March 2017 – Page 2 – Drypigment.net

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 35.

Alternative Facts

While I was frantically working on the mural, overseeing the processing of the St. Paul Masonic Library with a crew of volunteers, and organizing for the upcoming restoration, the CEO summoned me into his office for a meeting with the general director. During the meeting, the CEO asked a question that he had repeatedly asked, “Why can’t we just hang the drops unrestored?”

Once again, I again explained that we could not hang unrestored scenery for a multitude of reasons; the primary one being that dusting pigments and other surface contaminants presented a health hazard – especially for the old and young. The theatre was connected to an eldercare facility with people who had compromised immune systems. Plus one of the target client’s were to be dance studios for children’s recitals.

Dusting pigment from the Fort Scott Collection.

“But you cleaned them in Fort Scott,” the CEO insisted, “Why clean them again?”

I took a deep breath. “No,” I said quietly, “I only completed some onsite cleaning for handling and shipping as they were so filthy.”

Initial dust extraction to remove some contaminants for onsite handling and shipping. Additional cleaning would be necessary upon arrival that would include using archival sponges.

“Well, why didn’t you do a better job onsite so you only had to do it once?”

“The limited time factor, “ I replied, “It was never part of the original plan as I hoped to lower, roll, and ship the scenery.” He looked perplexed.

“Regardless,” I said,” during the shipping of any historical scenery, the pigment – meaning color – and other surface contaminants would continue to dust off of the fabric. It would remain encapsulated in the scenery roll, becoming airborne when hung on site. Additionally, the “binder” – meaning the stuff that holds the color on the surface of the fabric – is also failing, causing the color to dust off. The painted surface needs to be stabilized prior to hanging any drops in the MMHC theatre.”

An example of pigment dust that accumulates during shipping. Peoria, Illinois, Scottish Rite drops that I rescued and now own.

Using archival putty to remove surface contaminants after dust extraction. Archival putty and sponges target a deeper layer of filth. These are the same products used in museums for a variety of cleaning tasks as they remove soot, but not pencil markings.

We had gone over and over this issue for months since our initial road trip to Fort Scott during August 2015 when he insisted the drops could just be hung upon their arrival. With each attempt to insist that I just hang the scenery, the general director backed him up. I felt like being in an elementary playground again where the bully made a decree and the sidekick added, “Yeah, what he said!”

At this point in our conversation, the CEO took a new tactic and explained that he had contacted a company in the Duluth that explained all pigments, even dusting ones, were inert. This REALLY caught me off guard. He had gone out of his way to “prove” that my health warnings about dusting pigment were incorrect. He had listened to me and then sought others to disprove my warning of a potential danger. Why?

I mentally regrouped and took another deep breath, slowly explaining the following:
“Even if that were the case and historic dry pigments were inert– and they are not- it is the OTHER surface contaminants that are even more dangerous than the actual pigments. Bat guano, pigeon droppings, flash powder residue, soot from coal heat or oil heat, tar dust, mortar dust, and many other environmental contaminants are quite toxic. This scenery is still covered in an oily filth and only a small portion of it was removed in Fort Scott. The remaining contaminants need to be removed prior to restoration or hanging.”

“Believe me,” I said, “I would be thrilled to pass along the scientific proof that all dusting pigments are inert – especially to the safety commission or the scenic artists at the United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT). It would be an earth-shattering moment for the theatrical painting industry.”

What was the deal? Why was the CEO trying to prove that I really didn’t know what I was talking about in terms of dry pigment dangers?!?! The public’s safety was at risk. Wasn’t that enough?

To be continued…

There is a wonderful resource from Baylor’s Environmental Heath and Safety page. It goes into detail about the health hazards associated with dry pigments, especially when they become airborne. This is just one of MANY site and agencies that explain the various health hazards surrounding dusting dry pigment. Here is the link: http://www.baylor.edu/ehs/index.php?id=94372

Unlike new pigments, however, we don’t have access to the MSDS (material safety data sheet) for the original colors on the historical scenery. The colors that were used on backdrops and now become airborne during restoration or simply hanging in a theatre are unknown. Some colors used to contain cadmium, arsenic, or lead – just to name a few hidden toxins in historical pigments.

Using archival sponges to remove surface contaminants after dust extraction. This was a pro bono workshop that I gave for Scottish Rite Stage crews in Duluth, MN, at the Scottish Rite. It was part of my attempt to help Scottish Rite Valleys care for their scenery if they had limited funds.

Half dirty, half cleaned with archival sponges as dust extraction cannot get it this clean without the additional step. Using archival sponges to remove surface contaminants after dust extraction.

Cleaning bobbinet with archival sponges as dust extraction cannot get it this clean without the additional step.

