agmanz news

Zealand

New

of

CONTENTS

. Feathers and Fibre.

Association Registration, Accessioning and Cataloguing. o What Happened to Mrs Jones’ bequest or ... Documentation Problems in History Museums. 0 The New Zealand Film Archive . The Attorney—General of New Zealand v. George Ortiz and others. a Botanical Display in Britain.

Museums 0 New Publications . Miscellaneous Letters, Notices and Requests.

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Galleries

Art

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quarterly December 1982 Feathers and Fibre many forms, owing their existence to Peter Waaka, Education Officer their practicality, became obsolete. Today, with the upsurge of interest in Rotorua handcrafts, the kit has made its appearance on the streets of the cities, Successful exhibitions of Maori art in demand by both Pakeha and Maori have been mounted before, both within for its usefulness and attractiveness. New Zealand and abroad. Carvings in Modem examples borrowed from wood, greenstone and whalebone present-day plaiters are displayed have long been admired and displayed alongside museum pieces. in important art collections throughout The other main category of piaited the world. Fibre crafts, however, with articles involves floor mats which the occasional exception of fine cloaks, traditionally covered the earthen floors have been largely ignored. of houses. The lower layer consisted of Four months ago the Rotorua Art fern fronds, rush or other unwOrked Gallery decided to give the public an material covered with coarse mats. opportunity to examine the develOp- These were in turn covered with finer ment of Maori craft in the confines of a sleeping mats. Plaited mats are still single exhibition. Through the services used on the floor of meeting houses and expertise of exhibition curator Mick today. Two finely woven round mats Pendergrast, hundreds of items, both (an unusual design) are on loan to the traditional and non-traditional, were exhibition from Rotorua centenarian, forthcoming from throughout the North Taniko Piece (decorative border), Mrs Ranginui Leonard, who turns 110 island. To be eligible for display, works Made by Tira Hinewai from Te Kuiti years old later this year, and is by far had to incorporate feathers and/or in 1943. Material: Flax fibre. From our oldest contributor. fibre in their construction and show a .the Puti Fiare collection, Auckland. Another category of Maori craftwork high standard of design and crafts- on display focuses on garment-making manship. These criteria were extended techniques. were not available in New Zealand so Without the use of the to include unusual items and those loom the Maori produced warm and which portrayed as wide a range of the early settlers were forced to find alternatives. Harakeke, the so~called beautiful cloaks by the whatu tech- styles, techniques and patterns as nique (known also New Zealand flax, proved to be the as downward possible. weaving). Particular types of cloak Mick Pendergrast of Pokeno, South most useful and most versatile material although baskets made from kiekie, were made for protection from the rain Auckland, has had a life-long interest and wind and others as prestige and in Maori art and craft. He spent 25 paopao, houhi, pingao and cabbage tree also feature in the exhibition. fashion items. Maori weaving includes years teaching in the Eastern Bay of the techniques of single pair twining Plenty where his appreciation of fibre The kit is one of the most popular examples of plaiting and is still widely more often on coarsely woven rain crafts flourished. Author of a book en- cloaks, double pair twining on better titled ‘Maori Basketry for Beginners‘ used both as a practical container and as a visual item of Maori identity. class cloaks and taniko patterns as (1975), he was an ideal choice to decorative elements on the finest Although the life of an individual kit curate an exhibition involving such an cloaks. The oldest and tended to be comparatively short, it most historic assortment of Maori craft objects from cloak on display was was generally replaced with an made by a Te an exhibition involving such an assort- Arawa ancestress during the early ment of Maori craft objects from a wide identical article, unimproved and un- range of family and tribal backgrounds. changed. As a result, changes in The resulting exhibition, mounted at structure and technique were gradual, the Rotorua Art gallery from 19 allowing age-old patterns to survive the July—22 August, represents the most ravages of time. Some elements of comprehensive range of Maori craft today’s craftwork can thus be attributed ever assembled in New Zealand. to New Zealand’s early Polynesian The exhibition was opened by the heritage. Member of Parliament for Eastern More than 100 kits of various shapes Maori, Dr Peter Tapsell, and was at— and sizes were displayed in the tended by more than 300 people from exhibition. Some of these were used various parts of the country. in his for gathering seafood and harvesting opening address Dr Tapsell expressed crops while others had more specific the view that this collection of Maori purposes. Special kits were made to craft objects was the most significant carry loads on the back, to steep and most impressive display he had karaka kernels in water, to extract juice ever been called on to open. and oil from various roots and berries A major part of the exhibition has and to store weaving materials. been devoted to piaited articles. One of the more unusual items on Plaiting (raranga), the technique display was a tawiri titoki, a device employed by the Maori to manufacture used for extracting the oil of the titoki baskets and mats, has been con- berry. The article is made of flax and sistently neglected in art and museum was found on the western shore of collections yet it has proved to be the Lake Taupo during the 19205. Titoki most persistent form of Maori work— oil was the finest known to the Maori manship. The plants which provided and was used to anoint the head and Kawhiu (diving kit) made by Hanara the Eastern Polynesian ancestors of the hair. As life styles changed cor- Waara, Kopuapounamu. Material: the Maori with raw materials for their responding changes took place in the Flax. Mick Prendergroot Collection, clothing, basketry and fishing gear manufacture of work baskets and Pokeno, 18003 and is on loan to the Rotorua of traditional fishing gear, however, Twenty-two key gallery/museum Art Gallery from the Auckland institute and its comparatively short life span people responsible for their respective

and Museum. The cloak was made as have led to its replacement by com- institution’s documentation attended - a result of a severe defeat suffered by mercially manufactured cords, nylons the numbers deliberately limited so that Te Arawa at the hands of the Tuhoe and netting. Some fine examples of discussion would be the more inten- near Lake Rerewhakaitu. it takes its crayfish pots, fish traps, shellfish sive. in addition, Keith Thomson place in the exhibition alongside some dredges and eel traps (hinaki) were (AGMANZ), John Yaidwyn (National 15 other cloaks, traditional and con- on display. Museum) and Judy Turner AGMANZ temporary, from various parts of the The exhibition, therefore, rep- secretary/treasurer were also in North island. resented an attempt to rectify the past attendance. The influence of missionaries, and neglect of fibre crafts and to inspire Geoffrey Lewis opened the seminar later of Pakeha settlers, combined with thought and discussion amongst our with a statement based on his Sydney the availability of new materialsjed to craftspeopie. The general public will address on the history and develop- wide—sweeping changes in costume have gained a deep insight into a ment of museum documentation pro— design and manufacture. Today, much-neglected art form. cesses, setting the scene by talking western dress has been fully adopted about the principles underlying that while the contemporary equivalent of documentation and inevitably referring traditional dress is worn only on to work being undertaken in the United ceremonial occasions and by per— Kingdom and by iCOM in this field but forming groups. One article of not, however, going into great detail traditional clothing on loan from the about the processes themselves. He Auckland Museum is a triangular apron discussed library cataloguing as op- (maro koopua) made of flax fibre. it is posed to museum cataloguing and the a part of Elsdon Best’s collection from necessity of extending museum docu- the Tuhoe people and was worn only mentation to cover not only the col— by high-born girls. lections records but also the informa- Throughout the exhibition various tion handling requirements of our craft—making techniques were dis— museums as a whole, the latter played by present-day craftspeople. Mr involving the general policies and Renata Tihore from Hicks Bay demon- objectives of each institution. strated his knowledge of traditional He went on to describe some of the fishing apparatus and was ac— key issues which arose from the British companied by two young apprentices Museums Documentation Association who he has been tutoring over the past (MDA) in the development of an inter- few months. At the time of early disciplinary cataloguing structure to contact, Europeans commented on the collection and documentation and the size and efficiency of Maori fishing computer programme package which tackle and the expertise and know- was developed concurrently. This led ledge that accompanied it. Captain on to a summary of the work being Cook considered it to be superior to Paraerae (sandals). Material: undertaken by lCOM’s international anything made in Europe. The time cabbage tree leaves, Auckland Committee for Documentation and labour involved in the production Museum Collection. Photographs (CiDOC) on the establishment of courtesy Alex Wilson and John national policies for the documentation Martin. Rotorua Art Gallery. of the cultural heritage and the devel- opment of minimum data categories proposed for the national and inter- national exchange of information. Seminar on Museum Two further papers presented at this Documentation and seminar are published in this edition of AGMANZ News — others were given Registration held at the by myself, on the establishment of a National Art Gallery, 24, National Art Gallery registration pro- 25 and 26 August 1982 cedure; by Ann Calhoun (N.A.G.) on cataloguing; and by Sherry Reynolds Kate Pink/7am, (Extensions Officer, Auckland institute Registrar, National Art Gallery and Museum) on problems met in small museums’ records. Further indi- vidual and national standards were Geoffrey Lewis, Director of the Depart- discussed. ment of Museum Studies, University of What became apparent during the Leicester, was invited as Vice Presi- ensuing, often heated debates was the dent of iCOM to give the keynote general enthusiasm for, and recogni- address at an iCOM Australasian/ tion of the necessity of museum Pacific seminar on museum docu- documentation. Further, there was an ' mentation held in Sydney, August last. apparent need for the establishment of AGMANZ took the best advantage of basic professional standards at all Mr Lewis’ proximity to New Zealand levels and the development of an over- and, rather than sponsor one or two view of the documentation processes. Torehe (fish trap) made by Renata New Zealand attendances in Sydney, This brought up a call for structuring Tihore, Hicks Bay. Material: Flax arranged for him to travel on to Wel- the development of operations and supp/ejack. Mick Prendergrast lington and guide a three-day manuals, cataloguing manuals, Collection, Pokeno. New Zealand-oriented seminar here. authority listings and the case for more

2 advanced information retrieval systems b. specific categories they would like the degree of precision in any than those (generally and indexes) to see represented within a given piece of information. now in use in New Zealand. Again, it registration system; and e. The problem of artefact manage— was agreed that while any moves to— 0. what each of the sample ment is obviously gaining greater wards this are forwarded, clear organisations would expect from an prominence. This is based upon objectives be established and docu- automated system. the number of establishments who mentation needs and priorities be advised that a review and re- advanced. DISCUSSION evaluation of their collections and artefact management methods is Geoffrey Lewis‘ good humour and Research within New Zealand great knowledge (his teaching as well currently in progress. 5. General — during the course of its as his practical experience) kept us to f. In general most institutions would studies, it became apparent to the the point throughout and I feel that we welcome some more definitive all benefitted greatly from his guidance. working group that the artefact docu— guidance on artefact documenta— mentation systems in use were almost tion and management, providing unique to each organisation surveyed. the use of such guidance did not Registration, It was concluded that further detailed impose central management or examination is required if a viable rigid time scales. Accessioning and system which takes cognizance of the 8. Attitudes Towards Automation

