, and the library is no exception! Take a look at what the library and museum have been upto :

In order to celebrate the opening of the Chrysler's new Glass Studio, the library has purchased a number of excellent books on the art of glass making. Learn how to make glass beads, figurines, dinnerwear, christmas ornaments, jewelry and more! And make sure to sign up for one of the classes or workshops being held weekly at the studio, or stop by for a free demo!

You may have noticed that two of the Chrylser Museum's new exhibitions feature library materials:

Mark Rothko, No. 5, Untitled, 1949, oil on

canvas. From the Chrysler Museum collection.

Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS),

New York.

The exhibition Mark Rothko: Perceptions of Being, which is on view from Sept. 28 to Jan. 8, 2012, is accompanied by one of the library's monographs on Mark Rothko. The exhibition includes the Chrysler’s own No. 5 (Untitled), 1949, that serves as the centerpiece of this focused exhibition of work by the great abstract expressionist. Other works include five paintings on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.—each a gift of the Mark Rothko Foundation. By displaying the library book along with the paintings, viewers are able to learn more about what they are seeing.

You may also have noticed library materials are featured in the new exhibition remix! The exhibition is ambitious undertaking by Amy Brandt, the Museum’s McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. “remix examines the distinct ways in which artists from many different backgrounds and generations respond to a common subject, theme or historical phenomenon,” says Brandt. The library was pleased to contribute a copy of Life magazine featuring the pop art exhibition American Supermarket. 

2011-09-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Please note!
The Jean Outland Chrysler Library will be closed Friday September 30, 2011 until Friday October 14, 2011.
Regular Library Hours will resume on Wednesday October 19, 2011.

A View From the Stacks: Kersti's Journal Week 4

2011-09-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

Our Library Interns have headed off for the summer. They are missed and certainly not forgotten. They've left us with some great journal entries written during the course of the summer. I hope you'll enjoy reading about their adventures and efforts over the next few weeks. - L. C.

Week 4- Collections Development and Management

This week I focused on how thelibrary builds its collection and deals with acquisitions. One thing I’venoticed while I’m here is the library gets a LOT of book donations. All of thebooks are interesting, but the library’s limited space and scope means thatsome of them can’t be added to the stacks. As I mentioned in an earlier entry,the library focuses first and foremost on subjects related to objects in themuseum’s collection. If a text can’t be tied into the library’s scope some way,it needs to be deaccessioned.

The Library’s Goals (from the Collections Development Policy)

· Provide a primary source of information for the public aboutChrysler Museum collections.

· Provide resources, reference service, and collections managementservices to enable all museum activities including study, care andinterpretation of Chrysler Museum collections.

· Provide the public with intellectual and physical access toarts-related information through communication and sharing of a wide variety ofavailable resources.

Part of my job this week was todetermine if some of the recent acquisitions could be included in thecollection. This task was surprisingly difficult; for the assignment I picked abook of architecture, a book about one artist’s focus on American folk art, anda glossy book of recipes. Surprisingly, I had to determine that none of themcould be included. The book of folk art was a duplicate of what we already hadin the collection; the book of architecture was a “lookbook”, almost anadvertisement, for an architectural firm, and perhaps less startlingly, thecookbook was entirely outside of the library’s focus. I also needed to come upwith some suggestions of how to deal with those books the library is unable to retainand must deaccession. This, too, proved tricky. My first thought was to donatethem, but many organizations that accept book donations have very specificguidelines for what they will and won’t accept- one organization wouldn’taccept anything older than a decade! A sale could work, but would be difficultto organize. I even found that many people use old books to make items likelamps or other pieces of art.

The end of the week was devotedtowards something that others have already blogged about…. Making our bookcart!Sarah, Jamie, and I tossed around a lot of ideas, but finally decided on thepirate ship from Muppet Treasure Island, one of my all-time favorite movies.We're keeping our fingers crossed...

The Intern Submission to the 2011 Book Cart Contest: The Hispanola

- Kersti Francis, Summer 2011 Library Intern

As you may already know, the intern's Book Cart Contest submission, the Hispanola sailed into second place in our annual competition.

Guess who visited the Library today?

2011-08-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

Curious George stopped by this afternoon to learn a bit more about this history of Children's book illustration. Books from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries are all on view. Curious? Stop by and take look.

A View From the Stacks: Jamie's Journal Week 4

2011-08-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

Walter P. Chrysler Jr. with former Museum Director Dr. David Steadman and an unidentified woman.

For Whom in Which Will?

Continuing on my journey through Walter P. Chrysler Jr’s records, I came across another interesting bump in the road: his will. After a life filled with the constant buying and selling of art, by 1988 Walter had accumulated quite a distinguished personal collection. Upon his death in September of 1988, it was assumed that he would donate most, if not all, of this collection to the museum he worked so hard to build and maintain.

In his will, Walter named the Chrysler Museum as beneficiary of over 75% of the Chrysler family trust fund along with $1.6 million for endowment and 17 of his remaining personal works of art. Also in the will, of the 785 works of art from Walter’s personal collection on loan to the museum, 768 were named to Jack, Walter’s nephew. Many people, including the Chrysler Museum’s director at the time, Dr. David Steadman were surprised by this decision. It was reported that before his death, he led his closest friends to believe that he would leave the majority of his artwork collection to the museum. So, what did he truly want?

Here is where it gets really interesting. There was a second, unsigned will that emerged months after his death. If signed, this will would have given most of Walter’s personal collection to the museum instead of to his nephew, Jack. 751 works, on top of other money given to Jack, would have gone to the museum. Walter died two days prior to an appointment designated for signing the will. If the contents of this will were what he truly wanted, why wouldn’t he have taken care of it already? Was his death just unfortunate timing?

And another thing. Thomas H. Willcox Jr., board of trustees president, said that Walter was an “avid writer of wills” and had made lots of unsigned wills in his life (Daily Press, 4/11/89). So was this unsigned will just another one of those? We are fortunate enough to have a draft of this controversial, unsigned will in the Chrysler’s archives.

- Jamie Sawyer, Summer 2011 Library Archives Intern

A View From the Stacks - Kersti's Journal Week Three

2011-08-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Intern Journal- Week Three

Week three at the JOC Library was incredibly busy. This week’s theme was cataloging, and so I spent the first part of the week learning about the library’s catalogue system from behind the scenes. This was really interesting to me- I use libraries all the time, but never really thought about what goes into the process of creating a functional catalog.

Laura showed me the library’s cataloging program, which, like most programs in use by the OCLC consortium, uses MARC (MAchine-Readable Cataloging), a type of cataloging language. In MARC, categories are described by a series of numbers (go here for a full description of the MARC process- it’s a little complex! : http://www.loc.gov/marc/umb/um11to12.html#part11) which ensures that data can be translated into catalogs across the globe. MARC’s useful because it provides a standardized system for libraries to use- before it was developed by the Library of Congress in the 1960s, this process was done by sharing “union catalogs”, copies of card catalogs that were both difficult to change and expensive to create. I spent some time updating our catalog, but then turned to the project that dominated the week.

VERTICAL FILES

The Library’s Vertical Files contain information about artists, whether they’re represented in the Museum’s collection or not, and their works. My fellow intern, Jamie, is working on organizing the information the library has on hand about the Chryslers, so to help out we both tackled the seemingly endless files to determine whether or not a file would be helpful to a researcher looking for relevant material on the Chryslers. The files are made up of various clippings and letters, so digging through to find any reference to the Chryslers took some time.
This project took up the rest of the week- although we didn’t finish the process (to be honest, we were only able to get through about the first 6 letters of the alphabet even though we spent all week on it) Jamie was able to get enough information to begin creating a database of those files deemed useful.

Just one of the many files we dealt with

The vertical files are incredibly useful because they’re the first stop for anyone looking for information on an artist or a work exhibited in the Museum. Although Jamie is still working on putting the database together, I moved on the next week to the wild world of… COLLECTIONS DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT!

These files are just on Picasso alone!

-Kersti Francis, Summer 2011 Library Services Intern

Postscript: Jamie and Kersti very diligently finished this project before the end of the summer. The database will help researchers looking for information about Walter P. Chrysler Jr.'s collection and will also help focus future cataloging of the Vertical file collection. More Intern adventures next week!

- L.C.

And the Winner is....

2011-07-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

This year's Annual Book Cart Decorating Contest Winner is entry # 3 inspired by the work of artist Nick Cave. Entry 3 was constructed by the Interns and Students at Old Dominion University's Hofheimer Art Library. Congratulations to the winning team!

If you were wondering how the voting stacked up:

Entry #     Team         In-house votes     Web votes         Total
3             ODU                  9                      28                  37
2          Library Interns      16                     20                  36
1          Education Interns 21                       3                   24
  4          Library Staff         10                        8                  18

Whew! That was a close race!   Thank you to everyone who voted and to all the contestants!

A View From the Stacks: “The Controversial Century”

2011-07-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

The building that formerly held the Chrysler Museum at Provincetown, today.

Walter Chrysler’s exhibition titled “The Controversial Century” was quite the controversy itself. It began as a show at his Provincetown museum in 1962, showcasing works by extraordinary artists like Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Matisse. It moved to Ottawa, Canada a few months later, as a traveling exhibit. One problem. Experts declared many of these works to be forgeries.

This week, after finishing the processing of Garbisch-related archives, I began work with archival material having to do with Walter, himself, I found most interesting his involvement in the 1962 scandal mentioned above. It raised many questions in my mind. How could such a distinguished art collector have fallen into this trap? What can be said about standards on ethics in the art world (both past and present)?

At the time of “The Controversial Century” exhibition, the Art Dealers Association of America was just forming. This organization was formed in order to ensure higher ethical standards in the art world. The ADAA caught wind of certain rumors pertaining to the authenticity of a good number of the paintings in Chrysler’s 1962 show. Teaming up with Canada’s Parliament, U.S. income tax officials, and the New York County’s district attorney’s office, the ADAA found that some of the paintings in the exhibit had no “pedigree” and were stylistically unlike the work of the pronounced artists. The works that were pronounced fake were then removed from public view.

A painting’s “pedigree” is a listing of all of its progressive owners, traced back to the original buyer. The authenticity of a painting can be guaranteed by its “pedigree”. Most of the questionable art came from a New York gallery, known as Hartert Galleries.

Reading headline after headline about this incident made me begin to feel bad for Chrysler. For someone who had the reputation of being a wonderful art connoisseur, striving to educate the public about art’s importance to society, Chrysler was hit hard by many harsh words in and out of the art world.

Walter P. Chrysler Jr. c. 1970

Fortunately, despite this controversy in the early 60’s he was able to bounce back, becoming one of the most distinguished art collectors in America. Yet, it still makes you wonder: how could he have made such an outrageous mistake? It still remains a mystery.

-Jamie Sawyer, Summer 2011 Library Archives Intern

4th Annual Book Cart Decorating Contest Begins

2011-07-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Each year, the JOCL is home to this uber-competitive match that pits library against library, intern against supervisor. For the past four years, the interns and staff have formed teams and constructed elaborately themed carts. This year, the competition is even fiercer, with Old Dominion University's Hofheimer Art Library and the Chrysler's own Education Department in on the action.

Four carts. One winner. Who will it be? Decide now.

Votes may be cast in person at the JOCL, via email at library@chrysler.org, or by voting in our poll (in the column on the left hand side of the page).

Vote early and vote often - the winners will be announced on July 15.

Entry #1: Royal Carriage

Entry #2:

The Hispaniola: A Tribute to Muppet Treasure Island

Entry #3:

Inspired by Nick Cave

Entry #4:

Art is a Party

A View From the Stacks - A Hairy Situation in the Archives

2011-06-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

Sarah continues her work with the Myers Collection. Two interesting excerpts from her daily journal are below, but you can read full entries at http://saosorio.wordpress.com/ .

Day 9: Week 3
"I think I am making improvements from the folders where name abbreviations were used. It is difficult to look up someone named Thomas when the abbreviation is “Thos.” I think many researchers would know the abbreviation, but spelling out is probably useful during searching. There are several other names where abbreviations have been used, such as “Corn” for Cornelius. I made a fairly nice dent into getting the box list done at the folder level, but it will still take a few more days until completion. I am also using the newer way to express materials that are not dated (undated, rather than n.d.) because it follows DACS and I am a proponent of not using abbreviations and sticking to conformity so that searching will be easier on researchers and any future librarians/archivists. I am starting to think about how best to utilize my time with what time I have remaining. It is difficult to believe that I am almost halfway through this internship!"

Day 10: Week 3

"...One interesting tidbit from the end of yesterday was going through the letterbooks. I came across a clump of hair randomly stuck in a letterbook (I think the letterbook belonged to Samuel Myers). I told the librarian about it today, and she went with me to have another look. The librarian said that back in the day it was fairly normal to cut off hair, particularly of deceased persons in order to make jewelry… ??? Anyway, the hair will be kept, and after the location of the hair is properly documented, it will be stored separately. I thought it was gross, and really wild! I am sure that continuing in archival work, there will be stranger things I come across in the future."

Lock of hair found in the Myers Collection

Van Gogh Self-Portrait: Actually Theo?

2011-06-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Though more than a century has passed since Van Gogh’s death, his paintings are still a source of mystery in the art community.

In numerous Van Gogh self-portraits, we see a man with auburn colored hair, long pointy ears and a messy beard.

Now art researchers in Amsterdam believe a painting previously thought to be a self-portrait may in fact be a portrait of Van Gogh’s brother Theo. The Van Gogh museum researchers hypothesize that the circular shape of the subject’s ears and his light colored beard hint that they might belong to Theo.

For years, researchers have wondered why no portraits existed of Van Gogh’s younger brother, as they were very close. Theo served as Van Gogh’s lifelong confidant and supporter. Both an emotional and financial backer, Theo was often the only person Van Gogh felt he could turn to in times of need. The painting is believed to have been created in 1887, when the pair was living in Paris together.

Though we may never really know who the subject of the painting is, all signs point to Theo.
The Jean Outland Chrysler library contains several fascinating books about Van Gogh and his relationship with Theo. One contains some of the 800 letters the brothers traded after Van Gogh moved away from Paris.

Another fascinating item found on the JOCL shelves is the transcripts of the 1932 Van Gogh case. Translated from Dutch, the court proceedings detail the case against German art dealer Otto Wacker. Accused of forgery of documents and fraud, Wacker was ultimately sentenced to 19 months in jail and fined DM30.000.

The fake Van Gogh paintings are the subject of “Les Faux Van Gogh,” another book in our collection. It showcases the similarities between the original paintings and the fakes. As a layman, I would never have suspected that the fakes were not the real thing!

These fascinating books give just a glimpse into the fascinating life of Van Gogh. To find out more, come visit us here at the JOCL!

- C.D.

"Spook" Student Film Shot in the JOCL

2011-06-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

As a huge movie buff, I've always wanted to try my hand at writing and directing my own film. I got my chance this month when taking ODU's "Intro to Digital Filmmaking" class. After writing a script, drawing storyboards, and recruiting actors, I was ready to shoot my first short film.

Armed with an idea and some camera equipment, my friends and I took to the library last Saturday to bring it all to life.

