So much to cover in so little space.
Ahem.
Work and Villa take up most of my life, I end up tired, and forget to blog. Bad me. Baaaaad me.
Things have so changed at Villa Finale.I have essentially "graduated" from the actual house and moved on to the Carriage House, or the basic offices on site at the house. Walter's House looked absolutely beautiful. People now get to enjoy the wonder that Walter Mathis created over time. I haven't been in the house since September 30, but I hope to view the inside one more time before I leave this place.
Meg is wonderful as always and I get to work much more closely again with her again. I'm currently in charge of cataloging of the Villa Finale Carriage House library into Past Perfect, a museum catalog software. I can easily say that this has been one of the best learning experiences of my life and I will miss it dearly.
Meg told me the other day that she had been (and still is) extremely impressed that I came to San Antonio simply to intern at Villa Finale. To her it showed my passion for museum work and how I am driven to do what I must to do to become a museum curator.
I told her that if I had not done, if I gave up, that everything would mean nothing, and this quest I have put myself on would have been just a big waste of time. I might as well live out my days working at P-Mart.
I'm talking to the Curator and Asst Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Dr. Jen Shannon, at Univ. of Colorado at Boulder about the museum studies program there next Tuesday over the phone. So excited! This woman has a lot of the similar interests I do!!
I must always remember nothing good is ever worth giving up on.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Let me sum it up for you
Hmm, where did I leave off? Between work, internship and procrastination, I've neglected my blog just a little bit!
So hence I will sum up the past few days at Villa Finale. Things are definitely coming together. The dining room is almost fully put together, the library looks great, the napoleon parlor still needs some work and we are moving things around upstairs finally.Karina and Tina have been helping out as the other interns (although both don't speak much) and the docents (including Bumbling Ed, who I am sure to make an appearance in my posts) are being trained by Sylvia, the director of public affairs I believe. Also, I will miss the company of Tobin.
Last Thursday was Tobin's last day before she heads back to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). We had a fun day including going on a quest to steal(borrow) forks Christ the grounds manager's desk in the Carriage House and playing Where Does the Retablo go on the giant arc of Retablo paintings on the wall upstairs. I will miss her talking to me about San An and her life. She's definitely an interesting girl.
Things are moving ahead for the opening on the 30th. More to come.
Ellen
So hence I will sum up the past few days at Villa Finale. Things are definitely coming together. The dining room is almost fully put together, the library looks great, the napoleon parlor still needs some work and we are moving things around upstairs finally.Karina and Tina have been helping out as the other interns (although both don't speak much) and the docents (including Bumbling Ed, who I am sure to make an appearance in my posts) are being trained by Sylvia, the director of public affairs I believe. Also, I will miss the company of Tobin.
Last Thursday was Tobin's last day before she heads back to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). We had a fun day including going on a quest to steal(borrow) forks Christ the grounds manager's desk in the Carriage House and playing Where Does the Retablo go on the giant arc of Retablo paintings on the wall upstairs. I will miss her talking to me about San An and her life. She's definitely an interesting girl.
Things are moving ahead for the opening on the 30th. More to come.
Ellen
Monday, August 23, 2010
Day 6: My feet are better on the ground.
Sorry I am getting late to posting, but I figure I would go ahead and tell about my week last week before i start my internship this week.
By this time, the Napoleon Parlor as well as the Dining Room and Library are starting to take shape more and more. The time is counting down until Villa Finale opens to the public. Docent training is on-going apparently, but that will be discussed later. On this day, I was joined by a lady who generally works at the visitor center named Diana who was helping place items back in cases. Tobin joined us later as she was cleaning furniture for Meg. I was told to put a variety of items back into a two-shelved case. This included dog and human band figurines from germany, various silverware, etc. etc. My favorite was a tiny album shaped like a suitcase which stated "somebody's luggage" and contained various photos of Tom Thumb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Tom_Thumb) and his wife, seemingly pre- and post wedding. Apparently, after finding a news clipping in the case, Mr. Mathis was a fan of Gen. Tom and his wife as well. It perhaps has something to do with his impersonations of Napoleon Bonaparte of which Mathis is an obvious huge fan of.