Cataloguing varying needs is to be produced. within AGMANZ Community - with 6. Areas Surveyed ~— not all only minor exceptions there is general museums or art galleries were sur~ acceptance that in the long term, the M. Mt. Jameson, Executive veyed but every attempt was made to introduction and use of automated Director, Motat. solicit advice from a representative management systems is a highly desir— grouping from large to small and public able facility. However, this acceptance A report for submission to AGMANZ to private. Unfortunately, only a small is also accompanied by a widespread Council compiled by the convenor of number of institutions were able to reluctance to an early commitment to the Registration, Accessioning and respond with documentary support. such systems for one or all of the fol- Cataloguing Working Party. Heavy reliance had to be made by the lowing reasons: working group on personal dis— a. An awareness that the current cussions. Using this information certain management systems need much INTRODUCTION general conclusions have been drawn. more work in order to establish just 1. As a result of a resolution passed at what the various collections are. the March 1981 Annual General 7. The New Zealand Situation b. Concern that the introduction of an meeting, a working party was formed a. It was clear that the curatorial and automated system would initially with the task of: .. investigating, de- registration staffs in almost every add to their already formidable veloping, and preparing a registration, institution surveyed are already workload. accessioning and cataloguing system pressed with their current workload c. Concern that the adoption of an which: and were somewhat reluctant to automated system would add to (1) permits the application of auto- become deeply involved in some— the financial burden of their institu- mated management systems; and thing which had the potential of tions (indeed in the smaller (2) takes due cognizance of adding to this burden despite its museums it is felt that automation (a) individual museums and art obvious long—term benefits. would never be within their gallery aims and objectives; b. In the case of museums and art financial capabilities). and galleries dealing with man—made d. A lack of true understanding of (b) overseas art gallery and objects the range of standards what computer technology can and museum community develop- varies widely from very advanced cannot do. ments and capabilities in and well-documented to no system Research in North American respect to automated at all apart from perhaps assigning Continent systems.” a number to an item when it is 2. The following persons we re received within the collection. It 9. General —— some eight different appointed to the working group: would be fair to say however that in museums were visited in the course of a. Mr M. McR. Jameson, Executive Natural History and Fine Arts col- a study tour, three based in Canada Director, MOTAT lections every organisation had a and the rest in the USA, including the b. Mr J. Bass, National Museum more well established and docu- Smithsonian Institution. Detailed 0.. Mr F. Dickinson, Director, Dunedin mented system than in other reports of the results of these dis- Public Art Gallery categories. cussions in four of these are included d. Ms Kate Pinkham, Registrar, 0. There is no one establishment within this report. National Art Gallery which precisely records information 10. Canadian National Inventory e. Ms Rose Young, Research in exactly the same way. Reporting Programme (NIP) Assistant, Waikato Art Museum. format, terminology, classification, a. 3. In the event, because of a categorisation and information General change in employment, Mr Bass was fields tend to be unique. The only (1) The Canadian National ln— unable to participate. common trend that could be de— ventory Programme (NIP), is 4. Prior to the working party con- termined was that the importance - one of the five national pro- ducting its first meeting, each member of information and detail tended to grammes offered by the was asked to establish, from a general be based upon the interpretation National Museum of Canada. sampling of the type of organisation being applied by individual regis- These programmes are as they were representing, the following trars and curators when inter— follows: facts: preting their parent institution’s (a) Mobile Exhibits a. the general system currently in theme and nature of the collection. (b) Conservation Services operation for artefact/collection d. Not only does the range of informa- (0) Museums Assistance management; tion vary widely, but so also does Programme (d) Core Funding commenced to procure both Trustees but also takes (e) Inventory (NIP). computer trained personnel direction from the Canadian (2) The stated objective of NIP is and hardware. The system Museums Association which to provide a centralised in- which was introduced was includes members of ventory of information on the based upon adaptations of provincial museums. It is the specimens and artefacts held commercially available latter organisation which is by Canadian museums and re- packages. There were two charged with such tasks as: lated institutions. programmes, one for entering (a) “selling” the system to (3) The purpose of this visit was and one for retrieving: museums throughout Canada; two-fold. One to gain an in— (a) DEAP (Data Entry (b) selecting those sight into an operational auto— Application Programme) —~ museums which are to be mated system for managing this programme permits the classified as associate museum collections, and two users to place data on file and members and provided with to investigate the operation of make subsequent amend- hardware; a national inventory pro- ments. Amendments however (0) resolving personnel gramme. An appointment has must be done in batches. A problems (e.g. what union been requested with the single item entry cannot be does an employee working Director, Mr Peter Homulus, called up. This is only possible within the system belong to); but in the event he had to be in the retrieval programme (d) recommending the fund- away on other business. Dis— ISIS which does not permit ing of personnel support to cussions were held with the amendment and therefore participating museums; Assistant Director Museum there are inevitable delays in (e) establishing develop- Services (NIP) and a Board producing the updated data ment priorities; Member of the Canadian listings and being able to (f) recommending changes Museum Association. effect amendments. This is the to the system; b. Background to Organisation prime area of dissatisfaction (g) acting as client for the (1) During the period 1966—1972, with the programme. production of bibliographies, Canada experienced a major The programme is designed reference libraries and text resurgence of interest and however to allow the user processing. effort to preserve the Nation’s organisation to complete free- (2) The provision of computing heritage. This resulted in the dom of entry form. The pro- resources is provided through passing of the NatiOnal gramme accepts detail as two channels: Museums Act 1972. One of entered and then sorts. It does (a) The NIP funds the the requirements of this Act not however make any cor- system and distributes hard was that all national artefacts rections. In effect, every entry ware (some provinces are were required to be sent to a is treated as a free text field by required to fund the data links central laboratory for con- the user as there are no for— into the system), once partici— servation and/or restoration matting constraints applied. pation is recommended by the where the best resources This is of course quite Museum Association Board. would be established for the expensive in storage area as a (b) The Museum Assistance purpose, record has some 32,000 Programme funds the salaries (2) This requirement meant that character spaces reserved for of categories and data entry many items had to be it. The system currently has . personnel (once recom- identified and collected from storage for items in the fol- mended by the Museum the length and breadth of the lowing categories: Association Board). Nation. It was felt that there i. History d. Methods of Participation — par- was therefore a need for some ii. Fine and Decorative Arts ticipation in the programme is open form of central inventory and iii. Archaeology (sites and to any museum. Some 25 control which would ensure specimens are sub- museums have been allocated the proper management of categories) computer equipment, some of activity. It was for this reason iv. Ornithology which is specifically assigned for that the NIP was established. v. Ethnology the particular museum’s sole use, (3) Initial steps were to rent time (b) ISIS (Integrated Scientific and some of which is shared by and resources from a com- Information System) — this is more than one organisation with puter systems warehouse. The the record retrieval system. host museum acting on an agency programme was some three (The basic program was pro- basis. Those organisations not years underway when the vided at no charge by the assigned hardware, or able to particular company went bank— International Labour Office operate from a shared terminal, are rupt. This meant that NIP lost and adapted to meet NIP able to have their data entered by its systems and whilst it was needs). The programme is sending copies of their existing able to retrieve the data, this very flexible and is capable of records to the NIP central staff who data was only able to be searching all records on a then will arrange for its entry. managed by the warehouse’s letter, a part word, a key word, Staffing of the System — to assist particular system. In effect or a category. As the user in the data already available within therefore it was of no value progreSSes, options are the various institutions, NIP has and a system had to be built. presented to allow the user to entered into the Canadian (4) The ensuing investigations re- further refine search require— Government work scheme pro- commended that the NIP ments. gramme and engages a number of establish an “in-house” data 0. Control and Management cataloguers and data entry person- management capability. This (1) The NIP is responsible to the nel on limited contract. These was adopted and NIP then National Museums Board of people are funded in part by Government work promotion funds ever is centralised and does for greater efficiency in oper- and the Museum Assistance Pro- not require any real involve— ations. The Board is aware of gramme. To provide for the entry of ment or participation by the the problems of the present data submitted by participating users. They are constrained by NIP system and recognises museums who do not have access the inability to massage data the need for more direct in- to a terminal, NIP has entered into to meet their specific needs or volvement and authority on the a programme with the Canadian desires without using the part of participating museums, Department of Justice. Under this central staff. to the extent that unless urgent co-operative programme NIP has (2) Central Staff — the central action is taken disenchantment installed some 12 terminals in the staff are well qualified and will build a level of resistance national maximum security prison motivated in their tasks. They that will take years to recover and trained some 20 persons who believe in the value of the NIP from. are subject to life sentences In data but it was also clear that they Some Positive Aspects entry. These persons are paid a realise there is significant re- (4) of NIP —— despite nominal hourly rate from Museum sistance and dissatisfaction the level of disenchantment that Assistance Programme funds. NIP with the existing systems. This the pro— gramme faces from has met all hardware and training is resulting in the NIP staff be- some quarters, there costs. This approach has meant coming increasingly isolated are never- theless some important that a much shorter introduction from the institutions they sup- positive benefits which NIP time can now be contemplated. port. There is a clear deter— is producing: The System — providing one is mination however for the (a) An increase located In the NIP central offices organisation to survive. in aware- ness for the current range of programmes User Organisation Attitudes the need for proper documentation in the provides an excellent service. How- (a) There is a very wide pro- cesses of acquisition, ever, the central staff do not have spectrum of opinion as to the research and use of cultural to think in day-to-day activity terms value of the NIP. The group material throughout all levels as the registrars and curators in the expressing dissatisfaction with of the Museum and related institution various institutions have to do and NIP are not opposed to the community. therefore the system is suffering use of automation. Indeed it (b) The opportunity to from contributor resistance as the actively pursues its intro— share details of a collection on a user simply sees his participation duction. The main point of re- wider base than as an additional burden rather than sistance hinges on the lack of ever before practical. an aid. direct access for amendment, (c) The production of the inevitable delays between a Future Developments ——~ NIP is listing, albeit currently in- entering data and having the taking steps to introduce a new on- complete and containing master files updated so that line interactive which will permit suspect information in many subsequent amendments or user modification of individual areas, from which the more additions can be made. They entries. The system is being de- significant items of feel that if the same money the veloped by Control Data Canada Nation’s cultural heritage can that is spent on NIP was given Ltd. It is being based upon a com- be identified and located. directly to the museums to mercial package known as i. Conclusions support “in-house" auto- CYBERNET (a network system). It As a nation, Canada is placing matiion development first, (1) is being renamed PARIS (another a high priority on the task of greater progress would be acronym) and will decentralise preserving and presenting made and a greater commit- its some of the computing and storage cultural heritage (more so than ment to the programme would power, and updates central records the United States be obtained. which tends by interrogating satellite terminals to be much more state and storage. It will have two pro- (b) The other extreme is oriented, and certainly much grammes as the present system represented by the NIP central more than New Zealand). will merge, one for retrieval and staff. The staff are naturally (2) The concept of the NIP cannot one for refile. To the user, the pro- convinced of the value of such be faulted. It is in the manner grammes will tend to be invisible as systems. It is considered that of implementation where it is discrete entities. the staff do not fully appreciate less than satisfactory. The use Observations the areas of concern in the of centralised systems does fly (1) General —— both the data entry user institutions and have in the face of technological system (DEAP) and the re- fallen into the trap of per- developments. The increase in trieval system (ISIS) have severing in their endeavours capability and decrease in some very fine and powerful for the sake of the system relative cost that development characteristics. The system is rather than its end use. has brought, lends itself to de— fast (being based upon a (0) The NIP Control Board centralised systems. This fact central mainframe system) and seems to display a much more therefore opens the possibility offers users complete flexibility reasonable approach to the of installing devices which will in entry formatting. Information task. The Board is quite clear meet the various contributing retrieval for single items is that the use of computers has organisations needs more again fast, however, all out- a definite part to play in col— readily whilst at the same time puts are in standard format Iection and administrative meeting the central goals of within each of the major management. It also believes NIP. category areas. Any special that computers can play an im— (3) There is an increasing interest formatting or listing can only portant part in effecting com- in automation within certain be engineered by the NIP munications with the public the sections of AGMANZ com— central staff. The system how- museums serve and provide munity. AGMANZ and its members would therefore do opposition stemming mainly from first action was to complete an in- well to learn from the the Museum’s inability to get on- ventory of collections and format Canadian experience. Close line real time support for the into central system report detail. attention should also be paid management of their own col- This will be 100% completed by to the school of thought now lection. At the moment they con— March 1982 on current estimates. gaining international re- sider their participation in the pro— The Computer Services staff em- cognition which is based upon gramme involves extra work rather phasised that the central system is three tenets: than time and labour efficiencies. really only ued by central staff and (a) Centralised policy — This is a perspective, which having the development of a central data decentralised management. now gained an insight to the MP, 1 sharing system is probably some (b) Top—down design; bottom- would agree is a correct one. The years off. Support for the central up build. Museum has therefore taken the system is really only being shown (c) Central protocol decision to use its own in—house by the Natural History Museum and management; decentralised data management expertise and in particular the entomology, orni- hardware and system design hardware (the Museum has a thology and crustacean divisions. authority. Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) PDP-11) to drive the inter- The central system is based upon 11. Canadian National Museum of active terminals for the Computer a program known as SELGEM Science & Technology Court displays and the various (SElf-GEnerating Master). it is a a. The Museum’s artefact records are Question and Answer terminals generalised program giving the subject to Central Government within the display pavilions. The flexibility to be adapted to an indi— audit. As would be expected there- Museum’s registration staff have vidual museum’s establishment/s fore the standard of record main— therefore proceeded to adapt com~ processing and documentation tenance is extremely high. The merciaily available software needs. The program was designed manual system is based on five packages to automate their manual and developed by the institution cards for each artefact, namely: system. They have now reached and is made available free of (1) Catalogue File (master card) the point whereby: charge to any interested non- — this is the main record for (1) 90% of the collection records commercial institution. (it is research purposes. Cards are are entered; currently used in New Zealand by filed numerically within each (2) all new incoming artifacts or the DSIR Entomology Division). accession year. artifacts or artifact transactions The programme was designed to (2) Source File — a card is made (loans, transfers, relocation operate on Honeywell hardware up for each donor on which within the Museum) are but is provided with file mani- the artefacts given to the entered directly into the auto— pulation and utility programs which Museum are recorded. These mated system; allow it to be used by any computer are filed alphabetically. (3) record cards needed by which has a minimum of 64 Kbytes (3) Alphabetical File — all arti- curators or restorers are of RAM and a COBOL compiler. facts manufactured by a generated by the automated (The program is written in COBOL known company or person are system on demand; and — COmmercial Business Oriented listed by name. Where an arti— (4) interactive on-iine terminals Language). fact is known better by a are available to staff members The programs provided with model name there is a double of the various departments for: SELGEM are as follows: card entry, e.g. “Champion” (a) collection management (1) Input: A total of four allowing threshing machine made by (b) departmental budget input from cards, proper tape Massey—Harris, is filed under management and keyboard; “Champion” and “Massey- (0) Museum administrative (2) Update and Maintenance: Harris". management (personnel and One master file update (4) Classification — all artifacts finance). program; are filed by group classification (3) Editing: Four programs (24 in total), e.g. Agriculture, 12. Smithsonian institution ADP covering sorting, frequency of Aviation, Communications, etc. Services use records, missing category Within these classification a. The Smithsonian operates a search and format editing; groups there are also central ADP service from the (4) Utilities: Seven programs categories assigned. Where offices of Computer Services. The covering file merging, file col- an item may be used by more office is charged with the operation lation, start key generation, than one category and/or clas— of the Museum’s central system library maintenance, data re- sification cross-referencing and conducting research and configuration and report length cards are prepared and placed development projects to discover limiting; in the appropriate spaces. new computer techniques appli- (5) Report Writing: Three pro- (5) Duplicate Catalogue File — cable for museum application. It grams giving the ability to list stored off site in Government also provides systems advice to master files, format reports to vaults. each of the museums and user requirements, and interv Spare parts are categorised separ- establishments within the face with statistical and ately and are treated as a work re- institution. tabulator programs; source rather than an artifact. it is emphasised however that each (6) Query and Retrieval: Three Being a National museum, it is museum and establishment also programs to permit various required by Legislation to be a con- operates its own computer instal- types of searches; and tributor and user of the National lation over which it has complete (7) Indexing: Three programs to inventory Programme (MP). the control and which stands alone permit key word indexing, file Director and his staff are from the central system. Steps are building and printing out. vehemently opposed to involve— being taken to provide much more ment in the programme, the central direction however and the 13. Association of Science and (d) Use synthesised speech being used within every establish- Technology Centers Conference: with caution. The printed word ment visited, although not all were Forum on Computers in Museums has the acceptance and applying it to artifact management. a. The panel for this forum was as sanctity of having an author. it is treated not as a new innovation follows: Synthesised speech provides but simply as a normal work aid. (1) Gwenn Bell, Director of Digital communications which is no Those which have adapted it to Computer Museum. longer attached to an author. assist in artifact management all in- (2) William Sudduth, Director, (e) Don’t write to use pro- dicated that it was an invaluable North Carolina Museum of Life grams which look for a certain aid, which not only was starting to & Science. structure and will not accept save time but also improved the (3) Victor Jackson, Lawrence mispelling. service which was able to be pro- Hall of Science. vided to researchers, designers, (f) Simulations are excellent (4) Judah Schwartz, Computer curators and last of all but not for modelling Scientist, Massachusset but cannot repli— least, the public. institute of Technology. cate real life. Ensure the user understands this. b. The central themes presented were The UK Experience as follows: 0. General discussion indicated that 15. All dealings with the UK have ' (1) Gwenn Bell Mr Schwartz was representing an extreme point been through the Museums Docu- (a) Science and technology of view. He does however mentation Association (MDA) which museums have strong feelings have the responsi- some New Zealand institutions are bility to ensure about giving the impression that a that the public members of. Some of the information really understands computer has “life" and is intel- the impact within this report is extracted from the and implications ligent. His view, which was of this second MDA Occassional Paper No. 5 dated industrial revolution. generally accepted by the Con- ference, February 1981, “International Museum (b) Unless carefully is that a computer is yet another tool which Data Standards and Experiments in planned, computer based man should use to expand Data Transfer”, which deals primarily exhibits requiring direct inter- his capabilities. He heartedly with international systems. face can be too inhibiting endorses any move to have the public accept these 16. As opposed to the Canadian except for the already initiated. NIP the work being done by MDA is (2) William Sudduth devices as a normal part of life in the principally supported by the Museums (a) The computer provides same manner as the pocket calculator has been accepted as a Association rather than as central museums with a tool which is normal household appliance. It was government policy and support. Back- more flexible, reliable and also generally accepted that com- ground papers and reports indicate more powerful than any other puters did provide the opportunity that the state of development within the system before available. for museums to broaden and im— UK is not greatly different to that in the (b) Retain the interactive- prove their service to visitors. USA. There is little commonality in the involving capability of the Further, failure to capitalise upon precision to which items are defined computer — this is one of its this aid would mean that public and/or described between the various greatest strenths. expectations would soon pass what museums or art galleries. Work at (c) Don’t reduce the com- the museums were able to realise MDA has tended to concentrate (much puter exhibit to simple YES, and their relevance and accept- as the Canadian NIP) on transferring NO, 1 or 2 etc. type ance would accordingly diminish. data from individual systems into com— responses. Provide for self mon record format. It can be antici- expression and thought on the 14. Conclusions of North American pated that given time a greater part of the user. Study Tour uniformity in data standards and format (3) Victor Jackson a. Artifact Management —~ it is per- can be anticipated. (a) Computers are an haps consoling to note that even excellent “stand-alone” the well-established museums international Development exhibit. which were visited face problems in 17. ICOM established an international (b) Recommended priority artifact management not greatly Documentation Committee (CIDOC) applications for museums are different to those faced in New which has now been in operation since information processing; re- Zealand. This does not mean that 1969. This Committee has. met at source management; one should be complacent, but regular intervals to undertake its task computer assisted exhibitry. rather it should serve to add im— of: (4) Judah Schwartz petus to the drive to overcome the “a. creating a common method of (a) Computers are moti~ problem. Overseas experience organising data (a standard data vating —- but so are narcotics. would indicate that it is difficult to structure) to be used for exchange (b) Before embarking into keep on top of it even in the most of data by machine; computer exhibitry two well-ordered establishments. It was b. devising conventions and record questions must be asked: ”is further noted that there was no formats; the computer going to be part great drive for uniformity or com— C. establishing a ‘minimum contents of the exhibit?”; and “is the monality in artifact management list’ that all museum records should computer going to be the point systems or formats. As within New possess; and of the exhibit?” Zealand each establishment seems d. investigating further requirements (c) If the computer is going to have developed a system which for compatibility.” to be the point of the exhibit best suits their needs. Perhaps the 18. At its 1979 meeting (and it is avoid giving the computer a greatest unifying force noted is in understood that there has been no “life” (9.9. using statements Canada, and this is being driven by advance from this), the minimum con like “I’m not sure what you NIP. tents list proposed is as follows: mean”). This is offensive to b. Application of Automatic Data a. institution name (museum and life. Processing (ADP) —— ADP was country name). Accession or registration number. on Registration and Cataloguing is lecturer in computer sciences and Mode or method of acquisition. desirable it is felt that this in itself technology. He strongly recommends Date of acquisition. would not give the degree of guidance that central management should only Source of acquisition. required to produce the level of define protocols and conventions. All Common name (in local language). precision necessary. other aspects should be under the

ensues? Classified object name and classi- 23. The minimum acceptable artifact control of the organisation which has fication system. category which seems logical to estab- prime responsibility and accountability

