De-accessioning – the weird and the wonderful

From time to time a museum will de-accession some artifacts in its collection. Unless otherwise noted, the de-accessioned items are usually offered to other museums. In some cases there are agreements as to where and how they are to be disposed.

Our famous Babylonian Lion was purchased from the Berlin-based Pergamon Museum in 1937 under the stipulation that if our museum were to sell it, they would get first dibs on its purchase.

ROM striding lion photo source : rom.on.ca

Recently I received an e-mail from the museum listserv about a couple of odd de-accessioned items available.

We have de-accessioned two more Electro Shock Therapy (ECT) machines from our collection. Both are “Lektra Laboratories Inc. New York, New York. Model 302-G”. They were used in the former Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital in the mid-20th century.

Dimensions are approx. 50 cm by 38 cm by 23 cm high when closed.  Both are in fair condition, case shows some wear and lid is detached on one.

Pictures are available.

Museums – the weird and wonderful.

 

A Pox on Rocks

Chicken pox, that is.

Upon arrival at our venue, a residence for families with children who are ill and receiving medical treatment, we found out that a quarantine had been instituted due to an outbreak of chicken pox the night before. No families could attend our event.

Was there a way we could still offer something to these families? Obviously, we could leave our take-away bags. They are planned to be activities we leave behind for children who cannot attend the event ……. but we had so much more besides. I would have to wait half an hour anyway until all the museum volunteers arrived to let them know what happened – although we managed to e-mail two who got the message in time to turn back home, or onward to other fun summer activities.

volunteers making rock starter kits, rock necklaces and astronaut cubees photo source : Lorie Pierce

We always prep our crafts so there are very few steps the children have to do to have a finished item. So the venue lent us their boardroom and the volunteers who showed up for the event completed some of the crafts for the children to collect later. Two of the crafts were left as ‘to-do’ projects.

So we were able to leave 20 rock starter kits, 22 rock & bead necklaces, 22 crown holders, 24 cubee astronauts and special glasses designed for watching solar eclipses.

Hopefully the kids will pick them up in the next few days and explore rocks and space with their own families.

sightings – what colour is that?

roses from B&M wedding photo source : Lorie Pierce

Maybe because it is summer, or wedding season, but this time of year I am amazed when I come across colours I don’t normally see. We are accosted with strong primary colours in advertising day in and out. That’s why it is such a treat to spend time gazing into a blushing rose that is not quite cream, nor pink, nor peach.

It reminds me of a summer of sunsets I was treated to in Vancouver after the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. The ash layer in the high atmosphere would scatter the setting sunlight into a shade I named “iridescent papaya”. I’ve never seen quite that tint again.

Rocks in a Box

Four days before the event, I found out that the Edukit I had put on hold a month ago, was not available after all. What to do now about a touch table? A chance to be able to interact directly with artifacts (or high quality reproductions) is the cornerstone for a museum-related event. Plus Edukits also provide activity ideas for participant interaction.

So I have devised a interactive table based on my own personal rock and mineral collection. The fact that I tend to be a pack rat in terms of hoarding empty boxes of all sizes has been helpful (and will no doubt reinforce that tendency). Here is what I came up with – Rocks in a Box. Actually more accurately – rocks and minerals in boxes – but the former title is more catchy.

Rocks in a Box activity packed for travel to the event photo source : Lorie Pierce

The activity is to open the individual boxes and learn about the mineral or rock inside. Then close the box up again.

I see several benefits to doing a touch table this way.

• Opening the boxes is a process of discovery, much like archaeologists, palaeontologists and geologists encounter when searching in the field
• Having the specimens in separate boxes allows the participants to concentrate on one incredible specimen at a time
• It is easy to label the specimen – just attach it to the outside of the box
• Labels can include attributes of the specimen as well as basic identification information (for example, that an ancient culture would grind the mineral for use as eye shadow, or that this is one of the softest minerals, or this rock is 2.7 billion years old !)
• You don’t need an expert. A volunteer with little understanding of rocks and minerals could still be effective running this activity area as all the information needed is on the labels
• The specimens are already packed for transport in a way that they will not be rubbing up against other rocks

We’ll test it out tomorrow and I’ll get back to you on how it went.

