The Magazine of the Museum Mof Texas Tech University SEEING AT THE MUSEUM In This Issue | Fall-Winter 2018 Bringing an Preserving Material Objects The Museum Exhibit to Life Railroad History in a Virtual World as a Family Connection The Magazine of The Texas Tech University Museum M The Magazine of the Museum of Texas Tech University Prepare to Party Fall/Winter 2018 Staff Publisher and Executive Editor The Museum of Texas Tech University celebrates its 90th Watch for more information about exhibitions and events Gary Morgan, Ph.D. anniversary in 2019. on our website at museum.ttu.edu and in the spring/summer Editor 2019 issue of M. Sally Logue Post Editorial Committee The idea for a museum took form only four years after Texas Daniel Tyler, Jill Hoffman, Ph.D., Technological College opened. On March 27, 1929, a group of *Information drawn from the book “West Texas Museum Lisa Bradley citizens interested in forming a museum met, as reported in Association 1929-1979.” Design the Daily Toreador, to “form a society to help make collections Armando Godinez Jr. and further the movement (of the Museum) in general.” This issue of M the Magazine of the Moody Planetarium Museum of Texas Tech University is From that meeting grew the Plains Museum Society, which made possible by the generous evolved into the Museum of Texas Tech University Association. Tuesday Saturday Sunday support of the CH Foundation. 1:30 p.m. 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. M is a biannual publication of the The first museum, the West Texas Museum, opened in 1937 in Museum of Texas Tech University. what is now Holden Hall on the Texas Tech campus. 2:00 p.m. 12:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 3301 4th St, Lubbock, TX 79409 3:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Phone: 806.742.2490 www.museum.ttu.edu By the mid-1960s, the Museum Association began planning 2:30 p.m. for a new Museum building, located in its current location at All rights reserved. 4th Street and Indiana Avenue. The building opened in 1970. Friday 3:30 p.m. ©Museum of Texas Tech University 2018 1:00 p.m. In 2019, the Museum will celebrate its history, show off the 2:00 p.m. best of its collections, and throw a few parties to celebrate. 3:30 p.m. Cover Images: Detail of Muscle Bellies Best quilt by Marika Pineda. Image courtesy of artist. Red Chiffon Short Formal, 1970s, gift of Mrs. Tom Pogue. Photography courtesy of Bill Mueller. 2 | Fall/Winter 2018 Fall/Winter 2018 | 3 M The Magazine of The Texas Tech University Museum Medici’s Treasures It never seems quiet at the Museum, but this fall it feels 12 especially busy. We have two public programs that we hope The Museum as a will attract a very broad audience, with, as the saying goes, a Family Connection little something for everyone. By Du Chen The first of these programs should appeal to all good Red Raiders, as it is inspired by the color red. Red is the color of passion, power -- and great sporting teams. Our Red program 14 spans biology, history, culture, art, and fashion. It centers Material Objects in a on the traveling exhibition, The Red that Colored the World, Virtual World developed by the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa By Danielle Marshall Fe, New Mexico. The exhibition explores the place of the insect-based dye cochineal in history and design through the centuries. Who would have thought that a lowly bug could have caused such a stir around the world? Inside M 16 Complementing this exhibition is Ladies in Red, an exhibit Preserving Railroad History from the Museum’s collection of clothing that profiles some Museum is displaying a selection of his works together with Collections Highlights. 6 By Sally Logue Post of the most colorful – red colored of course – garments in additional background information about the holy book of our holdings, ranging from cheerleader costumes to designer Islam. M News. 9 gowns. The Museum’s clothing and textiles collection is the finest of its kind in Texas. The Red That Colored the World . 24 The two exhibits are very different. One is historical, the other, an exhibit of art. Hosting them together allows the Documents, Documentation and Documentary 30 20 The final component is Red, Hot & Quilted which exhibits Museum to engage audiences simultaneously with these two The Making of an Exhibition an eclectic array of quilts from the Caprock Art Quilters. extraordinarily powerful and influential books. The two great NSRL Combines Forces with TxDOT to By Sally Logue Post and Daniel Tyler The quilts have all been inspired by themes in The Red that books have much in common, and there are strong overlaps Colored the World. conserve Texas Wildlife . .43 in the narratives of their chapters. The Museum intends that the exhibits will be a platform for public talks and workshops Century Plants at Museum . 