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KELSEY MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SPRING 2O12 NEWS NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR Once again the articles in the Newsletter remind me of the power of collections such as ours to inspire creativity and the urge to discover new ways to wring more information out of long-studied material. STAFF John Kannenberg’s innovative MFA project—contemplations on infinity combining Sharon Herbert, Director art and music inspired by the collections and the building itself—is an excellent case in Lauren Talalay, Associate Director point. It took over our galleries for a night in March. The building and collections were made to speak through music based on the squeaky floors of Newberry Hall and the Curators Suzanne Davis, Conservation opening and closing drawers of our open storage. Elaine K. Gazda, Hellenistic and Roman From a completely different angle Caroline Roberts’s article shows how an ongo- Sharon Herbert, Greek and Hellenistic ing problem—deterioration of the stone stelae from Terenouthis, which began almost Janet Richards, Dynastic Egypt Margaret Cool Root, Greek and Near Eastern as soon as they came out of the ground—tackled with new techniques can bring new Lauren Talalay, Academic Outreach solutions and serve as a proving ground for new treatments. With Carrie’s use of X-ray Terry Wilfong, Graeco-Roman Egypt fluorescence spectrometry and collaboration with the University of Michigan’s mycology Research Scientist and electron microscopy laboratories, we have come a long way from the day of coatings Geoffrey Emberling with Duco cement. Elaine Gazda’s preparation for the Francis Kelsey exhibition this summer continues Research Associates/Affiliates Gary Beckman Christopher Ratté to uncover new facets to the life and work of this “man of many parts,” while Margaret Artemis Leontis Ann van Rosevelt Root’s account of the reuniting of the Seleucia materials housed in our collections gives a Despina Margomenou Carola Stearns new appreciation of the scope of materials from Seleucia and the vagaries of early excava- Laura Motta Nicola Terrenato Lisa Nevett tion dispositions. Lauren Talalay and Todd Gerring recount new ways to introduce our collections “up Support Staff close and personal” to more of the public, from behind-the-scenes champagne tours for Wade Beitelschies, Security Officer Claudia Chemello, Conservator our adult Associates to new and larger Family Days. Sebastián Encina, Coordinator of Museum Collections Not all our discoveries are within the building, however. As I was preparing to write Michelle Fontenot, Collections Manager these notes today, I received an e-mail from Janet Richards at Abydos about spectacu- Todd Gerring, Community Outreach Supervisor Margaret Lourie, Editor lar new discoveries there. Nic Terrenato and I are preparing for fieldwork at Gabii and Sandra Malveaux, Secretary Kedesh, respectively, and we are looking forward with excitement to Geoff Emberling’s Scott Meier, Museum Exhibition Coordinator work in the Sudan next year. Lorene Sterner, Graphic Artist, Gifts Manager Alex Zwinak, Graduate Program Coordinator All in all, it has been a productive year at the Kelsey with activities on many fronts, which build toward future discoveries. GALLERY HOURS Sharon Herbert, Director Tuesday–Friday 9 am–4 pm Saturday–Sunday 1 pm–4 pm INFORMATION Web site: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/ phone: 734.764.9304 email: [email protected] UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REGENTS Julia Donovan Darlow Andrea Fischer Newman Laurence B. Deitch Andrew C. Richner Denise Ilitch S. Martin Taylor Olivia P. Maynard Katherine E. White Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio DESIGN STEVEN DRISCOLL HIXSON AN HOUR OF INFINITY PERFORMS KELSEY SOUNDS On March 23 the Kelsey Museum was to attempt to draw a symbol related to bowl seemed the perfect challenge for her generous enough to allow me to present a infinity, either a circle or alemniscate —the particular skills as an artist. large-scale art performance and installa- sideways “figure eight.” This slightly The second score was based upon the tion event in the galleries housing its per- absurd, awkward drawing process leads to watercolor reproductions of the Room of manent collection as part of my Master of imperfect yet beautiful drawings, shaped the Mysteries by Maria Barosso, which Fine Arts thesis work. An Hour of Infinity as much by momentum and gravity as by are on display on the second floor of the occupied the galleries for one evening the artists’ intentions. Kelsey. To create a score based on these only and during its single hour presented I made field recordings of sounds of paintings, I overlaid a musical staff onto eight live drawing performers, two four- the Kelsey that were used as the source images of the paintings and included channel surround sound installations that material for the two surround sound musical notes wherever the heads of the manipulated the