SPURLOCK MUSEUM of World Cultures MUSEUM BENEF GETTING TO KNOW 6 A SPURLOCK’S NEW 4 the Spur R The newsletterof E T T E Summer 2005 L S W E N BEHIND A HIDDENSECRET: 3 E D I S N I CURATOR PROFILE 8 FRED FREUND A T THE MUSEUM CQUISITIONS lock Museum THE SCENES ACTOR Native American storyteller Gayle Ross captivates the audience.

A MESSAGE FROM THE MUSEUM DIRECTOR A HIDDEN SECRET: By Douglas Brewer LOOKING BACK ON A BANNER YEAR BEHIND THE SCENES Programs For All Ages AT THE MUSEUM The Museum has enjoyed a splendid year of Our major goals for the coming year include: Just What IS the events and growth. During this academic year, we A) Accreditation by the American Attract Thousands hosted two main exhibits in our Focus Gallery: Association of Museums Registration Section? A Celebration of Souls: Day of the Dead in Southern Accreditation is acknowledgment by our peers It was a banner year for the Spurlock Museum’s Education Section. Mexico, exhibiting art and artifacts associated that the Spurlock Museum adheres to all AAM Its tours, outreach and education programs, and special events Tucked away in the lower level of the Spurlock Museum a with the celebration honoring the deceased, and guidelines at the highest level. Currently, only involved more than 10,000 participants, from kindergarten team of 19 full- and part-time staff and volunteers oversee the Following the Paper Trail from China to the World, 750 museums across the country (including students to senior citizens. Staff worked with area educators to documentation and information relative to the museum’s collection exploring the origins of paper in China and its zoos, aquariums, and arboretums) hold develop two new Museum-based experiences that serve as pilots of ever-growing artifacts. spread throughout the world. Both exhibits were accreditation. A museum must be open and fully for middle-school programs for the 2005-06 school year. The ever An essential component of any museum, whether university- or the product of collaborative efforts between the operational for two years before an application intriguing Human Connections program was especially popular city-based, is keeping an eye on the whereabouts of items. It is as Museum, campus units, and the local community. can be made to the AAM. The total review with students, who, using the nine themes displayed in the Center important as knowing where they come from and assuring their The Museum has received a number of includes administration, exhibitions, collections, excellent gifts including a stunning collection of registration, and education to the public. Once Core Gallery, searched throughout the museum for the artifacts authenticity. This group of unsung heroes assists the two directors Oceanic masks, statues, and other ethnographic accreditation has been awarded, the Museum is in that fit those nine themes. The junior detectives loved this event. in meeting the mission of the Registration Section. Its mission is SUMMER 2005 materials from Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya; a a position to receive and offer the most sought- In addition to regular ongoing programs, tours, and to: 1) Facilitate and contribute to the growth and refinement of collection of traditional Philippine spears and other after traveling exhibitions, as well as take its place educational offerings in the feature galleries, similar events were the collections; weapons; Chinese and Japanese wood carvings from among professional museums in the U.S. held in conjunction with the temporary exhibits in the Museum’s 2) Collect, preserve, and WILLIAM R. AND CLARICE V. the Ming, Qing, and Edo periods; and a collection of Focus Gallery. Two such exhibits recently were Following the Paper manage information SPURLOCK MUSEUM African pottery. B) Offsite Storage Trail from China to the World and A Celebration of Souls: Day of related to the collections, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign This year we also enlisted a student marketing The Museum is growing, and additional storage is the Dead in Southern Mexico. Celebration of Souls was enriched their acquisitions, 600 S. Gregory St. firm (OSBI Consulting, part of the College of needed to house our more stable collections. The Urbana, Il 61801 by a Museum Guild Lecture and Performance Series program provenance, history, and Business and U. of I. MBA Program) to assist us campus has assisted us in securing offsite storage, The Day of the Dead in Oaxaca and its Pre-Historic Roots. On context; 3) Safeguard and Phone: (217) 333-2360 in better understanding how we are perceived in enabling us to continue our growth in quality December 5th the Latin American Celebration rounded out this preserve the collection; Fax: (217) 244-9419 the campus and Champaign-Urbana communities. collections. They provided us with ideas on how to increase impressive series of events. Through the support of the U. of I. 4) Promote access to Director, Douglas J. Brewer awareness, attendance, and involvement. We C) Sunday Opening Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, three lectures were artifact information and are halfway through this process, but the firm Budget shortfalls have prevented us from being presented in conjunction with Following the Paper Trail. collections. Museum Hours: has already provided some interesting insights. open on Sundays, an important family day on Fulfilling our major mission for community education, the The department Tuesday: Noon - 5 pm Our educational role features prominently in campus and in the surrounding community. Museum invited 400 students from local schools to attend a is ably led by Registrar Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 9 am - 5 pm people’s perceptions of us, which is appropriate Subsidized by a generous gift from one of our program revolving around the Celebration of Souls exhibit. The Jennifer White, who holds Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm for a university museum, and our education staff Museum friends, the campus is looking to assist students were divided into small groups to tour the Focus Gallery, an M.A. in Southeast Sunday and Monday: closed deserves special recognition for their efforts. us in opening our doors to the public on Sunday. place paper flowers and framed images of deceased friends and Asian Art History Given that we occupy such an important place in www.spurlock.uiuc.edu family members on the Museum’s community altar, and enter the with an emphasis in education, we are looking to expand this role even D) Museum Studies Program Knight Auditorium to view a performance by Latina storyteller Museum Studies from further. With our K-12 programs well underway, Museum Studies is a relatively new academic Olga Loya. Northern Illinois University. She previously worked as Keeper of we have begun to broaden our offering to the discipline, and in the U.S. there are a variety of The newsletter for Spurlock Museum is University community and beyond. We have also programs: undergraduate majors and minors, Special events also were planned in conjunction with the Asian Collections at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of published through the generous sup- worked with Illinois Ignite, a student conference graduate-level degrees, and certificates, many Museum’s feature galleries. Each spring an American Indian Archaeology and Anthropology. Her Assistant Registrar, Carol port of the Spurlock Museum Guild and focusing on organizational development. The Ignite of which are housed under another academic celebration is held. This year, Cherokee storyteller Gayle Kussmann, received her B.S. in Geology from the University of the Spurlock Museum Board. team looked at the specific challenge of marketing area such as art or anthropology. Given the Ross performed at local schools as well as in our own Knight Minnesota, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and has worked at the Minnesota Contributors to this issue include Yu to U. of I. students and increasing their involvement resources on our campus, the University of Auditorium. She also presented a workshop for educators called Children’s Museum, the James Ford Bell Museum of Natural (Ian) Wang, Jim Sinclair, and Robbin with the Museum. Illinois has the potential to provide students Seeing Red: Beyond the Stereotypes of Native Americans. The second History, and the Milwaukee Public Museum. Fossom. The newsletter is produced for with a broad and practical education in museum annual Campbell Family Lecture Series featured Ian Jenkins, of the Together the two direct very important but mostly unknown the museum by the College of Liberal studies. We envision a two-year program for British Museum, who presented a talk entitled Return to Cnidus: work. Their 17 staffers, students, and volunteers catalogue, Arts and Sciences Office of Communica- an undergraduate minor and a graduate-level tions and Marketing. Digging in Southwest Turkey. photograph, inventory, and research the museum’s collections. They certificate or area of concentration. The Museum Watch for news of upcoming events on the Museum website. track the location changes, edit records in 10 different databases, is currently working with campus administration organize and maintain a paper record, and draft Web articles. to organize this new program.

