Behind the Scenes:
Notes from Museum Director
Rhoda Rosen
The conservation in May 2005 of this Torah Case from early twentieth-century Egypt included the removal of old oils and waxes, the restoration of damaged areas of the ivory and mother of pearl inlay, and preservation of the patina.
Gift of Georgette Grosz Spertus Provenance Maurice Spertus Collection.
Before and After Conservation
This image shows one side of an unusual double-sided painting by Todros Geller. Painted in the 1930s, it was conserved by Bauman in January 2006
Spertus Museum Collection. Gift of David I. Silverman
A Note From Museum Director Rhoda Rosen
July / August 2006
It is my pleasure to share with you a behind-the-scenes look at our exciting plans, and the preparations underway while the museum is closed to make these plans a reality.
The art and artifacts that comprise Spertus Museum’s world-class collection provide a critical platform for our ongoing examination of Jewish culture and the multifaceted Jewish experience. The stewardship of this collection, which represents the material culture of Jewish people from around the world, includes legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities to provide the highest level of care for all objects acquired, loaned, or left in the care of the museum.
Collections manager Arielle Weininger and assistant registrar Tom Gengler
Arielle Weininger, collections manager, and Tom Gengler, assistant registrar, care for this precious legacy we hold in trust for the public. A museum must be careful to accept into its collection only those works it has the financial resources to care for and conserve adequately. At Spertus, we seek funds to assist us in conserving and maintaining thousands of Judaica objects, many in fragile condition because of their age. Items conserved in the coming year will be on view in the new museum, where we will be able to display up to two-thirds of our outstanding collection of Judaica.
The development of professional partnerships helps us meet our conservation needs creatively. Art Institute of Chicago conservator Harriet Stratis volunteers her time, helping us determine how to prepare objects for our move and how to organize them in the state-of-the-art storage facility that will be part of the new Spertus building. In the upcoming year, staff and volunteers will clean, pack and move our entire collection (of approximately 18,000 objects!) and will ensure that the computerized records we keep on each object are accurate.
Law student interns Carmelita Tiu and Travis Sills help us address issues of title and copyright.
We also partner with DePaul University’s College of Law Center for Intellectual Property Law & Information Technology. We provide internship opportunities for students studying art law, and gain access to their considerable expertise.
Painting conservator Barry Bauman
Another exceptional partnership is with Barry Bauman, former associate conservator of paintings for the Art Institute and owner of the Chicago Conservation Center. Since the sale of his company, Bauman offers services pro bono to non-profit institutions. For only the cost of materials, he is helping us conserve our painting collection. Because of his generous help in this area, we are able to focus our conservation fundraising efforts on the silver, wood, textile, and paper objects in our collection. Donations to help Spertus Museum conserve these treasures of Jewish history are being gratefully accepted.
Over the next year, I look forward to sharing more of our preparations with you, and then welcoming you to join us at our opening celebrations in 2007.
Rhoda Rosen
Director, Spertus Museum
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