sounds of the Kelsey it- installations. The sound of my own foot- figures intersected with the musical staff. self, and two musical performances whose steps walking in a circle upon the creaky These notes were then repeated over scores were inspired by specific objects in wooden floor in Newberry Hall became a and over again for the duration of the the Kelsey’s collections. digitally manipulated sound of ghosts that hour-long performance by experimental As an MFA candidate at the University was played in the Dynastic Egypt gallery. guitarist James Warchol, who sat in the of Michigan School of Art and Design, A surround sound recording of opening Barosso room with his guitar, amplifiers, my research has centered on two primary and closing drawers in the Kelsey’s off- and electronic effects, creating a warm, topics: the sonic experience of museums limits basement archives was presented in melodic wall of sound that complemented and the human experience of the infinite. the reconstruction of the Temple Gentis the mystery of the paintings. The Kelsey, with its vast collections that Flaviae in the second floor galleries, giving I am grateful to everyone on the staff of reach back to the very beginnings of com- voice to museum objects that otherwise the Kelsey for helping to make the event plex human philosophical thought, was would be unavailable to the public. such a success. To see a short video from the perfect venue in which to present an In constructing musical scores for two the performance and to find out more event that explored these topics. With the performers, I chose two very different about the project, please visit help of my adviser, Dr. T. G. Wilfong, I methods of working. The first score http://www.johnkannenberg.com/infinity. was able to compose and curate an event was actually a repurposed Babylonian John Kannenberg that reflected upon the Kelsey’s own his- incantation bowl in the Ancient Near tory, the history of museums, and what Eastern gallery. This bowl, inscribed with Left above: Eight performers placed throughout the it means to try to count to infinity across an ancient text of indecipherable gibber- galleries draw circles or lemniscates using a fishing vast spans of time. ish, became a “graphic score,” a picture line attached to a charcoal pencil. Photos: K. W. Hunt. The drawing performers were stationed meant to be interpreted as instructions throughout the Dynastic Egypt gal- for generating music, by violinist Collin Right top above: Violinist Collin McRae plays next to a Babylonian incantation bowl. Photo: S. Encina. lery downstairs and the Ancient Roman McRae. McRae has spent the last three galleries upstairs. Each performer used years researching connections among Right bottom above: Guitarist James Warchol plays fishing line attached to a charcoal pencil music, image, and language, and this in the Barosso room. Photo: S. Encina. explorations and collection of artifacts. EXHIBITION ON FRANCIS KELSEY TO OPEN JUNE 8 The Kelsey Museum itself is a testa- The publication of John Pedley’s superla- and Jenny Kreiger discovered Kelsey’s ment to the range and depth of the tive book on Francis Willey Kelsey in- family genealogy, more guidebooks, an- collection of archaeological materials spired the Kelsey Museum’s curators and nual reports of the professional organiza- that Kelsey acquired for the University, staff to prepare the exhibition A Man of tions he advised and led—in particular, both from expeditions he launched for Many Parts: The Life and Legacy of Francis the Archaeological Institute of America— the University in the Mediterranean area Willey Kelsey, which both highlights and and a student’s well-used copy of Kelsey’s and by purchase with funds he personally complements Professor Pedley’s biogra- textbook edition of Julius Caesar’s raised from major donors in Detroit— phy. As work got under way, many people Commentary on the Gallic War. Gifts from among them Charles Freer and Horace offered creative ideas about how to pres- members of Kelsey’s family—his own Rackham. Throughout the Museum, the ent Kelsey’s extraordinary life and legacy copy of a rare sixteenth-century edition exhibition highlights objects Kelsey was to the public in a way that evokes the of Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura recently responsible for acquiring, much of this person to whom the University, the com- given to the University by Kelsey’s grand- the work of former IPCAA student Hima munity, and this Museum owe so much. son, Easton Kelsey, Jr., and family papers Mallampati, now teaching at New York Guided by themes in the new biog- and photographs given by his grand- University, and her Museum Studies in- raphy, we immediately thought of our daughter, Patricia Arthur—help paint a tern at NYU, Brandon Greene, who also extensive collection of archival photo- fuller picture of Kelsey’s personal life. prepared a slide presentation of archival graphs and of Kelsey’s own papers, now Kelsey’s expeditions to the Mediterra- images to show in the exhibition galleries.