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 34.

Ch-ch-ch-ch changes (turn and face the strain) ch- ch- changes

As previously noted, on December 2, 2015, I emailed the CEO and general director the anticipated time to clean and stabilize the first 19 drops in 8 weeks, starting by April 1, 2016. Approximately three assistants were needed to assist with handling each drop once it arrived at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center theatre. If there were any major repairs, it might necessitate a few extra days to be added to the standard process.

Once each drop was restored, it would be loosely rolled and set aside to await hanging. The restoration labor for each drop was noted as follows: one day to clean and stabilize a drop (allowing drop to dry over night); one day to square, reinforce, and repair each drop; and one final day to loosely roll the completed drop and unroll another drop. The estimated time to hang all nineteen restored drops and attach bottom wooden battens to the tops and bottoms would be six days.

I was adamant that the lead rigger be either Brandon Fischer (from the Fort Scott, Kansas job) or Paul Sannerud (from the Winona, Minnesota, job). Either Fischer or Sannerud could carry the necessary insurance during the installation and each truly understood historic scenery. I wouldn’t have to explain how the drops were assembled or hung. They would then select their installation crew of either two or three riggers. I had outlined that the entire restoration would consist of several phases, explaining that the netting of cut drops took the greatest amount of time and would be completed well after the backdrops and leg drops.

Cut drops required a total of four to six days to clean, stabilize, square, repair, and attach new netting, instead of the standard three to five days. They would be completed after all of the backdrops were restored. Each time a series of drops were restored, there needed to be a few extra days scheduled, allotting for both selection and transportation of drops and materials, as well as the preparation to set up and clean up of the space. Furthermore, I was the drops needed to be restored on site as transporting restored drops often resulted in excessive wrinkles and cracked paint. If they were restored off site and transported, they would have to be touched-up on site, doubling the labor.

During January and February construction meetings in 2016, I stipulated my needs in the MMHC theatre space, specifically the access to the stage by the last week in March. This week would be spent prepping for an April 1, 2016, restoration start. At first my request was granted, but A&P Construction noted that there could be a slight delay if some of the projects were changed or fell a little behind. As the mural was being delayed due to constant changes, I didn’t sweat it much. If we were unable to get into the space, it just meant fewer than 19 drops for the opening – but there would still be something there for the public to see.

Then the entire scope of restoration changed – again. Instead of simply restoring the backdrops and featuring them as large-scale artworks, the CEO decided that he wanted to hang complete scenes for the opening on June 24, 2016. This changed everything. All of my previous estimates and planning were no longer applicable and had to be redone. My first thought was that this would be more expensive and time-consuming as we were now attempting to re-net cut drops with much larger restoration crews.

Most Fort Scott scenes were composed of a leg drop, cut drop, and backdrop – providing depth to the stage picture. Cut drops composed the middle ground for each scene and required much more time to restore than a simple backdrop. They were backdrops with cut centers, supported with either 1” cotton netting or open weave netting (like tutu material) in the opening.

Fort Scott scene consisting of one leg drop and two cut drops. The painted cyclorama completes the scene as a backing instead of the traditional backdrop.

When new netting was attached to a historic backdrop, each knotted intersection received a dot of glue. This procedure allowed the drop to maintain its flexibility over the decades, but it was EXTREMELY time consuming. From past restoration projects I knew exactly how many people were required and how many hours each cut drop would take to net this way.

Either hide glue or a contemporary theatrical glue are used during netting. In most cases I use FlexBond to glue each knotted intersection as there is a consistency to the product and does not cause the painted surface to dimple.

These continued delays for the mural and restoration might all have been for the best. My lower back was still bothering me after I initially injured it when unloading the scenery rolls. It didn’t seem to be getting any better and it had happened almost two months ago. Little did I know at the time, but my lifting and shoving the 100 pound scenery rolls repeatedly had caused annular fissures, or tears, to occur on multiple discs in my back. During the strain of lifting the tubes, the disc fluid had been pushed against the elastic outer layer and formed small rips.

Throughout 2016, I would have constant back pain, doctor’s appointments, physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, and acupuncture appointments, all navigated within the maze of a workman’s compensation claim. However, I just kept plugging along, constantly shifting my position, and completing my work at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center. But this injury did make me ask for a painting assistant for the mural as I had both lifting and movement restrictions.

And then I thought of the lyrics for David Bowie’s song “Changes:”

“Still don’t know what I was waiting for
and my time was running wild,
a million dead end streets

Every time I thought I’d got it made
it seemed the taste was not so sweet”

To be continued…

Laying out new netting on a cut drop. Blue tape temporarily secures it to the drop, yet allows it to shift. If the netting is not perfectly taut or placed square to the parameter of the drop’s edges, the cut drop will have wrinkles, sag, and hang crooked.