I chose to shoot in the JOCL because of it's dramatic aisles, great lighting and sometimes spooky silence. In fact, it completely set the eerie mood for my attempt at a horror movie.

The library was also a great resource for props and tools for the shoot. For several of the shots, we place the camera on a book cart, creating a smooth way to capture footage as we traveled down the aisles.

As you'll see in the film, books seem to fall off of shelves on their own accord. I should note that no part of the JOCL collection was harmed in the making of this film.

Though the film is far from perfect, I had a lot of fun bringing what started as a story in my head to life. For my first short, I'm pretty happy with the results. It's truly a gratifying experience, one I recommend all movie buffs try at least once!

- Chelsea DeAngio

A View From the Stacks: Walter Chrysler Jr. Was Not the Only Collector in the Family…

2011-06-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

After leafing through Jean Outland Chrysler’s records in our library last week, this week I turned to four heavy folders sitting next to her files. These folders were chalk-full of documentation on Edgar and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. Bernice was Walter’s older sister, and like Walter, made a significant impact on the art world. She and her husband, Colonel Edgar Garbisch, compiled a very impressive naïve art collection, a personal collection which is still considered to be one of the most extensive in the United States.

As an inseparable duo, Ed and Bernice were known for doing everything as a team. They gained the reputation for being generous and friendly, taking an active interest in collecting art together. In one interview, Ed stated, “We pick our art as we do everything else – together” (Palm Beacher, 1975).

The couple became very passionate about collecting art, maintaining much of it in their beautiful Cambridge home, Pokety Farms. Although they had an impressive Impressionist collection, they were particular charmed by American naïve paintings.

As an art history major, I admit that before this week I did not have much knowledge of naïve art. But as I read more about it, I quickly began to understand why it greatly charmed Ed and Bernice. Colonel and Mrs. Garbisch were inspired by the paintings’ ability to capture early-American daily life in a genuine way. Thought to generally be done by self-taught artists, naïve art typically takes on the form of genre-painting, implementing a strong use of color and flat detail.

Regarding their introduction to American naïve paintings, Colonel Garbisch remembered, “we saw in these works of art those unique qualities of simplicity, forthright directness, and creative vitality in color and design which set them apart as being indigenous to our country” (Palm Beach Life, 3/1967). They found much pride in collecting this type of art, which they saw as a celebration of our past as a nation.

So, while Walter may have been the largest art collector in the Chrysler family, Bernice was not far behind. Currently at the Chrysler, over ten works from the Garbisch collection of naïve painting are on display. These include Edward Hicks’s famousWashington at the Delaware (oil on canvas, 1849) and Joshua Johnson’s Mrs. Abraham White & Daughter Rose (oil on canvas, c. 1808-09). Make sure you stop by to take a look at these charming examples of American folk painting!

- Jamie Sawyer, 2011 Library Archives Intern

Washington at the Delaware (oil on canvas, 1849)

Mrs. Abraham White & Daughter Rose (oil on canvas, c. 1808-09

A View from the Stacks - Intern Journal Kersti's Week Two

2011-06-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

Well, I've survived two weeks at the Chrysler, and it's been great! This past week's theme was preservation, which is something I've never gotten a chance to do, so I was really excited. I spent the first day making book enclosures, which are paper structures that completely cover and protect books from environmental damage (and each other). By measuring, cutting, and pasting, you can make an enclosure that fits the book like a glove. Although I've never been very good at arts-and-crafts, I managed to make a few passable enclosures for some of the Myers Collection books, and will continue to work on them throughout my internship.

The next day I went to work cleaning some of the auction catalogs from the Knoedler Collection, a series of auction catalogs that the museum acquired in 1977. Some time in the 1940s (either during the London air-raids of WWII or in 1942- I'm still trying to find out exactly which), the library of M. Knoedler & Co. suffered a fire that left many of these auction catalogs in various states of disrepair. I took a shelf of these books and attempted to clean off at much soot as possible with the help of an eraser, a sponge, and a Ghostbusters-esque vacuum!

All of the preservation tools!

What I found most surprising was just how much soot there was! To my untrained eye, many parts of the books looked decent, although old, but after wiping down a couple of pages and covers, the sponge was nearly black.

This is how dirty the sponge was at the halfway point.

Compare to how clean it was above!

A few pages that I thought were simply yellowed with age showed a visible difference after being treated with the eraser or sponge, which made me wonder just how many of the older books I own could look years younger after some skilled cleaning.

Before...

...and after!

The rest of the week was spent doing a variety of tasks, each which showed me a different aspect of working in a library: I attended the museum's popular after-hours book club, where we discussed Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass and its relation to the current Civil War exhibit in the museum; Laura let me sit in on an exhibition meeting, where the various departments of the museum discussed plans for an upcoming spring exhibit; I went through some meeting books, many of which were over a century old, from a local group of Civil War veterans; and I worked on some extra projects, like my book trailer, which highlights a work in the library's collection (more on this soon!).

Next week's post will focus on something else I've never done before: cataloging!

-Kersti Francis, Summer 2011 Library Services Intern

Summer 2011 Library Interns

2011-06-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

The Library is proud to welcome three excellent interns for the summer. They began their internships on June 7, and have been hard at work ever since. You may have already read about some of their exploits during their first week below. We look forward to all of the wonderful work they will be accomplishing. As in past summers, the Library is sure to be busy this summer! Keep an eye on the Blog to see more about their projects, or stop by the Library and say hello. Also, mark your calendars for the annual Library Book Cart Decorating contest. Judging will begin on July 5!
This year's interns are:

Jamie Sawyer, Archives Intern
Jamie is a student at William Smith College

Kersti Francis, Library Services Intern
Kersti is a student at Bryn Mawr College

Sarah Osorio, Archives Intern

Sarah is a graduate student at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

A View from the Stacks: Getting Started with the Myers Papers

2011-06-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

The Myers Papers

This summer, Library Archives intern Sarah Osorio, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina Chaple Hill, is doing some in-depth work with the Myers collection. Over the course of the summer, Sarah will be working to compile a overall finding aid for the collection, creating box lists and topical guides, and incorporating recent additions. Her work will make the more accessible and will help researchers use the amazing historical documents in the collection. Sarah is keeping a detailed journal of her work. Below you will find a few excerpts from her first week in the Library. If you'd like to keep up with her daily archival adventures, however, you can read a more in-depth journal of her experiences here: http://saosorio.wordpress.com/

"Day 1: Week 1

Today was my first day interning at the Chrysler Museum of Art! I will be working there for the next seven weeks from 10am-4pm Tuesdays through Fridays. I left early from my home because I didn’t know how traffic was going to be in the morning, and before today I had never physically visited the museum. I gave myself over an hour to get to the museum, but it only took 25 minutes, so I sat in my car for awhile re-reading the syllabus that my site supervisor wrote for me several weeks ago .
...
After touring the museum and eating some lunch, the interns met with their supervisors. My supervisor gave the three interns a tour of the library, and I got a small glimpse of what I will be working on for the next several weeks. I am looking forward to tomorrow, when hopefully I will be delving more into the manuscripts and conversing with my supervisor on ways to enhance accessibility to the collection."

"Day 2: Week 1

Most of today was dedicated to reading a transcript about Moses Myers. The transcription that I read is given to docents training to give tours for the Myers House, which is located about half a mile from the Chrysler Museum. I thought the reading was very informative and insightful, and I really enjoyed reading about the city of Norfolk from the 1790s through the 1820s; it gives me a very different perspective from what I have seen of Norfolk in the past few years. For example, I have been down Church Street several times before, but I never knew that the origins of Church Street began during the years of the early American republic. In addition, I came across Bank Street in the reading, which as the name suggests, is home to a number of banks. I feel that I have a better background about the time period in which Moses Myers lived, and I think this background is an important basis for future decision-making about the collection that I will be making."

"Day 3: Week 1

I have lots of information about the collection to go through still in order to try to piece together how the collection has been processed, arranged, and described over the years. It seems that several individuals have gone through the collection to create order, but altogether there is not a one, central finding aid that can help individuals coming in to look at the collection find what they need. Right now I believe my task is very large, but I think when I sit down and work on it more closely, it will become easier and less daunting. "

"Day 4: Week 1
Today I continued to go through some of the administrative documents for the collection, trying to figure out the context of the Myers papers from the 1950s to the present. I looked at an itemized list in bound volumes created by ODU, and I determined that the list was not in any particular order. The list did not correspond with any of the other notebooks, so I am interested to see how the logic behind how the items were arranged in those books. I think it will be quite a challenge compiling a finding aid that includes the papers, music collection (approximately 900 pieces), and library of about 1,000 books. Still, I think going through the documentation has been helpful, and I will still need to go through more things when I get back on Monday. I know that I will need to look at the Access database, some administrative history from the library’s network drive, and perhaps other final documentation.

One thing that I thought was particularly interesting about the documentation I found is that there was a transcript of a master’s paper written by a UNC-Chapel Hill student in library science. The paper was submitted in April 1970, and the paper was about the Myers’ collection of books. The library science student created an inventory of books, creating an arrangement system where she organized the books in alphabetical order (I think it was organized by author’s last name). As the books are today, they are actually arranged by publication date. Still, it was interesting to see that a library science student from 40 years ago was able to make use of the collection for her master’s paper."

- Sarah Osorio, 2011 Summer Libary Archives Intern

Sarah's doing great work, and we look forward to seeing how her project unfolds throughout the summer!

Item of the Week: “The Blue Gold of Samarkand”

2011-06-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

We frequently associate certain places in the world with a particular color. From the blue and sparkling white houses of Santorini, Greece to the rolling green hills of Ireland, it’s hard not to fall in love with the palette of travel.

When we think of the middle east, however, the landscape in our mind’s eye seems much less rich. Endless yellow sand can be quite beautiful, but

With those images in mind, Frederique Beaupertuis-Bressand’s “The Blue Gold of Samarkand” took me by surprise. A new addition to the Jean Outland Chrysler library collection, the book showcases the breathtakingly beautiful architecture and painstakingly detailed ceramic tile work.

Much of the city’s architecture was built by the great Asian conquerer Timur, known as the “Iron Lord” who, in the 1370s, defeated some of the most formidable warriors of his time: the Mongols, Mamelukes, Indians and Janissaries. Both a destroyer and builder, Timur believed the city around him should be just as magnificent as his victories at war. He sought to surpass the beauty in all the cities he had conquered.

With this goal in mind, artists and builders from all over pooled their techniques and resources to produce a melting pot of creativity. The architects relied on applied mathematics, already popular in the east. They constructed detailed plans with precise calculations. The complex geometric figures are the result of countless hours of planning.

Construction of Timur’s palace took nearly 20 years. When Castillan ambassador Clavijo visited in 1404, he was blown away by its beauty.

“We were lead upstairs, everything in the palace was golden. We were shown many rooms and apartments sumptuously decorarted in gold, blue and many other colors…We saw rooms and apartments that the lord Timur has made to occupy with his wives whose ceilings, walls and floors were admirably decorated…”

Gone are my assumptions that the city is dry and barren. The gold featured throughout the architecture reflects the golden landscape surrounding the city, and the range of blues, turquoises, and navys conjure an image of water – something highly desired in the middle of the desert. Timur would probably be happy knowing that hundreds of years later, his vision for a beautiful city rivaling all others is alive today.

- CD

A View From the Stacks: Jean Outland Chrysler- The Woman Behind the Man?

2011-06-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

During my first week in the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, I have been sorting through old newspaper clippings, letters, photographs, pamphlets and magazine articles relating to the Chrysler family. As an archival intern this summer, I am working to improve and enable better access to records relating to Walter P. Chrysler’s Life and Collections.

So, when faced with boxes of material, where did I choose to start? Wondering why this library was dedicated to Jean, I set forth immersing myself in archival materials pertaining to her. After reading numerous thank-you letters addressed to Jean, along with articles praising her for her active role in the museum world, I began to understand just how important Jean was to the Chrysler Museum. In fact, if it wasn’t for Jean, Walter P. Chrysler Jr. may have never come to Norfolk.

Jean grew up in Norfolk, later serving there as a physical education teacher. In 1944 she met Walter, who at the time was in the navy. The couple married in 1945. As Walter’s art collection grew, Jean and Walter threw their energy into maintaining a small but impressive museum in Provincetown, MA. They remained there until the late ‘60s, when Walter began looking to move his large collection to a different location.

Jean Outland Chrysler unpacking library books

With just under 150 cities interested in Walter’s collection, Jean asked about moving it to her hometown, Norfolk. When Walter told her that he hadn’t heard from that city yet, Jean was immediately on the phone with Roy Martin, a former classmate of hers. After talking with Martin, who stood as the current mayor of Norfolk, Jean pulled Walter onto the line in order for Martin to formally invite Chrysler down for a visit. And in 1971 a large portion of Walter’s collection was moved to Norfolk, laying down the foundations for the Chrysler Museum we know so well today.

So, just from week one, I have begun to understand the magnitude of Jean’s role in her husband’s success as an art collector. In weeks to come, I will continue to look through the archives, hoping to find more Chrysler family treasures, much like the story of Jean Outland Chrysler. Stay tuned!

- Jamie Sawyer, 2011 Summer Archives Intern

A View from the Stacks - Intern Journal Kersti's Week One

2011-06-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Jean Outland Chrysler Library! I'm Kersti, the Summer 2011 Library Services intern, and I- along with my fellow library interns- will be blogging my experiences here every week! When I'm not spending time here in the stacks, I'm a rising junior at Bryn Mawr College, where I double-major in English and Medieval/Renaissance Studies and work in Bryn Mawr Special Collections.

I didn't know what to expect coming into this internship; although I grew up in the area, my last visit to the Chrysler was on a high school field trip over five years ago, and I'd never visited the library before! So far, it's been great- even though it's only been a week, I've learned so much about the special challenges and opportunities faced by a library centered around a museum. There are a ton of unique collections housed here, from the Myers Collection (on which Sarah, one of the library archive interns, will share more soon) to the seemingly endless assortment of auction catalogues-detailing sales of everything from major Old Masters works to civil war photography to surprisingly expensive paperweights- that spans centuries.

The fun part about my internship is that each week focuses on a different aspect of librarianship, like preservation or outreach. This first week served as a general overview of the JOC Library and its functions. I spent the first few days getting my bearings (although I still get lost almost daily), observing the reference desk and cross-checking library donations with the online catalogue to check for any duplicates (Laura outlined the library's acquisition policy for me- the library only houses books that are relevant to objects owned by the museum-for example, because there are illuminated manuscripts either on display or in the archives, the library has shelves of books about manuscripts and illumination in general as well as any texts about the manuscripts owned by the Chrysler), shelving the books we had on display about the objects in the Tiffany Lamps and Life of Christ exhibits that just finished their run, and began working on a summer-long research project of my choice, which I'll write more about as I figure it out (I think I'll work on some aspect of illumination). Thursday introduced me to some of the most important traits required for a librarian- patience and organization. Organization because I spent the day sorting auction catalogues, some of which were a hundred years old; patience because even after several hours of categorizing and shelving, the job is still a work-in-progress.