.3 Description. lish at the moment is that which has for the system and the data being . History. been defined by ClDOC (see para- used. 19. Subsequent to the 1979 graph 18 above). It is now considered 28. This contention is also sup- meeting MDA was requested by necessary for AGMANZ to define the ported in a May 1980 report to the ClDOC to collate information about minimum level of precision which Canadian Council of Associate major systems being developed by should be represented within the nine ~ Museum Members by their rep- Committee members (see MDA fields defined. It is also noted that the resentative on the NIP Advisory Occasional Paper No. 5 dated nine categories defined by ClDOC are Committee, which among other things, February 1981). incorporated within a set of recom recommends: 20. In their report, MDA have con- mendations in a paper prepared for “a. The National Museums Canada: cluded by saying: .. the mechanical ICOM by Robert G. Chenhall and Peter (1) refine the mandate of NIP to transfer of museum records is techni- Homulus. (See Museum Vol XXX No. the provision of technical con- cally possible. In achieving this there is 3/4 1978 pages 205-212.) This paper sultation and services in sup- a need for agreement on several dif— did however recommend a further port of museums collection ferent levels. However, the seven categories as well. ClDOC was management; and ... practical exchange of records has of the opinion that these other seven (2) enlarge the mandate of the more mundane aspects which are categories were required for “in- Registration Assistance Pro- equally important. ... ClDOC needs to house” use applications rather than gramme to support not only reach agreement on the physical general use. registration but also projects arrangement of records on magnetic 24. The task of establishing these directed towards the develop- tape as follows: criteria is likely to be protracted and ment of standards for museum a. General form of the tape (e.g. contentious if overseas examples of collections; ... width, number of tracks, and Canada, UK and ICOM are to be learnt b. The NIP undertake: density). from. This is not something which can (1) the improvement of liaison and b. The arrangement of data on the be undertaken by an ad—hoc working communications with partici~ tape (e.g. labelling conventions, group as it is considered that direct pating institutions and character set, blocking strategy). liaison and discussion with each museum professionals ... 0. The arrangement of data within a member of AGMANZ is the only way in (2) the improvement of their tech- record (e.g. fixed or variable length which a universally acceptable nical capacity to support field, and the relationship of field categorisation and definition system museum collections manage- codes to field data)” will be able to be developed. It was the ment by ... working group’s opinion this would re— (a) limiting information files CONCLUSIONS quire a permanent staff assignment. Within the National Inventory to museum collections (not in- Registration Procedures 25. The work which has been undertaken by the Canadian NIP in cluding resources directed 21. A level of conformity in initial categorising information fields for the towards information from registration and artifact documentation various disciplines within the museum CMA, Public Archives, and procedures is essential if the exchange and art gallery field is of great signi- ICOM) . . . and of information between institutions in~ ficance and should be considered for (b) requiring the museum tranationally or internationally. adoption by AGMANZ. professionals themselves to Recognising the wide disparity in The Application of ADP accept prime responsibility for precision which currently exists within their own collections and New Zealand there is an urgent need 26. In the long term, benefits of documentation.” to establish a set of standard de- applying ADP systems for collection finitions which will record that detail management are significant and cost 29. The adoption of a distributed thought to be necessary to the required effective. However, it seems im- network system is considered to have degree of precision. In developing this practical to contemplate central gover- the following advantages: “standards list”, however, care will nment support for the introduction of a. The system could develop in step have to be taken to allow a degree of an ADP system as is the case for with financial resources. (A major flexibility in formatting by each indi- Canada. Even if some limited govern- main frame system would not have vidual establishment. It should be ment support could be gained, it is felt to be purchased or leased before noted that it is considered to be just as that the adoption of the Canadian work could commence.) important to establish the same degree centralised system would not be to b. Member organisations adopting of common precision for manual AGMANZ’s best advantage. The major ADP would expand the base of systems as it is for automated systems. disadvantage of the Canadian system understanding and expertise which 22. Given the increased emphas‘s is the lack of decentralisation and could be offered to AGMANZ. which is being given by a large number direct involvement by contributing 0. Members adopting ADP would of AGMANZ members to reviewing and organisations. With the advances have a greater sense of involve upgrading their present artifact which are taking place within the com— ment and participation in the long management systems, it is vital that a puter industry it seems more practical term development —— but perhaps centrally agreed set of protocols and to contemplate the introduction of a most important, the information the definitions is formulated and circulated distributed network. user inserts stands a greater by AGMANZ as soon as possible. 27. This opinion is also supported chance of being accurate. Whilst the preparation and issue of an by Mr James Martin, a world- d. Some initial set—up costs can also AGMANZ recommended bibliography recognised leader and consultant/ be offset against other institution What happened to Mrs Jones’ bequest or ... documentation problems in history museums administrative needs making the RECOMMENDATIONS introduction of ADP more 35. It is recommended that AGMANZ Rose Young: History Curator attractive. Council: Waikato Art Museum. The Introduction of ADP Systems a. Note that the working group has and Registration Standards only been able to complete in part What did happen to Mrs Jones’ 30. it is considered that real improve— the task it was assigned. bequest? ment in collection management b. Note the conclusions of this report Well, some of the history collection standards will only be achieved if there particularly in the areas of: went out to that museum on the coast are some real financial or fringe benefit (1) the need for urgency (para- when it opened in 1966. Remember, advantages to an establishment in graphs 22 and 34); all those things stored in the old ware- addition to appealing to professional (2) the need for the appointment house. We didn’t make a list ... pride and standards. Anything which is of full-time staff (paragraphs Then there were those stuffed birds likely to add to the financial burdens of 24 and 34); which had to be destroyed. But the institutions at the present time is likely (3) the capitalisation upon the ones we’re looking for might have to be ignored or at best only be paid work already completed by been in the lot we transferred to the “lip service”. Canada in both collection university. 31. Consideration could therefore management and the intro- l think all the shells went up to the be given to gaining tax relief on the duction of ADP systems (para~ university, but we didn’t actually check purchase of hardware and application graphs 25, 26 and 28); them off. software, (at least that currently avail- (4) the need to offer member insti- We could sort through the sales able to educational establishments), tutions some concrete benefits receipts back in the 19603 to sort out and possibly access to long-term low- which may be derived from which of those stuffed deer heads were interest loans in return for pledging to participation in the scheme sold ... meet certain documentation and (paragraph 30); and What about those baskets stolen off management standards. Continued (5) the advantages to be gained ' display. Were there actually two use of the loan would be subject to the by accepting the concept of a baskets stolen? The label which the institution displaying an agreed level of distributed network data thief left behind says so — but, progress towards the goal. system for application within perhaps that label was transferred over 32. Another area worthy of con— the AGMANZ community from an earlier display arrangement. sideration is that if AGMANZ was able (paragraph 29); The four-wheeled cycle which went to negotiate for the whole community it 0. Agree to take the necessary steps out for restoration — was it ever may be possible to arrange contract to: returned? That would have been when rates for application programs and (1) arrange and provide the we moved to our new building. it may possibly hardware. Again this would be funding necessary to support a have been put into that old warehouse tied to the institution pledging to meet full-time staff for the develop- —- or, did it go into Council storage? certain standards before being given ment of museum collection Or, perhaps . . . access to the supplying company and management and ADP proto— Mrs Smith wants her father’s green attracting the discount rates. This cols and conventions; and enamel mug back — she says she course would also have the advantage (2) arrange a system of intro- gave or lent it to us in about 1950. I of ensuring a greater level of uniformity duction which provides can’t find a donor’s card but that throughout the community than might financial benefits or con- doesn’t really mean we didn’t receive otherwise be possible. siderations for participating 33. It is also suggested that insti- organisations whilst at the camera, box: Brownie Ref/ex Synchro tutions entering into such schemes same time ensuring real pro- Model; fixed focus lens; rotary time should agree to provide in-house- gress towards the achieve- & instantaneous shutter; reflecting developed programs at no cost to other ment of AGMANZ standards. viewfinder; body: black bake/ire; member institutions. This not only M. McFi‘. JAMESON Eastman Kodak 00., Rochester, expands the development base but Chairman of Working Group N.Y.; 1941>

m a} m m a! 2! w; my Us in 1&7 m, a»: is; tfiii a»: m m as its 92.» m as: mt ta; m a.» usages): the mug. Ah, I’ve found some cor- faced with problems rather than perfect clature for Museum Cataloguing respondence about it, . .. but it doesn't solutions, but I believe that having proposes an overall system which is show any catalogue number. reached the stage of recognising the based on the original function of the Never mind, we’ve only got a dozen problems I am at least part of the way object. This system provides an excel— or so mugs in the storeroom and only towards solving them. lent starting point but does not, l six of them are green, so we’ll check believe, provide a perfect solution. For them all out. Oh my God, only three of Problem 1: Classification one thing, the original function criteria them have catalogue numbers and can be interpreted in more than one none of them match up. The others Classification need not be problem way. e.g. the functions of a tobacco box may have been catalogued but not number one — it could be one of the and a cigarette box seem to me very numbered properly. We’d better check problems to be faced after other basic similar i.e. to hold smoking material, through all the catalogue cards. documentation is completed — parti~ but Chenhall classifies one as personal What a pity we’ve only got a cularly when dealing with an existing gear and the other as a household numerical ordering of our card uncatalogued or partially catalogued accessory. l can understand some of systems, and we can’t really be sure collection. Establishing a classification his rationale but at the same time feel whether the mugs would have been system will be easier if you understand that it separates two items which have catalogued under F for Farming, H for the nature of your collection. Similarly a logical connection. At the same time, Household, or CG for China- establishing a collection policy for new using Chenhall’s system, why isn’t the Glassware, and don’t ask for the logic acquisitions will provide guidelines as tobacco bo'x listed as a product of that. to what form of classification system package. My other complaint is that the Well, I‘ve found two more catalogue might suit your institution’s collections. adoption of Chenhall’s system in toto cards listing enamel mugs. One has a For a start it will reveal that broad would often lead to overlooking the donor noted, the other hasn’t. Neither categories into which your collection special nature of some museum col- card describes the mug — whether its might fall and suggest how you might lections, and I believe that a museum’s green or not. break down major collection categories classification system must, first of all, What a mess, and anyway, why into cohesive subdivisions. serve that museum. It cannot be com— would anyone in their right mind want But, dealing with history collections pared with a library system designed to is not to accept six green mugs for a simple —— there is no one classi- serve the general public rather than a museum specialising in costume fication system into which objects specific user group. The most im- history. naturally belong. Local history col- portant users of the museums Do any of these situations sound lections not only contain a diverse collection are generally the museum familiar? They are all based on semi- range of objects which interrelate with and its staff and this fact should not be true experiences and have been re- each other in numerous ways but also, overlooked especially if staff resources counted to emphasise the needs forz~ different museums place different em- are limited. The Canadians, in their 0 adequate registration and accession phasis on their collections according to National Inventory system appear to records their overall theme and collection have recognised this fact and leave the 9 adequate donors’ records — which policies. The proposed use of the col- classification of collections up to the don’t merely lead to a dead end lection is also an important factor —— a individual museum. An example of a 6 adequate methods for marking museum which approached its col- specialised classification system is that objects lections from a single view point may set up for the Welsh Folk Museum 0 adequate storage and display find classification an easier task than a collections. inventories, and the recording of all museum which proposes to explore its The Museums Documentation collection moves, e.g. loans, trans- collections from many different angles Association of the U.K. is gradually fers, etc. — each equally valid. building up a series of broad These are all essential parts of a good For these reasons it is difficult to categories into which objects may be registration system which are un- apply a single classification system for grouped for cataloguing. Those fortunately lacking in many museums. all history collections. The nature of the relating to history collections include: Establishing such basic procedures is object or its material may suggest one History Artifacts, Scientific instruments, a maior priority. classification grouping but the reason it Technology Artifacts, Costume, was collected might suggest something My own involvement in registration Pictorial Representations, Photographs different. An object might form part of a and Military Artifacts. Some of these procedures at Waikato Art Museum special collection — should it be began with a concern to improve the are broad catch—ails eg. History Arti- separated from that collection to be fact, while others are catalogue records of the history col— more specialised stored and documented with “like” and classification systems may be lection — many of the existing records objects, or, should the special col- consisted of single line entries, such devised within these categories eg. the lection relationship, like an archae- lCOM system being adopted for as: T226 — scales, donated by; T226 ological assemblage, be maintained, (number duplicated) — match box, costume collections. even though this poses storage and There are problems even with the donor not known; T281 - seven cross-referencing problems. broad categories, or perhaps, parti~ carpenters tools; T232 —» portable Computer cataloguing may eventu- writing desk, donated by; etc. This led cularly with the broad categories, ally overcome the need for deciding especially if you use more than one me initially into the broader problems upon a single classification system; of inadequate registration systems and and treat the category heading as a however, while dealing with manual collection division. My favourite the sorting out of a variety of extremely documentation systems some form of muddled records. We have now made example is a sample Military Artifact classification which divides the col— card circulated by the MBA which is considerable progress, have recently lection into manageable cohesive appointed a registrar, and now l’m a record prepared for Edith Cavell’s groupings seems desirable. The dog ~— now stuffed and resting in a back to where l started — grappling problem is in developing or finding a museum as a ”Military Artifact”. A with problems relating to the better suitable system to use. museum which also has a_ category for documentation of 1964/13/2 (alias Classification systems are now being zoological specimens might have diffi— T226) -— scales. developed for history collections. culties in choosing the correct category l am still at the stage where l am Robert Chenhall in his book Nomen-

10 for this item ~— but, it does illustrate the Rifle Brigade, died of wounds received need to consider the reasons for which at Paschendale in 1918. The collection an object was collected when deciding includes: upon a classification system. As a 20- (A) 0 Two diaries relating to the trip to ological specimen the dog is probably England in 1910; quite unimportant but, its historical 0 An assortment of letters, tickets, associations with Edith Cavell place it invitations and souvenir ehemera quite comfortably into a military col- relating to that trip; lection. l’m not quite sure what its 0 A pocket knife won in the UK. “Original Function” would be under the Competition; Chenhall system. 0 A book won as a shooting prize in The ultimate solution to this problem NZ. (received into the collection will be computerised cataloguing but in later than other items); the interim help is needed. Curators 0 Various photographs — both family should have a collection policy or be in and school photos plus photos re— the process of developing one; they lating to the school cadets; should understand the nature of their o A miniature bust of Lord Roberts, collections and how the collections are ”patron” of the school cadets of the to be used. Although it might be a nice British Empire who were known as egg,,iqsslaeli_; ideal to have a system which will suit “Lord Roberts’ Boys”; everyone i believe that the first priority 0 Two shootings medals; is that it should suit the museum it 0 A bundle of newsclippings related to eperne, silver: presented to Henry serves. Classification systems already winners of the W. R. Friar Memorial Hall, thrice elected Mayor of Black- developed provide a good starting Prize for school cadets. pool, 7883. Ace. 1963/66/ 1. A good point but shouldn’t be adhered to (B) 0 Photographs and postcards ref collection photograph can overcome rigidly if they don’t fit the needs of your WW l ' the need for a detailed description of collection. Access to some form of 0 W.W.l. medals and an in Memoriam arm. advisory service would be of great Medallion with accompanying cor- assistance to smaller museums with respondence; to record it is a basic need. Basic data limited resources. in this regard the 0 Correspondence from a war hospital field systems are being established work of Museum Liaison or Extension in France leading up to and fol- overseas, and some of these such as Officers provides an invaluable service lowing the death of Friar; the MBA provide instruction booklets but these people are dealing with a 0 A letter book kept by his mother as guidelines in filling out catalogue broad range of museological problems during W.W.l. listing cor- records. But even these do not totally and would undoubtedly welcome some respondence and parcels sent; overcome the problems faced by the form of back up service. 0 Army uniform badges and flashes self-trained curator dealing with a diverse collection. Problem 2: Special Collections N.Z.R,B. Do we keep the collection together — While l frequently use the MBA History collections frequently contain a treating it as a whole whose sum is systems as a basis from which to work great deal of documentary material — more important than its parts, or do we in cataloguing different parts of the col- manuscripts, documents, ephemera, disperse the parts into their various lection they do not make up for my lack etc. Some of this material is donated or relevant collections of medals, badges, of knowledge concerning certain types collected as collection objects in their photographs, ephemera, postcards, ms of objects. l am often at a loss when own right, but we also tend to accumu- materials, etc? Do we make out an trying to decide basic nomenclature late, in research and collection files, a individual record for each item or and what descriptive or technical variety of reference tools and merely make out an overall inventory details should be recorded. supplementary data such as tool listing, provide indexing to it, but only Will a generic term or a brand name catalogues which could also be viewed catalogue fully those items which seem together with a serial number (if the as collection objects. significant or which, because of their object is manufatured) provide the re- The problem arises of whether to physical size must be stored searcher with sufficient information, or treat such items as library material, or separately? should other specific features also be whether to process them through the recorded? In my own case, having main cataloguing system. When col— Problem 3: The Catalogue Record embarked wisely or unwisely, upon a lections of documentary material are and what to record major overhaul of collection records, I received must every item be given an Again the diversity of material in history am gradually approaching different individual catalogue record or, can collections creates problems. Few groups of objects, attempting to they be given a single accession curators or volunteer personnel in local analyse their specific documentation number and a single record which history museums have formal training needs and producing object specific merely lists contents but does not in dealing with material culture. None worksheets where these appear to be attempt to describe each item individu- would have expertise in all fields which of value. This follows the MBA ally unless the importance of the object might be included within the broad system but also goes into greater detail warrants such treatment? framework of a local history collection, for some objects. For example, a Similarly, how does one treat a and which might even include natural special worksheet designed for cata- special collection which includes a as well as culture history. Dealing with loguing cameras and prepared with the mixture of objects, photographs, a non-specialised collection requires assistance of our photographer in- ephemera, etc. For example, we the Curator to be something of a Jack cludes headings for: simple name - recently received a collection of objects of all Trades. camera type — trade name —- lens relating to one W. R. Friar, who had For this reason, and because local type — shutter type — finder type —- distinguished himself in 1910 as a history museums frequently rely on serial no — body description — etc. schoolboy cadet representing N2. in a volunteer and temporary staff, Ideally we should also have prepared shooting competition held in England assistance in establishing detailed back-up instructions for using the work- and who later, as a member of the NZ. guidelines on what to record and how sheet, but have not done so yet.