My father, Ray Waszut, helping me out with one more project in McAlester, Oklahoma during 2009.

A combination of wide blue tape and thin detailing tape is needed to make sure that each knotted intersection comes in contact with the fabric prior to gluing. Old drops do not lay flat and have to be both weighted down and taped.

In Fort Scott, all of the cut drops had been netted and then toilet paper was applied to each area. My guess is that the glue mixture was still tacky.

Toilet paper on top of glue dots after I removed much of the netting in Fort Scott. This needs to be removed prior to attaching new netting.

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 33.

A Fool is Wise in His Eyes

Change orders are common in new construction. It is work that is added to or deleted from the original scope of work in a contract, or both. Depending on the magnitude of the Change, it may or may not alter the original contract amount and/or completion date.

Other Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center changes occurred outside of the scope of construction and appeared as if made on a whim. This pattern of ongoing changes meant delays and I started to wonder if they would impact our ability to hang ANY restored scenery by the June 24, 2016.

The first snag regarding the King Solomon’s Temple mural for the lodge room occurred during mid January 2016. It would have a lasting effect on the mural timeline and also the scenery restoration timeline.

The CEO had discovered a donor to pay for the lodge room mural. They both swung by my office to chat after a lunch in mid-January. During their visit, the CEO informed me that I would just paint whatever the donor wanted and it would probably be a replica of an existing artwork. I explained to both of them that copying a fine artist’s work in its entirety without their permission was unethical and infringed on copyright laws, he might want to reconsider.

If they were going to make an identical copy, why not pay for permission to use it and print a digital copy for the east? No, he wanted a hand-painted mural as they were of a better quality. This topic had come up before when all of the hand-panted murals had been cut and the general director proposed digital prints instead, explaining that no one would know the difference anyway.

After speaking at length with the donor about what type of composition he wanted me to painted, he explained that he wanted one feature to have prominence. I was to highlight the brazen laver as it had special significance to him. Understanding the underlying Mormon significance, I immediately said, “Absolutely no problem!” Then I explained to both of them, “This is a wonderful opportunity to create something new and unique! The Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center would hold the copyright, as I was a staff member when creating it, and could use it for a variety of applications. “

At this point I had already conducted extensive research on the construction of King Solomon’s Temple, and the various theories concerning the design, coloration, and regional building techniques. It was a wonderful chance to re-interpret this popular subject and I was excited to start the final design.

Part of a series of sketches for mural, prior to scale painting for 14′ x 20′ mural placed in East of the lodge room.

And then I received a new directive from the CEO that made the entire mural design process convoluted; I was to give the CEO and general director my design, they would present it to the donor, and then report back to me with the donor’s critique. How odd. This would add time and delays to the design process; kind of like playing telephone in elementary school. But I knew the donor, got along with him well, and we visited almost once every week when either I volunteered at a Masonic library or he stopped by my office to chat about genealogy. The communication between us continued regardless of this directive.

Eventually, my line drawing was approved, followed by a value study, and a color sketch. Each submittal was approved with, “Proceed!” On February 22, when I was midway through the 2”: 1’-0” full-scale color painting, the CEO called me into his office.

Where I was at with the 2″ : 1′-0″ painting when the CEO changed the artwork to a horizontal composition. It would become a framed fine art painting.

He explained that he had changed his mind about the architectural ornamentation behind the Master’s chair. Instead of a full wall mural with vertical composition, it would become a horizontal composition, as he would extend the wainscoting throughout the alcove.

Oh no. This changed everything and we were already ridiculously behind schedule, as I should have started the actual painting over a month ago! I carefully explained that this meant starting much of the design from scratch, further delaying the restoration. Then I started thinking about the potential problems; the decreased size meant that the draperies would conceal much more of the composition, it was now at a scale where I could not use the floor frame and “paint it down,” and it would look odd when compared to the remainder of the proposed and framed sidewall artworks. If we were going to make it smaller and horizontal, we might want to treat the east wall like the panels on the sidewalls and frame it. Historically, a large ornately framed painting could work there, centered in the wall above the wainscoting. Unfortunately this would necessitate a framed canvas and new fine art paints (to replace the theatrical paints).

In the following weeks, two designs were turned down in the final stages – after approvals on initial line drawing, value studies, color renderings. The explanation was always, “I thought I liked it, but it’s not quite what I want.” I finally scheduled a meeting with the CEO and general director to discuss the “ideal composition.” I brought in all of my previous designs, spread them out on a table, and asked the CEO to point out ANYTHING that he liked about the compositions.