Friday was, I think, my favorite experience so far. The library hosts its own exhibit in the reading room, and on Friday we changed it from the existing Civil War exhibit to Chelsea's planned rare children's books display. I got to work with documents that included a letter by Robert E. Lee, a flag fragment from the USS Cumberland, which sank in battle with the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack), personal letters from both Union and Confederate soldiers, and government documents.

That afternoon, Chelsea and I began work on the new exhibit, themed "The Golden Age of Illustration: 1880-1914", which includes one of the first pop-up books published in America, several books by prominent children's illustrator Edmund Dulac, and the first book in the popular "Brownies" series, the popularity of which was so wide-spread that the Kodak "Brownie" camera took inspiration from it.

Here we're in the process of preparing the books,

creating book supports and securing them with mylar.

The exhibit will be up for the rest of the month, so be sure to stop by!

The final exhibit!

The upcoming week's theme: preservation (I promise this week's blog post won't be so long, haha)!

- Kersti Francis, 2011 Summer Library Intern

Item of the Week: Picasso Guitars 1912-1914

2011-05-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

New to the Chrysler library this week is "Picasso Guitars 1912-1914." Published in conjunction with the exhibition by the same name at the MoMA, the book features photographs of the sculpture along with essays detailing the historical and technical background of the series.

"Sometime between October and December 1912, Pablo Picasso made a guitat," curator Anne Umland writes in the preface. "Cobbled together from cardboard, paper, string and wire, materials he cut, folded threaded and glued, Picasso's purely visual instrument resembled no structure ever seen before."

So unlike sculptures of the past, Picasso's guitars would not look out of place amongst children's art work, cobbled together together with recycled newspaper and cardboard. But, as the book reminds us, Picasso's work was evolutionary. The exhibit traces the history of Picasso's guitars - from their turn as human figure to musical staff to art tool kit.

Some theorize that Picasso's guitars were stand-ins for his own body. Others believe their curvaceous figures were more reminiscent of Picasso's love interests at the time.

By echoing the shape of a music staff, a guitar's strings provide both a literal and figurative space for music to be created. Picasso frequently confuses the two ideas in his art.

Straight lines, curves, circles and a variety of textures make guitars the perfect pre-loaded art tool kit for any cubist. Picasso could easily pull these pieces apart, playing with their shape and function.

Umland summarizes best: "As humble in its subject as in its materials and mode of realization, it irrevocably changed the way we think - not only about what might constitute sculpture but about what can be defined as art."

Picture from our past: Famous visitors to the Chrysler

2011-05-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Recognize this famous face? It's Friday the 13th, and whether or not you suffer from Triskaidekaphobia you're likely to know this famous actor and art collector from one of his films. In 1979, Vincent Price visited the Chrysler Museum and posed with Bernini's Bust of the Savior (71.2043 ).

Price is perhaps best known for his roles in horror films such as House of Wax (1953) and House on Haunted Hill (1959). He also starred in numerous radio shows including The Saint (1944-1951) on NBC radio. You might also know him from Edward Scissorhands (1990), or from voice work on Micheal Jackson's Thriller (1982).

What you may not know, however, is that he was also an avid art collector. From 1962 to 1971, Sears Roebuck offered the "Vincent Price Collection of Fine Art", to the general public. Around 50,000 works of art were eventually sold through the collection. Price's personal art collection, along with works collected by his wife Mary, became the core of the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College in California.

Price's visit to the Chrysler Museum was purely for pleasure. You too can enjoy Bernini's Bust of the Savior - it's currently on view in our Renaissance and Baroque Galleries (Gallery 218). Happy Friday the 13th!

Item of the Week: "British Textiles: 1700 to the Present"

2011-05-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

New at the Jean Outland Art Library this week is the book “British Textiles: 1700 to the Present.” A collection of textile prints from the Victoria and Albert Museum, the book details the evolution of the textile in England, discussing both technological and artistic innovation through the centuries. The book contains fascinating essays about each period in textile history, with interesting facts you probably never knew about textiles. Here’s a sampling of fun facts I’ve learned so far:

From 1805, a sample from a silk weaver’s pattern book. As technology advanced, artisans utilized new materials, including metallics.

1787. By William Kilburn, designer and calico printer. Flowers on ground covered with leaves.

We often judge a piece of art on how lifelike it is in comparison to the real thing, but in the 1830s, how real something looked was not necessarily a good thing. Henry Cole, the head of London’s first School of Design, “railed against the fashion for ultra-realism in floral patterns, singling out in particular a number of printed furnishing cottons that he criticized for their ‘Direct Imitation of Nature.”

1893, “Crocus” printed fabric.

Textile 5: 1941, ‘Victory V’ dress fabric, produced by the Calico Printers’ Association, Manchester. The border of the design, illustrating three dots and a dash, represents the Morse code for ‘victory.’

‘Clandon’ furnishing fabric, roller-printed cotton. 1977.

Like the patronage system of the Italian Renaissance, the “Old Masters” of the textile world had close relationships with the drapers who sold their good. Financial dependence upon these drapers created a symbiotic relationship necessary for the busy industry.

Textile 6: ‘Jupiter’ furnishing fabric, 1967.

Though the textiles are true works of art, few can be attributed to one specific artisan. Few pattern drawers had their names printed on the textiles they designed, so it’s difficult to give credit to particular artists.

1977, ‘Soup Can,’ dress fabric.

‘Shrine’ hanging, painted spun silk. 1997.

Like the modern fashion world, the French were known world-wide for their trends. Designers drew inspiration from the French. “The French lead the taste and we follow them,” said Joseph Lockett, a textile engraver. “I go to Paris three or four times a year for no other purpose than to buy designs and see what the French are doing.”

Our own Moses Myers collection contains several textile samples, believed to be from Jamaica.

- C.D.

Happy Children's Book Week!

2011-05-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

This week is National Children's Book Week, and in honor of the holiday, we've gone through our collection, grabbed our favorites and created a cool timeline! Run your mouse over each entry for more information on the books. Check it out....

Al Capp's Pop Art

2011-04-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

The Chrysler Museum of Art’s newest exhibition, the Pop Art of Al Capp, opened this week. Nine of Capp’s silkscreen prints will be on view in the McKinnon Galleries of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Capp, most famously known as the artist behind the long running “Li’l Abner” comics, was influenced by other pop artists of the time, including Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. The prints reflect important social movements of the 1960s and 1970s, including feminism and integration.

Capp swapped political parties in his later years, shifting from liberal to conservative. This alienated much of his audience – he received hate mail for years. In this video, Capp pokes fun at his new reputation, announcing himself as a “Neanderthal facist” when he meets John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

The video displays a side of John Lennon rarely seen by the public. As Capp questions his intentions of a peaceful protest-in-bed, Lennon grows flustered and angry. Two sides of the political spectrum, Capp and Lennon represent the growing frustration between the generations.

Eventually, Capp would mock the hippies of the 60’s, including a group of characters known as SWINE: Students Wildly Indignant about Nearly Everything.

Whether you agree with Capp's politics or not, his work reflects a time in American history when nothing was black and white and everyone had an opinion.

If you are interested in learning more about Al Capp, L'il Abner, or Pop Art, stop by the Library!

- C.D.

Hooray For Monkeys! Curious George Comes to the Chrysler

2011-04-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I was excited to get a tour of the newly opened exhibition Curious George Saves The Day: The Art of Margret and H. A. Rey. The exhibit, which opened on the second floor of the Museum on April 27 follows the career of Curious George creators Margret and H. A. Rey and reveals their determination and courage during a daring escape from Nazi controlled Europe. The exhibition combines the Rey's original artwork with archival documentation of their escape from Europe. Young visitors are sure to enjoy a number of impressive structures that recreate scenes from the Rey's work, and perhaps best of all, a fun reading room featuring copies of some of Curious George's best adventures.

Regular blog readers might already know that here in the Library we've got a soft spot for monkeys, so I happen to know that Curious George and his fellow Rey creations will find number of primate friends in the galleries. This week, for a little Friday fun - or if you will, monkey business - I thought I'd offer a challenge to our fearless readers. Can you tell me which work in the galleries is home to this little fellow?

If you think you know where this fellow can be found and one other monkey who finds a home in the Chrysler collection, post a comment with the title of both works below. First correct post wins! Next week I'll announce the answers. In the meantime, I hope you'll stop in and see Curious George Saves The Day - and remember, we also always have great illustrated books for readers of all ages in the Library! Well-behaved curious monkeys always welcome.

- LC

Hats Off to Royal Wedding Attire

2011-04-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

It seems you can’t pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV or the radio, or click onto a website without hearing about the Royal Wedding. Viewers across the world tuned into the extravagant affair, hoping to catch a glimpse of history being made – and of course, wondering what Kate Middleton would wear.

The wedding will certainly influence fashion trends over the next few months. There is no doubt brides everywhere will want copy cat versions of Kate Middleton’s beautiful Alexander McQueen Studio gown. But most impressive? The outfits of the wedding guests – particularly, their hats.

Popular for formal events in the U.K., these hats aren’t just fashion statements, they’re true works of art. Milliners spend hours constructing these unique, eye-popping pieces. Hats have an insanely long history, and have really come a long way. In the world of avant-garde fashion, royal wedding guests certainly lived up to the challenge.

With so many fabulous hats, we were inspired to look up the evolution of the hat. Through the ages and throughout the world, "The Mode in Hats and Headdress" showcases headwear from nearly every walk of life. We've selected a few new hats for the Royal Wedding participants to try for their next big event. Check 'em out...

Kate Middleton selected a graceful gown and paired it with an elegant tiara and veil that fashion experts all love. But what if she’d chosen something more regal? Perhaps something a bit more Elizabethan?

Prince William donned his official military hat for much of the ceremony, but should have considered one of these dapper military styles – even if they are a bit outdated. Feathers look good on everyone, though, especially if they hide a growing bald spot!

Victoria Beckham is known worldwide for her sense of style, and though her O-shaped chapeau was certainly chic, it's not hard to picture her in some of these styles. She might catch some flack from PETA with the third hat, though!

Lady Gaga wasn’t invited to the royal wedding, but had she been there, there’s no doubt she would have outdone everyone. It’s not hard to imagine her in one of these get-ups, be it lamp-shade shaped, dart board themed, or masked – Gaga could work them all.

As Kat'es maid of honor, Pippa Middleton looked the part of lady-in-waiting in her slimming white bridesmaid dress. But she needed a hat!

Elton John is known for his dapper style, and while his purple tie was certainly fabulous, he needed a hat to really set off his outfit.

All of these pictures come from the book "The Mode in Hats and Headdress" by R. Turner Wilcox, which is available - along with many other books about hat history - for your perusal at the Chrysler Museum of Art Library.

- CD

Ten Things You Never Knew About the Jean Outland Chrysler Library

2011-04-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

You always learn new things when starting a new job, but my first three weeks here at the Chrysler Art Museum Library have been even more enlightening than usual. Whether I’m discovering the wonders of copy cataloging or sampling the multitude of treats brought in for staff meetings, there’s never a dull moment. Here are the top ten things I've learned as a new employee.

10) Art auctions are happening all the time. One of my duties as special project librarian is to collect the weekly auction catalogs and periodicals as they come in the mail. As an art world newbie, I had no idea Christie’s, Sotheby’s and other auction houses hosted sales practically every day. Who knew there was such a market for expensive collectors’ items – like this cobra lamp?

This cobra lamp recently sold at a decorative arts auction for over $20,000.

9) Hardly anyone knows our library exists. I can’t fault them – I myself had visited the Chrysler many times without noticing the library. But the funny part about no one knowing we exist leads me to my next point…

8) We give lots of tours. Once people do discover the library’s existence, they want to know anything and everything about our collections. And who wouldn’t? Still, it never fails to crack me up, hearing Laura give the same tour over and over to everyone from new gallery hosts to homeschooled children. Not surprisingly, all groups are easily impressed by anything really old in the collection.

7) The library has old stuff. Really old stuff. In fact, the oldest item in our collection is an illuminated manuscript from Persia allegedly dating back to the 1480’s. It could come in handy for a research paper or project – but only if you can read the early dialect of Arabic it’s written in.

6) The Chrysler staff eats. A lot. Or maybe I’ve just started at a good time? Since my first day 3 weeks ago, I’ve had the following at various staff gatherings: bagels, fruit, cheese danishes, ice cream, cupcakes, cheese and crackers, cookies, carrots and ranch from a veggie platter, and, in light of Easter this weekend, chocolate from the Easter Bunny himself. Not coincidentally, my waistline is expanding almost as rapidly as my mind.

5) Robert E. Lee should’ve worked on his penmanship. Or at least hired a secretary with nicer handwriting. The new exhibition in the reading room display case features Civil War documents from the famous general, and I’ve been struggling to make out what Lee and his compatriots were writing all those years ago. Seriously, didn’t ol’ Robert know that 150 years from now, I’d be trying to transcribe his letter to a fellow general? It’s true, handwriting styles change over time, but that doesn’t make my job any easier!

Letter written by Robert E. Lee (or at the very least, his secretary). Can you make out what he writes?

4) The art world is fascinated with the human body. I knew the ancient Greeks and Romans were obsessed with nude statues, but modern artists are giving them a run for their money. I’m never far from a book or magazine with a half-naked figure on the cover. It’s tasteful, sure, but kind of repetitive, if you ask me.

3) Sleeves are a must at the Jean Outland library. The temperature hovers at around 65 degrees in here, year round. As the weather outside warms up, I’m considering bringing an indoor outfit and an outdoor outfit with me to work. The walk to the parking lot in a jacket and long pants works up a sweat, but shivering in a sun dress isn’t an option, either!

2) Coming up with witty blog posts is tough, but somebody has to do it. Writing things that are both informative and entertaining is harder than it looks.

1) If it’s a Friday afternoon, and there’s traffic on Olney, it’s probably time to hit the road. With that in mind...

Have a great Earth Day and a happy Easter!

Chelsea DeAngio
Special Project Librarian

Update - What's New at the Library

2011-04-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

Garden Bulbs In Color SB425 .M25 1938

Spring has sprung at the Chrysler! Lovely tulips have blossomed in both the Memorial Garden and Mary’s Garden. The galleries are also blooming with color – whether it’s the amazing watercolors of James Tissot: The Life of Christ or the brilliant flowers of Tiffany Lamps:Articles of Utility, Objects of Art. In the Library, too, all sorts of new things are springing up. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a Library update, so here are a few of the many things that are new:

New look –
You may have noticed - the blog looks a little different. After a brief hiatus we’re back with an updated look and some new features. You may enjoy checking out a changing selection of recently researched items, or linking our posts to your Facebook or Twitter page. You can also sign up to receive an email whenever the blog is updated. We hope you like the changes – please tell us what you think.

New faces –
On April 6 we welcomed Special Project Librarian Chelsea DeAngio to the Library Staff. Chelsea is already hard at work making new materials available to Library patrons and helping with reference requests. She’s great! If you haven’t already, stop by and say hello.

The Museum also welcomed a new curator, Amy Brandt, in March. Amy is the new McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, and has been hard a work researching the collection. She’s already helped us build the Library’s collection of books about contemporary art with some much needed additions. You can read more about Amy here. We’re glad to be working with her.