I was told that I, or Tobin, could clean the giant mirror that lined the back wall of the room. Since Tobin was cleaning, I was going to attempt it. Halfway up the ladder, my father's infamous fear of heights caught up with me and the fact I have very bad balance made me come down. Tobin, on the other hand, had no problem accomplishing this task, climbing up the ladder barefoot and straddling the top as needed. My feet are definitely better on the ground.
Did I mention this was the first day I experienced air conditioning in the house? So nice! Everyone was enjoying the difference from hot and sticky air to the cooler environments. Mostly my day was spent cleaning and putting things back together.
More to come,
Ellen
By this time, the Napoleon Parlor as well as the Dining Room and Library are starting to take shape more and more. The time is counting down until Villa Finale opens to the public. Docent training is on-going apparently, but that will be discussed later. On this day, I was joined by a lady who generally works at the visitor center named Diana who was helping place items back in cases. Tobin joined us later as she was cleaning furniture for Meg. I was told to put a variety of items back into a two-shelved case. This included dog and human band figurines from germany, various silverware, etc. etc. My favorite was a tiny album shaped like a suitcase which stated "somebody's luggage" and contained various photos of Tom Thumb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Tom_Thumb) and his wife, seemingly pre- and post wedding. Apparently, after finding a news clipping in the case, Mr. Mathis was a fan of Gen. Tom and his wife as well. It perhaps has something to do with his impersonations of Napoleon Bonaparte of which Mathis is an obvious huge fan of.
I was told that I, or Tobin, could clean the giant mirror that lined the back wall of the room. Since Tobin was cleaning, I was going to attempt it. Halfway up the ladder, my father's infamous fear of heights caught up with me and the fact I have very bad balance made me come down. Tobin, on the other hand, had no problem accomplishing this task, climbing up the ladder barefoot and straddling the top as needed. My feet are definitely better on the ground.
Did I mention this was the first day I experienced air conditioning in the house? So nice! Everyone was enjoying the difference from hot and sticky air to the cooler environments. Mostly my day was spent cleaning and putting things back together.
More to come,
Ellen
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Day 5: Things are taking shape
In my absence due to my schedule at work, things had begun to move along in the shaping of the house museum between the Tuesday I was there and the Thursday upon which I returned to do my internship work. Meg said that the movers had come and moved all the major pieces into their respective rooms, meaning that the Napoleon Parlor which I have spent so much time in looked a bit different.
As I entered the room, I noticed a new face, a woman in her late 20s-early 30s with short clipped brown hair and dark complexion, cleaning objects. Meg announced that although she was not a student (she is actually a free-lance photographer), she would be interning just for the experience. Unfortunately, I cannot remember her name. I know it starts with a "V" and she is a lovely lady from Spain. Another older woman in her 50s joined as well, named Rebecca, who I learned was from Louisiana and is a HUGE LSU fan. She asked me if I went to "Bama" and I replied, no, I went to South Alabama, but I did have friends who went there. She was nice about it, but underneath, I could tell she wasn't a big fan of the school. She told me at least 2 of her children went to LSU. Later, I discussed with Meg that LSU fans were an unique brand.
We all cleaned figures from the Napoleonic collection that Mr. Mathis had collected over the years. He apparently had an intense interest in Napoleon that lasted all his life which drove him to buy many pieces featuring the likes of the small general including, as Chris the grounds manager put, "pieces of gift shop junk".
Lunch came around (finally) as I was tired from closing at work the night before. Meg, Chris, and I sat in the parlor and ate lunch while talking. I found out Chris had a link to Sigourney Weaver through his wife's cousin, who had directed her in a film called Girl in the Park. I would die for him to be able to get Sigourney's autograph for me. Meg knows very well it is my holy grail of photographs and to attain it, I will die happy.
After lunch, Meg invited me to the kitchen for a treat of ice cream (donated by whom I do not know, but it was blue bell and that had me sold) before I went back to cleaning objects. We chatted a bit about dogs and my father, who I told her had a similar fascination with objects like Mr. Mathis, except his came in phases, instead of one long run. After the chat, I went back to cleaning and was joined by the other intern while we listened to the radio that Joe, the electrician from Boston who enlightened us with mob stories over lunch, had brought.
More to report as it comes!!
-Ellen
As I entered the room, I noticed a new face, a woman in her late 20s-early 30s with short clipped brown hair and dark complexion, cleaning objects. Meg announced that although she was not a student (she is actually a free-lance photographer), she would be interning just for the experience. Unfortunately, I cannot remember her name. I know it starts with a "V" and she is a lovely lady from Spain. Another older woman in her 50s joined as well, named Rebecca, who I learned was from Louisiana and is a HUGE LSU fan. She asked me if I went to "Bama" and I replied, no, I went to South Alabama, but I did have friends who went there. She was nice about it, but underneath, I could tell she wasn't a big fan of the school. She told me at least 2 of her children went to LSU. Later, I discussed with Meg that LSU fans were an unique brand.
We all cleaned figures from the Napoleonic collection that Mr. Mathis had collected over the years. He apparently had an intense interest in Napoleon that lasted all his life which drove him to buy many pieces featuring the likes of the small general including, as Chris the grounds manager put, "pieces of gift shop junk".
Lunch came around (finally) as I was tired from closing at work the night before. Meg, Chris, and I sat in the parlor and ate lunch while talking. I found out Chris had a link to Sigourney Weaver through his wife's cousin, who had directed her in a film called Girl in the Park. I would die for him to be able to get Sigourney's autograph for me. Meg knows very well it is my holy grail of photographs and to attain it, I will die happy.
After lunch, Meg invited me to the kitchen for a treat of ice cream (donated by whom I do not know, but it was blue bell and that had me sold) before I went back to cleaning objects. We chatted a bit about dogs and my father, who I told her had a similar fascination with objects like Mr. Mathis, except his came in phases, instead of one long run. After the chat, I went back to cleaning and was joined by the other intern while we listened to the radio that Joe, the electrician from Boston who enlightened us with mob stories over lunch, had brought.
More to report as it comes!!
-Ellen
Friday, August 13, 2010
Day 4: Enter Tobin
Day 4 at the museum included a new guest, the old summer intern, Tobin, who reminded very much of a sprite from Greek mythology. It included filling in many past perfect (collections program) forms for very many collection objects. Nothing new, but work. I got to clean porcelain dishes and discovered the wonder of popsicles in the freezer! According to Tobin, we were allowed up to 10 a day.
Tobin filled me in on many good localities in San Antonio to visit while I am here (if I am not here past December) including telling me to eat a local burger place I am excited to one day try (Chris Madrid's) and telling me that sweet tea is a delicacy in San Antonio, there are no Taco Bells in San Antonio because of the popularity of the local Taco Cabana, which, as Tobin says, "kicks Taco Bell's ass". Also that San Antonio has heat wave days like hurricane days in Alabama, and I must make it to Schlitterbahn, which is a dream of mine.
Tobin filled me in on many good localities in San Antonio to visit while I am here (if I am not here past December) including telling me to eat a local burger place I am excited to one day try (Chris Madrid's) and telling me that sweet tea is a delicacy in San Antonio, there are no Taco Bells in San Antonio because of the popularity of the local Taco Cabana, which, as Tobin says, "kicks Taco Bell's ass". Also that San Antonio has heat wave days like hurricane days in Alabama, and I must make it to Schlitterbahn, which is a dream of mine.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Day 3: Cataloging and Cleaning
Sorry that I am a little late with this posting. I was exhausted Thursday night and been working and dealing with the passing of my grandfather most of today.
Thursday I got a break from primarily cleaning objects and actually got to start working on the objects catalog for Meg. I know it sounds thrilling, but its just part of the work I will be doing one day in a beginning museum job. I cataloged an assortments of old candy molds and various shaped cookie cutters from Mr. Mathis's (the late owner of the house) collection as well as dusted and cleaned them. One of the electricians looked over at me and went, "cookie cutters? sheesh!" which made me smile. As with archaeology, you have to love your work to enjoy it and even with these small things, I enjoy it.
At lunch we discussed Man vs. Food and Meg found out I don't like potatoes. She was as shocked as anyone else. Apparently her husband is a big fan of potatoes, and I explained to her that only in awfulforyou form do I eat them, but she wasn't the only one to quandry why I hated them so. As to quote Da, "You are Irish! How can you not like potatoes?!"