I took notes and quickly sketched out a new composition, received another approval to proceed, and got up to leave for my office.

“It’s too bad that you have to do another design,” said the CEO “but we have to get it right!” I stopped, turned around, and broadly smiled at him. “Oh no,” I exclaimed. “I really love painting and every time you tell me to design something else it’s like spending another day on the beach!”

My next design was approved. However, the restoration was going to be extremely delayed and we would be lucky to hang only a few drops for the opening. This entire process designing the Temple mural really made me think of the King Solomon quote, “A fool is wise in his eyes.”

Final and approved design #3 for fine art in lodge room.

October 6, 2016, when I was guest speaker for Forest Lake Lodge meeting at Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.

Andrew Barrett and I on opening day at Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center – June 24, 2016.

Unfortunate placement of 6′-6″ x 9′-6″ painting in Lodge room due to height of light.

Text picture sent to me when picture was being hung in the lodge room for opening.

Painted detail depicting metallic glaze throughout painting. Gold metallic was thinned and added to all highlight, whereas blue metallic glaze was added as reflective lights in shadow areas. In lowlight conditions during lodge, the painting would glisten and move to create a magical illusion.

Art for art’s sake. Art de Hoyos and many other masons were painted in as figures throughout the composition.

Painted detail of smoke to create a sense of movement in the composition.

Putting in the final details near the end of the painting process.

Individual drawings for characters were temporarily placed throughout the composition.

Table with paints during the painting process.

Horizontal painting when laying in the sky.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 32.

Time is of the Essence

In the meeting where we discussed the mural and restoration timelines as stipulated in my emails, I also requested that many of my other MMHC responsibilities be minimized. I needed the extra time to design, plan and paint the mural. A quick look passed between both the CEO and general director, then they both smiled at me saying, “Certainly. Anything you need.” The exchange that passed between to two was a red flag. Regardless of my request, no one at the time was hired to replace my position on any of the projects.

The only duty that I was really released from was attending MMHC Museum meetings. This was confirmed in an email sent on December 3, 2016:

“We are now at the end of the beginning. The work of framing the content of the Museum is now largely complete. The work of Wendy in helping interpret my vision for the Museum is done. The work of the scholars is done. The writing of the narrative is nearing completion. The selection of artifacts has been completed. Accordingly, it is now necessary to move to the next phases of our work, which I describe as finalizing graphic design, arranging content and artifact placement and lastly installation. As we move into the final phases of our work, the composition of the active team will necessarily change. While the scholars remain available, we will have limited need for their expertise and thus they will not be called upon unless there is general agreement that additional information is needed and my approval is obtained. Similarly, Wendy’s work being now completed she will move on to other critical work related to the MMHC and will now be available for limited consulting concerning the work she has already completed. Wendy will no longer attend Museum Committee meetings unless there is general agreement on the need and I approve. Time is of the essence. We have only 6 months to review, refine, and install the Museum.”

This sounds pretty succinct, if it concerned all of the designs and text previously approved. During my absence in Fort Scott, portions of the gallery layout changed, as well as content. I had been unable to do much from far away and had little desire to fight this particular battle. I had mentioned to the CEO and general director during our early December lunch meeting that any changes to museum layout, thematic content, and artifact selection would jeopardize the museum team’s ability to produce a quality product for the opening. Besides, how much could really be changed at this point? The answer: everything.

Throughout the remainder of December 2015 and the beginning of January 2016, I continued to work on the following projects while doing preliminary work on the mural design:

Putting together an informational packet regarding the Fort Scott scenery collection with a complete inventory and artistic provenance.
Re-organizing the Fort Scott drops on specific line sets for the MMHC theatre; estimating line set weights for the drops.
Hiring an assistant to work on unpacking the St. Paul Masonic library acquisition and start preliminary processing.
Working with the museum team and organizing artifacts for museum display cases.
Finalizing paint colors with the interior designers, architects and construction leads for the theatre and the lodge room.
Creating test samples for mural fabric to be used in the lodge room.
Contacting and interviewing possible individuals to work on the first phase of the scenery restoration project.
Completing full-scale detail drawings for the stained glass window and selecting glass colors.
Reviewing video scripts and historical details for interactive exhibits in the museum.
Designing the mural paint frame and discussing its construction with the Minnesota Masonic Home grounds crew.
Selecting a studio space and making sure that there was ample space and height for the work.
Ordering the necessary mural painting supplies and coordinating their delivery to the studio space.
Continuing to attend a variety of construction and production meetings every week as the Curatorial Director of the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.
Doing promotional sessions for a variety of organizations, including the Kennedy Center for the Arts Academic Festival conference that was meeting at Normandale Community College.