New information -
Everywhere you look in the galleries, there something new and different to look at - new exhibitions, new collections, and new works of art. We’ve been keeping pace in the Library. You’ll find information about all of the current exhibitions on hand in the reading room, along with a number of newly acquired books.

Old and interesting –
If you’ve already visited the James Tissot: The Life of Christ exhibition you may be interested in taking a look at our 1903 New York edition of the completed illustrated Bible for which the watercolors were produced. The three volume set is on view in the reading room.

We’re also featuring new items from the Library’s “hidden” collections in the reading room display case. Along with The Civil War: Visual Perspectives, Then and Now exhibition on view in the Waitzer Community Gallery – a challenging look at the meaning and impact of the War on American history and culture from a variety of perspectives - you can see some intriguing archival materials relating to the Civil War in Hampton Roads from the Library’s collection and start a conversation with voices from the past.

I hope to see you in the Library again soon!

- L.C.

Special Project Librarian Introduction

2011-04-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

I’m Chelsea DeAngio, the new Special Project Librarian at the Jean Outland Art Library. Currently a senior at Old Dominion University, I hope to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to pursue my Master’s in Library Science in the fall. Though I’m an English major, I’m no stranger to the art world – I previously worked as an assistant in ODU’s Hofheimer Art Library.

For the next few months, I’ll be working on several daily tasks, including the processing of Inter-Library Loan requests, collection and organization of new periodicals and auction catalogs, and of course, updating the blog.

I’ve been on the job for two weeks now, and have been learning a lot. I look forward to learning even more in the coming months!

Item of the Week: "Loose Change" by Suzanne Opton

2011-04-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Opton's photographs portray aging women in a positive light.

New to the Chrysler this week is photographer Suzanne Opton’s book “Loose Change.” It showcases photos from her 2001 exhibition by the same name. All the pieces feature middle aged women posing nude with household items.

Opton, perhaps best known for her “Soldier” portraits, ensures her subject’s anonymity by focusing solely on the body. She stresses her feminist perspective by pairing the women with sponges and toasters, commenting on society’s expectations of women. Many of the women also pose with vases, traditional symbols of femininity.

Few artists have dealt with the aging body with such a positive perspective. Rodin famously portrayed an aging courtesan that had once been beautiful in his sculpture “The Kiss.” In response, Erwin Blumenfeld photographed the model for “The Kiss” as an old woman defeated by her body. Only in recent years have artists like Anne Noggle and Joyce Tennyson portrayed the aging body in a positive light.

The book includes interviews with the models, which provide fascinating insight into the way women see themselves.

“What struck me was the universality of the photos, of the bodies,” says one of the anonymous models. “It felt like we all look like that: we bulge a little here, we sag a little there, and there’s beauty, too. That was nice, seeing that realized as art.”

“Loose change is what’s left over at the end of the day,” author Vicki Goldberg writes in the afterword. “It makes a pretty jingle but hasn’t much power and doesn’t go far.” The women featured, she points out, are so much more.

Ultimately, the project celebrates the beauty of all women, regardless of their age or shape.

Want to learn more about Suzanne Opton’s work? Two of her “Soldier” portraits are included in our collection at the Chrysler, or visit her website for more information.

On View in the Library: John Taylor Arms: Tells How He Makes an Etching

2011-03-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

Have you visited the exhibition An Eye for Architecture: The Etchings of John Taylor Arms currently on view in the Kaufman Theatre Lobby?

We've had a lot of visitors to the Library lately who are interested in learning more about printmaker John Taylor Arms and his work. While looking for more information about Arms' process we stumbled on a wonderful series of articles by him that ran in American Artist magazine in 1940-1941. Entitled "John Taylor Arms Tells How He Makes An Etching", the three part series walks the reader through entire process of making an etching in Arms words. Illustrated with photographs of the artist at work, this is a great way to learn more about how he approached printmaking. If you'd like to take a look, the whole series is on view in the Library reading room. The exhibition An Eye for Architecture will be on view in the Kaufmann Theatre Lobby through July 24, 2011.

A Life Devoted to Better Glass

2011-02-18T12:11:00.000-08:00

Here at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, we spend a lot of time adding to our vast store of information by filtering newspaper clippings, gallery mailings, etc. into our artist files. Occasionally, we run across a wonderful surprise. While sorting a box of what we thought was artist information to be added to our vertical files, we ran across the history of a company, a career and a passion for better glass.

Edgar Bostock was apprenticed to the window glass trade by his father, Edward Bostock on October 14, 1890 through the offices of the Window Glass Workers Association. He was apprenticed for the designated period of 3 years. The files contain Bostock’s workers’ account book beginning date November 11, 1893, his Glass Workers Association due book – both of which any glass worker would have had – as well as a World Glass Workers Association Delegate pin. Correspondence, photographs and a beautifully-colored trade catalogue from the plate and decorative glass company that Bostock would later found called Bostock, Rhoades & Co., though undated, give us a glimpse of how far Mr. Bostock came in his career.

The files are based on Mr. Bostock’s professional life and also contain letters, chemical formulas, articles and hand-written notes pertaining to the chemistry of glass. Perhaps the jewel in the crown of this find are the writings of Edgar Bostock - handwritten and typed - including professional journal articles, speeches, and the manuscript for a book regarding the history of glass and other glass-related subjects. The articles and manuscripts were found bound with heavy twine and the pages are carefully numbered and revisions are included as if the author were preparing for careful professional editing and publication. Bostock’s chief concern appears to be maximizing the chemical composition and shape of glass for maximum lighting capabilities, though his company also made colored decorative glass, which accounts for the deep chemical interest in tinted glass. The bulk of the materials contained in these files appear to be from the nineteen-teens and twenties, and other than Bostock’s Union paperwork and wage books, there is no account of his early career.

Please keep an eye on our blog for more surprising finds!

- SMR

Visitors to the Library

2011-01-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

The Tidewater Area Reference Librarians [TARL] enjoyed a visit the Chrysler Museum on January 20, 2011. Thirty reference librarians from libraries throughout Hampton Roads gathered for a quarterly meeting in the Gifford Room and a behind-the-scenes tour of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. Events such as this one help librarians advise researchers about other sources of information in the area and better yet, give librarians who are frequently asked questions a chance explore other libraries and ask questions of their own.

TARL Members in the Library Reading Room

Film Showing this Weekend: Waste Land

2011-01-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

This Sunday, January 23 at 3 p.m. I'm planning to head to the Norfolk premier of
Waste Land in the Kaufmann Theatre. Here's a description of the film:

"Vik Muniz’s "Orestes Pursued by the Furies (Pictures of
Junk)" is among the most popular works of art in our galleries.
Learn the inspirational story behind the photograph in this
award-winning documentary (Arthouse Films, 98 minutes,
http://www.wastelandmovie.com/). In his native Brazil and the world’s largest
garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, Muniz proves that garbage can be art and that art can transform lives.
Stay after the screening for a discussion of the film in our Kaufman Theatre.
Cost: Free, with advance seating for Museum Members"

If you can't make it to the film, stop by the Library and take a look at Reflex: A Vik Muniz Primer - it's on display in the reading room - to see more of Muniz's work.

Top Shelf Books From the Age of Queen Victoria - Last Week

2011-01-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

This Fall we've enjoyed showing off some of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library collection's 19th Century books along the top shelves of the reading room. Our Fall intern Whitney Frazier selected one of the books on display to write about for the blog. You can read about her selection below, but if you'd like to see the books for yourself, stop by the Library before they return to the stacks on January 28, 2011.

Caricature and Other Comic Art

In the Reading Room of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, lining the top of the shelves is a collection of Victorian books. After looking into each of the interesting collection, I chose Caricature and Other Comic Art by James Parton. This book was published in 1878 by Harper & Brothers, Publishers. This publishing company is now known as HarperCollins. On the cover is a comic called Pigmy Pugilists—from Pompeii. It shows two men one on the ground reaching for help while the other is still ready to fight. This book offers a range of caricatures from the Romans through America 1875. The author, James Parton was a well known biographer, writer and historian of his time. His books were widely published and admired of his time. He was author of many presidents’ biographies, among other historical topics. This book is an interesting composition of cartoons poking fun at everything and everyone who was a popular topic at the time. The book explores political, religious, literary, social, and economic avenues. Caricature and Other Comic Art is greatly interesting as a social view of the times and what was historically critical at the time. I enjoyed reading into the Reformation and Roman and Greek historical caricatures and how they applied socially. This book is a fascinating resource into social and historical values.

- Whitney Frazier, Library Intern Fall 2010

The Greening of the Art World

2011-01-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

It seems as if you can’t go anywhere these days without being told how to “Go Green.” Once a trend, green living has quickly become a way of life all over the world. In need of inspiration and materials, artists have always run to constructing works with natural materials or reclaiming one man’s trash as artists’ treasure. The Chrysler Museum is the proud owner of many Earth-conscious pieces of art including Vik Muniz’s 2006 creation “Orestes Pursed by the Furies (Pictures of Junk)” and David Smith’s 1961 construction “Gondola.” If your visiting the museum before July 2011, please be sure to stop by the Frank Photography Galleries and see the installation “Contrast: Interactive Works by Daniel Rozin,” an artist who works in reclaimed materials and electronic parts.

Care to learn more about green art and artists? Looking for some inspiration of your own? Stop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and spend a moment with our exhibit about eco-art. We are currently displaying recent craft and art education magazines focusing on making art with reclaimed, as well as books about green artists such as Rodney A. Greenblat (whose 1990 work "Confrontation in the North" is pictured above), Alexander Calder, David Smith, Vik Muniz, Andy Goldsworthy, Robert Smithson and more. Special thanks to the Chrysler Museum Facilities Department for feeling the green-spiration and lending us publications about sustainable facilities. We hope to see you soon!

- SMR

The Art of Correspondence

2010-12-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

‘Tis the season to check the mail! It’s lovely to open the mailbox and find brightly enveloped cards, holiday letters, family photos, etc. from the ones we love near and far.

When was the last time you wrote a letter? Digital communication has changed the way we correspond – arguably for the good. While things like e-cards and greetings on Facebook have made communication much more convenient, it’s nice to return to the heartwarming days of good paper, ink pens and postage stamps. Some of the most treasured artifacts of human society are pieces of paper correspondence from days long gone by.

This holiday season, we’ve put together a slide show in honor of the ancient art of correspondence; letters, cards, penmanship, holiday envelope seals, pieces of handmade art crafted with love and stamps from today and yesteryear. Please take a moment to enjoy these gems from the collection of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. If you like what you see, drop us a line! Happy holidays! -SMR

If you enjoy these handmade tidings, take a peek at the John Taylor Arms exhibition currently on view in the Kaufman Theatre Lobby - then take a look at some of the Christmas greeting created by John and Dorothy Taylor Arms here on our collection online. Search for
"Arms Christmas" to see them all.

Marley was dead, to begin with…

2010-12-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

What better on a cold evening than to curl up with a classic tale of mystery and horror? Even the most cheerful holiday songs tell us “There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories…” Spooky tales by the fire have been a winter’s tradition for time in memoriam, beginning as a Pagan tradition. Over the centuries, the tradition has continued in many manifestations. Dickens visited upon Ebenezer Scrooge three spirits, the ghost of Hamlet’s father haunted the ramparts during Christmastide, J.M. Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson both spun ghostly winter yarns, and Poe – of course – sat his lonely characters before the fire on a midnight dreary. To continue this haunting tradition and as a nod to the on-going London Calling: Victorian Paintings from the Royal Holloway Collection, the Art/Books, Wine/Cheese Book Club will be reading the spine-tingling classic A House to Let by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell and Adelaide Anne Procter. Please join us on Wednesday December 15 at 6:30pm to discuss the novella. Busy that evening? Drop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library Wednesday through Friday and leaf through favorite tales –scary and otherwise – by Charles Dickens, J. M. Barrie, Robert Louis Stevenson, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathanial Hawthorne and many more. Happy reading!

- SMR

Picture from our past: Famous visitors to the Chrysler

2010-11-24T13:54:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving upon us, many of us are getting ready to for house guests or to be house guests. Whether you’re preparing for visitors or traveling for a visit, we thought you might enjoy this image of famous visitors from the Museum’s past. On November 26, 1977 the Virginian Pilot featured this photo of the band Queen during a visit to the Museum. The world-famous rockstars are peering into a display case featuring the work of Virginia Beach artist Kelly Freas – a well-known science fiction artist who also created one of the early drawings of MAD magazine icon Alfred E. Neuman. Freas also designed the album cover for Queen’s “News of the World” Album – notable for the hit songs “We Will Rock You” and “We are the Champions”.

Happy Thanksgiving !

New and Notable

2010-11-24T13:51:00.000-08:00

New to Library shelves this week are two books about the work of 16th century Italian Painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo:

Arcimboldi, Giuseppe, and Pagden S. Ferino. Arcimboldo: 1526-1593. Milan: Skira, 2007.

Kaufmann, Thomas D. C. Arcimboldo: Visual Jokes, Natural History, and Still-Life Painting. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2009.

Best known for composing unusual portrait busts using plants, animals, and objects, Arcimboldo’s work has recently been reevaluated by scholars and noted for the scientific accuracy of his work. These two excellent catalogs explore the how and why of Arcimboldo’s unique work in context with the scientific exploration of the Renaissance and the context of visual humor. A feast for the eyes and for the curious mind, stop by the Library to take a look at both catalogs.

Interested in further the connections between science and art? On Saturday December 11, 2010 Jonathan Smith of the University of Michigan–Dearborn will explore the intersection of 19th century art, culture and science in his lecture "Charles Darwin, Evolutionary Aesthetics, and Victorian Visual Culture.” More information on the lecture is available here or by calling 757-664-6200

A View from the Stacks: Intern Collection

2010-11-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

This Fall, we asked our Intern Whitney Frazier to create a virtual collection by collecting digital images of some aspect of the library collection. For example, she could collect images of bookplates in the collection, of details on binding, books with funny titles, or books on a particular subject – the possibilities were endless. You'll find Whitney's collection below, along with a brief explanation of how she chose her images. Great work Whitney!

Click on the image for a larger version.

In order to find a topic for a collection found in the Jean Outland Chrysler Museum I had to think of someone or something that has inspired me. I thought back to my Art History classes at Old Dominion and I came up with the ever fascinating Salvador Dalí. His life, like his art, was questioned for their sanity and reason. His works allow the viewer into another dimension of manifestations and curiosities. He was a widely talented artist who used many mediums of art including, photography, painting, sketching, writing, etc.
Through my research, I was able to find many great resources including, gallery books, personal works by Dalí, photojournalistic novels, and homage’s to his life’s work. Through these many works, I have collected a fascinating arrangement of his evolution from a young painter to an award winning gentlemen. Dalí’s love of expressing himself through his art work and himself allowed the world a peek into his magnificent life. Some of my favorite pictures I’ve chosen were from a photojournalistic work called Dalí’s Mustache by Salvador Dalí and his long time friend and photographer Philippe Halsman. The photos of his mustache in figurative displays are part of a series of questions and answers from Philippe to Dalí utilizing his mustache. This brilliant and creative work is an instant smile upon ones face. The love for his mustache during and after his life is symbols of his quirky personality. Another favorite of mine is a picture taken from the photojournalistic work called Sight and Insight by his friend Halsman. The photo is called Dalí Atomicus, which took more than 20 tries to accomplish the picture shown. This photo is portrayed by the launching of cats into water and Dalí jumping gleefully with paintbrush in hand. This painting is an all in one view into the Surrealist mind of Dalí.