11 The headings given may appear lobster to a single preferred term. Con— requires a good indexing system. Once obvious to anyone with a knowledge of sistency also makes it easier to under- these needs are satisfied one could cameras, but this is not necessarily so stand the catalogue record ~— to know look to the possibly wider needs of out— for the curator whose specialist Subject that a descriptive term always means side researchers. is costumes and doesn't have a clue the same thing. Again, the book Information about cameras and their important The most efficient means of main— Handling in Museums provides an interchangeable features. One might taining consistency would be to excellent guideline as does the MBA spend hours trying to describe certain establish an authority file or a publication Practical Museum Docu- figures in detail, only to find that a thesaurus which lists preferred terms mentation. However, it is important to trade name says it all. For instance, all and cross-references, backed up also remember that if indexing systems are Kodak Autographic Reflex 2A cameras by a glossary of terms to be used for to be created they will require constant may consistently have the same lens, recording certain types of information. maintenance as additional material shutter and viewfinder, unless, of The MBA catalogue card instruction comes into the collection. Authority course, they have been modified. booklets give samples of terms which files and procedural manuals should A sharing of such basic groundwork can be used, eg. in describing in- be developed which will enable the would be invaluable. I do not welcome scription types, methods of production, system to be fully utilised by all mem- the prospect of analysing every type of acquisition methods, etc. Chenhall’s bers of staff. Good groundwork at the object in the collection, particularly if Nomenclature for Museum Cata- start and continued maintenance is the groundwork has already been loguing might provide a starting point essential and resources to enable this done, and by someone with far greater for naming history objects although should be allowed for by the museums expertise. There are published sources allowances have to be made for local controlling body once it has decided to for some object types, e.g. the work of idiom; or, you could establish your own have an indexing system. This also the lCOM costume committee provides authority file following standard library applies to most other aspects of regi- a vocabulary for cataloguing women’s indexing procedures. An excellent stration and brings me to my final costume; the Technical Leaflets pub— reference on the subject is the text problem. lished by the American Association of Information Handling in Museums by State and Local History often provide Elizabeth Orna and Charles Pettitt. Problem 6: The organisation of data on specific types of objects and internal consistency is essential. staff resources their publication Documentation of Whether this could lead to stan- Collections: Bibliography points to dardisation between institutions would Although I have placed this problem other possible references. As a curator depend upon all institutions using the last it is perhaps the biggest problem of I would like to have a file of sample same authority file. This would require all for museums. Good documentation, “ideal" catalogue records for different the adoption of some standardised consistency in recording data, and the types of objects which l could use as a existing system, or for some institution development and maintenance of guideline -— ideally with back-up to act as a central body in coordinating indexing systems all require time and instructions for filling out specialist such an exercise and may be beyond an organised and methodical details and with information on basic our immediate reach — particularly for approach. reference texts to use, etc. At the same history collections where cataloguing I find that l am my own worst enemy in time | feel there may be a need to procedures have not developed to the this regard. Although l am able to devise a two level approach. One pro- same extent as those dealing with Fine recognise the problems and see viding a level of detail which might only Arts. possible solutions I have great be undertaken by the specialist who problems in implementing them to my can own satisfaction. recognise and describe specialist Problem 5: indexing features, and a second level com— The pressure of other work demands prising basic minimum descriptive The degree to which indexing or cross and requent interruptions make it dif— information which can be adequately referencing of the collection is neces- ficult to follow though a cataloguing recorded by the Jack of All Trades sary will depend upon the individual sequence from its beginning to its curator and volunteer staff. museum, its resources and the use it logical conclusion. l have a tendency to makes of collections. With a manual get involved in one aspect of the Problem 4: Vocabulary -— system it is not possible system, get interrupted, and then find it consistency to have the range of index headings per item as difficult to get back to where i left off as The need to maintain internal con— would be possible with a computerised a different, apparently more immediate, sistency of vocabulary is of extreme system. In a small museum with no problem demands attention. This may importance for all types of museum full-time staff and where the displays be a personal problem as l do feel pro- collections. This refers especially to are essentially static or “permanent”, gressively more muddleheaded, but l basic object nomenclature, e.g. what is no indexing other than a donors index believe this state may be shared by recorded as a spade today shouldn’t may be necessary or possible. But, in other curators. We are no longer a be recorded as a shovel tomorrow. a museum with a local history strange breed of people who can re— Consistency is important for other collection where the historical main closeted away from all and types of data also — one shouldn’t associations of objects are of utmost sundry, but tend to take part in the in- alternate in using the terms gift and importance then it is desirable, if creasing range of activities that donation for example —— this would be resources permit, to create indexing museums are now involved in, as well important where you intend using such which provides several entry points to as handling an ever’growing number of data for index headings. As exercise the collection. This is especially im- public enquiries. by the Canadian Inventory Programme portant if the museum is actively in comparison, in most public was able to reduce the number of engaged in a temporary exhibit pro— libraries the cataloguers are not the index headings derived from a group of gramme utilising its own resources. subject reference librarians whose role collection records from approximately The ability to use a collection in a of developing the library’s resources in 450 to 150, merely by applying con- context other than that of object type or their particular subject area equates sistent spelling and standardised forms function -— to bring together a variety' more to the role curator. Cataloguing is of nomenclature thus reducing dual of objects which can be associated in a considered an essential task — not references such as lobster pot/pot, number of different contexts — something which will be done if there is

12 Getty’s millions get riches taped -_ Another perspective

by Leslie Geddes-Brown The entire art history of Europe is to be computerised, thanks to an outlay of millions of pounds a year from the $1300 million trust fund set up from the estate of the late J. Paul Getty, the American oil tycoon. Last week, the first stage of the scheme was finalised in London by the president of the Getty Trust, Harold Williams. He arranged with the Courtauld institute to index a collection of 1 300 000 photographs, cuttings and catalogues of European works of art of llii/lliifiliifillifl ' filillllllllll’lllllillli .Hill, iiiiwllli lllll llii llll lllii/lllli llli l lllii ( iiiiiiymi \iiiittiiii “hit!“\illi\\l\\\\1\\\\\\i\l\il the past 700 years. Fed into a com— e W110 20 30 4t) 50 60 7,0 a 80 90 19!! 110 12% 1301140 15“ 163 mi 180 \SB l puter, this will be the nucleus of an art- history index linking the Getty head— Wildest: quarters in Los Angeles with London, Paris and Rome. any time left over — and cataloguers scrimshaw whales tooth: “Ship -~ A further collection of 800 000 are usually removed from other work Gazelle of Nantucket —— E P/uribus photographs of architecture and demands. This is rarely the case in Unum —— Master Daniel F. Worth” sculpture will follow. As well as being museums, particularly in smaller insti- Acc. 1974/68/1. Class: Chenha/I computer-listed, these will be linked to tutions where staff are required to suggests that scrimshaw be classi- a video system. Then an art historian undertake a wide variety of tasks. fied under the original function of in any of the four cities will be able to Moreover the immediately problem for the object being catalogued — Not call up, for example, pictures of all the museums is greater than in libraries very applicable in this case. church naves in Northern France built where standardised cataloguing pro- between 1230 and 1250. cedures and thesauruses already exist. “This is the most important step for- fact by providing the fullest possible The development of new procedures in ward in art history since the founding of support for this less glamorous aspect museums will require a much closer the British Museum library in 1753,” of museum work. monitoring and the need, dare i say it, says Professor Peter Lasko, director of to document your documentation the Courtauld Institute. systems and create easy to follow Professor Lasko, who calls Williams working manuals. All of this will mean References the best—loved man in Europe, adds: an increasing pressure on staff re- Chenhall, Robert G., Nomenclature “Art historians are traditionally con- sources, particularly if your existing for Museum Cataloguing. A temptuous of computers, so no one system is so bad it needs a total over- system for classifying man- has realised the full impact this will haul or your collection is a rapidly made objects, 1978, Nashville, make on research. For years we’ve growing one. Curatorial staff cannot be Tennessee: American been trying to find someone to put up expected to struggle on with this task Association for State and Local the money, but in the art history field unaided. Directors and funding bodies History. it’s never been possible until Getty must be made aware of the urgent Homulus, Peter, “Data Standards and came along.” need for registration and cataloguing the Computer" 1975, National And with its legal requirement to staff and of the benefits which will Inventory Programme, National spend $50 million every year, its plans, accrue by having well documented col~ Museum of Canada, Ottawa. which Williams described for the first lections and their curatorial staff better Museum Documentation Association, time last week, can be equally able to undertake their role of de— Guide to the Museum Docu- free-thinking. veloping, researching and utilising mentation System, June 1980, “Once the system is established, collection resources. Duxford, Cambridgeshire. people all over the world will be able to To conclude, the importance of good —Practical Museum Docu— communicate with the computer and collection documentation must not be mentation, December 1980, each other. But, initially, we are only under emphasised. it is a resource Duxford, Cambridgeshire. indexing Western civilisation.” which should be developed equally Orna, Elizabeth & Pettit, Charles, In— On the same Los Angeles site will withother museum resources. Un- formation Handling in be a centre for art conservation and a fortunately this aspect of museum work Museum, 1980, Charles new Getty museum. is very much a back of house activity Bingley Ltd. These plans, formulated by Williams — unseen by the museum public — Reese, R. S. (compiler), Rath, F. L. & after a year’s travel and consultation, and one which does not in the short O’Connell, M. R. (eds), A are good news for museum directors term contribute to attendance figures in Bibliography on Historical who feared the trust’ huge resources the same way a block buster exhibition Organisation Practises — would price works out of the market. does. But, in the long run good docu- Documentation of Collections instead, of its $50 million spending mentation creates the conditions 1979, Nashville, Tennessee: money, half will go to the two centres whereby a museums collections can American Association for State and the rest will be split between the be fully utilised, exhibition programmes and Local History. operating costs of the museum and its developed and research needs satis- Classification of Objects in the acquisition budget. fied. Pressure should be brought to Welsh Folk Museum Col— 80 around $12.5 million (£7 million) bear on museum directors and their lections, 1980, National will be used each year to buy works of controlling bodies to recognising this Museum of Wales. art (compared with the National

13 Gallery's £3 million). “We still have the enabled The New Zealand Film Zealand’s independent film industry to largest budget in the world,” says Archive to be established as an auto— give financial support with their Williams, “but we won’t adopt a nomous charitable trust. donation of $1000. vacuum-cleaner approach.” In the Deed, the aims and objectives As the preservation of all the Last year, only three works were are detailed as: Archive’s present nitrate film holdings bought from Britain — the Chatsworth 1. To collect, preserve and catalogue alone will cost approximately $600 000 Poussin and two Van-Huysum flower film materials; at today’s prices — it appears probable paintings. 2. To provide premises and facilities that for the forseeable future, the for preserving, storing, consulting, search for adequate overall Extract courtesy funding will Sunday Times UK viewing and displaying film continue 27.7.82. to be time consuming and materials; onerous. 3. To provide access to material held by the Archive consistent with PRESERVATION AND The New Zealand overriding preservation and FILM HOLDINGS Film copyright requirements; Archive 4. To issue publications, screen The film preservation process is archive films and by similar means specialised, laborious and expensive. The Archive inherited on its Johnathan Dennis encourage and promote public establish- ment nearly one Director interest and awareness in film million feet of nitrate materials, film history and culture, film (over 800 titles) which all has to be repaired BACKGROUND preservation matters and film by hand and transferred onto archives generally. ‘Film materials‘ safety film. Over 50 titles were already In March 1981, eighty-three years after are defined as including feature decomposing and work is progressing films began to be made in this country, films, documentaries, shorts, on the restoration and preservation of The New Zealand Archive was trailers, cartoons these titles first. The problem of de- established. and television programmes — whether on film, teriorating colour in more recent A letter addressed to the Dominion videotape, or disc —- soundtracks of motion pictures will be as great if not Museum in 1910 states that it “was films, stills, designs, posters, slides, greater and more expensive than the greatly to be deplored that the and promotional, critical and nitrate problem. cinematographic representation of dif- historial material relating to films, The nitrate collection includes New ferent phases of historic events could and film equipment. Zealand silent and sound films and not be permanently and officially some features, as well as a proportion preserved for the edification of future of overseas material. Where any of THE PRESENT the occasions”. it wasn’t however until latter is unique it is being returned to 1956 that representatives of the During the Archive’s first twenty the Archive in the country of the film’s Education Department‘s National Film months real progress has been made origin for preservation. In the same Library, the National Archives, the Film in meeting these aims and objectives, way films of New Zealand origin dis- Unit, Film Society and National despite extremely limited funding and covered overseas are returned to this Museum met to discuss their joint staffing. The Archive operates with a country. interest in setting up a national film full-time staff of one — the Director, Among the New Zealand materials archive for New Zealand. plus a part-time film repairer and a held is film of Whale Hunting in Cook The most pressing problem which part-time assistant. Strait (c. 1918), Labour Day in faced them was that up until the early Operations having begun, a sub- Gisborne (1910),. Historic Otaki and fifties all professional motion pictures stantial amount of time has been spent the Tangi and Funeral of Te were made on a nitrate-based film in raising enough money to enable Rauparaha’s Niece (1921), James stock which begins an absolutely ir- them to continue, for despite the in- McDonald’s films of Maori Life on the reversable process of decay from the volvement at Board level of several Wanganui River and the East Coast moment it is manufactured. lt literally State enterprises, the Archive is not a (1921 and 23), The Prince of Wales decomposes and whatever the con- Government body, and has no Visit (1920), Dominion Day Cele- ditions of storage: it sooner or later guaranteed sources of finance. brations in Wellington (1908) and comes to an unstable, festering, sticky Grants have been received from the tests for the New Zealand designed end. Some moves had to be taken to Film Commission, Television New Coubray—Tone sound—on-film system. transfer the nation’s film holdings — Zealand, the Federation of Film Recent acquisitions include the first public and private —— on to the more Societies and the Education Depart— reel from The Romance of Hinemoa stable acetate or ‘safety’ film. ment which, together with a grant from (1926) — a feature film made in New While much valuable work was the Conservation of Cultural Property Zealand by Gustav Pauli; fragments done, no concrete plan was ever fund, amount to $53 000. The Minister from Down on the Farm (1935) - established, and it appears that none for the Arts granted $50000 from the New Zealand’s first talkie feature; and of the organisations then involved ever Lottery Board toward the film pre- Scenes In and Around Beautiful received any significant allocations to servation work and has offered a Temuka made by the South Canter- further the work. Certainly no single further contribution by way of a subsidy bury Picture Company in the late body had a specific responsibility to on funds raised from non- 1920’s. maintain an all—embracing film archive. governmental sources. Overseas films which will remain in At the end of the seventies an ad Numerous private sector approaches New Zealand as part of the collection hoc working party, joined by the BCNZ, have not met with great success — the include early American primitives like and the newly formed Film biggest single contribution coming from Mr Edison at Work in His Chemical Commission, met during a two-year an Australian motion picture laboratory Laboratory from 1897, original prints period to revive the film archive con— ($1300). Kodak contributed a quantity of Robert Flaherty’s Moana of the cept. In late 1980, the Film of film stock and IBM a typewriter. South Seas (1926), D. W. Griffith’s Commission, under Section 17(c) of its Mobil donated $1000 and the pro- The Lonely Villa (1909) with Mary Act, drew up a Trust Deed which, sub- ducers of the new feature SAVAGE Pickford, Fritz Lang’s Siegfreid (1924), scribed to by all the interested parties, ISLANDS were the first from New Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympia (1938) as