45 about the Bible and Qur’an, their history, their art, and their The second program this fall relates to two exhibitions about place in contemporary global society. It is a vital role of two of the most influential books of all time. Artist of Museum Mural Remembered . 48 26 museums, especially university museums, to be a forum for The Spirit of the discussion about our society, our values, and our beliefs as a diverse and inclusive community. The Peter Rogers Mural . .51 Ladies in Red Coinciding with the 500th anniversary of the publishing By Marian Ann J. Montgomery of the Complutensian Polyglot Bible, the Museum presents Lasting Legacy of Evelyn Davies . 52 Pre-Modern Bibles: From the Dead Sea Scrolls to the So this fall, come by the Museum to be both red and well-read Complutensian Polyglot Bible. The Polyglot Bible was the in culture, art, and history. In Any Event. 54 first comprehensive, printed edition of the entire Old and New Testaments, with side-by-side versions of the same Calendar. .57 34 text in multiple languages. The exhibition will explore the And as a prelude to next year.... In 2019 the Museum of Texas Why Frogs Don’t Get Fat colorful evolution of the Bible through the Middle Ages and Tech University turns 90. Stay tuned as we announce our By James A. Carr and Renaissance. Coincidentally, Complutense University in plans for a great birthday bash program. Breanna N. Harris Spain, founded in 1293, was the inspiration for the Spanish Renaissance architectural style of the Texas Tech University campus. Concurrently, the Museum will present the exhibition Sandow Gary Morgan, Ph.D. 38 Birk: American Qur’an. Over 10 years, Southern Californian The Prehistoric Forests Executive Director of Antarctica painter Sandow Birk hand-transcribed and illustrated every chapter of the Qur’an using the calligraphy of the individual By Sankar Chatterjee verses to frame scenes of contemporary American life. The 4 | Fall/Winter 2018 Fall/Winter 2018 | 5 M The Magazine of The Texas Tech University Museum Collections Highlights Collections Collections Highlights What is a Knotting Shuttle? How Do You Move By: Marian Ann J. Montgomery, Ph.D., Curator, Clothing and Textiles Really Big Stuff? The museum recently received a significant donation of 152 By: Cameron Saffell, Ph.D., Curator of History knotting and tatting shuttles that had been collected by Helen Grappe Graf of Levelland. There are 69 knotting shuttles and 83 tatting shuttles in the collection. The Museum In the case of the Museum of Texas Tech University’s Pink is happy to accept these items for the Clothing and Textiles Dieppe carved ivory filigree knotting Paper mache knotting shuttle with Cadillac, it takes about 10 students and one curator. Division because they were used by tastemakers of their era shuttle with cherub and floral motifs. decorations of birds, fruit, wheat, and are beautiful objects that will serve to enhance the inter- French. 18th century. Gift of Dave and cartouche, and spoked circle. Imprinted Patrick Graf, TTU-H2018-033-001 on the post: “Clay Patent,” 18th pretation of needlework already in the Museum’s collection. The 1957 Coupe de Ville made the roughly 200 foot trip down century. Gift of Dave and Patrick Graf, Gallery 6 and back into storage in late August. The car was TTU-H2018-033-010 moved to make way for the Pre-Modern Bibles: From the Dead After about an hour of work, and a good bit of laughter, the job was done. The Caddy now sits among its Knotting shuttles can be confused with tatting shuttles, Sea Scrolls to the Complutensian Polyglot Bible exhibition that friends in the Museum’s collection of vintage vehicles. especially because they haven’t been in common use since opened Aug. 18 in Gallery 6. the 18th century. Gay Ann Rogers, the author of “An Illustrated History of Needlework Tools,” is one of the best sources of The Cadillac had a list price of $5,048, about $44,700 in information on these beautiful objects. She writes that the today’s dollars. It came equipped with a 364 cubic inch V-8 knotting shuttle uses a larger thread than a tatting shuttle to engine, a remote-controlled outside mirror, a vanity mirror produce a cord for applique in surface embroidery, while the on the passenger side, four cigarette lighters, electric bench Wooden knotting shuttle painted with scene of birds, having lacquered finish. French, tatting shuttle creates its own fabric. Tatting shuttles have seat, and an electric clock. Optional equipment included an circa 1780. Gift of Dave and Patrick Graf, TTU-H2018-033-005 pointed ends that nearly touch because of their convex top air conditioner, heater, radio, and fog lights.