This research allowed me to explore the great treasure that is the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. I have learned more about the Library and Salvador Dalí in my research of this collection.

- Whitney Frazier, Library Intern Fall 2010

Is there a Detective in the House?

2010-11-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Do you love a puzzle? The people in the Victorian era – both in England the United States certainly did. While preparing for the London Calling exhibition we came across three Victorian era puzzles that have us scratching our heads. Are you as clever as 19th century readers? Give these three a try:

A rebus is a word puzzle with where pictures and symbols are used to represent words or parts of words to spell out a message. In the 19th Century they often appeared in monthly magazines - with the answer in the next month’s edition. We imagine this particularly difficult (at least to us!) rebus from the December 1879 issue of Demorest’s Magazine encourages more than a few readers to order the next issue:

Click on the image for a closer view.

Victorian Ladies were also fond of a good puzzle. This riddle in the form of a poem was intended to entertain ladies while also helping them to learn the name and meaning of various types of flowers – can you name the blooms in the" Enigmatical Bouquet" from the Lady’s Almanac 1855?

Click on the image for a closer look!

Finally, this last item offers a puzzle on more than one level. Found in the archives of the Norfolk Museum, this pamphlet appears to be the catalog of an art exhibition held in Norfolk in 1887 on Granby St. . A closer look at the artists who created these works of art raises a few questions.

Click on the image for a closer look!

Unfortunately, this last puzzle remains unsolved – but who knows, perhaps with a little research you can be the one to discover the truth behind these less than believable nom de guerres.

All three of these puzzling items can be found in the Library….

When was the last time you read a scary story - a truly spine-tingling yarn?

2010-10-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

It’s Halloween – time for a frightening tale ! We’re giving you one courtesy of the Library’s Rare Book collections. We hope you’ll enjoy Washington Irving’s classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. First published in 1820, this tale of terror in early America has inspired countless artists and illustrators to depict the hapless Ichabod Crane in his flight from the Headless Horseman. Between now and November 5, 2010 you’ll find rare illustrated copies of this timeless story from 1849, 1860 and 1888 as well as some related works on view in the reading room. After taking a look, please feel free to sit down a read the story for yourself from the more recent copy provided… that is read it if you dare.

Happy Halloween!

Chrysler Museum Collection 52.18.140.48

- L.C.

Archives Month - A Bump on the Head

2010-10-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

Pirates and phrenology? Yes. That’s right. In 1827 John Myers, who was Inspector of Customs for Norfolk at the time, received an odd question about the skull of a pirate from his friend Joshua Cohen. Apparently there was a desire for the skull for “phrenological appreciation at Baltimore” by a Dr. Archer. Did Dr. Archer wish to derive meaning from bumps on the bones of the Pirate Tardy? Popular science at the time postulated a relationship between a person’s character and the morphology or shape of the human skull. This study became all the rage, and was used in society at the time to explain misfortunes, predict the future, diagnose maladies, etc. Dr. Archer probably would have wanted to inspect the skull of a pirate in order to determine the malformation that sparked his life of crime.

It was the job of John Myers to say whether or not it was in his jurisdiction to allow this piece of a pirate, buried in the sand at Old Point, to leave the state of Virginia. We’ve had some challenging research questions here at the Jean Outland Chrysler library, but we’re willing to bet that this one had John scratching his own noggin. Interest in the human head has waned little in the last almost two centuries. The use of the skull in art has sky rocketed in the last few years – think of Damien Hirst’s diamond encrusted skull. Do you have a mind for some phrenological explorations of your own? Stop by the JOCL this Fall and glance through such popular titles as Wonder and Horror of the Human Head and Ghost in the Shell. We also have a copy of George Combe’s The Constitution of a Man - one of the most popular works on phrenology.
Just thought we’d give you a heads up.

- SCM

Here's the original 1827 letter from the Myers Collection. Click on the Image for a better view!

In the Library This Saturday! Reading with a 19th Century Family!

2010-10-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

Calling all history lovers, bibliophiles, and Victoriana Enthusiasts!

This Saturday, October 23 we have a program just for you! Join us at 2 pm in the Library Reading Room for “Reading with a 19th Century Family - The Myers Library”

We all know that the 19th century was a great age of American literature (think Poe, Twain, Hawthorne...), but what were Americans actually reading? With rare volumes of both fiction and non-fiction from the Myers Family Library as a guide, join us to explore the reading habits of a Norfolk family from 1800 – 1900.

This program is free, and open to everyone!

For more information; contact Laura Christiansen at (757) 965-2035 or at lchristiansen@chrysler.org.

Top Shelf Books from the Age of Queen Victoria

2010-10-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

The World’s Columbian Exhibition, 1893

As an ode to the beauty of Victorian book and their ornate bindings, we’ve filled the top shelves of the reading room with volumes most fitting of attention. One such is The World’s Columbian Exhibition, 1893. The pale blue, gold and black volume is lavishly decorated with scenes of innovation and antiquity. The inside is even more impressive than the binding. The book is filled with photographs and sketches of the exhibits and participants, architecture and inventions. The account of artwork and technology in each building was painstakingly compiled by Trumbull White, World’ Fair Correspondent and William Igleheart, World’s Fair Editor of “Chicago Record.” Others contributed introductions and commentary. Such a large exposition could not possibly be reported by just two journalists. With a full list of illustrations, a department by department introduction, and further commentary by luminaries of the time, this book would have been a must-have for anyone attending the exposition as well as those too far away to enjoy its wonders. Please stop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and have a look at this marvel of decorative binding and all of the other books on display.

-SCM

Archives Month - Love, Marriage, and a Pound of Butter

2010-10-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

I’m getting married on Saturday. In the midst of all of the wedding to-do, my brain needed a break. To procrastinate from planning my own event, I took a few moments to comb through the Myers archives in search of a snapshot of weddings and marriage in a Norfolk long gone by. The search turned a wide variety of wedding related artifacts, including a cake recipe fully loaded with butter, sugar and lots of fruit – a cake truly meant to impress the early 19th century guest. Another wonderfully interesting piece is a newspaper article from May 4, 1816 describing the May 2, 1816 London wedding of Her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte Augusta to His Serene Highness Leopold George Frederick at Charlton-House. The article gives a full account of those involved, their stations in life, the setting, ceremony and celebration. Proof that Royal gossip has always been interesting on both sides of the pond! Finally, a sentimental little poem called “To Sir Robert Smyth” popped up. Written by an anonymous author and reprinted in the local paper, it was a literary answer to a poem by the former. These artifacts, along with many sentimental tomes in the Myers’ library give full account to the human interest in love, marriage, sentimentality and whimsy.

-SCM

Going Green circa 19th Century

2010-10-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

We are often surprised by the things we find in books. While walking through our stacks, I noticed what appeared to be a leaf of paper protruding from the cracked spine of an 1864 volume entitled The Shakespeare Gallery: A Reproduction Commemorative of the Tercentenary Anniversary. On more careful examination, the inside of the loose hard binding looked to be lined with a bill or ledger page, probably from the early part of the century of publication. These additions to bindings exist all over the library; inside periodicals, volumes from the Myers library, art reference materials, etc.

This common practice of lining the inside of book bindings is the 19th century version of using post-consumer materials. Often letters, ledger pages, advertisements, etc. were used as binding materials as new paper was expensive and often difficult to come by. Adding “recycled” paper to the bindings reduced the initial cost of publication and helped to lower repair costs to existing books. Occasionally, when volumes begin to age and become worn, these times capsules of lost information are revealed. Though we many never know whether or not the remains of the documents that were used in the binding stood the test of time, the many small clippings contained in the bindings of quite a large number of books here in the Jean Outland Chrysler Library live on.

One of our favorites includes the 1841 publication Memoirs, Letters, and Comic Miscellanies in Prose and Verse of the Late James Smith Esq., which includes an advertisement for “the Queen’s own” clockmaker. Please stop by if you’d like to see some of the volumes in our collection that contain these hidden examples of going green and thinking economically.

- SCM

October in the Jean Outland Chrysler Library

2010-10-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Library staff loves October at the Chrysler! How about you? This past weekend an impressive crowd of Museum Members attended the exciting opening events for London Calling: Victorian Paintings from the Royal Holloway Collection. This is a world renowned collection has some jaw-dropping examples of amazingly detailed 19th century narrative paintings. I think you’ll find that this exhibition may require a second or even a third look. While you’re in the Museum, stop by the Library - we’ve got so many wonderful events and programs coming up this month. Here are just a few to look forward to:

To celebrate both the Royal Holloway Exhibition and Cheers to Queen Victoria: British Glass from the Chrysler Collection we’ve gathered a selection of 19th Century books from the Library collection that exemplify the beauty and detailed craftsmanship of binding during the Victorian era. We’ve given them a place of honor on the top shelves of the Reading room. Stop by between now and December for a look at our Top Shelf Books from the Age of Queen Victoria 1837 – 1901.

October is Archives month! This year Virginia is celebrating with the theme of Imagination in the Archives. Our collections are certainly not lacking in this department – look forward to blog posts throughout the month featuring some of the more creative aspects of Hampton Roads history from our archival collections.

When you visit London Calling you may find yourself thinking about some of the great literature of the 19th century – Dickens, Hawthorne, Gaskell, and many others. If you’d like to learn more about what 19th century readers were actually reading, join me on October 23 at 2 pm in the Library for Reading with a 19th Century Family - The Myers Library. We’ll be looking at actual books from the Myers Family Library.

If that doesn’t get you reading than our Book Club Selection for this month will. On October 20 at 6:30 pm in the Gifford Room we’ll be discussing Roland Barthes’ Camera Lucida – which is sure to encourage a visit to our new photography exhibition Portraying A Nation. Copies of Camera Lucida are available in the Library. Also, get ready for November’s discussion of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Finally, anyone who’s visited the Library previously at the end of October will know that Halloween is a holiday that inspires the Library staff, perhaps a little too much. Drop by the reading room or the blog during the last week of October (25 – 29) as we lose our heads a little over the Library’s fantastic collection of illustrated versions American author Washington Irving’s classic tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
I hope to see you this month in the Library!

- Laura

Intern Collections

2010-10-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

During the summer, we asked Interns Chelsea and Casey to create a virtual collection by collecting digital images of some aspect of the library collection to be decided by them. For example, they could collect images of bookplates in the collection, of details on binding, books with funny titles, or books on a particular subject – the possibilities were endless. In July, at the Library Open House, each collection was presented. You can see both collections scrolling below, or click on them to take a closer look. Thanks to our Summer interns for all of their hard work!

Casey’s Collection

Chelsea’s Collection

Library Assistant Sara Mason...

2010-10-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

Library Assistant Sara Mason has been on the Lecture circuit. Sara has just returned from presenting a paper at the University of South Carolina’s annual I-COMM week – a conference show casing the work of students in USC’s School of Mass Communications and Information Studies. Sara is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science. She spoke as part of a panel about the Challenges of Distance Education. Keep up the hard work Sara ! More information here: http://www.sc.edu/cmcis/news/icomm/2010/slis_distance.html

--LC

A View From the Stacks: Intern's Journal Week 7

2010-10-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful interns Casey and Chelsea have completed their internships and are headed back to school, but they left us with a vivid journal recounting their summer adventures in the Library. This is the last edition of "A View from the Stacks", but I'll be posting the wonderful collections Casey and Chelsea created next week!

Week 7 - End of the Summer
I’ve reached the last week of my internship and I have one more task and a few more loose-ends to attend to. While we also got to finish the Docent Library and dismantle our book cart, the most exciting portion of the week (so far) was our rare book project, and the hardest is this blog, as it is sadly my last project!

Our final library task involved investigating the value of one of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library’s rare books, and writing a label describing what we found. I chose to research a signed copy of Margaret Bourke-White’s Shooting the Russian War for my interest in the subject and the opportunity to see the famous photographer’s signature up close—it was awesome.

Overall, this project—to me—felt like saving the best for last. It was a thrill to handle a book that is certainly a piece of history in its own right, but also a treasure for its signature. But of the many great opportunities I have had this summer to get acquainted with the museum and its staff, my work in the library has been the most educational and rewarding. I am so grateful to Laura and Sara for their time and guidance, and so sad to be leaving such a great institution!

- Chelsea Reinhardt 2010 Summer Library Intern

A View from the Stacks: Intern's Journal Week 6

2010-09-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful interns Casey and Chelsea have completed their internships and are headed back to school, but they left us with a vivid journal recounting their summer adventures in the Library. Stay tuned for future editions of "A View from the
Stacks" which will continue to appear on the blog during the next few weeks.

Week 6 - Outreach

This was a busy week for the interns in the library! With the library open house scheduled for Wednesday night, Chelsea and I scrambled to finish our independent projects, which included a Book Trailer and Book Collection. For my book trailer, I chose a 1918 book called, Das Werk Von Gustav Klimt. I wanted my trailer to resemble a movie poster. Using Photoshop, I collaged images found within this book and others from Klimt’s oeuvre. For my Collection, I decided to highlight images within the stacks corresponding with the alphabet. Both my Book Trailer and Collection were displayed alongside Chelsea’s at the open house and seemed to receive positive reviews (and should be posted online for viewing). The quiet library was shaken up Wednesday as the open house was a success and we received many visitors!
The second half of our week was spent getting our hands dirty by preparing materials for the upcoming exhibition of Victorian paintings. Chelsea and I looked through the stacks to find interesting books published in the 19th Century – many of which were covered in red rot. We started by pulling every book published during the Victorian era. This, however, proved to be a never-ending task and we switched to pulling attractive books, books with “creative” titles, art books, and books that could only be produced by the Victorians themselves. This narrowed our findings down to about 200 books – a much more manageable task. Each book was photographed, entered into a spreadsheet, and labeled so they could be pulled for later use during the Victorian show. The prettiest books will hopefully be displayed in the library and the others will be accessible to the public online. We hope all our hard works pays off and you enjoy our selections.

- - Casey Nye, 2010 Summer Library Intern

Casey and Chelsea's book trailers are below. I'll be posting their collections in the coming week - so stay tuned! The Victorian Books they selected are on now view in the Reading Room.

Chelsea's Art Fraud Trailer (Above) and Casey's Das Werk Von Gustav Klimt Poster (Right).

International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2010

2010-09-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

‘Tis once again the magical time of year when we throw grammar and diction, manners and class aside in order to bring you International Talk Like a Pirate Day http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html. Yo-ho, me hearties! It is in this spirit that we here at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library (an aaarrrrrrt library, you know), with the help of the Myers Family papers, bring you the “Pirates Rules for Civilized Living.”

To all of you career pirates out there – Just because Whistler was interested in The Gentle Art of Making Enemies doesn’t mean that you have to be. Here are a few rules for playing well with others and not interrupting international trade this holiday based on actual incidences of piracy that effected the shipping trade of the Myers family.