14 well as duplicate negatives of classic FILM STORAGE suitable viewing equipment is obtained. British documentaries like Song of The New Zealand National Film Unit, Wider public screenings of the films Ceylon and Night Mail. as a contribution, provides the Archive can only take place with the permission As well as saving what is left from with temperature and humidity of the copyright owners. the past the Archive must guarantee controlled vault space for acetate films The beginnings of a major film-book the survival of the moving images from (and undertakes all copying and reference library is already in operation the present and future. The acquisition laboratory work at a reduced price). — most of the books have been of films for the Archive is largely by The Archive’s nitrate films are stored donated. The Archive is also collecting free donation —— making it almost in two former ammunition magazines in every kind of documentation and in- totally dependent for the growth of its a security area controlled by the formation relating to both New Zealand collection on the generosity of the film Defence Department. All the nitrate is and overseas films including industry and collectors. Many in— wound through and checked visually production files, scripts, drafts and dependent film makers willingly give for decomposition once a year, and re- marketing material. copies of their films to the Archive and canned and sorted as necessary. find it a useful and secure depository PUBLICATION for their master material. in this way all The Tin Shed, the Archive’s first publi— the original film material from Geoff SPECIAL COLLECTIONS cation, was also the first book on film Steven’s 1979 feature Skin Deep, has Some of the major special collections history to be published in New been placed with the Archive which will acquired have been: The Edwin Zealand, and coincided with the 40th also be preserving the master negative Coubray Collection of stills, posters Anniversary of the Film Unit. The of his new film Strata before it is re- and documentation, presented by this booklet centres on early government leased next year. Other more recent great pioneer New Zealand film maker; film making in New Zealand. it includes acquisitions include Angel Mine, John all the minute books, photographs and two articles by a film maker involved Barnett’s The Games Affair and the memorabilia of the 33 Club — a film with most of the films made for the negative for some experimental films industry club dating from 1934; the government between 1923—1941, part like Peter Well’s Foolish Things, families of the pioneer Dunedin film of a talk made by John Grierson made Gregor Nicholas’ Mouth makers Jack Welsh and Music and Henry Gore during his visit to the country in 1940 David Blyth’s Circadian Rhythms. have donated many items including and a comprehensive chronology and Some distributors photographs, equipment and rare have also filmography of all known government deposited used release prints and documentation on rare New Zealand films to 1941. Sadly, of the 355 films publicity materials to form part of features; and the Kerridge Odeon listed, only about 80 are known to sur— the Archive’s study collection. In this Organisation deposited the personal vive in any form. way prints, many of which would scrap book of Sir Robert Kerridge re- otherwise have been destroyed, lating to the late 1920s and early such as Rangi’s Catch (1973) made 19303. on location in New Zealand by the STATUS OF THE ARCHIVE Children’s Film Foundation, The STILLS AND POSTERS The New Zealand Film Archive is the Lavender Hill Mob, The Face Of Fu The basis of the Archive’s stills col- New Zealand Observer of FlAF (the Manchu, Nothing But The Best, lection of about 6000 stills covering international Federation of Film Carry On Nurse, Chariots Of The European and American cinema, was Archives) which has its headquarters in Gods and The Masque Of The Red a gift from the National Film Archive in Brussels and links the world’s principal Death, have been received. London with some additions from the film archives. This body sets the codes Film distributors who are members Museum of Modern Art in New York. of practice, develops and maintains the of the Motion Picture Distributors The Archive also acquired stills for highest standards of film preservation, Association — all the American-owned approximately 100 New Zealand titles. and is a clearing house for inter- companies —- were approached, and 3000 film advertising posters from archival information and policy. asked to deposit. Before they can do around the world (including about 40 This year’s FlAF Congress was held so, permission from their parent body NZ titles) are held in the Archives in Oaxtepec, Mexico hosted by the in the United States must be obtained, collection, with major new acquisitions Filmoteca de la UNAM. 75 participants and this matter remains under coming from Amalgamated Theatres, from 33 countries attended including negotiation. and a collection discovered at the the Director of The New Zealand Film Majestic Theatre in Wellington. An Archive. The enormous amount of exhibition of “Hollywood Posters” from business and information exchange the Archive’s collection toured New offered and contacts made through Zealand as part of a travelling film FlAF are particularly crucial and festival during the first half of 1982. valuable because of New Zealand’s isolation from the international film CATALOGUING — RESEARCH — archive scene. DOCUMENTATION The Archive is also an approved repository for film materials under the No cataloguing of the films has been terms of the Archives Act. The first possible so far although technical major result of this‘ has been the records —- which include some content of the Ministry of Works summary — are made for each title. acquisition —— 432 cans of both The Archive’s research facilities Film Collection nitrate and safety, 16 mm and 35 mm have been limited by the lack of staff films from the late 19308 onwards. This and time to service the large number of includes some Public Works Depart— requests received. Access to the docu- ment Film Unit films as well as a mentation and reference collection is number of contemporary titles. Decomposed rolls of nitrate film. possible by appointment and the films (Courtesy NZ Film Archive, will become available for study as the Stills Collection) preservation programme proceeds and

15 The Attorney=General of New Zealand v. George Ortiz and others with items (the bonnet from the Pork Pie mini for instance) from the more recent films. Changing exhibitions of The two following linked articles posters and stills from the Archive’s on the Taranaki panels by Bob and other collections, cover films and Cater and John Yaldwyn were film makers like Len Lye. A small written at the request of YU. Raj viewing theatre has been built capable lsar, Editor of the UNESCO of screening both 16 mm and 35 mm. international quarterly journal of Access by the public to their film museology Museum and are due to culture and heritage is the main thrust appear in volume 24 no. 4 late in of the Film Archive in the future. It must 1982. They are reproduced here in be to moving images what our art gal- a somewhat abbreviated version leries and museums are to paintings with the permission of the and artifacts, and our great libraries to UNESCO Division of Cultural rare manuscripts and books: a Heritage. guardian of national works of cultural value placed in its trust, a show place, dissemination centre, and study resource. The Taranaki Panels ~— Pioneer Dunedin film maker Jack Welsh seated beside his camera A Case-Study in the during the shooting of Down On The Coubray—Tone Radio Films Sound Recovery of Cultural Farm (1935), the first New Zealand Track (Auckland 1929) shooting Heritage talkie feature. scenes of Bishop Cleary’s funeral. (Courtesy NZ Film Archive, (Courtesy Coubray Collection, Stills Collection) NZ Film Archive) by R. Ft. (Bob) Cater, Assistant Secretary (Recreation, Arts and Youth) Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington

Court proceedings currently taking place in the United Kingdom illustrate the difficulties a country such as New Zealand can face in seeking to recover cultural property which has been illicitly exported. The case concerns five carved wooden panels (fig. 1) which at one time probably formed the end wall of a Maori pataka, or raised store— house, similar to the type of building shown in figure 2. These panels were almost definitely carved before 1820 by members of the Atiawa tribe. During the 18203, Atiawa living in the area around the present town of Waitara in northern Taranaki were attacked by the Waikato tribes from the north. To protect the taonga (treasures) of the tribe and their mana (spiritual well-being and prestige), the THE Note: FUTURE local people hid them in nearby A deep interest in New Zealand’s film Anyone with old films and especially if swamps intending to recover them heritage has been stirred by the they are silent or early sound and of when hostilities ceased. The tribe was, Archive’s activities and cartons of film- New Zealand origin —— there there is a however, defeated and dispersed, the related materials together with as good chance the New Zealand Film carvings and their hiding places much as 30 000 feet of film —— both Archive may like to copy them for pre- abandoned and forgotten. From time to nitrate and safety — arrive each week. servation. If there is even the slightest time since then, individual Atiawa Having outgrown the original possibility that a film may be nitrate carvings have been accidentally re~ cramped space it shared with the (most nitrate is on 35 mm —- never covered, usually when swamps in the Federation of Film Societies, the 16 mm — and the most obvious identi— Waitara area were drained for develop- Archive has recently been able to take fication is the words nitrate film ment into pastoral land (fig. 4). the top floor of the Wakefield Building printed along the edge of the film at in May 1978, notice was received in in Central Wellington. The move regular intervals) then THE NEW New Zealand of an impending auction means the Archive can now expand its ZEALAND FILM ARCHIVE should be of items from the George Ortiz col- activities. In particular, a large and at- contacted. The Archive would also be lection at Sotheby Parke Bernet in tractive area is now operating as a interested to hear from anyone with London. The auction was to be held on “Museum of Cinema” exhibition space. any stills, posters, books, equipment or 29 June. New Zealand museum Old equipment and memorabilia from information relating to New Zealand or authorities were particularly interested the pioneer days of film making in New foreign films. in two lots: number 150 which con— Zealand is being displayed together PO Box 9544 Wellington sisted of the five carved panels (fig. 1),

16 and number 141, a carved pare, or lintel for a meeting-house doorway, from the eastern Bay of Plenty, near Te Kaha, in the Whakatohea tribal area (fig. 4). Pre—sale estimates indi- cated that no New Zealand museum had the financial resources to bid for the pataka panels. However, with assistance from the New Zealand Lottery Board, through its Chairman and Minister for the Arts, the Hon. D. A. Highet, and strong support from the tribe concerned, Whakatohea, the then Director of the Canterbury Museum, the late Dr Roger S. Duff, arranged to attend the auction and bid for the pare. This cultural masterpiece was sub- sequently obtained for £40 000 and repatriated to New Zealand where it is now displayed in the Canterbury Museum.

In early June 1978, a television news broadcast featured some of the items from the forthcoming London auction, including the panels of lot 150. The Fig. 1. The Taranaki pane/s. Five epa Law Office, from the legal division of broadcast was seen by Mr G. Meads of from the end wall of a pataka or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and lnglewood in Taranaki who thought raised store-house, carved before from London solicitors, agreed that that the carved panels were identical to about 1820 near Waitara. there was sufficient evidence on which some he had seen about six years (Photo: National Museum, B 13725) to apply to the Court in London for an earlier at the home of a nearby interim injunction to stop the sale of the resident. By chance he mentioned this panels, leaving the question of owner- to the Director of of Acts of Parliament. That currently in the Taranaki Museum ship to be determined later. in New Plymouth, Mr Ronald Lambert, force is the Antiquities Act 1975, which when they met at a social event two or replaced an earlier Historic Articles Act On 23 June 1978, the Department three days later. Mr Meads thought 1962. obtained the approval of its Minister, that the Taranaki Museum might have This information was sufficient for the Hon. D. A. Highet, “to instruct a photograph of the panels which he the Department to request the police to Crown Counsel to brief Counsel in had seen, that could be compared with interview the person who had been in London to seek an interim injunction”. the illustration of the Ortiz panels in the possession of the carved panels seen This brief was cabled to London on the auction catalogue. Mr Lambert, who by Mr Meads. This person freely ad- same day. had not seen the panels, was im— mitted that he had dug up the panels in Four days later, New Zealand rep— pressed with the many points of about 1972 and had held them for resentatives in London confirmed that similarity his informant described. He some time, originally with the intention a Writ seeking an interim injunction contacted the then Chairman of the of giving them to the Taranaki had been issued, but that Sotheby had New Zealand national Committee for Museum. However, he had been undertaken to withdraw the panels lCOM and President of the Art approached early in 1973 by a dealer from the auction and to hold them until Galleries and Museums Association of in ethnic art, Mr Lance Entwhistle, who 30 July so that the situation could be New Zealand, Dr John C. Yaldwyn, at had offered him an unexpectedly high clarified. Given this undertaking, the the National Museum in Wellington price. In an affidavit, the original pos— Department’s solicitors did not proceed (author of the following article on the sessor of the panels stated ”i asked to serve the Writ. cultural significance of the Taranaki him [Entwhistle] if he did buy them, At that time the possibility was raised panels). He in turn contacted the would they leave New Zealand. He that New Zealandmight negotiate with author of this account at the Depart- replied ‘No’ Two or three days later, the vendor (Mr Ortiz) to buy the panels. ment of internal Affairs, the New when again approached by Mr The Minister reported the situation to Zealand Government agency charged Entwhistle, the finder agreed to sell. Cabinet which, on 10 July, agreed that with the administration of legislation The finder confirmed that the five all necessary legal steps should be designed to protect the country’s panels illustrated in the auction taken ”to secure the return of the five cultural heritage. catalogue were the one he had sold, panels .. . and, if necessary, to apply Arrangements were made for a copy and produced his own photographs of for a Court Order to‘the effect that the of the auction catalogue to be sent the panels he had dug up. These artifact is the property of the Crown in quickly to New Plymouth. From the il- clearly matched those figured in the New Zealand, provided that such steps lustration in the catalogue, Mr Lambert catalogue. shall not include negotiations with a rapidly concluded that the Ortiz panels This information, which totally con- view to a financial settlement without were indeed those which had been in tradicted the provenance cited in further authority from Cabinet". Taranaki in about 1972, and the Sotheby’s catalogue, was sufficient to After some legal discussion, the Department of internal Affairs was able convince New Zealand officials that a vendor’s solicitors indicated that Mr to confirm that no permit to export prima facie case could exist to claim Ortiz would not be prepared to extend them had been granted. Since as early that the panels were forfeit to the the undertaking to withhold the panels as 1908, New Zealand has imposed Crown because they had been un- from sale beyond the end of July. Con- legislative controls over the export of lawfully exported. Preliminary legal sequently, on 19 July, the Maori antiquities through a succession opinions from the New Zealand Crown Department’s solicitors were formally

17 (i) under Swiss law uninterrupted possession for five years gave good title, and (ii) even if the Crown (in respect of New Zealand) was held to retain valid title, that title would be un- enforceable in England, either because it would be based on a foreign public law, or on grounds of public policy. Although Sotheby had been joined in the action as second defendant, the firm had agreed to take no part in the action and simply to abide by the out~ come. The statement of defence of the third defendant, Mr Entwhistle, was re- ceived on 26 July; it followed closely that of Mr Ortiz. Advice was received in New Zealand that there could be some delay in bringing the matter to trial. However, in . .- as February 1980 the first and third defendants issued a summons which Fig. 2. The pataka ”Te Awhi” resulted in an appearance before a standing at Maketu, Bay of Plenty, in “not to show the carvings or a photo- Master of the Court in London in which about 1886. It is now in the National graph of them to any New Zealand they sought the trial of two preliminary Museum collections and displayed scholar or any scholar of New Zealand issues, namely ”whether on the facts in the Canterbury Museum, extraction for a period of two years nor alleged ... Her Majesty the Queen had Christchurch. to entrust a photograph of them to any become the owner and is entitled to (Photo: Burton Bros, third party”. The documentation also possession of the carving and National Museum C 1195) contained an invoice relating to a pur- ”whether in any event the provisions of ported earlier sale which was an- the [various New Zealand] Acts are un— instructed that if that remained the notated with the alternative (and sub- enforceable in England as being position they were to proceed with the sequently discredited) provenance foreign penal revenue and/or public action to obtain an interim injunction to later to be published in the auction laws”. The Master ordered that there prevent the sale and to prevent the catalogue. should be a trial of these preliminary removal of the panels from the United issues. Kingdom. On 25 July advice was re- On 7 December 1978, a hearing of ceived in Wellington that the solicitors the injunction proceedings was ad- The Department’s advisers con- for Mr Ortiz, who was a resident of journed by the Judge who indicated sidered that New Zealand’s interests Switzerland, and for Sotheby had that, in his view, the case should be would be best served by having the agreed to extend the undertaking they brought speedily to trial, but agreed to matter tried in a single main trial. An had given in June. This was recorded hear counsel before making any order. appeal was therefore lodged to the on the summons to appear for a court He fixed 14 December for that hearing. Judge in Chambers against the hearing, and approved by the Judge However, on 12 December the parties decision of the Master. On 26 March who had adjourned the summons to a 1980, the Judge ruled in New date in October or November 1978. should continue to apply until trial of Zealand’s favour, but the defendants The focus of activity in New Zealand the action. The Department’s solicitors immediately proceeded to appeal the during this period was on extensive proceeded to have a statement of point and the Court of Appeal upheld investigation, both within the country claim drafted and instructed a Swiss the original decision in their favour. and overseas, to establish the factual lawyer to advise on Swiss law. As both parties moved (albeit slowly) basis for New Zealand’s case. The In February 1979, the statement of towards a trial of the preliminary necessary papers were dispatched to claim was served after it had been issues, the Department’s advisers London on 27 October 1978. decided to join Mr Entwhistle as third thought it desirable that evidence At the beginning of December, defendant in the case, and the state- should be available to the effect that solicitors for Mr Ortiz served two affi— ment of defence of the first defendant, “the law of New Zealand, which seeks davits on our solicitors, one contained Mr Ortiz, was received in early April. In to protect its articles of historic im- a Swiss legal opinion which indicated his statement, Mr Ortiz admitted most portance, is very usual”. the that a person who had, in good faith, of the known facts and made it clear Department approached Dr Lyndall v. purchased something and retained that he intended to defend the case on Prott and Mr P. J. O’Keefe of the peaceful (i.e. unchallenged) and un- legal grounds. His argument was that University of Sydney in Australia for an interrupted possession of it for five the vesting of the panels in the Crown assessment of this matter. Both had years ”became the owner thereof by (the Queen of the United Kingdom is considerable experience in the field of prescription”. The second affidavit also Queen of New Zealand) would laws relating to the protection of dealt with the circumstances under have required seizure to have taken cultural property. By December 1980 which Mr Ortiz had purchased the place in New Zealand; that Mr they provided a statement covering panels in New York on or about 23 Entwhistle had good title when he sold aspects of the relevant legislation of no April 1973 from Mr Entwhistle following the panels in New York; and that by fewer than 119 different jurisdictions. the latter’s purchase of them from the the law of the State of New York, as Their statement showed that New New .Zealand finder in early March. the proper law at the sale, the present Zealand’s law fell within a group of 71 The documentation of this sale con- holder (i.e. Ortiz) gained good title. jurisdictions which had some provision tained a condition that Mr Ortiz was Alternative contentions were: for forfeiture or confiscation of cultural

