The 1998 Annual Meeting was held in Lubbock on October 15-17. This was the first West Texas meeting for the Chapter and was well attended by 20 members. Dr. Lois Swan Jones offered a panel entitled, “ The Challenge of Finding Art Information on the Internet.” The panelists were representatives from three library types in the ARLIS membership. The panelists were Margaret Culbertson (academic/Art and Architecture), Jacqui Allen (museum), and Polly Trump (public). The panelists shared their knowledge and experience in a lively and informative program.
During the business meeting, Sam Duncan demonstrated a prototype of the new web page that he has developed. Sam agreed to be the Interim Webmaster; Stephen Gassett and Karen DeWitt will assist him. At the end of the meeting, the election of officers was held. Jacqui Allen was elected Vice-President/President Elect and Carl Close was elected Secretary- Treasurer. Congratulations!
This year’s Lois Swan Jones Professional Development Award Committee will include Janine Henri, Beth Dodd, and Laura Schwartz. The deadline for the application is January 15, 1999 and notification is set for January 25, 1999. Please forward your applications to Janine Henri. Many thanks to them for serving on the committee.
Please be aware that this issue includes proposals to update the Chapter’s By-Laws and the Chapter Archive Procedures. Please consider the changes and return your ballot to me by January 15, 1999.
As this is my final column as President, I would like to thank the Chapter for the privilege of serving as an officer. It has been a great learning experience. The membership should be commended for their service to ARLIS/NA and the Texas Chapter. I would like to thank the exceptional Executive Board -- Chia Chun Shih (Vice-President), Sam Duncan (Secretary- Treasurer), and Marty Stein (Past-President). I would like to thank the members of the By- Laws Committee: Janine Henri, Phil Heagy, and Marty Stein. Many thanks to Karen DeWitt, the Annual Meeting Planning Committee Co-Chair, who put together several architecture tours and wonderful dinners, along with serving as van chauffeur, which was a marvelous asset. Thanks to Phil Worrell for serving on the committee and making the hotel arrangements. Thanks to Phil Heagy for continuing the “Texas Exhibitions" web page and to Margaret Ford for serving as Webmaster during the past two years. Finally, thanks to Sandy River, who frequently served as my editor.
The ARLIS Executive Board has been busy with much "behind the scenes" activity. As all of us know, this often is the most vital work we do, but can often appear to the public like not much is happening. Indeed, we'd like our efforts to appear as "seamless" as possible, but I'd also like the chapters in my region to remain informed on what the Board is working on.
New Executive Director - All of you read in the most recent Update about the change in executive directors from Penny De Pas to Ashley Prather. ARLIS does not employ an executive director, rather, it hires a management firm (in the past five years, Olson Management Group) who appoints a director with Board approval. Penny and the management firm decided on the change to Ashley. The Board was pleased with the change in that Ms Prather is very experienced and--unlike Penny--will have no other associations other than ARLIS to manage. The change came rather suddenly and caught a few of us by surprise. We look forward to working with the new ED, but understand that the learning curve to managing such an operation is quite steep. I know I speak for the Board when I ask members to continue filling in your regional rep on how our management firm meets individual board needs.
RFP Launched - also announced was the Executive Board's decision to ask for outside bids from other management firms for managing the Society. The Request for Proposal is common for periodic review of management companies. As part of our responsibility to our members, we needed to make sure that our Society was getting the most for its money. To that end, we sent out RFI's (requests for information) last spring. The response indicated that a full RFI would be fruitful to our evaluations of ARLIS' management. We encourage members who know of management companies who might be interested in ARLIS--or even individuals--to submit a proposal.
Short year - As if the above weren't enough, the Board also decided to "bite the bullet" and resolve some nagging accounting problems inherent in our calendar cycle. ARLIS uses three different year cycles for various events. A calendar year is used for things such as membership renewal. A fiscal year (July to June) is used for accounting. A conference year (March to February) is necessary because so much happens during this period. Although each of these came about logically, it was becoming increasingly difficult to, for example, pay due bills in the same cycle as the events for which they were collected. The obvious solution was to bring these various calendars into line. But as any of you know, beginning a new fiscal year is anything but easy. Kitty Chibnik, our current Treasurer, deserves much praise for her willingness to create a "short year," a year of only several months, and then begin our fiscal year the same as the calendar. I mention this to chapters only because, like the two issues above, there could be some mild surprises.
Bylaws Coordinated - I'm pleased to report that essentially all chapters in the South Region have brought their bylaws into line with the Society level. The next issue, posting them on a webpage, will ensure that they remain that way. This should be considered a high priority for all chapters.
Web Advisory Board Nominees - President Mary Graham has asked me to submit names for nomination to an ARLIS/NA Web Advisory Board. I recommended at the midyear meeting in Tucson that ARLIS establish an advisory board, appointed by and reporting to the President, to advise them and the web administrator on how to develop our Society's page to its potential. My personal view is that the ARLIS website will (and should) become the principal organ of the Society. Developing the site to its full potential is really the job of a team.