We had only six months to go before the June 24 opening and I was starting to show signs of wear and tear. While juggling the various work projects listed above, I was constantly scheduling medical appointments as doctors tried diagnose and treat my constant back pain, resulting from the injury that occurred while unloading the Fort Scott scenery tubes. Regardless of my hectic schedule and the holidays, it appeared that we might actually meet all of the deadlines! I was living my dream to preserve the past for future generations. This building had so much potential as a state-of-the-art facility, complete with a scenery collection, a six-gallery freemasonry museum, a research library and an event center.

To be continued…

My realized design at Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center. 11′ x 22′ stained glass in Theatre Lobby.

My first preliminary design for the stained glass. This incorporated the CEO’s demand that the Grand Geometrician be included in the design. For the remainder I included elements from historic tracing charts.

Glass selection for stained glass sections.

Some of the glass stock at Gaytee-Palmer Stained Glass in Minneaspolis, MN.

Glass selection for checkered floor tiles to keep warmth and translucency.

Detail in final rendering that depicts my large-scale rendering drawing.

4th attempt at tool position, finally approved by CEO.

Al Palmer, owner of Gaytee-Palmer Stained Glass in Minneapolis, MN. He is amazing!

Theatre color swatches and proposed layout as I worked with interior designers from Nelson Design of Minneapolis, MN.

My artifact placement and layout for Gallery 1 display case.

Quick directions for Minnesota Masonic Homes staff to build. This was built and installed, but never used when the 14′ x 20′ mural changed into a 6′-6″ x 9′-6″ fine art painting.

Fabric and paint samples for 14′ x 20′ mural when it was to be wall-papered up in the East of the MMHC lodge room.

Early attempts at historical backdrop collection on line sets for theatre consulting firm. At first it was designed to received a generic collection (possibly a combination of St. Paul Valley and Minneapolis Valley), then redesigned specifically for the Fort Scott collection.

Back row: Terry Tilton (local Masonic scholar), Eric Neetenbeek (CEO) Mark Campbell (local Masonic scholar), Keir Johnson (General Director), Kelly Johns (Director of Communications) Front row: Brent Morris (DC Masonic Scholar), Wendy Waszut-Barrett (Exhibit Curator), Art De Hoyos (DC Masonic Scholar), Steve Johnson (Video), Joel Woodward (Exhibit Design), Mia Schillace-Nelson (Outhouse Exhibit Productions).

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 31.

Art for Art’s Sake

On December 2, 2015, I sent out two separate emails, detailing estimates for labor, materials, and production timelines for both the 14’ x 20’ mural project and the 19-drop restoration project. I was very clear that as the mural project happened first, any delay would influence the restoration project.

The timeline for mural project included specific target dates to stay on track:

1.) Finalize design and create renderings for King Solomon’s Temple mural (December 15, 2015-January 15, 2016).

2.) Secure painting space/construct paint frame by January 15, 2016.

3.) Prep space and drop off mural supplies (January 15, 2016 to February 1, 2016).

4.) Paint Temple Mural (February 1-February 26, 2016).

5.) Possibly paint side murals (February 29, 2016 to March 31, 2016). The total number of side murals, if any, will depend upon the complexity of composition and completion date of Temple mural.

6.) Completed mural will be rolled, encapsulated in plastic, and stored onsite.”

The timeline for the restoration also included very specific target dates to ensure the completion of 19 drops:

1.) Remove and transport all necessary battens to MMHC stage on April 1,

2016. This required a rental truck and labor to transport approximately 1,710

linear feet of pine boards, weighing approximately 1500 lbs. I would supervise four individuals to complete this task.

2.) Remove 19 drops from storage April 2, 2015, and move to MMHC stage, necessitating a rental truck and four individuals to move the drops.

3.) Scenery restoration of 19 drops from April 4, 2016 to June 3, 2015.

4.) Hanging of the 19 drops from June 6 to June 11, 2016. An additional week would be reserved on the stage as a contingency for extenuating circumstances or delays.

For the restoration project, we would solely focus on the backdrops at first. Besides, they would be the most impressive for the opening, giving the public a sense of the collection. The drops would be presented as “Artwork by Thomas G. Moses” and not general historic scenery. Each backdrop would be a stand-alone painting, depicting a portion of a scene that still remained to be restored. This would also facilitate their promotion as a large-scale artworks created by a nationally recognized artist.