18 heritage items which were being there should be an international con- triangle of islands enclosed between illegally exported. In February 1981, Dr vention on this matter which individual Hawaii in the north, Easter Island in the Prott and Mr O’Keefe added several countries could agree to. south-east and New Zealand in the further jurisdictions to their statement Mr Geoff Thomson, Parliamentary south-west. The New Zealand scholar from additional information which had Under-Secretary to the Minister of Dr Terence Barrow points out that become available to them. internal Affairs, announced on 4 these migrants to New Zealand be- tween the 9th and 14th centuries At last, in June 1981, the trial on the August that New Zealand would brought carving techniques and preliminary issues was held in the appeal against Lord Denning‘s ruling to artistic themes with them from eastern Queen’s Bench Division of the High the House of Lords. (in the hearing on Polynesia which developed in Court of Justice and on 1 July Mr the preliminary issues then the score is the presence of abundant supplies of good Justice Staughton handed down his now first round to New Zealand, wood, and rocks ideal for stone verdict. He found that the New Zealand second round to Ortiz, with the third tools, into Maori art as we know it today. legislation on which the Department and decisive round yet to be played For the earlier relationships of this had based its case (the Historic out in London.) art “we must look westwards to the margins Articles Act 1962 applied at the time of Melanesia, to South-East the panels were taken out of New Asia, and thence to the Asian mainland”. (T. Zealand) is enforceable in the English The Taranaki Panels ~— Barrow, Maori Wood Scup/ture of courts and that it could not be con- Their Significance and New Zealand, A. H. & A. W. sidered as a foreign penal, Reed, revenue or Wellington, 1969). public law. in his judgement Mr Justice Mana Staughton stated “Comity required that The Taranaki style we should respect the national by John Cameron Yaldwyn heritage of other countries by Director, National Museum, Within classic Maori wood carving according both recognition and Wellington tradition the Taranaki style can be re- enforcement to their laws which cognized by the long, narrow, sinuous affected the title to property remaining and longitudinally—ridged bodies of the in their territory” There are five carved wooden panels main figures, the peaked, triangular- Predictably the first and third de- from Taranaki standing in storage in topped heads, and by the presence, in fendants have appealed against this London while legal questions on their most examples, of groupings of from decision and there, for the moment, the ownership are being discussed in two to six short, curved, wedge-like matter rests. if their appeal fails the Wellington, Sydney, Switzerland, New ridges (called pu—werewere or “the Department’s case for the recovery of York, and London itself. these are the flowers in the sacred maiden’s hair”) the panels will proceed to a sub- Taranaki panels (fig. 1), which Swiss interrupting the flow of the long, curved stantive trial —— the outcome of which in collector George Ortiz planned to sell eyebrow or mouth ridges on the faces. turn will be subject to a right of appeal. by auction at Sothebys in London in All these features can be seen in the One day, we hope, New Zealand will 1978. Probably less than 200 years individual panels illustrated here. This recover the precious relics of our past. old, the panels originally formed the distinctive style of carving is But before we do, those of us involved end wall of a raised Maori store-house, characteristic of the Taranaki tribal in the protection of cultural heritage or pataka. This carved wall un- area centred on the present-day town must all face the fact that as long as doubtedly represents the single most of Waitara, and traditionally associated there is any failure to abide by the exciting unit of the now—extinct with the Atiawa people of that' area. principles set out in such documents Taranaki carving style, a local style The name Taranaki is used in modern as the UNESCO Convention on the considered by many to be one of the New Zealand for a much larger political lllicit Import, Export and Transfer of most interesting and certainly the most area with its administrative centre at Ownership of Cultural Property, similar distinctive of the dozen or so different New Plymouth. As a style, Taranaki cases will arise throughout the world. classic Maori regional styles. it is a true carving has not been followed since Countries which wish to preserve their masterpiece of Maori art. the musket wars of the early nine- heritage must be prepared to fight Carved before 1820 with stone tools, teenth century, though some modern costly and long-drawn-out actions in or possibly soft metal (introduced after carvers have produced meeting-house overseas courts as we are doing. We effective European contact in 1769), panels using distinctive Taranaki hope our experience in this case might the panels were hidden in a swamp features. help to define legal principle and near Waitara during tribal musket wars precedent which will assist others. in the 18203 or 303. Forgotten and lost Description and symbolism of the for a century and a half, then dug up Taranaki panels Postscript by chance in 1972, they made their The five associated Taranaki panels Since the above article was written it way inexorably to London, via New illustrated here are all individually has been announced that Ortiz and York and Switzerland, in 1978. Their different in detail. The four on the right Entwhistle won their appeal against the origin and history before 1972 is cur- (viewed facing the wall) are of similar High Court decision in London. The rently of secondary importance; what composition with basically two inter— Master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, in happened to them between 1972 and woven sinuous figures, though one the Court of Appeal on 21 May 1982 1978 is causing international concern (the second from the right) has a single reversed the High Court’s findings on and lengthy court arguments in sinuous figure. This is only part of the both preliminary issues. He ruled that London. (See preceding article by R. complexity though. The central panel the Crown was not entitled to the Ft. Cater.) (about 125 cm high) for example has panels under the Historic Articles Act an upper figure with a large full face 1962 and that this legislation was un- Origins of Maori art and its body and limbs intertwined and enforceable in the English courts as it Maori art, wood sculpture and culture shared in various predictable ways with was a foreign penal, revenue or public are derived from Polynesian originals the figure whose full face is at an angle law. He thought that the retrieval of un— in the central Pacific area. The cross the centre of the panel. To com- lawfully exported works of art must be ancestors of the Maori race migrated to plete the composition, and provide achieved by diplomatic means and that New Zealand from the vast Pacific additional shared limbs, there are two

19 interwoven figures at the foot of the Most photographs in historical col- panel with faces in profile facing down- lections show European-type buildings wards and with single-toothed mouths raised above the ground on legs with at the lower corners of the panel. Such little or no carving, or old traditional profile figures are termed manaia. pataka which have been moved and The panel second from the left has re-erected in a garden, in an outdoor one full face at the top sharing body exhibition, or in a museum gallery. The and limbs with two intertwined, lack of a doorway in the supposed outward—facing, upside down manaia central panel of the Taranaki end wall at the bottom. That second from the may indicate that this was the back, right has an upper figure (with a rather than the front, wall of a pataka, damaged face) and one damaged, or that this pataka had an entrance downward facing manaia at the through the floor. Back walls of bottom. The right hand panel has a traditional pate/(a usually did not have pair of intertwined manaia above carved panels, but complete Taranaki flowing into another pair of manaia pataka are unknown. below. There is also a square hole of Pataka were used as foodstores but unknown use out in this panel. The had a variety of other uses including panel on the extreme left is much that of safeguarding rare and valuable simpler in style. There are two Iow- possessions. As Dr Barrow so suc- relief, full faces turned sideways in ’4" 2/ cinctly states “pataka kept foods away from the ravages of rats and from pol- reverse position to each other. Fig. 3. Reconstruction of the finding lution by unauthorised hands. Precious The precise meaning and symbolism of a pre—1820 Atiawa carving in a things were best stored out of common of these panel sculptures are now un- drain dug through a swamp near touch. . . . Taboos relating to the food known, though they would have had a Waitara, Tarnaki -—— the Ainsworth and possessions of high-ranking very clear and definite meaning to their pare (meeting-house door Iintel) dis- members of the community were carver-artists. Classic Maori carving covered in 1959 and now displayed scrupulously maintained with the help (as Dr Barrow puts it) has as its central in the Taranaki Museum, New of these buildings.” Traditional, symbol the human figure, or tiki, which Plymouth. relatively small, carved pataka were usually represents an ancestor or, on (Photo: New Zealand Herald) very rare occasions, a god or a con- probably not built after about the temporary human individual. The 18503, but large, ornately-carved The importance of the pataka Taranaki panels can be considered as pataka were still being built as status ancestor sculpture with the interwoven Raised pataka store-houses ranked symbols in the 18603. Functional, bodies possibly sexual in significance with carved meeting houses as the carved pataka, large or small, have not expressing ideas. of fertility and abun- most important structures in a been built in New Zealand since about dance (a theme not inappropriate to a traditional Maori village. The best 1870. food store-house!) available carving talent was lavished From their general similarity to other on meeting house and pataka alike wall panels from known pataka store- and their carvings were prized by the houses from various parts of New community. Pataka had exterior Zealand it is clear that the Taranaki carvings on the facade and on the front Fig. 4. The Ortiz pare, probably panels are from the end wall of a wall inside the shallow porch. There carved between about 1800 and medium sized pataka. Other Taranaki was usually a low doorway in the 1817 in the Whakatohea tribal area of Plenty. carvings have been recovered from central panel of the front wall as can be near Te Kaha, eastern Bay London swamps (fig. 3 for example) but these seen in the old photograph of a pataka It was purchased at a are the only associated group of in a village at Maketu in the Bay of auction in 1978, repatriated to New the Taranaki carved panels. Early Plenty (fig. 2). This is incidentally one Zealand, and now displayed in drawings exist of Taranaki pataka but of the few photographs of a reasonably Canterbury Museum, Christchurch. none show details of end wall carvings. traditional pataka in its original setting. (Photo: National Museum 8 13714) National Museum ethnologist Mr Roger Neich considers that differences in formal composition and surface decor- ation indicate that the Taranaki panels as now associated may be a com- posite group from various sources. The first carving on the left is obviously different. The second, fourth and fifth from the left form another group, and the central panel may represent still another. The absence of a raised border on the top right edge of the central piece may indicate that it has been modified to fit this grouping. Nevertheless, these comments (based entirely on examination of a single photograph) do not preclude the pos- sibility that all these panels were authentically part of one building in their last functional configuration.

20 Botanical Display in Britain The meaning of mana philosophical background to the law which In traditional Maori culture all important now vests the ownership of Maori artifacts found or accidentally P. J. Brownsey people and things had their mana, . dug up in New Zealand, in circum- Curator of Botany, their supernatural power, authority, National Museum, Well/ngton spiritual quality or well-being. Thus stances where their Maori ownership is chiefs, men of rank, priests, carvers, not clear, in the Crown (i.e. in the New PART 2: Provincial museums and carvings, meeting houses, pataka, Zealand nation as a whole), and which other institutions tribal heirlooms and treasures (taonga) forbids the export of early Maori arti- all had their personal or individual facts or any antiquities significant to This article concludes a two-part mana. For both people and things, the history of New Zealand without a account of botanical display techniques permit mana is accumulated by age, im- from the Department of Internal in British institutions. In the last issue Affairs. portance, association or success, but of AGMANZ News, recent develop- The far—sighted diminished by failure, desecration or and important law ments in biological displays at the which contains pollution. Thus a carver making and these provisions, the Natural History Museum in London Antiquities handling images of tribal ancestors Act 1975, was not brought were discussed. This second part must guard against loss of mana both in without a great deal of discussion as deals with displays in provincial from himself and his carvings during it introduced a new concept to the museums, botanic gardens and the the sensitive time of their creation*. English legal system on which New Commonwealth Institute. After erection, a tribally-owned pataka Zealand’s laws are based. This is the concept that continued to acquire mana from its the Crown automatically Liverpool City Museum assumes ownership beauty, importance, and from the on behalf of New Zealand The Liverpool City Museum has a staff “precious things" stored inside but be- as a whole of any traditional Maori artifact, and budget comparable to, though still came susceptible to desecration by be it stone adze head from a sandhill larger than, the National Museum of enemies who could destroy it, carry it or carved ancestor panel from a swamp, whose traditional New Zealand. By contrast, however, away, or worst of all, use it for fire almost 50% of its budget is spent on owners are unknown. it also gives New wood to cook their food. in the specific display and a mere 2% on research. Zealand museums, and the National case of the Taranaki pataka panels The natural history galleries, opened in Museum in particular, a great deal of under discussion, we can assume they 1974 to replace those destroyed in the responsibility in the implementation of were buried in a swamp to protect war, reflect that disparity. They have them from desecration, and con- the Act. Museums act as registration centres for newly found objects, report been reviewed and discussed by sequent loss of tribally—shared mana, Evans (1974) and Gray (1975). Much on the cultural and historical signi- by musket-armed enemies from the of the space is devoted to six of the ficance of finds or objects intended for north. world’s major ecological zones ~— export, provide specialist advice to oceans, polar regions, coniferous and *“Food, especially cooked food, was re- those involved in administering the Act, and in many cases hold and display tropical forest, savannah and desert. garded as a potent destroyer of mana, with Each has received similar treatment — women important pieces acquired by the running a close second. Both were maps outlining the distributional range kept well away from carvers at work Crown under the Act. They were noa, that of the zones, a major diorama display, is common or ordinary, Repatriation of cultural property and free from tapu [taboo] . . . This was not and other cases dealing with such the difference between good and evil but The National Museum has another topics as plant and animal adaptations between positive and negative. The male important function concerned with the to the climate, Man and his artifacts, element was positively charged, so contact protection of New Zealand’s cultural and a range of the smaller wildlife of with the female negative could discharge heritage. it takes the initiative in re- the zone (Fig. 1). The dioramas of sacred mana. . .. For this reason women patriating significant cultural items that forest scenes were of greatest interest and food were kept away from carvers at become available overseas. With funds to me -— one of them could be viewed work.” (T. Barrow, Maori Wood Sculpture of from two levels so that both tree tops New Zealand, p. 13.) granted by the Department of internal Affairs and the New Zealand Lottery and forest floor could be explored, Board it makes carefully considered another could be viewed from below to Protecting New Zealand’s cultural purchases of Maori art, or European see birds and butterflies flying around heritage material of significance to the country’s between the branches. In the coni- From the point of view of New history, from both private individuals or ferous forest, a stream with live ferns Zealand’s cultural heritage the dealer firms, in New Zealand or over- and mosses has been very realistically Taranaki panels are of major signi- seas. Large, or especially valuable, recreated, but unfortunately many of ficance. A recent survey by Mr David items are often handled directly by the the trees were suffering from de- Simmons, Assistant Director of the cultural section of the Department of foliation (though this problem may now Auckland Museum, shows that there internal Affairs. All cultural items thus be surmountabie by application of a are more Maori artifacts in collections repatriated with public money pass into technique first devised by Page (1979) outside New Zealand than inside. the “national collections” and are for herbarium material). Many pieces of great significance from registered in the National Museum, There is a hall devoted to “Man and the whole range of regional styles left National Art Gallery, National Library, his environment” —— notable because it the country during the nineteenth or National Archives depending on the deals with themes not often seen in century in the hands of explorers, item concerned. Once registered in museums. Such topics as con- traders, collectors, dealers and private one of the national collections, cultural servation, land reclamation, pollution, individuals. We need to hold as much items can be displayed in any ap- pesticides and hazards of litter are all of our traditional wood carving in New proved institution within the New covered. Much of it is two—dimensional Zealand as possible to provide inspir- Zealand-wide system of art galleries but dioramas of the Torrey Canyon ation for modern carvers to carve in and museums. it is hoped that the disaster and another of a rubbish tip their own tribal tradition and to provide Taranaki panels now in London will are very effective. Also interesting is a enjoyment, stimulation and cultural one day return to be displayed in the demonstration of the use of lichens in background for all New Zealanders, public gallery of one of our own New determining levels of air pollution dis- Maori and Pakeha alike. This is the Zealand museums. played against a spectacular photo-