1- It is not polite to attach a ship and steal someone else’s cargo of $222.86 dollars in sugar. Do you have any idea how much that was in 1822?

2- It is unkind to abscond with a ship carrying mail – particularly that containing good gossip all the way from Richmond. Now what will we read for fun?

3- If you attempt to highjack a schooner off Pensacola, please leave the coffee aboard. We’re dreadfully tired of tea.

Well, me Matey? Do you feel better prepared to celebrate in higher class and style this year? Need a refresher course in pirate manners and 19th century Norfolk society? Stop by the JOCL and ask us about the Myers papers. Mind your pirate Ps and Qs, and make September 19, 2010 arrrrrguably the most polite International Talk Like a Pirate Day ever!

- SCM

A View from the Stacks: Intern's Journal Week 5

2010-09-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Stacks" which will continue to appear on the blog during the next few weeks.

Week Five - Archives and Vertical Files

After a week’s vacation spent relaxing beach-side, week six of my library internship was spent easing back into my work and my winter wardrobe. After spending a day in a stylish loaner sweater, I’m comfortable saying the process of sorting archives was the easier transition.

We began our study of archiving by reintegrating the vertical files from the Women of the Chrysler Show with the rest of the Library’s massive collection of manila folders containing academic articles, exhibition flyers, news clippings and other information on artists and works relevant to art research. After dealing with a few finicky filing drawers and some alphabetizing doubts, Casey and I moved on to a couple large office boxes of newspaper clippings. For the rest of the week we learned about the nature of archival work as we sorted through years of art-world news comprising the hard work of long-time library volunteer, Gizella Pongracz.
We sorted the boxes first by subject and artist, and then by the relevance of their content to academic research in Yes,” “No,” and “Maybe,” piles. Though my education in academically useful material began on day one of my internship when I returned dust jackets to books (in case any included an important image), my doubts about archiving led to a massive “Maybe” pile. Almost every article had an important fact or unique picture, but without knowing what else was in an artist file or if anyone would be interested in reading fifteen articles on the same modern Chinese art exhibition, definite answers eluded me. At the end of the week I had made a rather large dent in the box, and read some really great articles. I have also learned a little about the purpose and importance of archival sorting.

- Chelsea Reinhardt 2010 Summer Library Intern

Free Your Mind

2010-09-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

You might not know this, but I’m a rebel. For one week each year I attempt to get everyone to rebel with me. I read - wait for it - BANNED BOOKS! And so should you, if you want to. The 28th Annual Banned Books Week (September 25 – October 2, 2010), promoted by the American Library Association, endeavors to raise awareness about the practice challenging and banning and its hindrance to intellectual freedom. Some books that are banned in American school and libraries might surprise you, including The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne and The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Childhood favorites, one and all! Sadly, across the country and around the world, these and other classics are kept out of the hands of willing readers because someone they might have never met or heard of feels that they shouldn’t be reading it for one reason or another. Defend their right to read and yours by participating in Banned Books Week. Please visit the ALA website at http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm to see how you can get involved. You will also find a link to the top 100 banned and challenged publications, to further encourage your personal rebellion. Think for yourself and let others do the same!

-SCM

Wanderlust

2010-09-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

It’s just 20 days until the start of autumn (not that we’re counting). As the days become just slightly cooler it seems only appropriate to begin to say a proper goodbye to summer. ‘Tis the season for families all over the country to pack into the car for one last adventure before school begins and schedules become once again hectic. It’s time to take a moment to reflect on simpler days and fine weather, much as Duncan Hannah does in his painting “Vagabondia” (seen at left). Hannah grew up imagining trips to far off places. In this work, he shows us a long, peaceful road surrounded by fresh-looking foliage. Does the farm house in the distance signify the end of the journey, or the beginning of a new story altogether? Are you traveling this month? Are you dreaming of far off places and clear weather? Please stop by The Jean Outland Chrysler Library, and we’ll be happy to share with you one of our many books about travel and adventure at home and abroad. Pack lightly, drive safely and don’t forget the roadside souvenirs!

- SCM

Item of the week: the September 3 storm

2010-09-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

John Myers Sept. 4, 1821 letter to his brother Sam

It looks like Hurricane Earl has blown by Norfolk, luckily without much damage. The round the clock coverage of approaching storms we enjoy today gives us ample time to prepare for storms – a luxury previous generations of Norfolk residents didn’t have. A pair of letters from the Myers Family papers reveal the surprise and terror they felt in the wake of devastating weather. On September 3, 1821 a powerful storm, probably a Category 2 or 3 hurricane on today’s Saffir – Simpson scale hit Hampton Roads. On September 4 John Myers wrote his brother Samuel Myers in Richmond:

“We have an awful tempest – the damage done is great – the extent not ascertained – sufferers many – some severe – the papers give you a hazy & imperfect sketch. It is a scene that could not be described without detailing a thousand minutia - you must see it to believe – we have not a tree, shrub or fence standing ... I do not know what is the loss in expense to the Richmond Boats – They are both high and dry in a cornfield, about ten miles above the eastern Sandbridge – when & how to be got off I know not.”

On September 5, John wrote again in greater detail, adding:

“Our dwelling stands & all are safe & well within – but every tree & fence & shrub around are leveled – Our drawbridge struck ground & the Lothair (a ship) is in a cornfield not to be gotten off … I would not repair the damage to the town for 200 million dollars - it is a scene of devastation – Chamberlain is a considerable sufferer – His brig sunk – I must refer you more particularly to the papers – The Richmond & Petersburg are in a cornfield ten miles above the Eastern Bridge, how and when to be got off is conjecture – heavy expense at least. Disease & death , which surround us, has no terror like the fury of the tempest...”

The Hurricane, which went on to be the last Hurricane to directly strike New York City continued up the coast, leaving destruction in its wake. Disease often followed a storm, and in 1821 Norfolk was struck by a yellow fever epidemic which increased the toll on the already suffering city.

If you’d like to learn more about the Myers family, stop by the Library or visit the Moses Myers House.

Intern's Journal - A View From the Stacks Week 5

2010-09-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

Week 5 – Research

Research week! My favorite part of art history. While this process feels daunting at first, I’ve found that research always leads me through unexpected avenues and leaves me questioning even long after the project has been completed. For our project, Laura instructed us to find one piece in the collection to research. Our research would be added to the Library’s vertical files in the hopes of bringing them up-to-par with Registration’s files, and helping to lead future researches in the right direction. Once again, I was faced with choosing one piece in a collection of thousands!

Rather than selecting a piece by an artist I was familiar with, I decided to choose one I knew little about, and one whose vertical file was in need of expanding. I wrote down several and then narrowed my choices. In a Northern Renaissance gallery (of course) I stumbled upon a tiny painting by Frans Francken II called Death and the Miser. This painting, with its grim subject, is not one I would ordinarily be drawn to, but one that certainly interested me at first glance. It shows a skeleton serenading a seated old, feeble man. Presumably the same man and skeleton are seen out the window, but the man appears much younger. This image’s small size does not detract from its psychological impact, nor it’s ability to show the artist’s skill. It was a front-runner in my choices, and I soon found out it was lacking a vertical file altogether. I felt that this painting’s ability to attract my attention at such a small size and with such a strange subject earned it the right to live among the library’s vertical files.

After researching online and looking through files in the Registrar's record, I found out there are several reproductions of Death and the Miser, and also that there are several Franz Francken’s – a problem that has plagued connoisseurs and researchers for generations. For the purposes of this project, I decided to note this information, but to coincide with the Chrysler’s identification panel, to attribute the painting to Frans Francken II (or the Younger) . My Pathfinder for future researchers included websites containing relevant information, other paintings by Frans Francken the Yonger, useful publications within and outside the JOCL, and other artists and paintings from Northern Europe depicting similar subjects. I hope this research will help to further the interest of others looking for information about this painting and those of similar subjects.

Also this week, Chelsea and I constructed our Book Cart, inspired by a German do-it-yourself doll-house book. Our dollhouse, while not as glamorous as the dollhouses in this book, was done on a budget of only $10. We used cardboard and masking tape to create faux bricks and hardwood floors. We printed out pictures of windows, appliances, cabinets, wallpaper, and tile floors for the interior, and included my childhood dollhouse furniture. Members of our house include, Dr. Scott Howe, Dr. William Hennessey and even our cataloguing fellow, John Curtis. We hope you enjoy our home-made Puppenhaus!

- Casey Nye, 2010 Summer Library Intern

11 Classic Children's Art Books

2010-08-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

This summer, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library staff was excited to add a new collection for young visitors to the Museum. Our brand-new children’s book collection focuses on books about art and artists, but also features some familiar titles – such as Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are. Last week online art journal ARTINFO.com writer Emma Allen listed the top 11 Classic Children’s Art Books [ here ] and I was excited to see that our fledgling collection already contains more than half of the books listed! Among the books from our collection that are included in the list are:

•From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by
E.L. Konigsburg

• Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh

• Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Cristina Bjork

• The Uncle Andy Books by James Warhola

• Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

See an old favorite or a title you’d like to read – stop by, this collection’s for young minds of all ages!

- LEC

Interns Journal - A View from the Stacks Week 4

2010-08-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

The Docent library before we set to work.

As we got down to the work of recording titles and deciding subjects we encountered the great plague of library organization. While the Library of Congress system provides a structure that arranges books by subject beginning with general art history and moving into mediums, countries of origin and individual artists, some books (and many of the Docent books) cover multiple of these organizing subjects. Placement in the library eventually comes down to individual logic and an executive decision, an issue that complicated work for two beginner-perfectionists

As we made our way though tough names like Mary Cassatt (who, as an American impressionist painter exhibiting in France, was eligible for four of our categories of organization), we settled our disagreements and questions with our supervisor, Laura until, finally, the nearly 600 books of the docent library were recorded and placed in order. For now, we await our second crack at their organization and the completion of our first mini-catalogue. In the meantime, the kinesthetic learner in me cannot wait for my next chance to get hands-on, while the perfectionist in me is eager to complete my task.

- Chelsea Reinhardt 2010 Summer Library Intern

Farewell from the 2010 Jean Outland Chrysler Cataloging Fellow

2010-08-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

Sadly, it’s time to say goodbye. Like the old cliché, time flew and, though I feel like I’m just getting started here at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, the 2010 Cataloging Fellowship is coming to a close. I hope my time here has served the library as well as it has served me. In the spring, I looked forward to the diverse material and formats I would encounter here at the Chrysler and, in the end, underestimated just how rich an opportunity this fellowship is. Over the summer I’ve cataloged in the neighborhood of 650 items: monographs, periodicals, pamphlets, archival collections, and videos. Many presented time-consuming challenges and I hope to have met those challenges with the result of ever-improving access to this valuable collection.

Open coffee container = place in the empty bottom drawer

But now I have to say goodbye to my desk chair, my caffeine drawer (pictured), white archival gloves, volume of Pearl Jam photographs (pictured), and Library of Congress Classification System reference books.

It’s been a summer of professional growth (applying classroom lessons in a professional setting) and personal milestones (my fiance's engagement ring was mailed to the Chrysler!) and I cannot thank the Friends of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library enough. Finally, thanks are due to Dickson Librarian Laura Christiansen and Library Assistant Sara Mason who created an environment of collaboration and put up with my stream of questions. Best wishes, all around!

--John Curtis, Cataloging Fellow

Thinking Forward to Fall

2010-08-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

We’ve just bid a fond adieu to our Summer 2010 interns and have begun enthusiastically planning displays and events for the Fall. Quite a few museum members, staff and docents have stopped by to catch a glimpse of the catalogue Paintings from the Reign of Victoria: The Royal Holloway Collection, London in preparation for the fast-approaching exhibition. Also, we’re learning all about The History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage for the August 18th installment of “Art and Books, Wine and Cheese.” Please stop by the library for a copy of the reading list and suggestions on how to locate the books.

Research has been flowing in from all directions! We’ve had history buffs interested in the Pickett-Buchanan ledgers (please see inset photo) and glass enthusiasts researching Art Nouveau lamps. There have been many college students in to complete their end-of-summer class projects (including myself), as well as a large number of high school seniors working on up-coming Art History papers. Thanks to the Summer Teachers Institute 2010, we were introduced to a new group of researchers. We shared knowledge about digital resources, toured the library collections and discussed the how-tos of researching and preparing art-related classroom programming.

We’re looking forward to even busier and more exciting times to come this Fall! Please stop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and see what’s going on!

-SCM

A View from the Stacks - Intern's Journal Week 3

2010-08-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Week 3 – Collections Development and Management

At the beginning of the week, Laura told Chelsea and I we would be helping with collections development by choosing one shelf in the library for an up-to-date inventory. The Library completed a full inventory in 2008, but the shelves are always shifting and changing. We were to go through the shelf, enter basic information about the books into a spreadsheet, flag books in need of relocating or repair, and suggest new books for the shelf. For time and sanity’s sake, Laura encouraged us to choose a shelf that housed books mainly on one subject or a single artist. Since we would be suggesting new books to add, Laura advised us to choose an artist we were familiar with. Based on this information I couldn’t imagine this project taking more than a day – it’s only one shelf, right? The library quickly erased my preconceptions once again.

First – choose one shelf from the painting section of the stacks. This should be the easy part, right? But how does one choose a single shelf in a library of nearly 2,000 shelves! My traditional taste led me towards the exquisite Flemish painters, but choosing a single painter among the thousand of painters within the stacks felt like asking a mother to choose her favorite child. I was afraid of hurting some poor artist’s feelings and worried they would impair my painting skills from the grave forever! So instead of risking any forsaken future, I decided to choose a shelf no one could argue with – 15D – Vermeer. The Chrysler Museum currently has a Johannes Vermeer painting on display in the gallery. Surely there could be no better time to scour through his shelf. I loaded the contents of 15D onto my book cart and went on my way without a trace of guilt.

Several hours into this project, I began to ask myself why I had foolishly neglected to learn French, German, and Dutch. These staples of Flemish art served as roadblocks when trying to read the book titles, but thank goodness Google Translator!

Although this project took much longer than I had originally anticipated, all the listing, flagging, bar-coding, pulling, and re-shelving of books taught me the importance of being meticulous and organized when working in a library. Also, that I need to invest in Rosetta Stone before entering graduate school.

The Vermeer contents of shelf 15D currently sit on the shelves of the library’s reading room for easy public access. Seeing these books specially displayed in the library’s entrance has reassured me that our work as interns is indeed valuable to the Chrysler Museum’s visitors.

- Casey Nye, 2010 Summer Library Intern

The Seven Thrones Mystery

2010-08-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

After most of a week off to officially become a resident of Norfolk (Boston to Norfolk in 16 ft. truck = 14 hours), I was welcomed back with the opportunity to work with some fantastic and sometimes mysterious rare materials. I’ve been able to catalog, among other things, the library’s holdings of an early 20th century magazine called The Craftsman and a rare, artistic box of booklets, multimedia, and sculpture to commemorate a 2004 performance by artist Terence Koh. The latter proves that an item need not be half a century old to be classified as rare; in this case, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library may be the only art library in the world with a copy of the “Koh & 50 Most Beautiful Boy” box, which was produced in very limited quantities.