I estimated that it would take 38 days to clean and stabilize 19 drops, not including transportation to the theatre or set up. The 19 backdrops for the opening would include the

Cathedral (used for multiple degrees),

Woods (used for multiple degrees),

Cave (9th degree),

Treasure Chamber (15th degree),

Classical Interior (31st degree),

Egyptian Interior (31st degree),

Jacques de Molay Mausoleum (30th degree),

the INRI landscape (18th degree),

Darius’ Festival Palace (16th degree),

Camp Tent and backing (32nd degree),

Secret Vault (14th degree),

Grand Encampment (32nd degree),

Hiram’s Tomb (5th degree),

Catacombs (30th degree),

Gothic Interior/Dungeon (27th -29th degrees),

Hades (18th degree),

Constellation scene (Faith, Hope and Charity for the 18th degree),

and the Volcano landscape (17th degree)

I was shocked on January 13, 2016, when the CEO asked for all of this information again as all of the specifics had all been submitted a month prior and discussed multiple times. My uneasiness grew as I began to think that my employer had no comprehension of how much work was involved in the projects. I had never had this difficulty with anyone and started to wonder if this was a result of his skimming email content. I started to have a very bad feeling about the entire endeavor. Would all this money go to waste in the end?

It was at this point that the general director called me into his office, proposing that he really needed to help me and explained that I had extremely poor communication skills. He had worked with the CEO for years in other venues and suggested that he could provide a friendly barrier for me with the CEO. My only job was to request that general director be my immediate supervisor instead of the CEO.

Right now, we were on equal footing at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center. Each of our positions reported directed to the CEO. He was the General Director, responsible for the running of the facility. I was the Curatorial Director, responsible for all acquisitions, content, and presentation of materials to the public.

I smiled politely, thanked him for the advice, and explained that I had always been capable of speaking for myself.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 30.

Painted Setbacks

The CEO and the general director took me out to lunch the week after my return from Fort Scott. It was the beginning of December 2015. The intent of the meeting was to discuss details pertaining to my upcoming projects and necessary timelines. I explained that, realistically, I could only complete one mural in time for the opening if they wanted any restored scenery at all. I suggested that we only focus on the wall behind the Master’s Chair in the East. It was possible that I could do more prior to commencing the restoration, but much depended on the complexity of the final composition and the amount of architectural detail in the mural design.

I had so much on my plate at this point, that I did not feel compelled to be the sole muralist for the lodge room. Regardless of who designed and painted the murals, they just needed to be from they same hand so that there would be some uniformity. Ideally, whoever created the first mural should complete the remainder of murals, unless they decided to do a nationwide search and select well-known artists for individual commissions – but that could be dicey and look like a patchwork quilt in the end. The CEO was adamant that I should paint the murals.

Then, the general director said, “Well, it’s not as if we have seen your work or even know if you can really paint.” Smiling he added, “We’re just basing our opinion on your own statements.” There was a pause as I tried to figure out how to phrase a response to this insult.

After all of my mural designs, my designs for stained glass artwork, and the variety of other visual projects that I had completed during the last fourteen months, my skills were now being questioned. The CEO was keenly watching my reaction and couldn’t hide his interest in my response. I took a slow and steady breath, refusing to show either irritation or anger. For this next statement, I would remain calm and collected throughout my response.

“Well,” I said, “How about if you both visit my website and see if my talent is worthy of the project. My past painting and restoration work can be found at my old website http://www.bellascena.com I can always bring in my actual portfolio too.” I carefully took out a piece of paper from my purse to write down the website for them, but he stopped me and said, “Just email me the link.”

In all my years of painting scenery or producing fine art, my artistic talent has never been questioned. In a nutshell, artists have a hard time lying about their skills when they produce a final product that remains for the world to critique. Furthermore, I refused to be sucked into a quibbling match with the general director. Something had happened during my absence in Fort Scott and I couldn’t figure out how I had become his sudden enemy. Regardless of the tense atmosphere, I returned to the discussion regarding the mural timeline, explaining that it was possible to complete one mural and restore nineteen drops by June 24, 2016.

I would need to have approval on a final design, place an order for all the materials, secure a studio space, construct a paint frame for the mural, set up the space, and commence with the painting by January 15, 2016 – just a little over a month away. This project was also impossible to complete in a 30-hour workweek, so I would have to be bumped to a full-time as I was not going to continue working fifty hours a week for part-time employment.

Ironically, the lodge room murals were now extremely important to the CEO. He was adamant about getting some life back into the fairly sterile lodge room as it was currently white columns against off-white walls. What he initially admired as “simple and elegant,” now was problematic – devoid of personality without draperies and painted murals.

Who could have envisioned that white against white might be lackluster? During our road trip to Fort Scott and Guthrie, we had discussed the use of painted panels in lieu of wall murals as I was concerned about the lack of color. The room would read as simply white. My suggestion was to create wall panels between the five orders of architecture and paint the central panel a color – helping to liven up the room until murals could replace them. After the building opened, there would be ample time to paint and insert various compositions, tracing charts, or other historic memorabilia into these spaces.

