Art Libraries Society of North America | Mountain West Chapter Newsletter
Mountain Ledger   Vol.4, No.2 July/August 2005

Chair's Column

Upcoming Joint Chapter Conference

Mark your calendars! The dates are October 27th – 30th! The destination is Santa Fe!
Make reservations for the joint ARLIS/Mountain West and Central Plains Chapters annual meeting. The program and local arrangements committee lead by Marilyn Russell is assembling a diverse and educational group of presentations and workshops along with multiple receptions in galleries and museums. See Marilyn’s report and invitation elsewhere in this newsletter where she provides more details. Please plan on attending and join in welcoming our colleagues from the Central Plains Chapter to what will be an invigorating experience!

Even as this issue of the Mountain Ledger appears, the program, registration form, and other information are being posted to the ARLIS/MW web site at http://www.lib.byu.edu/arlismw/ Additional and updated information will be added during August so please visit the site often.

Elections for Officers

This fall, chapter members will be electing a Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect and a Secretary/Treasurer for the Mountain West Executive Committee. If you are interested in running for one of these positions, please contact Frances Clymer, Chair of the Nominating Committee. Descriptions of the duties and responsibilities of these positions are on the chapter’s web site.

Membership

Our chapter membership has dropped from 38 members last year to 29 members this year. With this drop in members, there are opportunities to participate in chapter activities. Needed are membership representatives for Montana and Arizona and two members to serve on the Fundraising Committee. If you are interested in applying, please contact either Marilyn Russell at mrussell@iaia.edu or myself, Nancy Pistorius, at pistoriu@unm.edu

I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming conference. I know it is going to be a positive and rewarding experience. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the positions mentioned above, please contact me or any members of the Executive Committee. Likewise, if you have suggestions for chapter activities or are aware of issues the chapter should be addressing, please contact members of the Executive Committee.

See you in Santa Fe!

Best regards,
Nancy Pistorius
Chair, ARLIS/MW

Winberta Yao Travel Award Report

The Executive Committee of ARLIS/MW has approved the special, off-cycle, offering of the Winberta Yoa Travel Award for assistance to attend the ARLIS/MW Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 27-30, 2005. To apply, one must be an eligible member of the ARLIS/Mountain West Chapter (Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming). Application instructions and guidelines are located at: http://www.lib.byu.edu/arlismw/travel.html

The new deadline is September 1, 2005.

Mary Graham, Winberta Yao Travel Award Committee

Mary Graham
Head Librarian
Arizona State Museum
University of Arizona
P.O. Box 210026
Tucson, AZ 85721-0026
520/621-4695
520/621-2976 fax
http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu

2005 ARLIS/Mountain West and Central Plains Chapters Joint Annual Conference
Santa Fe, New Mexico | October 27-30

ARLIS/Mountain West & Central Plains chapters invite you to their conference to be held in the enchanting and historic city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 27-30, 2005. The conference will be held at the Inn of the Governors
http://www.innofthegovernors.com/ The theme of the conference is "Where Cultures, Museums, and Libraries Meet."

Come and join us for a getaway to the city different: a city that embraces its natural environment unlike any other in the United States; a city whose beautiful, brown adobe architecture blends with the high desert landscape; and, a city that is, at the same time, one of America's great art and culinary capitals.

The keynote speaker will be Barbara Buhler Lynes, Curator, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and the Emily Fisher Landau Director of the Research Center. The highlight of the conference will include a tour of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and the current exhibit on "Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol, Flowers of Distinction" followed by a reception at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Research Center.

Other highlights include 1) A panel of Native American Artists, 2) A tour of the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum followed by a reception, 3) Tours of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, the Museum of International Folk Art, and the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art followed by a reception at the Museum of International Folk Art, 4) A tour of El Sanctuario de Chimayo and talk on its restoration by Claire Munzenrider, Chief Conservator at Museum of International Folk Art, and 5) A walking tour of Canyon Road galleries.