"That dinosaur has 6 legs" or dinosaur pelvis confusion

Like most museums, we display our dinosaurs as articulated skeletons…without soft tissue reconstruction. It occurs to me that we are expecting the general public to make a big leap from looking at a collection of bones and then visualizing how the animal was actually constructed.

Case in point……the dinosaur pelvis, or more specifically the Allosaurus pelvis.

Allosaurus photo source : wiki commons Eric Gaba

A visitor today expressed surprise that “that dinosaur has 6 legs”.

Knowing that could not be true, I tried to find out what she was interpreting to be the additional pair of hind limbs. She was referring to the pubis bones of the pelvis. Since these bones actually join in the front, and are nowhere near long enough to reach the ground, it was hard to see how she felt they could ever be used for support.

But it is not unusual to find people confused by the dinosaur pelvis. Without the fleshy parts, it is not evident to them where muscles and tendons would attach to bone. The pelvic bone structures, of course, have evolved to serve specific purposes such as containing the internal organs and supporting the tail to counterbalance the head.

Perhaps a compromise mounting would assist with this understanding. At least one dinosaur specimen that shows the muscles and connective tissue – perhaps in see through acrylic – where the flesh would be joined onto the bones.

sightings – Mammatus clouds

mammatus cloud formation July 2013 Toronto photo source : Lorie Pierce

From our 21st floor vantage point, my spouse and I see some incredible skies. Rainbows, fireworks, and racing storm fronts. Recently these clouds formed after a pelting downpour. I’m sure there is a meteorological way to explain the pendulous shapes.

Got me to thinking about how ancient cultures considered such phenomena. I wonder if there is a history of the study of cloud formation, like the history of the study of the stars and planets in the night sky?

 

Aquariums know how to put on a show

Whenever my travels take me close to an aquarium, I make sure I make time to visit. Soon, a world class facility is opening in my city and I can’t wait to visit. Until then, I am digging back into my photo files to relive a memorable visit to the Shanghai Aquarium. Three stories high, it’s filled with unique experiences including this elevator into a water tank.

elevator between floors in Shanghai Aquarium photo source : Lorie Pierce

Japanese crabs photo source : Lorie Pierce

lion fish photo source : Lorie Pierce

pipe fish photo source : Lorie Pierce

As the display labels were in Chinese, I am not entirely sure of the names of these species. But I will check them out at the new Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada when it opens in September.

 

 

 

 

Sea Life – old and new

I have an affinity for sea life, although I grew up far from the ocean. But as a child, I studied the rocks around me and in my part of the world, they are teeming with evidence of ancient water creatures. One in particular. The crinoid.

Looks like a plant but is an animal. Was once thought to be extinct but can be found in the deep ocean…..until recently, hidden from view.

Due to their structure, crinoids are usually found as disarticulated bits and pieces.

crinoid bits photo source : about.com geology

However, sometimes an exceptional preservation yields a complete animal.

fossil crinoid photo source : zarko palaeo gly bris ac uk

A comparison of the fossil record with videos of existing crinoids would be an asset to any programming about the natural world.

 

 

sightings – Sky views

Another summer storm barreled through the city but did not produce the rainbow I always hope for. So I have gone back in my photo stash to find some remarkable sky views form the past.

this rainbow ended on a tennis court photo source : Lorie Pierce

the sun pushing its way through a deluge photo source : Lorie Pierce

 

 

Ishtar Gate Model – big and small

I finally finished the Ishtar Gate paper model, with some problems along the way. See if you can identify the mistake I made here.

inside out archway photo source : Lorie Pierce

The printed colour side of the archway should have been on the inside!!! Arghh. Fortunately, I had scanned all the pieces into my computer after I cut them (and before I glued them together). So I made a new copy of the archway piece and glued it inside with the patterned side showing.

The plastic display box to hold the model proved to be a bit too small. So I made a second copy of the model by shrinking the pieces to 80% of the original. That size fits perfectly….and this time I remembered to orient the archway properly. I also glued the roof portions on the turrets as I was building the towers. They are very difficult to insert at the end and I never did get them to fit on the full scale model.

Here are the finished versions.

finished large scale model photo source : Lorie Pierce

notice the patch job on the inside of the archway photo source : Lorie Pierce

80% scale on the left, larger scale model on the right photo source : Lorie Pierce

another comparison shot photo source : Lorie Pierce

Although I had some problems with this model, I love the colour and the details.

Next time I do a major model, I plan to do a practice version first.