21 graphic background of smoke gushing overall visual impact of the displays is and the theory of'Evolution”. Yet one from factory chimneys. not particularly inspiring (Fig. 2). enters the exhibition on the ground At the other end of the same hall are Hence, one is forced to conclude, floor with little indication that this is more economically orientated topics albeit reluctantly, that living plant part-way through the sequence and such as “The coming of agriculture”, exhibitions are best left to botanic with no clear idea of the overall layout. “Grasslands and grazing”, “Uses of gardens. The bottom floor is very dark which timber” and “Natural resources of the positively discourages one from U.K.”. The spread of agriculture to reading labels that are in any case Europe is depicted on a map with excessively long and very technical. adjacent perspex tubes showing the Some material is clearly out of place; a evolution of wild and cultivated wheats. wall panel dealing with fossil plants, for The “Grasslands” display maps example, has photographs of cross- vegetational changes from prehistoric sections of a fossilised stem, sporangia forest to present day grazing lands and and spores, with an adjacent panel shows how aerial photographs can be showing “the first nucleated cells” (Fig. used to identify the different types of 3). in the past, I have found it difficult grassland. The “Timber” exhibition is to interpret these fossil structures satis- more traditional but does have some factorily, even to University botany interesting examples of wood pulp, students, and their inclusion in a wood chips and different sorts of logs. Fig. 2. One of the Liverpool City Museum display seems to me to be a Museum '8 live plant displays. total waste of space. Undoubtedly the Scottish Museum’s exhibition does in clude some superb material, but if only Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh a more coherent theme had been fol- The Royal Scottish Museum has no lowed with a few more main headings specifically botanical exhibitions and in the cases, it would have been dis- my main reason for going there was to played to better effect. view the new ”Evolution” gallery opened in 1975 (Waterson 1976; Dun- Exhibition Hall, Edinburgh Botanic ning 1976). Unfortunately, compared to Gardens the exhibitions on the same theme at The Exhibition Hall at the Edinburgh the BM(NH), the Scottish Museum’s Botanic Gardens is used to enhance efforts leave much to be desired, even the educational role of the Gardens by allowing for a significant difference in exploring aspects of plant biology available resources. To my mind the which cannot be demonstrated solely Scottish attempt falls down on basic from live plants. As a display centre it museum principles which it could have has the immense benefit of being improved even within the limitations of situated in a botanical environment its set budget. The display is organised and being able to draw on the on five levels rising from a darkened extensive resources of the living co|~ Fig. 1. Food chains in polar regions, room exploring the physical back- lections. Unfortunately, ever since it from the Liverpool City Museum ground of life, through gradually lighter was opened in 1970, it has been the natural history gallery. rooms dealing in turn with the “Ages of “Cinderella" of the Gardens, receiving Fishes”, “Reptiles” and “Mammals” to a budget which is insufficient to sustain A novel feature of the natural history an as yet incomplete floor on “Time all the original objectives (Burbidge et gallery is a living-plant room which is a al. 1970). brave attempt to overcome the The exhibition policy has been to problems associated with displaying eliminate museum-type cases and to botanical material merely in the form of rely instead on a combination of dried or pressed specimens. The area screens for supporting two-dimensional is about 10 X 7 m and consists of a material and hexagonal units as bases series of stands for growing live plants for displaying live plants and other under banks of artificial light, the tech- objects (Fig. 4). The hexagonal units nical details of which are documented come in two sizes which fit together to by Greenwood et al. (1978). Topics form bases of varying heights; some which have been exhibited here have a flat top, others a bowl top which include medicinal and culinary herbs, may be filled with water or used for water culture of crops, the diversity of planting. The great advantage which weeds and the action of selective this hall has over the live-plant room at weedkillers, the effect of light on plant Liverpool City MUSeum is that the growth, plant adaptations, and, perhsp plants can be continually exchanged most relevant of all for a museum in for others in the glasshouses so that one of the industrial wastelands of the exhibitions are always seen to their Britain, the use of genetically adapted best effect. plants in reclaiming derelict land. Un- Topics which have been displayed fortunately, although the idea of a plant include aspects of plant growth, hydro- room is appealing, there are major culture, methods of grafting, dry rot, drawbacks. Maintenance requirements adaptation of flowers to different types are high, amounting to 51/2 people days 91 of pollinating agent (wind, bees, birds, per week; the resources of a botanic .gi‘i J” moths, etc.) and changing exhibitions garden are necessary to maintain a Fig. 3. A panel dealing with fossil devoted to one particular plant of supply of material; plants need plants form the Royal Scottish economic or other importance (e.g. changing frequently because the Museum’s "Evolution” gallery — bananas, coffee, tea, etc.) The last quality of light and general environ— sure/y too esoteric and too wordy to two topics in particular are much used ment are far from perfect; and the susta/n most people’s attention. by school parties but unfortunately

22 timber in building, transport, industry, avonocuuuns furniture-making and domestic situations. The room currently being re- Growing plants without soil furbished is to be used for displaying some of Kew’s more spectacular pieces of furniture, including a very fine inlaid table from New Zealand in which no less than 37 species of fern can be identified. in the, as yet untouched, rooms, rather old-fashioned wall and table cases are used to display such topics as the manufacture of a violin and the uses of cork and teak, as well as a range of conifer cones and wooden native artifacts. The characteristics of certain exotic timbers are also strikingly demonstrated by carved elephants from Ceylon (Fig. 5), and a wall of wooden bowls from New Zealand. Thus, although there is a greater emphasis on the uses of wood in the renovated sections of this building, the main appeal of a visit to the Wood Museum is in the intrinsic Fig. 4. Live plants in the Exhibition interest and beauty of the objects Hall at Edinburgh Botanic Gardens. Museum of Economic Botany and themselves. The proximity of the Gardens Wood Museum, Kew Gardens ensures that fresh material is always in stark contrast to the Exhibition Hall The Museum of Economic Botany is available for display. at Edinburgh, which is used in con- a piece of pure Victoriana. One wing is junction with the resources of the dominated by a range of vegetables, after ten years they are beginning to Gardens, the Wood and Economic fruits, herbs, seeds and other econ- look rather tatty — a disadvantage of Botany Museums at Kew bear only a omically important compounds such as not having protective cases is that little geographical relationship to their resins, gums and waxes, mostly dis- fingers tend to pick at exhibits with botanical environment. They are played as plaster casts or specimens inevitable consequences! situated in old, historic buildings and pickled in museum jars, each with its An excellent idea which has never retain a distinctly Victorian approach to own typed label, and arranged in end- been carried through to its full potential display. less rows in a monotonous series of is to have several windows in the Hall The Wood Museum is currently wall cases (Fig. 6). Fortunately there opening onto living dioramas of plants. undergoing renovation and was only are some quite extraordinary objects to One such window is more or less partly accessible to visitors during my relieve the tedium —~ notably a huge functional and used to demonstrate time at Kew. Most of the newly opened model of an indigo factory made for the water relations by comparing a bank of area is devoted to the uses of wood —- Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 typically herbaceous British plants with downstairs there is a range of polished — as well as some beautiful artifacts aquatic plants on one hand, and suc- timber samples with adjacent panels made from seeds, nuts, lacquer or culent plants from the desert on the describing the tree and the properties other plant products. in more suitable other. Another idea is to have a living of its wood, whilst upstairs small surroundings the range of gourds, pine wood diorama with a range of models demonstrate the applications of calabashes, baskets and tape (in- herbs and ferns on the “forest” floor, cluding a copy of the Polynesian but although the trees are planted, the Gazette printed in Levuka in 1885) enclosing perimeter, which is neces~ Fig. 5. Carved elephants in the Wood would be spectacular, and the study of sary to block off the background of Museum at Kew Gardens showing such potentially fascinating subjects as glasshouses, remains unbuilt. the attributes of different timbers “arrow poisons” a great deal more re- from Ceylon. warding. Unfortunately, pervading everything is a spirit from the Colonial past when Kew had a key role to play in economic development of many countries but which is still all too apparent in displays devoted ‘to “The story of rubber“, “The growing of tea”, and other crops such as sugar, coffee, cocoa and bamboo.

Commonwealth Institute, London One’s immediate impression on entering the main building is of a lively, exciting environment, full of colour and attractive displays. Each of the member countries of the Common— wealth has a stand, devoted in the main to principal components of the nation’s economy, New Zealand’s

23 National Museum of Wales, Cardiff The Cardiff Museum has a technician who produces superb models of plants, but unfortunately i discovered this too late during my stay in Britain to arrange to meet him. However, the Museum also has a display devoted to the different techniques for preparing botanical material, from which i was able to glean quite a lot of information (Fig. 8). Basically, the methods employed at Cardiff are pressing, drying in heated sand, freeze-drying or modelling, of which the latter is easily the most demanding. The details of both modelling and freeze—drying are already well documented and do not need repeating here (Petersen 1958; Davies 1962; Taylor 1968). Since model making is such a time— consuming process, and literally hundreds of different species have been recreated at Cardiff, it was some- what disappointing to find that the majority have been used merely to fill cases which are entitled “mountain plants”, “moorland plants”, “water Fig. 6. Plaster models and preserved disappointing to see the quality of the plants”, etc. and which contain nothing specimens of fruits at the Museum plant models which are all too other than the models themselves of Economic Botany, Kew —— a stark obviously plastic and in no way com- arranged systematically. The technique contrast in display techniques to pare with those to be seen in the of freeze—drying has been applied to a those used at the Commonwealth BM(NH). The production of convincing range of lichens, fungi, mosses and Institute in London to promote botanical models is clearly a job for a liverworts but, again, apart from some similar products. highly skilled technician with con- illustrations of life cycles (Fig. 9), the siderable feeling for his subject, and is material is used only to display contribution, for example, being domi- not a technique to be entered into diversity. To this extent it is emminently nated by agriculture, forestry and lightly. successful — the Museum contains a tourism. From a botanical point of view, wider range of three-dimensional plant the most interesting courts were those of African and Caribbean nations whose economy is dependent on such crops as coffee, cotton, cocoa, citrus fruit or coconuts. it was especially instructive to compare the treatment of these subjects with that at Kew — as might be imagined, a country whose livelihood depends on a particular pro- duct has a vested interest in devising an impressive piece of propaganda to promote it (Fig. 7). The very clear message which emerges from the Commonwealth institute is that aspects of economic botany can be attractively displayed if, indeed, they are con- sidered to be appropriate subjects for inclusion within a natural history museum. One feature immediately evident at the Institute is the wide range of diorama-type exhibits. A few are elaborate models, others no more than painted backgrounds to the main fore- ground scene. Some have utilised a succession of painted panels receding into the distance, others a series of fly screens with vegetation and topo- graphy superimposed. All are effective in their own way, as is the use of painted glass screens, lit from behind, plantation from the Ugandan Court to create the illusion of a cocoa at the Commonwealth Institute, plantation. On the other hand it was London.

24 Mimi: C}? FEVRLE THéiLUE-E Ci?» Arie

Fig. 8. An exhibition in the National Fig. 9. A case in the Botany Hall of Museum of Wales demonstrating the National Museum of Wales one way of modelling plants. A com- relating freeze-dried specimens of pleted example of the liverwort mosses to enlarged models of Marchantia polymorpha shows just stages in their life cycles. how successful this technique can be. specimens, including everything from Welsh plants to explain the difference slime moulds and fungi, through all the between, for example, “leaves sessile” lower plant groups to ferns, gymnoa and “leaves petiolate”, “ovary sperms and angiosperms, than any superior” and “ovary inferior“ or other institution l visited in the country. “flower actinomorphic” and ”flower Some of the peripheral displays zygomorphic”. Nearby, the description demonstrated just how much more of a plant in a Flora is related to a versatile the models could be when in— model of the real thing, and the family cluded with other material. For characters of a range of buttercups example, several cases are devoted to compared with those of different pea timber and its uses, but as well as in— species. cluding the usual polished wood samples and manufactured objects, there are also silhouettes of the trees Fig. 70. Models of Welsh plants used and models of the flowers, leaves and to explain technical terms from an bark — the familiar oak, ash and willow identification key in a local field being instantly recognisable from these guide. features rather than from the more de- manding wood structure. Other cases which, one imagines, might be appealing to amateur gardeners, identify a wide range of common plant diseases, and show the development of a variety of fruits such as apples, pears and plums, along with an explanation of different grafting tech- niques. A more strictly agricultural problem is exemplified by an exhibit stressing the importance of new culti— vars of crop plants; a new strain of barley developed at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station is modelled together with its parent species to show its desirable features of strong stem and longer head. In a more recent exhibition on “Botany in Wales” one section is devoted to “naming plants”. Here an attempt has been made to interpret the mysteries of an artificial key taken from a local Flora (Fig. 10). A sequence around two walls uses models of

25 One extraordinarily incongruous outward simplicity, but with the Whatever the ultimate content of a element in the main Botany Hall is a potential for demonstrating principles new Botany Gallery, though, there has table bearing a whole series of physio- of biological diversity and ecological to be a unifying theme, the scope of logical experiments in action. complexity. the exhibition has to be within the Transpiration, respiration, etiolation New Zealand museums have very capabilities and resources of the and light sensitivity are all being limited resources of money and staff Museum, and it has to be carefully measured — the whole exhibit closely for display, and simplicity is the key to planned well in advance of any resembling a Stage 1 University lab- setting realistic goals. We are unlikely structural or preparatory work. oratory bench. However, knowing the to succeed if we tackle complex prob- capacity of undergraduates to perform lems in complex ways. For example, it References such experiments without compre» will surely be necessary to include hending any of them, i am doubtful of forests in any future Botany Gallery, BURBlDGE, B., EUDALL, R. & the educational value of such an but we may need to be content with WATLING, R. 1970: A new Plant exhibit in a public museum! creating only the illusion of a forest ~— Exhibition Hall in Edinburgh. Nevertheless, the National Museum perhaps by the use of painted screens. Museums Journal 70: 161~3. of Wales is refreshingly different to Realistic dioramas are not only vastly DAVlES, D. A. L. 1962: The preser- almost all the other museums l visited expensive but, on a large scale, they vation of larger fungi by freeze- in that a serious attempt has been also become inflexible. Modelling of drying. Transactions of the made to tackle the problems of dis- plants is a very skilled and time- British Mycological Society 45: playing botanical material. ln the consuming business, and, whilst 424—8. absence of funds on the scale of those freeze-drying may be an acceptable DUNNlNG, F. W. 1976: “Evolution” available to the BM(NH), its efforts are alternative for some material, it is really and ”Minerals” at the Royal Scot— highly commendable. only applicable to small plants of a tish Museum: a critic’s view. certain texture and moisture content. Museums Journal 76: 11—13. Air dried or pressed specimens EVANS, l. M. 1974: A new natural CONSIDERATIONS FOR FUTURE are, of course, totally unacceptable history gallery at Liverpool. BOTANICAL DISPLAY IN for most modern Museums Journal 74: 59—61. NEW ZEALAND museum displays. The limited range of options available therefore GRAY, J. 1975: Natural History This is not the place for a detailed dictates that we “think small" so that Gallery, Liverpool, 1974. account of what the National Museum expensively provided models are used Museums Journal 75(3): might display in any future Botany to best effect. Forest dioramas will xxviii—xxxii. gallery. However, a few general com have to be confined to, say, a close up GREENWOOD, B. D., GREENWOOD, ments are in order. view of a branch covered with filmy E. F. & MOORE, D. K. 1978: A There is a school of thought which ferns and mosses, or to a lichen and plant room for displays of living argues that systematic botany is best liven/vort encrusted rock. Alternatively, plants. Museums Journal 78: 67— displayed in a botanic garden, and that we can explore superficially simpler 9. any museum display on the same environments where there are fewer PAGE, C. N. 1979: The herbarium pre— theme can only be a poor imitation of plants, more amenable to the available servation of conifer specimens. the real thing. Whilst having some techniques of preservation or Taxon 28: 375—9. sympathy for this point of view, i modelling. Scree slopes or alpine herb- PETERSEN, G. E. 1958: Artificial believe that there are topics which can field with their characteristic array of plants. Curator 1: 12—35. and should be displayed in a museum cushion plants, mat plants and tus- TAYOR, L. D. 1958: A freeze—dryer for where they can be more thoroughly socks could probably be treated quite fleshy fungi. Transactions of the explored than in either a botanic realistically. British Mycological Society 51: garden or a reference book. implicit in In a gallery of limited dimensions, a 600-3. this belief is the premise that a natural high New Zealand content is probably WATERSON, C. D. 1976: “Evolution” history museum should cater for a essential and some attention has to be and “Minerals” at the Royal Scot- visiting public which has little or no bio— given to features of local importance — tish Museum. Museums Journal logical training. it is therefore essential divaricating shrubs, distinctive juvenile 76: 9-1 1. to get away from a rigid adherence to foliage, characteristic growth forms, displays dominated by systematics. etc. If these can be related to other These may have their place in any characteristic New Zealand elements overall scheme for a Botany Gallery so much the better. It is convenient, but, in general terms, the displays therefore, that we now have some need to cover a wide range of topics, scientific basis for legitimately com— capture the interest of the visiting paring the dry-climate theory for the public and relate to aspects of their evolution of divaricating plants with the normal life with which they are already visually much more rewarding hypo- familiar. For example, in a country like thesis of moa-browsing to provide a New Zealand with an agriculturally- display of truly local flavour. based economy, the humble cow-pat This inter—disciplinary approach can must surely be well known to almost be pursued in many different everyone. Yet, not so well known is the directions. The use of local plant pro- fact that it is the substrate upon which ducts in Maori artifacts is an obvious an astonishing range of toadstools will example, or the distinctive features of develop in a well-ordered sequence as local timbers in some of the Museum’s different nutrients are used up over the more spectacular pieces of furniture course of several days. Here, then, is from the Colonial era. Even in the an ideal subject for display — familiar modern age we can still relate the use to the visitor, appropriate to the of plant products to such activities as dimensions of a Museum case, readily home-dyeing or other cottage preserved or modelled because of its industries.