My tenure concludes with the Vancouver Conference. This fall, the ARLIS membership will be choosing between Robert Beebe (San Antonio Public Library) and Pat Lynagh (National Museum of American Art). Every time I see such an excellent slate of candidates I feel good and bad. Good because it means the best of the Society is willing to donate their time and energy (and let's face it, money, too) to the good of the association. But I feel bad because, as in any democratic contest, one will not win. Either way, the Society will come out ahead. I wish the best to both.
My very best for the fall,
Present: Jacqui Allen, Robert Beebe, Tara Carlisle, Beverly Carver, Carl R. Close, Margaret Culbertson, Karen DeWitt, Beth Dodd, Sam Duncan, Stephen Gassett, Phil Heagy, Janine Henri, Ann Jones Lois Jones, Bonnie Reed, Elizabeth Schaub, Laura Schwartz, Chia-Chun Shih, Marty Stein, Polly Trump.
After the group was welcomed by Douglas Birdsall, Associate Dean of the Texas Tech University Libraries, President Bonnie Reed called the meeting to order in the Formby Room, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University.
After brief introductions from all attending, Reed introduced the current officers: Chia-Chun Shih, Vice President; Sam Duncan, Secretary-Treasurer; Marty Stein, Past President.
Award: An award of $700.00 toward expenses to attend the 1999 ARLIS/NA conference in Vancouver.
Purpose: To support and encourage the involvement of an ARLIS/Texas member in the ARLIS/NA annual conference by contributing toward travel expenses.
Requirements:
Procedure: Applicants send a letter to the Award Committee no later than January 15, 1999 stating their qualifications, amount of institutional funding for their conference attendance, and their conference program involvement.
Notification: The applicants will be notified by January 25, 1999 to give ample time to register for the conference.
Send application to the Chair:
Janine Henri
Head Librarian
Architecture & Planning Library
The General Libraries, P.O. Box P
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78713-8916
jhenri@mail.utexas.edu
The ARLIS/Texas 1998 conference attendees enjoyed a tour of the main building of the Museum of Texas Tech University (Lubbock) on Friday afternoon, Oct. 16. Elizabeth Locke was our guide for the tour. The museum is an educational, scientific, cultural and research element of Texas Tech University and includes the Moody Planetarium, the Ranching Heritage Center, the research and educational elements of the Lubbock Lake Landmark, the Natural Science Research Laboratory, the Val Verde County Research Site and the Goodman Cotton Gin.
Highlights of the tour included an exhibition of the strikingly unique nature-inspired paintings of Robert Bissell and an exhibition on the tradition of landscape photography featuring the work of Ansel Adams and Laura Gilpin. The museum’s main gallery also has on display beautiful life-size casts of specimens of a Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus Rex in an encounter that may have occurred 65 million years ago. Also of interest were the galleries of Pre- Columbian Art, Ethnohistory, African Art, the Taos Art Gallery, the Lubbock Gallery and the Paleontology Hall.
Of special interest was the “Diamond M” Fine Art Wing. This wing houses the collection of C.T. and Claire McLaughlin of Snyder, Texas, which was donated to the museum in 1993. The Diamond M collection represents diverse themes, with an emphasis on the art of the American West, and includes works by both historical and contemporary artists in the mediums of painting and bronze sculpture. Apart from setting off a few alarms in this gallery, the group was well behaved.
The Museum as a whole houses a stunning variety of art objects, artifacts, and natural and scientific specimens from around the world and is definitely worth a visit or re-visit.
Bruce Cammack, Rare Books Librarian, gave the tour of the Southwest Collections/Special Collections building at Texas Tech University Libraries. The tour began with the permanent and rotating exhibitions, featuring the Southwest Collection, Southwest Conference, the Archives for the Vietnam Conflict, the West Texas Historical Association, and Special Collections/Rare Book collections. Unfortunately, the 1688 Coronelli Globe, which has recently undergone restoration, had not yet been placed on display in the exhibition case in the central rotunda.
The tour included a stop at the Hoblitzelle Conservation Laboratory where Tanya So, Assistant Conservator, gave an overview of the responsibilities of the department. Bruce Cammack discussed the restoration project for the Libraries' copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle. The tour continued with a walk through the various storage areas for rare books, maps, architectural drawings, archives, and photographs.
In the Reference Room, Cammack presented a small exhibition created for the ARLIS/Texas members. The rare books displayed included the reproductions of the Mayan codices, Nexus Press publications, the Edward Curtis books, and Victorian gift books.
Lubbock Lake Landmark was the last tour of the fall 1998 Annual Meeting. Lubbock Lake Landmark is a state park that serves as a research and interpretation facility for the archeological and historical use of this area. It is located on Yellowhouse Draw where water was available sporadically throughout history. Though excavations and research of this area started in 1939, the continuous program began in 1970. The archeological sites are excavated during the summer season under the direction of the Texas Tech University Museum and the Department of Anthropology.