However, this was an unanticipated project and additional workload for me – complicated by the recent scenery acquisition. Now, we had a scenery collection and it was my primary focus. All of the restoration estimations had been based on the fact that I wouldn’t be distracted with mural painting, or any decorative painting throughout the complex.

Regardless of other assigned tasks, I needed to start restoring the collection no later than April 1, 2016 to complete 19 backdrops for the June 24 opening. To even complete the restoration, I needed to minimize my current in involvement as museum exhibit curator, library administrator, and historical consultant for the interior design team, architects, and museum team.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 29.

When Everything Goes to Hell in a Hand Basket

There is a certain point when I identify disaster looming ahead and try to prevent it. My husband refers to this as my “super power.” He explains that unlike many individuals, I anticipate all possible problems and immediately prepare a variety of solutions for every scenario. I attribute this to my theatre training and work with scenery restoration. Every project is filled with surprises, but in theatre we still need to make the final deadline – no exceptions.

The morning after the Fort Scott scenery was unloaded in Bloomington, Minnesota, another project popped up on the radar the next day, or I should say a red flag. This was the mural design and painting for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center lodge room. All of the hand painted murals that I had designed and presented during 2014-2015 had been cut by the CEO as they weren’t deemed “essential” for opening day. This was a way to cut overall costs for a complex that was financially spiraling out of control. Furthermore, the general director had suggested that we use digital print outs in lieu hand painting, believing that they would work just fine. I had plenty of tasks at hand so just let the subject go, understanding that the painting had been cut.

That morning the CEO invited Ty, Amanda, the general director and me out to breakfast to thank us for a job well done. I wanted the CEO to meet the owner of BellaTex, LLC, and his vice-president of operations as they had personally transported the scenery collection from Kansas to Minnesota. I believed that this company should hang all of the scenery. In particular, I wanted the lead on site to supervise a crew, as he was intimately familiar with each drop and the necessary hardware for scenic illusions. It would be ludicrous to hire anyone else at this point.

Training and explaining of this construction, mechanics, and standard hanging apparatus for this particular scenery collection would be incredibly time-consuming and expensive if we used anyone unfamiliar with historic scenery. Worse yet, an inexperienced crew could irreparably damage the scenery and the collection signifies a substantial investment of over $100,000 just to purchase and transport. I wanted the CEO to meet the owner of BellaTex face to face and to understand the amount of professionalism and knowledge that Ty brought to the table.

After breakfast, Ty, Amanda, and I headed over to the construction site so that they could meet the leads at A&P Construction – especially Pat Sims. Again, it was to put a face with a name since the BellaTex people were in town. We had just finished the basic introductions and were planning to leave when Pat said, “Wait a minute, Wendy. I want to talk to you about the hand-painted murals.”

He must have read the look of shock on my face, as he immediately looked uneasy. “What murals? They have all been cut. They were taken off the table quite a while ago.”

“Well,” he said, “they still have a budget line and are in all of the most recent paperwork.”

I nodded apologetically and said, “Well that is really too bad as there simply isn’t enough time now. A year ago, I explained to the CEO that it would take a full year with me focusing on this full-time. Maybe you mean the digital versions that the general director suggested and not hand-painted murals.”

“No,” he said, “They are still anticipating hand-painted murals on all of the walls in the lodge room.”

This is when there was an awkward silence in the room. Ty and Amanda were there to witness this whole exchange. I decided to extract myself from the conversation with,” Well, I’ll talk to the CEO right now as Ty and Amanda are leaving town.”

There was no way I could complete all of the murals for the lodge room and get anything restored for the opening. I immediately headed over to the CEO’s office to find out what was going on, as it had to be an error in communication.

It was unrealistic to expect one individual to paint all of the murals while leading the scenery restoration in a mere five months. Obviously, the CEO did not understand the amount of time that it took to either paint or restore, regardless of the labor estimates and timelines that I had previously submitted to him. The lodge room murals totaled about 2,250 square feet and all of it was to be trompe l’oeil painting – very high end and realistic painting. This did not even take into consideration the ceiling mural that I had declined to paint and was contacting Ann Gumpper to bid on. The design for King Solomon’s Temple in the east was also highly architectural and would take a ridiculous amount of time. Plus the mural painting, each restored drop took approximately 5 days with a full crew, once it was on site.

On top of this, I was still the curator for the opening museum exhibit and in charge of processing the 10,000-item St. Paul Scottish Rite library. I was still only hired for 30 hours each week and I simply could not see how all of this was going to happen – especially trying to complete any the restoration. However, it was apparent that the CEO did, in fact, expect me to produce all of the murals and complete the restoration of everything for the opening.