3 SPURLOCK’S NEW ACQUISITIONS

From the beginning of 2001 through In October 2003 the Museum was his travels in 1984 to 1990, they were given the end of 2004, the Spurlock Museum given an intriguing silk map from WWII. to the Logan Museum of Beloit College acquired more than 700 artifacts for its Such maps were originally created by British in 1995. Overwhelmed by space and care permanent collection representing cultures Military Intelligence and were designed to demands of such a large number of items, of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. stand up to wear and tear in the field. Some Logan staff and curators carefully culled the These new acquisitions support the even assisted prisoners of war in escaping. collection and offered selected artifacts to Museum’s educational and research roles, as Museum volunteer Barbara Nelson donated other museums. A number of these artifacts well as augment existing exhibits. In fact, the map, which was previously owned by one new collection will be featured in its her uncle. own upcoming exhibit. The Spurlock Board has made it You can enjoy some of these possible for us to acquire more than 350 items from Papua New Guinea. Part of a highlighted new acquisitions by accessing Masks from the new collection. the Museum’s website at www.spurlock.uiuc. larger collection of 1,500 artifacts acquired edu/Collections/new/. by Jim Tobin of Portland, Michigan, during will be rotated into the Museum’s Southeast Gallery exhibit, entitled Rain Forest Visions: Shortly after our grand opening, the Asia and Oceania exhibit. This move will Images of Cosmos and Nature, which will Museum received a collection of 23 artifacts help relieve the stresses of current displays discuss the relationship between the natural from Indonesia. Many of these items will that have been on exhibit for decades. Even environment and the spirit worlds of On one side, the map shows France, Germany, and indigenous South American cultures. Switzerland; the other shows Belgium and Germany. be featured in our fall 2005 Focus Gallery antiquities encased in glass can suffer from Details include elevations, roads and railways, towns, and bodies of water. exhibit on the arts and religion of Bali. exposure to light and humidity. This jaguar stool, donated by Margaret Frampton, comes from the Canelos Quichua culture of Amazonian Ecuador. The Museum will be featuring Canelos Quichua artifacts in the spring 2006 Focus