Most exciting for me, however, was the chance to solve the mystery of a Persian-language book possibly created as far back as 1482. Lacking a staff member able to read what may be an archaic form of Persian script, we’re unable to say with certainty what the text is about. The volume is beautifully illustrated in a Persian miniature style prominent in the 15th and 16th centuries. Adding to the mystery is a loose, typed note with the name and dates of a famous Persian poet, Jami. Clues in hand, I started some online digging through other institution’s catalogs and exhibitions as well as following a Wikipedia trail (yes, I admit it) to Jami, Persian poetry, and miniature painting. When I looked up it was 2 PM and I was momentarily convinced we had a version of Jami’s most famous work, Haft Awrang (Seven Thrones). Unfortunately, my theory remains just that and without being able to read the text, I can only rely on visual characteristics and the beautiful illustrations. Two of the illustrations in our volume match scenes depicted in the most famous Haft Awrang manuscript, currently residing in the Freer Gallery of Art, but the others do not immediately invoke scenes from Jami’s epic work. If nothing else, I had an exciting morning of feeling the smallest bit like a desk-bound Indiana Jones, but hopefully my research can provide another starting point for future catalogers or researchers. The mystery volume remains one of the most intrinsically valuable in our rare collection and stands as a personal highlight for me.

2010 Book Cart Decorating Contest Results!

2010-07-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

The results for the 2010 Jean Outland Chrysler Library Annual Book Cart Decorating Contest are in! This year we had three wonderful and unique entries - and when the votes were counted, it was a close race. Entering the contest this year were:

Book Cart 1"Das Popenhaus, or, The Dollhouse" by Library Interns Chelsea and Casey was full of interesting details and some familiar faces:

Book Cart 2, "Draw with Harold!" by Laura was inspired by the popular children's classic Harold and the Purple Crayon. Visitors were encouraged to pick up a purple crayon (or, rather pencil) and add a drawing to the cart:

Book Cart 3, "Bonjour Coco!" by Sara was inspired by the designs of Coco Chanel and brings a little of the "City o

Lights" into the reading room with its recreation of the Eiffel Tower:

Visitors to last week's Library Open house were invited to vote for their favorite design. The winner with 40 votes was "Draw with Harold", coming in second was the intern's detailed "Popenhaus" with 38 votes and finally, in close third was "Bonjour Coco!" with 34 votes.

Our thanks to everyone who particpated and voted this year. If you didn't get a chance to see the carts, they'll be on view through Friday, July 30, 2010 in the Reading room.

Mid-Summer Report!

2010-07-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, we rearranged some furniture and welcomed the Friends of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library for an open house. It was a pleasure to meet so many enthusiastic supporters of the library. Thank you to those that stopped by and we appreciate the continued support of all the library Friends and volunteers. Personally, the open house was a chance to show museum staff, museum volunteers, and library Friends what I’ve been up to this summer and hopefully promote the ongoing benefits of the cataloging fellowship. It’s hard to believe I’m beyond the halfway point of the fellowship; so far, roughly 500 items in a variety of formats have been added to the catalog and I hope to keep that number climbing steadily in my last few weeks!

--John Curtis, 2010 Jean Outland Chrysler Cataloging Fellow

Mixed Media

2010-07-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

In the course of a single day’s work here at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, I may process and catalog anything from Victorian travelogues to independent films starring heroes of the American counter-culture movement. Such diversity speaks volumes about the library’s commitment to building a truly comprehensive collection and also makes my job a lot of fun!
One of my priorities this week was reviewing and cataloging audiovisual materials. Whether in VHS, DVD, or even CD-ROM form, these materials will soon find a new home in the A. Kempton d'Ossche Art Video Collection. While adding an officially released and professionally produced biography of Pablo Picasso to the collection is fairly straightforward, the library also offers footage of past museum events, artist interviews, and taped art-related segments from news programs such as CBS Sunday Morning. A substantial portion of the un-cataloged audiovisual material has come to us with limited or non-existent documentation and the first step is often popping in a tape to see what’s actually on it. Once the suspense has passed, the detective work begins again and (hopefully) a catalog record takes shape as the tape plays. It’s safe to say that, when it comes to audiovisual material, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library offers researchers the chance to go off the beaten path.

In the midst of my work with tapes and videodiscs, I was able to describe and catalog three photo albums from more than a century before families could document a trip to Europe on a camcorder. Found together in a box in the library stacks, the three leather-bound albums date from 1875 and 1878 and, in early forms of photography, document a tour of Western Europe. I found it fascinating that a contemporary tourist would take or buy many of the same photos as those in the album and felt a tangible link to the past while exploring this fantastic resource. The albums reside in the rare books room and now have individual catalog records; I also created an archival finding aid to describe the three albums as one collection. Unfortunately, there are few immediate clues as to the origin and custodial history of the collection, but the albums can certainly stand on their own as valuable primary sources.
--John Curtis, Jean Outland Chrysler Library Cataloging Fellow

2010 Decorate My Book Cart Contest

2010-07-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

The Book carts have arrived! Voting is now open!

This summer, Library staff and Library interns teamed up to decorate three of the Library’s book carts in a no holds barred contest for the title of champion book cart decorators ! The only rules were:

• All decoration must be reversible (no permanent changes to the carts)
• A budget of $5 per entrant.

Each cart was inspired by a book in the Library collection. Who will be victorious? You decide! Ballots are available for each cart - so vote soon and vote often! Hurry! Voting closes Wednesday, July 21 at 5 p.m.

Pictures and more information about each cart coming soon!

Summer Update - News from the Library

2010-07-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

It’s been a busy summer around the Jean Outland Chrysler Library! The interns and cataloging fellow have been hard at work, helping to keep our collections safe and making them more accessible. Over the last month, 380 items have been cataloged, labeled and made ready for use. Our new children’s book collection has also been growing by leaps and bounds! The additions to our collection have been made “clear” to staff and patrons in the last week thanks to the addition of a beautiful glass door! We greatly appreciate all of the time and effort that went into its installation.

We’ve had some exciting events, and are preparing for more in the near future! The new CD Music of Quality and Taste: Selections from the Myers Music Collection premiered last month to rave reviews. Also at the end of June, the staff of the JOCL attended the 2010 American Library Association Conference in Washington, DC to see what’s new in the industry. We are all looking forward to the Jean Outland Chrysler Library Open House on Wednesday, July 21 from 4pm – 6pm. The same evening, please join us for the next installment of “Art & Books, Wine & Cheese,” where we will be discussing Nick Hornby’s newest novel Juliet Naked. We hope to see you soon!

Postcards, Periodicals, and Greetings from Estonia

2010-07-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July! Appropriately, the early 20th century postcard collection I’ve begun processing this week has its fair share from the US of A, along with what I’ve determined to be one postcard from what is now the capitol of Estonia. No I'm not spending the holiday weekend in Eastern Europe, but if I had sometime around the turn of the century, I could have sent a postcard much like the one in our collection. I’m putting my archives training to good use (hopefully) and creating a finding aid for a small postcard collection currently housed in the rare books room of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. The origins of the collection are a bit mysterious, but that won’t keep us from arranging and describing it to provide access for researchers interested in late 19th and early 20th century postcards. The collection is truly a global one, with landscapes, cityscapes, art, and architecture from more than a dozen countries. Most of the postcards are blank, but represent a useful resource for both those interested in postcard manufacture and use and those interested in the scenes they depict. The bulk of the collection is art reproductions and scenic locales so I’m currently arranging the collection into series based on geography and, in the case of the art postcards, Library of Congress classification. The finding aid won’t describe individual postcards, but will provide an overview of the collection and valuable access points to what could otherwise be an overwhelming jumble.

This week I also worked on cataloging art periodicals. In addition to our diverse current periodical subscriptions, the library also holds donated and rare materials and specific issues related to museum collections and shows. More dynamic than single or even multi-volume monographs, periodicals present unique cataloging challenges. Periodicals often change names, absorb other serials, change the frequency of distribution, and shift the place of publication. Cataloger becomes detective!

Finally, a quick shout-out to our new glass door. Museum staff and visitors can now see the friendly faces waiting for them at the reference desk as they enter the reading room. What once appeared to be a particularly foreboding vault door is now a lot more inviting. It may seem like a small detail, but, especially in the case of museum visitors, the new door sends the message that they’re welcome at the library.

--John Curtis, Cataloging Fellow

Music to Our Ears - Myers Music CD Release

2010-07-02T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Jean Outland Chrysler Library is very proud to announce the release of Music of Quality and Taste: Selections from the Myers Music Collection. This is the first CD produced using music from the Myers Music Collection – housed in the Library's Archives. In the past we’ve told you about selections from this extensive collection of over 900 pieces of 18th and 19th Century sheet music (more information here) now, you can hear a selection of 18 pieces from the collection as the Myers enjoyed them. The music is exquisitely performed by the Virginia Chorale Trio – featuring talented musicians Amy Cofield-Williamson, Scott Williamson, and Charles Woodward.

The CD will soon be on sale in the Museum Gift Shop. A preview copy will be available in the Library Reading Room – stop by and enjoy a few minutes of Music of Quality and Taste.

2010-06-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Cataloging the Jean Outland Chrysler Library’s pamphlet collection may not yield the towering, visually satisfying stack of cataloged material that results from processing monographs, but the rewards and fascinating discoveries are the same. The library accessions (takes in) many art-related pamphlets, most from gallery exhibitions or sales. Unlike monographs, these pamphlets are often limited, one-off printings quickly produced for the length of the exhibition. Most don’t have an ISSN number or assigned Library of Congress call number and lack clearly identified authors and publishers. Furthermore, many of the exhibitions highlight a wide variety of art and one pamphlet may include anything from 19th century British oil paintings to bronzes from the 1970’s. Clearly, some pamphlets represent a cataloging challenge. For example, this past week I came across about 20 exhibition pamphlets from the now-defunct IBM Gallery in New York City. The pamphlets spanned the 1960’s and represented the gallery’s diverse lineup of shows and interests. Should I catalog each pamphlet by subject individually? Should I group them as serial publications? Are these pamphlets more valuable as an IBM Gallery collection? How could I offer subject-based access points to individual pamphlets without complicating our library catalog with so many individual records? Ultimately, I decided to catalog the pamphlets as a collection; initial access is available under the heading IBM Exhibition Catalogs, but users searching for individual titles or subjects will still turn up specific pamphlets related to their search terms. Hopefully, it’s a win-win situation.
These pamphlets are valuable as records of specific exhibitions, facilitating historical research in the broadest sense and sometimes offering insight into the provenance of individual pieces. And, of course, sometimes there’s cool stuff tucked into them! This week I found a copy of a paper by Prentiss Taylor, a noted artist and teacher of the Harlem Renaissance, titled “Art As Psycotherapy” and reprinted from a 1950 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Within the pamphlet was a Picasso postcard, newspaper clippings, and a letter to “Alice”. After briefly hoping I had found a long-lost letter to Alice Toklas, with whom he communicated, I’m now certain the letter is to Alice Jaffe, an art historian and Chrysler volunteer who specialized in Pre-Columbian art. The library has a portion of Ms. Jaffe’s papers and many of our books on Pre-Columbian art are courtesy of Alice Jaffe. Thanks to the knowledge of librarian Laura Christiansen and some poking through the Prentiss Taylor papers at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, the mystery was solved. The letter alludes to the McCarthyism sweeping the country at the time, as well as fellow Harlem Renaissance figure Carl Van Vechten, and should be a nice addition to either the Alice Jaffe papers or the library’s Prentiss Taylor vertical file.

--John Curtis, Cataloging Fellow

2010-06-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

This week I continued my efforts to catalog monographs and exhibition catalogs, but also tackled our shelf of un-cataloged wrapped books. While they present multiple challenges, the library’s wrapped books and folios offer exciting discoveries and the chance to physically connect with rare and older materials. Most of the wrapped books I’ve encountered were published in the late 19th and early 20th century and, because of extensive use, poor paper quality, or environmental conditions, many are showing signs of their age. We wrap these books in acid-free, archival-quality paper to help preserve their pages and keep them together (check out previous posts from interns Casey and Chelsea for an insider’s account of the process).

Wrapping is only the first step, however, in making these materials useful for library patrons and this week, in a scene reminiscent of Christmas morning, I’ve been unwrapping some of these treasures and adding them to the catalog. The cataloging challenge for wrapped books is two-fold: handling the brittle materials while searching for necessary information to create a robust catalog record and navigating the many foreign languages in which these books were printed. So far I’ve encountered German, French, Italian, Russian, Danish, Swedish, and what is very likely Dutch. My limited Spanish vocabulary has thus far been sadly untested. However, with the combined efforts of library staff and interns and existing shared catalog records, I’ve been able to integrate these valuable materials into our collection.

Two interesting items of the week include one very large folio dedicated to architectural masters of the late 19th century and one very small catalog of an engraved powder collection at the Georgia Museum of Art. His Horn[e] Made: Engraved Powder Horns from the Collection of James E. Routh, Jr. highlights the often intricate and beautiful cravings found on the utilitarian powder horns carried by American frontier colonists. A Monograph of the Work of McKim, Mead & White, 1879-1915, Volume 2 celebrates the work of a successful architecture firm around the turn of the century. As a recent resident of Boston, I was thrilled to see detailed drawings, floor plans, and even photographs of the beautiful McKim Building of the Boston Public Library. It was fascinating to see how McKim’s vision has withstood the test of time; many of the illustrations in the book reflect the look of the building today.

--John Curtis, Cataloging Fellow

A View from the Stacks : Interns' Journal - Week 2

2010-06-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

Prior to beginning my internship at the Chrysler, I was told to be ready to “get my hands dirty” in the library. With my outsider’s knowledge of libraries and clichéd assumptions about internships I took this to be a metaphor for fixing someone’s coffee or sorting somebody’s mail. Upon starting my internship I was corrected in my assumptions—none of my tasks were menial or useless and “dirty” was meant literally. In the second week of our internship I and fellow intern, Casey, began the dusty work of library preservation with enclosing fragile and rare books in protective folders.

To begin, we donned protective gloves and looked at the 30 shelves of the Moses Myer’s family book collection with a certain level of awe—first over the age of each volume (some over 200 years old), and second over the sheer amount of time it would take ourselves and future students to fit and enclose each individually. Pausing often to study the books’ 18th century ideals of chemistry or the portraits and signatures doodled in margins, we measured each book for a 4-flap enclosure of archival paper. Over the first half of our preservation week we housed 34 books, protecting them from moisture, light, air, bugs, mold, and each-other. Though it felt great to complete our careful folding with a large chunk of the books protected, our next task certainly left a greater spatial impact.

In the latter half of our week Casey and I completed some lighter wrapping for a shelf of old and tattered books. After some organizing and dusting, we cleared 7 shelves previously covered in bits of aging books and German art periodicals to make light enclosures and some room for the museum’s scrapbooks. Previously crowded under shelves of auction catalogues, theses scrapbooks are now better preserved and more accessible to anyone looking for a visual history of the Chrysler museum, or just some amusing vintage photographs. All in all it feels great not only to accomplish so much, but to know and see how our work is serving the library. My week in learning the process and importance of library preservation has given me the valuable work experience I sought, as well as a feeling of achievement I had never expected.