The conference will include two workshops: In the first Pat Wagner will be conducting a workshop on "Managing Time, Money, and Quality at your Library." Pat has been working with libraries since 1978 as a consultant and trainer. She is the LAMA/ALA regional institute trainer for project management.

The second workshop is "Cataloging First Aid: All You Need to Know to Make Cataloging Work" and will be conducted by Daniel Starr, Manager of Bibliograqphic Operations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Kay Teel, Catalog Librarian at Stanford University.

Other sessions will cover a variety of topics including Native American Art and Resources, Primary Source Research, Planning a Web Resource, Reference and Team Teaching, and Recruiting New Art Librarians. These sessions will be lead by ARLIS/NA members and invited guests.

We hope that you can join us for a wonderful and exciting combined-chapters conference in Santa Fe!
For the program and registration information, please go to http://www.lib.byu.edu/arlismw/2005/prog.html

Submitted by
Marilyn Russell, mrussell@iaia.edu
Library Director, 505.424.2397
Institute of American Indian Arts

Meet More New Members

NAME: SANDRA WILES

I graduated with my Master of Science in LIS from the LEEP program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in December of 2004. I also have an M.F.A. in Painting from Claremont Graduate University (2000), a B.F.A. in Visual Arts from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (1993) and a B.A. in English Literature from Carleton University Ontario, Canada (1990). Before beginning my career as a professional Librarian, I worked as a library assistant (or library head in one or two cases) in a number of different institutions: The University of Victoria, The Claremont Libraries (serving all Claremont Colleges), Carleton University, The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, The B.C. Ministry of Education, Skills, and Training, The Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre, The Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information.

I'm originally from Ottawa, ON, Canada but I spent most of the last 14 years in Victoria, BC, Canada. My dream job turned up in Phoenix, Arizona; I saw the posting online eight days after I handed in my final paper and here I am! I heard about ARLIS and ARLIS MW from all the local librarians who sent me e-mails to welcome me into my new job, here. There have been so many glowing reviews of the group from everyone I've already met, I can't wait to meet everyone else in Santa Fe!

Looking forward to Santa Fe—Annual Chapter Conference

Librarian, Phoenix Art Museum Research Library
1625 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ. 85004
T. (602) 257-2137
F. (602) 253-8662
sandra.wiles@phxart.org

NAME: JENNIFER PARKER

Hello, my name is Jennifer Parker and I am the Art and Architecture Librarian at the University of Colorado, Boulder. I came to Boulder from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville where I worked at the Fiske Kimball Fine Arts Library while completing my MA in Art History and MLS (from the University of Maryland). At UVA I had wonderful mentors, Lucie Stylianopoulos and Ann Whiteside, who have guided my career and continue to serve as inspirations. They were instrumental in my decision to become an art librarian and to join ARLIS. I joined the ARLIS-Mountain West chapter upon arrival in Colorado (06/04) and was pleased to meet many of you at last year's conference in Denver. I'm originally from Southern California and desperately miss the ocean but the Boulder area is a lot more exciting than central Virginia!

NAME: GLENN PFLUM

I was born in Benkelman, NE, but grew up in Longmont, CO. I graduated from CSU in 1972 with a BS in Psychology. I have an MA (1974) in Counseling Psych from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a PhD (1982) in Educational Psychology from the University of NE-Lincoln. I received my MLS from the University of Maryland-College Park in 1992. I also graduated from the Boulder School of Massage Therapy with an MST in 1979. For 12 years I worked in medical libraries at Denver General Hospital, The Children's Hospital, and Swedish Medical Center. I have been Library Director at the Art Institute of Colorado since March 2004. I was president of CCML (Colorado Council of Medical Librarians) in 1999. I am presently the Chairperson of the Special Libraries Special Interest Group (SIG) for the Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL).
A Google search will show that I frequently participate in Masters Swimming Meets. This year (2005) I am captain of my swim team, SQUID.

Glenn Pflum, PhD, MLS
AiC Library
Denver, CO
(303) 824-4787

NAME: SUSAN FERRER-VINENT

I grew up happily in rural Illinois. Graduate studies and a career in Audiology brought me to Colorado (CSU and Fitzsimons Army Medical Center). Then I changed careers and am now very happy to be the librarian at the Denver Art Museum library.

Susan Ferrer-Vinent
Librarian
Denver Art Museum
sferrer-vinent@denverartmuseum.org

NAME: ALLISON COLBORNE

Since 1992, I have worked in museums, archives and have specialized in art information and art libraries management. Prior to the College of Santa Fe, I held positions at the University of Michigan’s new Media Union Library as the Art & Architecture Librarian, University of Manitoba Architecture Fine Arts Library as the Reference Librarian; I’ve also worked for the National Archives of Canada in the Documentary Art & Photography Division, and for the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA).
Since taking the position of Art Librarian - Special Collections at the College of Santa Fe in 1999, I set-up two new research-level art libraries: The Beaumont and Nancy Newhall Library and The Chase Art History Library, both located in the Visual Arts Center, a facility designed by the renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta.
Recently I prepared and edited texts for exhibits and publications stemming from exhibitions held at the Marion Center for Photographic Arts Atrium Gallery. Most recent of these was the exhibition publication Everyman: The Environmental Performances of Shana and Robert ParkeHarrison.

Beyond art librarianship, I am a practicing artist and have exhibited my monotypes and hand built ceramic works in Santa Fe, Taos, and Abiquiu galleries along with assisting with numerous events in support of the Santa Fe and Pojoaque Valley art communities.

I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta (1986), a Master of Art History from Concordia University (1992) and a Master of Library & Information Studies from McGill University (1992). Since 2000, I have continued my studies by taking courses in the history of photography, monotype printmaking and ceramic arts and business. This summer I’m off to learn Spanish and visit the Pre-Columbian archaeological sites of Tikal and Copan.

NAME: LISA BLANKENSHIP

Although I have been a member of ARLIS/NA and ARLIS/MW for about a year and a half now, I haven't had the opportunity to formally introduce myself through the newsletter. I received my library degree from the University of Denver in 1984, and have worked in the libraries at Colorado State University and University of Northern Colorado. My current position at UNC is Head of Reference, and my subject areas for collection development and instruction are art, theatre, and dance. I enjoyed attending the ARLIS/NA conference in New York in 2004 and the ARLIS/MW conference in Denver last fall. When the opportunity arose to take on a role within ARLIS/MW, I volunteered to be the listserv moderator. Although I don't have a degree in art, it has been a lifelong interest, and I enjoy weaving, particularly tapestry weaving, as an after work pastime.

News & Happenings in the Mountain West Area

ARIZONA

DIGITAL ARTS ANNOUNCEMENT

University of Arizona announces a new MFA in Studio Art with an emphasis in Digital Arts that embraces the collaborative spirit in interdisciplinary efforts. Please see http://web.cfa.arizona.edu/damfa/ for more information.

This unique academic program embeds team-based processes throughout the curriculum. Projects combine the problem-solving skills and creative potential of visual arts and design, media arts, music, and performance, and involve interdisciplinary cross-University opportunities with partners in the sciences, humanities, social studies and business. The Studio Art track in Digital Arts is a three-year program that starts with core courses in the first year to establish common aesthetic and technical language. The second-year students are involved with team projects while the third-year students have the opportunity to manage teams in support of their graduate thesis exhibitions.
Each student's culminating project, critically examined in terms of conceptual, technical, and historical significance, consists of a work presented as part of the graduate exhibition.

(Thanks to Miguel Juarez)

COLORADO

Hamilton Building (still under construction), new addition to the Denver Art Museum, designed by Architect Daniel Libeskind

DENVER ART MUSEUM

(August 2005) - August 13 through December 31, 2005 (closing date subject to change), Blanket Statements will give Museum visitors a snapshot of a single decade in the long history of Navajo creativity through close examination of more than 10 Navajo textiles woven in the 1980s and early '90s. Following are the Museum's events and exhibitions for August 2005. Unless noted otherwise, admission to the following programs is included with general Museum admission. General admission is free for Colorado residents every Saturday, thanks to citizens who support the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).

Ongoing Exhibitions
Through December 31, 2005 (closing date subject to change), Cheyenne Visions II
offers a unique perspective on the history, art and contemporary view of the Cheyenne people. Guest-curated by Gordon Yellowman, Cheyenne chief and artist, in collaboration with the Denver Art Museum staff, this compelling exhibit combines Cheyenne artworks in the Museum's collection with 20 spectacular oversized color photographs that reveal the powerful cultural history between Cheyenne people and their art
Through December 31, 2005 (closing date subject to change), Floating Time V2-12 Marine Blue is an interactive video installation, in which Tatsuo Miyajima uses computer-controlled electronic numbers to explore the concept of time. The projected numbers count from one to nine at different rates and in different colors, scattering randomly across a platform, the floor and even the bodies of visitors. The Japanese artist does not use zero because he says it represents an end, and time is never-ending. He is intrigued by the notion that time-like art-is a human invention. "Time cannot exist without human intelligence, and art cannot exist without an audience. Art and time come from people."

Through December 31, 2005, Heaven and Home: Chinese Art of the Han Dynasty from the Sze Hong Collection
During the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), the Chinese made tomb objects to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. One aspect of this practice prepared for the soul's journey from one world to another, and burial items included mountain-shaped jars depicting a celestial realm inhabited by spirits and mythical creatures. A second aspect of Chinese belief viewed the afterlife as a continuation of earthly existence. Tomb furnishings reproduced household buildings, livestock, and daily provisions. Sculptures of watchdogs and domestic fowl assured animal companionship, while vessels and containers held food offerings and other commodities.

Through December 31, 2005 (closing date subject to change), New Classics
Featuring some of the greatest contemporary pieces from the Museum's American Indian collections, this exhibition boasts important works from artists including Dan Namingha, Emmi Whitehorse, Mateo Romero and Kevin Red Star. The variety of artists is wide and the pieces too unique to easily categorize, but all are excellent examples of the thriving American Indian art scene. New Classics offers a twist on conventional ideas of American Indian art with artists who express themselves in less "traditional" ways.
* The Just for Fun Family Center is available year-round on weekends during normal Museum hours. Families and kids can relax and learn new things as the Center's seven play stations encourage further exploration in the galleries. Available daily during the summer through Friday, August 19, 2005 (Museum closed Mondays). After August 19, the Center will be open on weekends only.

Tours
Tours meet in the 1st-floor elevator lobby unless otherwise indicated; no reservations required.

DENVER ART MUSEUM LIBRARY ONLINE CATALOG

Denver Art Museum Library’s online catalog is now available to anyone who goes to http://207.67.203.66/D60000 The online version of the catalog was originally made possible by 2003 DAM Uncorked funds and all participants in that event. Until now, passwords were required for access.

The Denver Art Museum Library is a specialized research resource for museum staff, volunteers, and visiting scholars. This library does now currently do Interlibrary Loans. Non-staff may use materials in the library, by appointment with the librarian.
The library is located in the DAM Administration at 414 14th Street, on the corner of Tremont and 14th Street
Susan T. Ferrer-Vinent
720-913-0100
sferrer-vinent@denverartmuseum.org

BOULDER - TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY 10TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

August 10-11, 2005, Boulder
Sponsored by the CU System, Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research.
Featured Keynote Speaker: John Seely Brown, co-author of The Social Life of Information and Seeing Differently: Insights on Innovations, will give the keynote address on "Rethinking Education in (and for) the Digital Age." Join the more than 250 faculty from all disciplines and specialists in instructional technology and learning assessment to share your classroom experiences, research, and findings about how to enrich student learning through the appropriate use of educational technologies.
http://www.cu.edu/twt/

I will be giving a presentation with some of my colleagues on the preparation for the transition from analog to digital media. It's a summary
of a year long Digital Asset Management Committee looking into creating a system-wide digital library.