Ecuadorian artist Teofilo Santi carved this jaguar stool using a variety of tools, including a chainsaw, Spurlock Museum Collections Manager Christa machete, knife, and steel wool. The spots are Deacy-Quinn examines a large wooden figure from the A detail of one of several cloth made by pressing a piece of heated iron against Logan Museum. The carved figure is elaborately painted paintings from Bali that will be the wood. and adorned with a boar’s tusk, cowrie on display in the new exhibit. shells, and cassowary feathers. 4 SPURLOCK MUSEUM NEWSLETTER 5 “ Fred is leaving a legacy to the Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in honor of his children, grandchildren, and all who will visit the Museum in the future.”

GETTING TO KNOW According to Fred, antique Japanese the degree of quality deteriorated, rendering A MESSAGE FROM THE Guild members meet several times woodcarvings are quite rare. “Homes in them unsuitable to today’s collectors— MUSEUM GUILD a year for lectures, luncheons, museum MUSEUM BENEFACTOR early Japan didn’t have ornamentation— though many of today’s expertly crafted trips, and committee work. There FRED FREUND only a few religious carvings for a family Asian carvings can fool collectors, Fred The name Spurlock Museum Guild may A personal interview with home shrine,” he said, adding that many commented. not be familiar to all of our readers, so are two levels of Guild membership: Robin K. Fossum of them have become family treasures. now is the time to introduce you to this Active Membership—members commit Very few carvings are in existence prior The Spurlock Museum came to Fred’s themselves to participate in events, and New York, New York—Fred Freund has to the Meiji period of 1862-1912. The attention through his son, Professor vibrant organization. We are an important always been interested in art. But it wasn’t Japanese netsuke (“net-ski”) are one form of Gregory Freund, who is acting head of the partner and enthusiastic supporter of Supporting Membership—those who until the late 1970s, while in New York, collectible wood carvings from Japan. Before Department of Pathology at the U. of I. the Museum and provide an additional when he met a Madison Avenue Asian art Western style clothing, the kimono was the During a visit to campus, Fred toured the financial contribution dealer that he became the enthusiast he is dress staple for men and women. Kimonos original World Heritage Museum in Lincoln its endeavor to Dick and Gayl Pyatt, Douglas and Ann Brewer, today. Fred started his private collection by didn’t have pockets so women and men Hall and had great appreciation for the become a top- in lieu of active President B. Joseph and Mary White purchasing a few ceramic and jade pieces. would put items in their sleeves and tuck a collection. He made his first donation to the notch University- participation. Judging the quality of the pieces was such a few small items in their obi (belt sash). Men Museum through director Douglas Brewer based museum. An important challenge that he took a few courses in Asian could suspend their tobacco pouches, small in 1999, and was in attendance during the art appraising. After further course work boxes for medicines and seals (inro), and dedication of the new Spurlock Museum. Going back contribution to the and research, it was still a challenge to judge pipes and purses on a cord from their sash. As of 2005, Fred has donated more than to1989, when Museum’s finances is originals, especially due to the large amount These hanging objects are called sagemono. 100 pieces of his private collection of the Museum Astrid Dussinger and Inga Giles our annual auction. of expertly done copies. “I felt like this was The sagemono is secured with carved woodcarvings to the Museum. He maintains th leading nowhere,” he recalled. netsuke toggles and a sliding bead (ojime), a collection of more than 250 pieces in his Guild was first organized to assist the This past March the Guild held the 14 which is strung on the cord between the New York home. Fred continues to add old World Heritage Museum, we have annual auction at the Museum titled the During a trip to China in 1981, Fred netsuke. Netsuke can be carved in the round more treasures to his collection and still endeavored to promote and serve the “Dragon Auction.” More than 150 items bought an old, carved wood piece. Wood and made from wood, ivory, and other considers himself a “small” collector. Karl Rosengren, Sarah Mangelsdorf, Robin Fossum were auctioned through the live and is revered in Chinese and Japanese cultures materials. Early pieces come from the 18th Museum by bringing together those and very few wooden pieces survive more century, with a few rare 17th century pieces For the past 12 years Fred has been retired. people who wish to take a more active silent auctions, and $22,000 was raised We welcome all those interested in the than 300 years due to age-related cracking still available. After the opening up of Japan, With degrees and Phi Beta Kappa from role in supporting the Museum. The Guild, through generous contributions from Museum’s growth and prosperity. If you and natural deterioration. Subsequent to during the Meiji period, the netske carvers Columbia University, he became a successful members of the community and friends are interested in Guild membership, this purchase, he felt that over time he began making shelf-size pieces (okimono) New York City attorney. Fred has another along with the Museum Board, constitutes could learn to judge wood better than other for export as well as domestic consumption. son, Bailey, an ophthalmologist who lives the community-based support structure of the Museum. Many members of the please contact me at (217) 359-4270. media. Wood pieces are handmade and According to Fred, netsuke carvers exist in New York. Both of his sons have two of the Spurlock Museum. We are truly Guild spent tens of hours organizing this We thank all of our donors and unique compared to other media that can today and their pieces are highly intricate children each and Fred spends much of his a community-based organization with successful event. Profits from the auction volunteers for their generosity and be copied and “manufactured” in a mold. and sought after by serious collectors time traveling, including family reunions. A welcome all to visit the Museum…and Collectors find numerous ivory carvings in internationally. world traveler, he recently returned from a involved and committed members from go directly to the Museum’s educational Chinese and Japanese art, but a very limited vacation trip to Italy. all over Central Illinois and as far away programs. To date the Guild has raised join the Guild! supply of woodcarvings. There is smaller Over the years Fred has collected many as California. The primary function of the close to $300,000 for the Museum. demand for wood pieces and therefore not wood okimono, but he also became Fred is leaving a legacy to the Spurlock Robin K. Fossum much to buy. With this new interest and interested in Chinese woodcarvings that Museum at the University of Illinois Guild is to promote, volunteer, and raise The Guild’s annual Spring Luncheon President Spurlock Museum Guild experience, Fred began his own private have a different chronology. Though early at Urbana-Champaign in honor of his auxiliary funding for the Museum and its was held on May 3, and was graciously collections of these delicate carvings. Chinese pieces were well made, they were children, grandchildren, and all who will ongoing education programs. hosted by acting Dean Sarah Mangelsdorf, very perishable. Fine woodcarvings were visit the Museum in the future. We truly College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. made in the early Qing Dynasty (late 17th to appreciate Fred Freund for his generosity in early 19th century). In the late 19th century promoting world heritage.