To be continued…

East end of MMHC lode room behind the Master’s Chair. Initial design size to be 14′ x 20′ depicting completed temple of King Solomon. No figures as the Master of the Lodge and others would form the foreground for scale.

Second design with more ornamental draperies that BellaTex, LLC bid on for production.

Design for west wall of MMHC Lodge room. The composition would provided the five orders of architecture with the correct dimension and imagery for the Middle Chamber lecture in the second degree of the Symbolic Lodge.

Sidewall mural design for MMHC Lodge Room. Two of these, each measuring approximately 50′ long.

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 28.

Take it to Warp Speed

Wooden battens warp over time and people often want to replace the “old” pieces of pine with new lumber. I have only attempted this with one drop and it failed miserably, warping far worse than the original battens as it was young lumber. You have to understand that historic battens were first-cut and old-growth timber, meaning the graining is tighter than modern pine and contains very few flaws and knots. The wood that was used for the stage scenery is a far better quality than what I can find today. It is easy to un-warp old boards by swapping the battens and reshaping each piece.

Unfortunately, there are many individuals who do not fully understand the critical purpose of the battens in historical scenery collections. Again, these are the battens placed at the top and bottoms of each painted drop. Wooden battens stretch the top and bottom of the painted scene perfectly.

Original tacks that stretched and attached bottom of drop to a wooden batten. Another board was placed over this and the two boards were screwed together, thus allowing compression to hold and stretch the painted scene

Some people even recommend that all of the wood must be removed and replaced with pipe pockets and jute webbing. What is their reasoning? Pipes will stay straight and jute won’t warp like wooden battens. Pipes can remain straight, but only if they have a big enough diameter and it is thick enough not to bend. The large size also means that there is a great strain on the pipe pocket seams due to the increased weight. If the pipes are light enough to not stress the seam, they also are subject to bending.

Furthermore, jute webbing and pipe pockets often create massive wrinkles throughout a historic composition once the drop is hanging. When using battens, the fabric is stretched and tacked to prevent the “bunching up” of fabric along the bottom. The only reason that causes massive wrinkles with wooden battens is if the pick points that support the drop fall out of level. This simply necessitates trimming each line to make sure that it remains parallel to the floor. With pipe pockets, entire sections of fabric at the bottom of each drop can “bunch up,” forming entire sections of wrinkles that appear like ripples across a water’s surface. Trying to pull out these wrinkles once it is hanging will often cause the aged fabric to rip. Similarly, jute webbing can also cause some wrinkles as the tie lines do not always keep the fabric taut, allowing some sections to sag.

Wrinkles resulting from fabric bunching up along pipe pocket. This does not happen with wooden battens.

Attaching pipe pockets and jute webbing to a historical painted scene is a very different beast than sewing on jute and pipe pockets to new drops. There are numerous factors that must be taken into consideration prior to making this decision, especially the condition of the fabric.

The biggest problem is that sewing ANYTHING onto an historical drop necessitates perforating the old fabric, thus causing a weakness in the structural integrity – even with double seaming. Over time, the old fabric WILL fail and the pipe pocket will detach from the original fabric, allowing the pipe to plummet to the stage.

Pipe detaching from pocket due to weight.

Similarly at the top, sewing on jute webbing with grommets also causes a weakness in the structural integrity of the fabric. The weight of the pipe will target the weakness along the stitched edge and rip. ANY trained theatre professional will immediately understand why pipe pockets and jute webbing should not be sewn onto historic fabric and weighted. It may hold for a while, but it will eventually fail.

Failing pipe pocket cause entire vertical seam to release from the drop due to weight – hence the open space!

Pipe pocket that has failed and fabric separated form pipe.

Failed pipe pocket on cut drop with detached onstage edge in cut opening. The wooden supports now catch on neighboring lines.

I just viewed a perfect example of the problems that result from replacing wooden battens with pipe pockets and jute webbing at the Scottish Rite in Saint Louis, Missouri. All of the wooden battens were removed on each painted scene. On the top, jute webbing with grommets and tie lines were sewn along the top edge of the thin and old fabric. On the bottom, the fabric was initially folded to create a pipe pocket. Many of the pipe pockets from the first alteration failed, so a second pre-constructed pipe pocket was sewn above the damage. Unfortunately, that failed too. Why? Because the fabric was perforated, created a weak area and caused the fabric to rip.

With pipes, there is the potential for damage at multiple points across the bottom of a drop, but especially at the ends and the connections. The sharp edges, or threaded areas will rip the fabric. