As my supervisor and I have made our way through the Zale Lipshy Building, a hospital with a focus on neuroscience, we have found beautiful textiles from around the world: Indonesia, Japan, China, Africa, America. As we have walked from patient room to patient room and office to office cataloguing, measuring, and photographing each one, we have been especially careful not to disturb anyone who was sleeping, newly post operative or staff members who were very busy. Even so, many people ask us questions, and we've had the opportunity to educate them about the art. (There have also been some heart wrenching but heart warming conversations about the medical situations patients and their families are experiencing.)
A bit of background: Margaret McDermott decided that she wanted the hospital to have a more homey feel, so she sent a representative to the South Pacific and many other areas to gather these exquisite pieces. She then donated them, along with the mounting preparations and plexiglass cases. There are embroidered panels, batik skirts, ceremonial cloths, woven matts, printed patterns, and more. Some of them include bits of shell or bead or reflective metals. Most have no title or known creator but are marked on the back with the country of origin and a category, such as "shawl." We have found a few with a name embroidered onto the edge of the cloth.
When the database is complete, the art curator (my supervisor) intends to create booklets and wall texts for the almost 5000 works of art throughout the huge complex of buildings. (I counted on the map at least 48, but I know there are also some located "off campus.")
One other quick story: One day we were in a building with mostly paintings and prints. One geometric with no recognizable signature was listed as unknown, but I told my supervisor that I believed it was a Jesus Rafael Soto. After having read about him in a couple of library books and attended his one-man show at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston this summer, I felt sure that it was. About a week later, Courtney decided we should go back and take another look. I pulled up a closeup of his signature on my phone, we compared, and decided that the comparison proved undeniably that it was indeed a Soto! Because of me, the database has one more bit of accuracy. It made my day!
This is a wonderful way to uplift patients that are in the hospital for illness or surgery procedures. I am intrigued by the fact that someone was willing to many other countries to gather articles of clothing and special trinkets to make someone in our society feel better. The events that unfold in your description of the travel and the intent for the items make me want to see the items. These would definitely add to the hospital feeling 'more like home'. I hope the hospital environment improves with these delicate items hanging in many different spaces. What a gracious act of supporting humanity!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Linda, on your art identification prowess! I am very impressed that you were able to connect your experience with Jesus Rafael Soto at the MFAH last summer with your recent finding at UT Southwestern. Connoisseurship is alive and well! :)
ReplyDeleteLike Marseille, I am impressed with Margaret McDermott's vision of infusing art into the hospital. I am sure that your presence and being able to talk/teach about the work and its context is extremely uplifting to the patients you have encountered. Keep up the great work!
Wow, Linda! Great job on identifying the painting. I am sure the curator and collections team was very excited to have that puzzle solved. In my own experience working with the UNT Art in Public Places collection, I have had a few opportunities to provide some missing/interesting information on certain pieces and it is always super satisfying. I can only imagine how good it must have felt to identify the artist!
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