On Saturday October 17th there was an open house in honor of the Texas Parks and Wildlife's 75th anniversary. In the Robert Nash Interpretive Center the celebration included docent discussions on how natural elements of plants, minerals, and animals were used by the native and nomadic people of the areas, dating from 12,000 years ago with the Paleoindians to the present. Discussions included the three cultures of the Clovis, Folsom, and Plainview people. A nature walk was led by docents who discussed the life style of the nomadic people, including the preparation of food and changes due to the reintroduction of the horse.
The nature walk passed the site of the first commercial venture on the South Plains, the Singer Store, dating from 1883, and several area excavation sites. Animals in the area over the 12,000 year history would have included giant bison, mammoths, ancient camels, ancient horses, bears, and the giant armadillo.
Professor Emeritus Nolan Barrick, former Chair of the Department of Architecture (now College of Architecture) gave a tour of the original Texas Tech University campus buildings. He is the author of Texas Tech, the Unobserved Heritage. Lubbock, Tex., U.S.A. : Texas Tech Press, [1985]. His tour included discussions of the original architect, William Ward Watkins, and the plan of the campus, and some of the adaptations made to the older buildings.
John White, Professor in the College of Architecture, gave a tour of the Ranching Heritage Center. The Ranching Heritage Center is an outdoor museum comprised mostly of historic structures from ranches all over Texas. Professor White discussed not only the history and original locations of many of the structures but also the measures taken to relocate them to the Ranching Heritage Center, and the efforts made to preserve them. A dust storm that sprang up in the midst of the tour also provided verisimilitude.
Blanton Museum of Art acquires one of the world's most important collections of old master paintings and drawings through generosity of museum benefactors -- 700-piece Suida-Manning Collection features masterpieces of Italian, French, and German art from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The version with photographs is at: http://www.utexas.edu/cofa/hag/suida.html.
Dr. Larry R. Faulkner, president of UT Austin, presided at the Oct. 17 dedication of the E. William Doty Fine Arts Building, the highlight of a year- long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the College of Fine Arts. Earlier this year, The University of Texas System Board of Regents voted to name the College of Fine Arts' administration building in honor of Doty, the founding dean of the college, who led its development for 35 years, from 1938 through 1972. For more information: http://www.utexas.edu/admin/opa/oncam pus/oc981027/oc-dean.html.
Herzog & de Meuron Architekten has been selected to design the new Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art (formerly the Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery). This firm was selected from more than sixty applicants from around the world. A series of public lectures by a group of seven candidate firms were held in April and May where the candidate architects discussed their past projects, perspectives on museum design, and views on the relationship between art and architecture. From this group of seven, three finalists were selected. From the three finalists, the architect was determined. For more information: http://www.ar.utexas.edu/blanton.html
Position Available
DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART, DALLAS, TEXAS
HEAD OF LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
Job Function: Serves as administrative head of the Museum's libraries. Responsible for supervising all aspects of the Mayer Library, the Visual Resource Library, Library Information Services and Museum archives. Essential Functions: 1. Supervision of all operational aspects of the Mayer Library and the Visual Resource Library. 2. Library collection development and management (acquisitions). 3. Supervision of four full-time professional staff, interns and volunteers. 4. Supervision of reference services to the staff and the public. 5. Supervision of cataloging and interlibrary loan functions. 6. Supervision, training and scheduling of library volunteers. 7. Processing library gifts. 8. Establish DMA archives (newly funded). Additional Responsibilities: 1. Development, including but not limited to, project fund-raising and acquisition of private book collections. 2. Provides orientation to staff and public in support of library services and technologies. 3. Acts as primary staff liaison for the Libraries and Information Services Committee. Qualifications: 1. At least three years of art library experience. 2. MLS Degree from an ALA accredited program. 3. Working knowledge of one or more European languages desirable. 4. Knowledge of computer applications in museums and libraries (including Internet). 5. Knowledge of art historical bibliography and related electronic resources. 6. Demonstrated administrative skills. 7. Archival experience desirable. SEND LETTER OF APPLICATION AND RESUME TO: HUMAN RESOURCES DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART 1717 N. HARWOOD ST. DALLAS, TX 75201. NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE. APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JANUARY 15, 1999.
I am very grateful to everyone of you who have contributed articles and columns to The Medium during my tenure as editor. It has been a great year. I thank you very much for your support. As you are all aware, the Chapter hasn't found a home for our website. In this interim period, I owe a great "thank you" to our genius webmaster Sam Duncan for his generosity in offering us his own website. I also owe a great debt to my wonderful library colleagues, Pat Oestricher and Jesse Reinburg, for their painstaking contribution to the proofreading of this newsletter. Last, but not least, I'd also like to thank the following column coordinators who continue to support the production of The Medium:
Academic libraries: Margaret Culbertson
Architecture libraries: Janine Henri
Exhibition listing: Phil Heagy
Museum libraries: Steve Gassett
Public libraries: Robert Beebe
Visual resources: Marty Stein
Vice President/President-Elect
Chia-Chun Shih
EXHIBITIONS IN TEXAS
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