26 New Publication

The Unpublished New Zealand Bird Paintings Museum) was critical of the project, G. E. Lodge, Artist-Naturalist prompting the Minister, Francis Bell, to (1860—1954) be insist that the paintings would Lodge was a contemporary of in 1913, Lodge George Edward Lodge, government property. Archibald Thorburn, another bird artist in New York that he text by Sir Charles Fleming, wrote to a friend whose reputation was at first higher, of the foreword by Sir Peter Scott. was busy painting the pheasants but Lodge outlived him, illustrating so world for William Beebe’s monograph 409 pp. and 89 coloured plates many fine bird books so well that most and “illustrating all the New Zealand would accord them equal status. Lodge Birds”. The following year Drummond was an outdoor man, at home on the interested H. F. Witherby & 60., who salmon rivers of Norway or the Scottish During the spring of 1982, several New were then publishing Gregory Zealand museums have shown tem— moors, and his paintings of game birds Mathews’ Birds of Australia, the most hang in many a gun-room of England’s porary exhibitions of watercolours of ambitious bird book of the century, but New Zealand birds, now available for stately homes. Thanks to his ex- World War I stopped further progress. perience as a falconer in his youth, public scrutiny for the first time, which After the war, Drummond couldn’t lay hidden in a strongroom in the Lodge’s pictures of birds of prey are get started. His health broke down and career culminated in wooden Government Building in unchallenged. His perhaps he lost confidence, as he the 394 illustrations prepared, as an Wellington and later in the Dominion wrote no further books. In 1925, Mrs Museum, from 1914 until 1982, unseen old man, for the 12 volumes of Perrine Moncrieff of Nelson planned a Birds of the by the taxpayers who paid for them. Bannerman 80 Lodge, The bird book with R. A. Falla. When she British Isles (1953—68). Lodge did not Relevant government files were de- sought government help she learned stroyed, so that the paintings’ history live to see all his work published, dying about Lodge’s paintings and Drum- age of 93. His New was not easily pieced together, but it in 1954 at the mond’s plan. She offered to team up Zealand work was done in his prime, provided a fascinating section of the with him, but Drummond preferred to text that accompanies the 89 plates, along with Beebe’s pheasants go it alone — so neither book was not long after his con- which feature in a volume these (1918—22) and written. Drummond’s “Nature Notes” Bird Book (F. authors have published in October. tributions to The British continued into the nineteen thirties but B. Kirkman, editor, 1910—18). The surviving records are a National he died in 1940, his ambition Museum file (1912), a Hansard debate unfulfilled. (1913), and the Drummond papers in Canterbury Museum, ample vindication National Museum’s Role of museum‘s policy to preserve mss In 1947, Dr R. A. Falla was appointed as well as specimens. Director of the Dominion Museum. A few months later, J. W. A. Heenan, The Book James Drummond Secretary, Internal Affairs Department, dreamed of transferred the Lodge paintings to the museum, encouraging Falla to write a The book should have been dedicated text for them. But Falla was too deeply Drummond (1869-1940). For to James interested in the work of the museum, forty years from 1865 till 1905, New and later in the Nature Conservation Zealand ornithology had been domi— Council, to tackle the task. Moreover, nated by Walter Lawry Buller 90 coloured plates represented a very (1838—1906), with F. W. Hutton (1836— costly volume in the ‘forties', before 1905) his only rival. Their deaths left a modern technologies and tastes demand for an updated handbook of extended the market for coffee-table birds for the average man, less costly volumes. in 1981, after the successful than Buller’s prestigious volumes. It publication of a facsimile edition of The also left a vacuum in ornithology, into Zoology of the Voyage of the H.M.S. which was sucked James Drummond, Beagle (edited by Caries Darwin), Dr journalist, naturalist, conservationist J. C. Yaldwyn and the directors of and compulsive writer, whose weekly Nova Pacifica planned the book that “Nature Notes”, based on cor- has now been issued, 70 years after respondence with bushmen and nature Drummond’s book was planned. The Author, Sir Charles Fleming in lovers throughout the country, were August 1982. syndicated to the Saturday Supplements of the nation’s main daily papers. C. A. Fleming biography of Seddon led Drummond’s Sir Charles Fleming was born in to a similar request on the life of Sir Auckland, New Zealand, in 1916. As a but Ward. It came to naught, schoolboy he was encouraged by A. Ward apparently agreed to W. 8. Powell and R. A. Falla of the Government aid for a new bird book. Auckland institute and Museum to Drummond sought an artist and in collect shells and take part in Museum 1910 George Edward Lodge, one of expeditions. Britain’s leading bird artists, agreed to In 1939 he published a definitive paint 96 bird pictures for £648. account, Birds of the Chatham Eventually he produced 90, depicting Islands, based on field work during 158 birds, and the Massey Govern- which he and his companions ‘re~ ment approved £1000 on the internal discovered’ the Chatham island Petrel, Affairs Department estimates to cover The Painter: George E. Lodge still Snipe, Yellow-crowned Parakeet, and his fee. Augustus Hamilton (Dominion pa/nting in his nineties. the Black Robin. He graduated from

27 Auckland University College with a jobs while University was in recess. i am inquiring as to the possibility of masterate thesis on the seabirds These have included painting the employment in your museums or known as prions. Blenheim Amateur Operatic Society’s galleries. My interests and In a long and productive career with building and two years in charge of the experience encompass but are not the New Zealand Geological Survey he Picton Children’s Holiday Programme. limited to studies in the natural has published papers in geology, The Holiday Programme involved the sciences, biological illustration, mineral resources, fossil shells, and organisation of a wide variety of and publication design. in addition living birds. Awarded the degree of activities for up to sixty children for to the positions listed on the en- D.Sc. in 1952, he later went on to be— seven weeks of the holiday period. closed resume, i am most recently come the Chief Paleontologist at the As well as these vacation jobs, l employed as a Graphic Media Geological Survey. He continued to have worked part-time as a Artist for the State of Oklahoma publish on a wide spectrum of topics in Receptionist-Car Cleaner for Gateway Teaching Hospitals. the earth sciences and zoology. Rentals Ltd, in Christchurch, and distri- With knowledge and enthusiasm Sir Charles has served as President buted brochures to Travel Agents for as well as the desire to learn of the Ornithological Society of New Brochure international Ltd also in further, i believe i have much to Zealand and the Royal Society of New Christchurch. offer an association such as yours. Zealand. He is a Fellow of the Royal i hope that you will give this matter Perhaps you are in need of some- Society (London), an Honorary Fellow some thought and l eagerly await your one to assist in research, or in the of the Zoological Society of London reply. preparation of museum displays and of the Royal Australian Orni Linda Co/quhoun (Miss) and publications? thologists’ Union, a corresponding 57 Kirkwood Avenue i will be most pleased to receive Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ llam any correspondence from you or Union, an Honorary Member of the Christchurch 4 others who might assist me in Geological Society of London, and a obtaining work in New Zealand. Foreign Member of the American Your time and consideration are Philosophical Society. We are interested in obtaining greatly appreciated. As a dedicated ornithologist, active infor- mation regarding museum develop— Teresa Smith Dominguez conservationist and retired geologist ment and possible museum—related 1013 SW. 31 still active in paleontology he is jobs in New Zealand. Hopefully Oklahoma admirably suited to the task of writing it will City, OK 73109 USA not be too much of an inconvenience the test to this long-awaited book. to provide us with some Sir Charles is a Fellow of AGMANZ. assistance. Both my wife and I are involved in graduate level coursework in Museum i am seeking a job in paper George Edward Lodge: The Un- Studies through the University of conservation. Most of my working published New Zea/and Bird Oklahoma. We also work at a local experience to date has been with Paintings has been published by museum on the campus of Stephen F. photographs which has led to a Nova Pacifica Publishing Company Austin State University. Having both concern for the preservation of Ltd, Wellington jointly with the grown up and worked overseas, our photographs and other works on National Museum and has been eventual goal is to return in some paper, which i have pursued via a sponsored by the New Zealand capacity of museum work. course at Cambenivell School of Division of the World Wildlife Fund Between the two of us, we have Art & Crafts, and private study with who have played an active role in its experience in all phases of museum lan and Angela Moor. promotion. The cost of this publi- administration, artifact collection and My aim now is to consolidate the cation is $760 if purchased before conservation, exhibit research, design practical and administrative skills l December 7982, thereafter $185. and construction, general photography have acquired during my career in and the production of educational photography, and apply these to audio-visual presentations, as well as what i know of conservation. archeological field training and Naturally i expect to recommence Positions Wanted experience. For additional information my career in conservation in a concerning our backgrounds, we are junior capacity. i am a third year Bachelor of Arts enclosing copies of our resumes. If you have any suggestions in this student at Canterbury University, and Though l was raised in Africa and respect, or the possibility of in November of this year will be looking my wife in South America, we have vacancies either now or in the for permanent employment. long been intrigued by the cultures and future, i would be grateful to know I am interested in working as an art peoples of Oceania. We would wel— of them. i look fon/vard to hearing gallery assistant and am hoping that come the opportunity to work in some from you. you may have such a position, or a capacity with museums and people in Angela Thompson similar one available. the area. 16 Malfort Road We The main course of study l have have a special interest in pro- London SE5 BDQ undertaken has concentrated on jects utilizing local involvement to en- England European Art, and this year I am doing courage and preserve traditional crafts courses in Eighteenth and Nineteenth and customs. The “village museum” in Century Tanzania is a good French Painting and Byzantine example of this i am writing to ask whether you have Art. approach. However despite the concentration (Museum, Vol. XXXlll, No. any vacancies for a teacher of on European 4, 1981, p. 250.) Art my interest in the field painting and drawing. l have been of Art Are there any is quite varied. similar projects in your teaching for over ten years, and l finished area? Who school in 1979 having might we contact about working as a freelance picture gained such programs? a ‘B’ Bursary and Higher conservator/restorer and painter. School Certificate at Erskine College, Tom and Ar/eigh Kennedy My teaching experience has been in Wellington. During the past three 1215 Mimms Road largely in the field of adult edu- years i have had a variety of vacation Nacogdoches, TX 75961 cation, although l am also 28 teaching ‘A’ level art at the North pieces as models. These are still kept National Museum Barbardos Essex School of Art. During the as sacred objects in men’s houses and A Report to the Barbados Government last six years l have, together with the Centre staff has often been allowed has just been submitted by the my husband, run some highly suc- to view and photograph them; (3) The Museum Development Committee in cessful landscape painting Malaitan collection of the National which it is proposed to make the courses on a private basis. Museum of the Solomon islands has existing museum into a “National been photographed. The Centre Studio Cottage has Museum”. it is still too early to say also taken three artists to visit 3 Newmans Green the precisely what the effect of this will be: Museum to view the pieces them- Acton but there is certain to be a change of selves; (4) The few published photos of Sudbury emphasis in the museum. Formerly the Malaitan art work; (5) Photographs Suffolk museum has concentrated on Applied provided by the British Museum of England Art —— glass, silver, fine ceramics, toys Mankind. We would like to see photos and furniture. in future it will con— from other museums, too. Thus, this leflen centrate on the history and culture of Barbados. A Request for Artifacts Many art forms have not been re- i should like to make an appeal for vived and for several forms there is material illustrating the history of only one example from which the Barbados. It is difficult to guage what artists can work. in an effort to re- Since late 1979 the Kwaio Cultural may be available, but the sorts of items discover oid arts and to provide as Centre has been the focal point of a l have in mind would include:- wide a range as possible of each form successful revival of traditional arts. Paintings, drawings, prints and for instruction, we are appealing to The Centre was started with the help of photographs of Barbados. your museum to help us. Some of the a grant from the Australian Portraits and personalia of best and certainly the best-preserved Government and continues with the Barbadians and persons con- Malaitan pieces are now in museums help of a grant from the Netherland nected with Barbados. outside of the Solomon islands. While Organisation for international Develop- Any items relating to Barbados a number of lovely pieces are still to be ment Cooperation. The Centre is also History or institutions such as the found in the bush here, this source the site of a school and a Women’s of Militia, Churches, Railway etc. information is limited by conditions of Development Group. Barbados products and crafts such storage, by the loss of many items The Centre was conceived of by the as old Barbados shellwork, pot— during the punitive expedition of 1927 Kwaio people themselves. Professor tery, turtleshell or basketry. which followed the killing of the District Roger Keesing (Australian National Archaeology of Barbados. Commissioner, and by destruction or University) helped with the initial plan- Also, any illustrations or objects con- sale of traditional items in more recent ning, and two US Peace Corps cerning the old sugar industry times by ‘modern' Kwaio. Many pieces Volunteers, both anthropology and/or the slave trade, even if not in museums are bound to be fine old students, are living at the Centre. The specifically relating to Barbados, examples of nearly forgotten arts, due volunteers teach, and supervise an e.g. illustrations of African slave to early contact by whites with the arts marketing business which sells to forts or Prohibitionist propaganda. people of the Solomon islands and the collectors and handicraft stores in vastly superior storage conditions David Devenish Honiara. The arts business of provides a museums. Director much needed source of income to For this reason we would like to many Kwaio people while also obtain photographs of and any in- respecting and supporting the formation available on the Malaitan traditional culture. Of course, no old pieces at items are sold. your museum. These photo- graphs would be invaluable When the Centre first opened, there to local artists to help them in reviving these was very little artwork being produced We have recently acquired a large lost arts and useful for cultural edu- here. Most art forms were familiar only number of issues of the Polynesian cation in the Centre school. They to older people. Since then almost sixty Society Journal (often up to 4 of each would be carefully filed in the formerly lost or dying arts have been Centre number). office, a permanent building, for revived including: weapons, the for shields, use of all. These are available tapa cloth armor, plaited ear sticks and lNSTlTUTlONAL purchase only, at it has been our experience other ear ornaments, incised clamshell that $1.00 per copy. Undisguised pre—' many museum pieces, especially those and stone pendants and clamshell ference will be given to orders from collected long ago, are poorly docu- nose pieces, types of woven bags, fish smaller institutions wishing various mented. in return for the photos, hooks, dyed tapa cloth, shell rings, the individual numbers or short runs to Centre will try to provide the con- stone scrapers, drills and other complete their sets. Requests for tributing museum with detailed ethno— traditional tools, plaited and tie-dyed larger runs will then be considered. graphic information on the pieces belts, plaited combs, tortoise we shell know about. Please contact Ron Lambert, Taranaki money ornaments, ritual batons, We sincerely hope that you will Museum, PO. Box 315, New traditional toys, gold lip shell pendants, respond to our request. The artists Plymouth. fernwood and wooden figures, betel of Kwaio will be extremely grateful. Bribes will not officially be nut mortars, carved walking sticks and P.S. accepted. lime sticks, masks, dance sticks, Kwaio Cultural Centre plaited armbands, bracelets and Ngarinasuru, Singalaagu neckbands. East Kwaio, Malaita All of the items made are strictly Solomon islands traditional. People have learned of Southwest Pacific these from a variety of sources: (1) instruction by older people at classes held at the Centre; (2) Using heirloom

29 Biennial Conference and Agmanz A.G.M. The ART GALLERIES and MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION OF NZ (AGMANZ) in conjunction with the This will be held in Nelson between MAORI EDUCATION FOUNDATION Friday 25th and Sunday 27th March is offering 1983. Venue: The Nelson Provincial a fellowship to encourage Maori graduates to equip themselves for Museum. Host: Mr Steve Bagley. a career within the NZ museums/art galleries profession. We are delighted to announce that The value of the fellowship will be fixed according to the proposal put forward by our key speaker will be Dr Neil the successful applicant at between $4000 and $7000. A bachelor or equivalent Cossons, Director of the lronbridge degree is the minimum qualification for application. Gorge Museum and currently ‘Presi- Further details and application forms are available from the dent of the UK. Museums Association. Secretary The theme to the conference will be Maori Education Foundation ‘The smaller museum and the local PO Box 3745 community with particular regard to the WELLINGTON funding of the Museum: Financial & Political! Dr Cossons has a special Applications close on 15 December 1982. interest in museum management and was responsible for his institution being chosen as Museum of the Year in 1977 and The European Museum of the Year in 1978.

A10 year old Waitara boy, releasing a frog, found this splendid Paepae in a drain where it was being used as a step. May

There are over one million fascinating 18

stories like this at the country’s Day Museums and Art Galleries ~Visit Museum your local Art Gallery and Museum now and discover some of them. international

Are you short of excellent promotional material? There are still a number of the AGMANZ International Museum Day posters left which can be obtained from the Secretary by sending $1.00 to cover postage and packaging. There are two sizes available: 60 x 42 cms 30 x 42 cms 30

THE ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND

ADMlNlSTRATlON

President _ Mr L.H. Bieringa National Art Gallery Private Bag Wellington Telephone 859-703

Secretary/ Treasurer Ms J. Turner 40 Kings Crescent Lower Hutt Wellington Telephone 695-358

Editor Ms J. Bieringa 13 Hataitai Rd Wellington Telephone 861-722

COPY FOR THE NEWS Manuscripts may be submitted to the Editor at any time. Copy should be typed double spaced and ideally on A4 paper. The Editor cannot undertake to extract copy from newsclips supplied by contributors. Photographs for This number is published with the assistance of a publication should be unglazed and free of grant from the Todd Foundation. blemishes. Photographs are reproduced by a reduction process and therefore small prints are difficult to publish.

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