At then end of the day I cleaned a giant vase/urn that had different scenes upon it as well as a Devil's head upon the handle. Kind of creepy. I got to leave early as Meg had a meeting at the Visitor's Center a few blocks over.
On a side note, I am going to miss my grandfather. I know he wasn't in the best place for the past 3 years, but I know now he is happy and at peace for once. One of the most patient men I ever knew in my life, I remember him asking us if we wanted a cold drink anytime we visited him and proceeded to tell me that there was tea or beer or whatever I liked in the fridge, a man who always asked me if I was reading Blondie when I read the comics at my great-grandmother's house, who told fantastic stories in his prime like my father, was always glad to see you, and made one hell of a gumbo. I am glad to say I am related to him.
Robert James Ferrill
November 21, 1927-August 6, 2010
Thursday I got a break from primarily cleaning objects and actually got to start working on the objects catalog for Meg. I know it sounds thrilling, but its just part of the work I will be doing one day in a beginning museum job. I cataloged an assortments of old candy molds and various shaped cookie cutters from Mr. Mathis's (the late owner of the house) collection as well as dusted and cleaned them. One of the electricians looked over at me and went, "cookie cutters? sheesh!" which made me smile. As with archaeology, you have to love your work to enjoy it and even with these small things, I enjoy it.
At lunch we discussed Man vs. Food and Meg found out I don't like potatoes. She was as shocked as anyone else. Apparently her husband is a big fan of potatoes, and I explained to her that only in awfulforyou form do I eat them, but she wasn't the only one to quandry why I hated them so. As to quote Da, "You are Irish! How can you not like potatoes?!"
At then end of the day I cleaned a giant vase/urn that had different scenes upon it as well as a Devil's head upon the handle. Kind of creepy. I got to leave early as Meg had a meeting at the Visitor's Center a few blocks over.
On a side note, I am going to miss my grandfather. I know he wasn't in the best place for the past 3 years, but I know now he is happy and at peace for once. One of the most patient men I ever knew in my life, I remember him asking us if we wanted a cold drink anytime we visited him and proceeded to tell me that there was tea or beer or whatever I liked in the fridge, a man who always asked me if I was reading Blondie when I read the comics at my great-grandmother's house, who told fantastic stories in his prime like my father, was always glad to see you, and made one hell of a gumbo. I am glad to say I am related to him.
Robert James Ferrill
November 21, 1927-August 6, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Day 2: New Faces, New Objects to Clean
I returned to Villa Finale amidst the heat and humidity of the Texas summer day. The lights are still off and the air conditioning is still cut. However, my place in the Napoleon room was in front of a nice big fan and I enjoy the cooling breeze thoroughly. I also bought my off! clip-on to help me to not be eaten alive by mosquitoes. Luckily, my plan worked.
I started off by cleaning a large metal and glass hanging lamp. It wasn't too bad, but the dust under the gilding was ridiculously hard to get out. Q-tips only do so much!! I got to meet the rest of the Villa Finale staff and they were all very nice. Lunch went by quietly and I learned that the grounds manager, Chris, was a former collegiate-level diver and that divers are about as rowdy as any other athletes.
I finished up my day by cleaning a chandelier, which is much harder than it seems, and cleaning a bronze figurine. I was so afraid i was going to break something on the chandelier since the wiring is fragile and it consisted of large teardrop glass fragments. Oh dear.
I was told that Thursday I may not actually be cleaning anything! Moving things? Maybe.
--Ellen
I started off by cleaning a large metal and glass hanging lamp. It wasn't too bad, but the dust under the gilding was ridiculously hard to get out. Q-tips only do so much!! I got to meet the rest of the Villa Finale staff and they were all very nice. Lunch went by quietly and I learned that the grounds manager, Chris, was a former collegiate-level diver and that divers are about as rowdy as any other athletes.
I finished up my day by cleaning a chandelier, which is much harder than it seems, and cleaning a bronze figurine. I was so afraid i was going to break something on the chandelier since the wiring is fragile and it consisted of large teardrop glass fragments. Oh dear.
I was told that Thursday I may not actually be cleaning anything! Moving things? Maybe.
--Ellen
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