- Chelsea Reinhardt 2010 Summer Library Intern

A View From the Stacks: Interns' Journal - Week 1

2010-06-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Jean Outland Chrysler Library!

My name is Casey Nye and I’ve just started my summer internship and the Chrysler’s Library. I’m currently a rising senior at Virginia Tech majoring in Studio Art, Art History, and Communications. I’ve hoped for an opportunity like this to come my way, and am excited to work with professionals in the art world as I approach graduation.

Having been a frequenter of Virginia Tech’s Art and Architecture Library for the past three years, I thought the Chrysler Museum’s Jean Outland Chrysler Library would be the perfect fit for me. I didn’t know much about the library at first, but knowing that I plan to apply to graduate school for either Art History or Museum Studies, I thought I could gain valuable experience from this type of internship.

Our first day was, of course, a brief introduction to the museum staff and facilities. I met my supervisors, Laura and Sara, as well as other interns here at the Chrysler. After our introductions, we toured the museum, inside and out, and let me say, the public museum space is far less confusing than the building’s inner workings – I hardly have my bearings after one week! After being spun through the galleries, we dizzily headed to the library, which I hoped I would be able to find again on my own. Like I said, I didn’t know much about the library and had never visited.

The Library sits at the end of a hidden hallway off one of the galleries. It opens into a small reading room with general reference books, including a myriad of multivolume encyclopedias, dictionaries, museum catalogues, and trendy art publications, ranging from the Art Bulletin, to Paperweight Quarterly. Gazing at the number of shelves and shallow depth of material, I began to wonder about the whereabouts of all the actual art books. I thought, if I sit in this room of encyclopedias and dictionaries all summer, I will surely drive myself crazy! On the bright side, I would probably become a Jeopardy star. But just as I questioned my decision to spend my summer as a library intern, Laura took us through the STAFF ONLY entrance into the closed stacks, where all the scholarly published authors sitting on the shelves started to laugh in my face. My embarrassment set in. The Chrysler’s library holds over 110,000 items, including thousands of monographs, auction catalogues, folios, oversized books, rare books, and much more. How could I be so foolish as to think we would be working only with Webster’s Dictionaries! The small reading room is only a veneer hiding the enclosed treasures.

As the week progressed and I became more acquainted with the library’s collection, my initial skepticism seemed a distant memory and my fear of monotony turned to a fear of incompetence. There is much to learn from this secret library, and far more than I can hope to glean in a mere two months. So far, I have only seen a fraction of what this library has to offer, but I am certainly excited to explore cache of knowledge. The Jean Outland Chrysler Library is a hidden jewel within the walls of the Chrysler, and has taught me that you really can’t judge a book by its cover.

- Casey Nye, 2010 Summer Library Intern

Welcome, Summer 2010 Interns!

2010-06-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

The staff of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library would like to bid a warm welcome to our Summer 2010 Interns! Casey Nye (Virginia Tech) and Chelsea Reinhardt (Old Dominion University) will spend the summer learning about the care and management of collections in special libraries. They will be helping with some exciting projects! As this photo shows, they are already hard at work on their first big project – working together to create archival 4-flap enclosures for the Myers family library. Updates on their progress and upcoming events, including the July 21st Jean Outland Chrysler Library Open House, will be posted here each week, so stay tuned!

A Fond Farewell

2010-06-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

On May 31, 2010 the world lost a great artist. The death of Louise Bourgeois at the age of 98 marked the end of a long and art-filled life. Thought known best for her sculpture, Bourgeois learned to draw and paint at an early age. She began her adult life as a mathematics student at the Sorbonne – a subject she liked because its constancy helped her to temporarily forget a painful family life. She left to enroll in art school, and in 1938 married art historian and critic Robert Goldwater. The couple moved to New York City, and Bourgeois became part of the Student Art League. In 1981, she was honored with a retrospective show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Bourgeois continued to work until her death. Her life was marked by private pain that drove her creativity and gave her solace that came from expressing her emotions through her prolific creation of sculpture and image. She has left behind a legacy to be enjoyed by the world.
- SCM

Hello and Getting Started

2010-06-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to the Jean Outland Chrysler Library staff for their welcome in the stacks and blogosphere! It may be cold in the stacks (for good reason) but my reception here at the Chrysler couldn’t have been warmer. Now that I’m settling in, it’s down to business. In my first two weeks I’m starting to tackle the backlog of unsorted and/or un-cataloged material, focusing on traditional art-related monographs. I’m sorting and identifying duplicates in the un-cataloged material and adding catalog records for those books we don’t have. In the coming weeks I’ll start working with smaller exhibition catalogs and pamphlets. Armed with coffee (tightly controlled and un-spilled) I’ll be getting as much material as possible to the shelves and into the catalog where it can searched, researched, and browsed.

Like many archivists and librarians, I face the continuing temptation to fully explore every book I catalog, sort, or work to preserve. In the interest of ever getting anything done, I can only occasionally indulge that urge. Each shelf or stack of un-cataloged material is a treasure trove of interesting material and, as in the case of a book I cataloged this week, that material can sometimes produce personal connections. I discovered and cataloged a book of photography by Joel-Peter Witkin (appropriately titled Joel-Peter Witkin), to whom I’m very distantly related through marriage. The book is dedicated to my second cousin, his wife at the time of printing. I’ve never met either my cousin or Mr. Witkin, but vividly recall a family gathering at which his work was discussed and uniformly criticized as being bizarre, disturbing, and in poor taste. My discovery of the book has not only sparked a shared memory, but also highlighted a challenge often faced by catalogers and the acquisitions staff of a library. Librarians often confront material fully within a collection’s scope which they find personally uninteresting, misguided, false, or even offensive. I don’t share my family’s sense of outrage at Witkin’s art, but personally think his work relies too much on staged grotesqueness as manifestation of his themes. Individual value judgments are unimportant, however, when wearing my cataloger’s cap and Joel-Peter Witkin will take its place beside Joel-Peter Witkin: Forty Photographs on our shelf. His books fall within the library’s collecting policy and, as a cataloger, I’m happily bound to the loftier Chrysler Library missions of fostering research and supporting the Museum’s collections.

Come back for more updates on my cataloging efforts. I’m looking forward to a successful summer!

--John Curtis, 2010 Jean Outland Chrysler Cataloging Fellow

2010 Cataloging Fellow - Welcome!

2010-06-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

The staff of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library extends an enthusiastic welcome to 2010 Library Cataloging Fellow John Curtis! Established with the goal of enabling access to the Library’s unique resources while offering Masters of Library and Information Science students the opportunity to gain valuable experience, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library Cataloging Fellowship is made possible by funding from the Friends of the Library. John, a recent graduate of the M.L.I.S. program at Simmons College in Boston, MA is already hard at work cataloging materials that have previously been unavailable to Library patrons. We look forward to working with John this Summer. Keep an eye on the Library's blog for weekly updates about his work, new additions to the collection, and interesting items he comes across while cataloging!

Item of the Week - Surprise in the Stacks

2010-05-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

It's always a wonderful surprise to discover something new between the pages of a book in the Library Collection. From time to time we like to share them here before returning them to the shelves. Earlier this week while working with the Myers Library Collection we came a cross a delightful copy of The Life of Francis Marion by William Gilmore Simms. Beautifully bound this volume tells the story of the South Carolina Revolutionary War hero perhaps better known as the "Swamp Fox" This copy also contained a suprise which we discovered on the one of the first pages - a portrait in profile. Who is this lady? Is she a member of the Myers family? It's fun to wonder who drew her portrait here, when, and why.

Women at the Chrysler Women and World War II

2010-05-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

The women at the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Science were not discouraged by the hardships of World War II; rather they persevered by sustaining art and culture in Norfolk. Members of the Norfolk Society of Arts and Junior League regularly held exhibitions, lectures, and concerts in support of war relief. In 1942, ‘Women of the War Week’ was held to sell defense bonds and stamps encouraging citizens to “Stamp Themselves American.” Additional aid was provided through various shows including the Harvest Show, which raised $1,595.63. Aside from war relief, the Museum sponsored free concerts along with poetry and art competitions for individuals serving in the armed forces. The Museum’s commitment to the arts brought support and encouragement to residence in a time of crisis.

-- Victoria Schwab, Library Intern

2010-05-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Lately, I’ve been reading Gregory Gibson’s Hubert’s Freaks: The Rare-Book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbus. Photographer of both the popular and the unorthodox, Arbus lived an extraordinary adventure until her untimely death in 1971. She portrayed her subjects with uncompromising directness and dignity. Though born into an affluent New York family, Arbus chose to photograph in some of the darkest, most forbidden – and most interesting places in the city. She cut her professional teeth as a fashion photographer, but felt restrained by the rules of the fashion world and collaboration with her husband Allen Arbus. Later, through her technical studies with Lisette Model and the encouragement given by her famed tutor, Arbus honed her personal style. Eventually, her work revolutionized documentary photography. Interested in learning more about Diane Arbus? Please join us on May 19th for the latest installment of Books & Art, Wine & Cheese and have a look at ground-breaking photographs by female photographers in Women of the Chrysler.

--SCM

Join us for the Big Read!

2010-05-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

The Jean Outland Chrysler Library partners with Old Dominion University’s Darden College of Education to encourage The Big Read.
This event, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, brings communities together to read, discuss, and celebrate selections from world literature.
Program participants will get a free copy of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club and the opportunity to discuss the acclaimed book at the Chrysler Museum that evening. A showing of the film A Conversation with Amy Tan will follow the discussion. For more information about The Big Read, visit http://www.neabigread.org./

Woman at the Chrysler: Docent Liven Art Scene

2010-05-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

During the exhibition Women of the Chrysler: A 400-Year Celebration of the Arts, we’re celebrating the contributions of women to the history of the Chrysler Museum. Women from all backgrounds have played an integral role in the creation, development, and operation of the Museum from its very beginning. Each week during the exhibition, we’re a story about a woman or group of women accompanied by an online album of images from the Library's collections. We also invite you to join us in the Library to learn more about these dedicated women.

When I find myself in Huber Court or the Galleries on a weekday morning, I am always impressed by the hum of activity, and the many happy groups touring in a surprisingly orderly fashion. I especially enjoy overhearing bits and pieces of conversations between tour groups and the Docents who make this all possible. Next week these dedicated women and men will celebrate the conclusion of another successful year of leading thousands of children and adults in an enlightening conversation with the Chrysler Museum Collections and exhibitions.

As with many programs at the Museum, the Docent program grew from the hard work of a group of inspired Norfolk women. In 1958, the Junior League of Norfolk established a volunteer docent program to lead school tours at the Museum. Modeling their program after the National Gallery of Art, they began giving their first tours in the spring of 1959 with only six volunteers. These founding volunteers recognized the importance of the arts and the Museum to the quality of education offered in the region’s schools. As the demand for school tours grew, so did the number of volunteers. Consequently, the Junior League pledged $20,000 in 1966 towards the salary of the Museum’s first education director, Mr. Richard Carroll. His primary responsibility was to train the Museum’s Docents. During this time, women from the service clubs of Virginia Beach and Portsmouth also assisted with Museum education programs, including taking works of Art into schools. Even after Walter P. Chrysler Jr. brought his art collection to Norfolk in 1970s, the role of the Docents in the Museum’s mission remained essential, and continues to be a key part of the Museum today.

In honor of the millions of tours that have been given by Museum Docents during the last 50 years, we’ve created a slideshow of images from the Library archives of Docents doing what they do best – bringing people and art together.

2010-05-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

This year, as The Azalea Festival becomes NATO fest, we thought we’d take a moment to reach into our archives and have a look back at the tradition of crowning Queen Azalea in Norfolk. The crowing of Queen Azalea was retired in 2009 and replaced with the new tradition of naming a Festival Ambassador, an honored armed forces service member - male or female – to represent their country to NATO and to the world. Representatives from member nations, the armed forces and the Hampton Roads community participated in the Annual Parade of Nations last week, at which the chosen Ambassador, French Air Force Captain Geraldine Ribereau was honored. Past Queens from the United States include Hollywood Actress Patricia Anne Priest (1954) – the first Queen, Lynda Bird Johnson (1961) and Luci Baines Johnson (1965), Tricia Nixon (1969), Jennie Elizabeth Eisenhower (1997), Jennifer Robb (2003) and many more. Please enjoy these photos of Queens past and some of the ladies of their courts. Want more? Stop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and have a look at several full-color brochures from the 1950s and 60s celebrating The International Azalea Festival and The Azalea Court as well as military life and tourism in Norfolk.

Azalea Festival

Out of Storage and Into the Stacks

2010-04-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Are you a glass collector or enthusiast? This Wednesday May 5 at 6 p.m. the Jean Outland Chrysler Library will host Curator of Glass Kelly Conway in the Library Reading Room for a unique opportunity. Join us for Out of Storage and Into the Stacks and view fine pieces from the Chrysler’s glass collection alongside rare books from the Chrysler Library’s extensive glass research collections. Treasures from both collections will be on display and we will discuss how to use the Library’s resources for glass identification and research.

Whether you already have an extensive collection of glass or would like to learn more, this is a great opportunity to learn how to begin your research.

Space is limited to 20 participants and room is still available, so please R.S.V.P. For more information, contact Laura Christiansen at (757) 965-2035 or at lchristiansen@chrysler.org

Women at the Chrysler : Making Beautiful Music

2010-04-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

During the exhibition Women of the Chrysler: A 400-Year Celebration of the Arts, we’re celebrating the contributions of women to the history of the Chrysler Museum. Women from all backgrounds have played an integral role in the creation, development, and operation of the Museum from its very beginning. Each week during the exhibition, we’re a story about a woman or group of women accompanied by an online album of images from the Library's collections. We also invite you to join us in the Library to learn more about these dedicated women.

From the days of Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences musicales to modern musical performances such as Art Riff and The Art of Jazz, music has always been a large part of life at the Chrysler. This week we've created a slide show of just a few of the many talented women who have filled the galleries and grounds of the Museum with beautiful music. Please help us continue to celebrate women in art and music by joining us for a performance by Bellisima!, the South Hampton Roads auditioned ensemble performing music written specifically for the voices of women. Bellisima! will make beautiful music on Sunday, May 9 at 2pm in Huber Court.

"Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?"

2010-04-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

When ArtNews published feminist art historian Linda Nochlin’s essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” in 1971, it set off a firestorm of discussion in the art world. Nochlin focused on the male-centric world of art history. Were there really never any great women artists, or had their accomplishments been misattributed and played down? Thirty years later Nochlin’s question became the topic of a conference at Princeton on the state of women artists, and her new essay “Why Have “”There Been No Great Women Artists” Thirty Years After” was published. Are you interested in weighing in on this issue? Please join us at the next Chrysler Museum Art & Books, Wine & Cheese on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 for what is sure to be a lively discussion. Please e-mail us at library@chrysler.org if you would like to have digital scans of the articles sent to you. We hope to see you there!

Happy National Library Week!

2010-04-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

This week is National Library Week - a time to celebrate the important role that libraries play in our lives and in our society. In the Museum today (April 17)? Stop by the Library between 12 - 4:45 p.m. to help us celebrate.

Happy Library Week!