General Preservation Assessment for the Humanities Collections in La Verne’s Cultural & Natural History Collections

FAIN: PG-266647-19

University of La Verne (La Verne, CA 91750-4401)
Felicia Beardsley (Project Director: January 2019 to October 2022)

A general preservation assessment and training for staff to improve care of the university’s humanities collections, containing 30,000 objects that have been amassed over the university’s 128-year history.  The ethnographic collections document the cultures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, with highlights including early twentieth-century textiles from Guatemala and Peru, Native American baskets and textiles, and a significant collection of Tarahumara musical instruments, ceremonial items, and clothing.  The collections are used by faculty, staff, and students, in exhibits, and for community-based projects.

University of La Verne’s Cultural & Natural History Collections is requesting funding for a General Preservation Assessment of its humanities collections. Together, the humanities collections consist of roughly 30,000 artifacts, including Native American baskets and textiles, African and Asian cultural heritage materials, the largest collection of Tarahumara artifacts in the U.S., modern Americana objects, the Esther Funk collection of historical central and south American textiles, the Galen S. Beery Collection of southeast Asian ethnographic materials, and ancient archaeological artifacts from the Americas. Funding will support the expertise of conservation specialist, Ms. Irena Calinescu, who has worked with collections in the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, LA County Museum of Art, J.Paul Getty Museum-Antiquities Conservation Department. The assessment will focus on current storage of the humanities collections in CNHC and include basic preservation training for CNHC staff.

Associated Products

Conservation Assessment Report for the Cultural and Natural History Collections, University of La Verne (Report)
Title: Conservation Assessment Report for the Cultural and Natural History Collections, University of La Verne
Author: Irena Calinescu, Fine Arts Conservation LLC
Author: Kellie Boss, Boss Conservation LLC
Author: Stefani Cavazos, Fine Arts Conservation LLC
Abstract: This report is the outcome of a general preservation assessment of the Cultural & Natural History Collections (CNHC) University of La Verne, which was made possible by funding from an NEH Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions, awarded to the museum in fall 2019. The information gathered and summarized in the Observations sections of the report is based on conversations with Director Beardsley and Curator Collier, visual observations of the condition of the facilities and collections, and a review of CNHC’s current practices and policies. Interpretation of the facts gathered during site visits form the basis for the Discussion sections under each heading, and further analysis of the present situation in light of the museum’s mission leads to the Recommendations for specific actions that can be taken to improve the state of the collection as a whole. Focusing on preservation issues, practical strategies are offered for making systematic improvements to collection storage. These are summarized at the conclusion of the report and divided into necessary and immediate goals and actions possible in the short-term, and medium to long-range goals that will require more time and resources to achieve. The museum’s objectives for the assessment were to examine current storage practices and environmental conditions, and to provide guidance on best practices for care and long-term preservation of the collections, including training on how to recognize potential problems and strategies for improvements. The grant was intended to focus on the humanities collections, though by necessity--since they share the same storage space--the natural history collections also were included in the assessment.
Date: 4/23/2021
Access Model: Report provided upon request.

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