6 SPURLOCK MUSEUM NEWSLETTER 7 SPURLOCK MUSEUM University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Non-profit Organization U.S. Postage 600 South Gregory Street PAID Urbana, IL 61801 Permit No. 75 Champaign, IL 61820

CURATOR PROFILE The exhibition featured two main works on subjects pertaining to East Asian Meet Guest Curator sections, with the first on paper itself and cultures and art. In addition to academic why we use it and how it is made, and the research, she also teaches courses in Chinese TzeHuey Chiou-Peng second on how paper has become integral and Asian art/archaeology. Currently, she is By Dr. Yu Ian Wang to our everyday lives. According to Dr. teaching an undergraduate course here at U. Chiou-Peng, the objective of this Year of of I. In order to promote interactions among The exhibition Following the Paper Trail from Asia exhibition was to demonstrate through Asianists, Dr. Chiou-Peng has also been actively China to the World was a collaboration between artifacts how Asian creativity and invention the Spurlock Museum and several other has influenced the world. As revealed in the institutions and individuals. The guest curator artifacts and text of the exhibition, paper in charge was TzeHuey Chiou-Peng. The U. was a perfect way to accomplish this task. of I. Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies According to Museum staff members, was a major sponsor of both the exhibition and Dr. Chiou-Peng was also the perfect person a series of related lectures as part of the Year of to work with. Her research was thorough Asia program. The exhibition was also partly and fascinating, her ideas clear and funded by a generous gift in memory of Dr. thoughtful, and her kindness and generosity Yuen Tze Lo by his wife, Sara de Mundo Lo. appreciated by everyone she met. The The majority of the artifacts displayed in the exhibit team hopes to work with her again exhibition were selected from the collections of on a future exhibit. the Spurlock Museum, the Field Museum in Dr. Chiou-Peng earned her Bachelor’s Chicago, and the Krannert Art Museum of the degree in foreign language and literature attending international conferences, as well as University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. from the National Taiwan University, Taipei, organizing panels for annual meetings at Asian Some of the artifacts also were borrowed Taiwan. She later focused her graduate and archaeological associations in the U.S. At from the personal collections of Museum staff studies on art history and earned both of her present, she is conducting a funded research members or purchased for the exhibition by Master’s and Doctoral degrees in the history project here in the U.S. and in collaboration Dr. Chiou-Peng during visits to East Asia while of art from the University of Pittsburgh. As with institutions in China. the exhibit was being prepared. an art historian, Dr. Chiou-Peng focuses on archaeological studies in East Asia. Her primary academic activities are research