Jennifer Parker
Librarian, Art Architecture - Norlin Library
University of Colorado-Boulder
Jennifer.parker@colorado.edu

NEW MEXICO

ALBUQUERQUE TRICENTENNIAL, 1706-2006

Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, provisional governor of New Mexico, established the Villa de Alburquerque April 23, 1706. He did this in hopes of gaining favor with the Duque de Alburquerque, Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva Enríquez who was then viceroy of all New Spain between 1702-1708. Don Francisco described the villa as a good place in the valley of the Río del Norte with land, water, pastures and firewood. To honor its 300th year, Albuquerque is in the middle of a year long celebration. Since April of 2005, and continuing in 2006, there have been numerous, citywide events to honor the City’s Tricentennial. Activities include numerous special art and craft exhibitions at museums and galleries around town; dance and musical performances honoring the Spanish heritage of the city; and, special events for families and children.

Each month has a theme. July’s theme was music and features a “Summer Nights Music Series” at the Aquarium & Botanical Garden with concerts, magic shows, and model boats on the pond. The Albuquerque Museum sponsored “The Soul of Spain: Art Works of Spanish Masters from the 16th to early 19th Centuries. The exhibition included works by El Greco, Murillo, Velasquez, Goya and others.
August is agriculture & cuisine month. Highlights include several cooking events: “Tortilla, Bizcochito, & Calabacitas Cooking Contest,” a “Red and/or Green Chile Stew Contest,” “Chile Peeling Contest,” “Ristra Stringing Contest,” and the “TVI Culinary Competition” for professional and amateur chefs. (Do we know how to have fun or what!) Opening at the Albuquerque Museum is “Douglas Kent Hall: Photos of Flamenco Dancers.” Also at the Museum is a new exhibition “Prelude to Spanish Modernism: Fortuny to Picasso.”

September is architecture month with, naturally, tours of Albuquerque architecture. Opening at the Albuquerque Museum is “Kirk Gettings: Shelter from the Storm Photographs.” October’s theme will be sports with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta leading the way. For runners, the Tricentennial Duke City Marathon is the 15th of the month. On the 29th there will be a Zoo Boo at the Rio Grande Zoo an alternative form of trick-or-treating and having lots of fun at the same time with apple bobbing, games, and a costume parade. On October 31, the month concludes with an “Autumn Carnival & Musicale” at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center emphasizing Native American music, games, and entertainment. November and December focus on seasonal events along with the opening of “Picasso to Plensa: A Century of Spanish Art from Spain” at the Albuquerque Museum. Tricentennial heritage events continue throughout the city into May of 2006. For details on the above activities and other planned events please visit the Tricentennial web site at http://www.albuquerque300.org/

Submitted by
Nancy Pistorius
pistoriu@unm.edu

Web Sites for Art Librarians

http://www.19thC-artworldwide.org

** Please forward other useful websites to Ellie for our next edition!

Personals

Genni Houlihan left her position at the Phoenix Art Museum last year, to rear her baby girl Emily. Genni loved her job, but her child comes first. Emily was born August 20, 2004, so we can almost wish her a Happy First Birthday.

Mary Ellen Lawrence will be moving to Chicago where she has family and friends from Italy, where she spent many years. As soon as her house sells, she’ll make the move.

Thanks to all who contributed to this edition of our newsletter.

Ellie Vaughter,
Mountain West Ledger Newsletter Editor

Chris Ramsey,
Online Publisher

15 August 2005