Yurok Tribe Cultural Collections Conservation Assessment

FAIN: PG-50521-09

Yurok Tribe (Klamath, CA 95548)
Buffy McQuillen (Project Director: May 2008 to October 2011)

Hiring a preservation specialist to conduct a preservation assessment of ethnographic objects, including baskets, redwood boards, clothing, and headdresses, related to the culture and ceremonies of the tribe.

The NEH preservation grant will support the Yurok Tribe to contract with Conservator Susanna Zubiate to conduct a general preservation assessment of the cultural collections. There are approximately 375 items in the Yurok Tribe’s cultural collections. The assessment will concentrate on two levels of recommendations: 1) Short term remedial improvements to the existing storage space, equipment, and conditions; 2) recommending longer-term plans including floor plans, equipment plans, and environmental parameters for a possible future Cultural Center that will house the collections. In order to understand the scope of future needs, the consultant will spend one day with Collections staff viewing Yurok ceremonial items in nearby facilities. This is extremely important in understanding the changing needs of the collection for properly accommodating a wide range of cultural items in the future. The consultant will spend two days with the collection items. The fourth day on the project is for the consultant to process and present her findings in a written report.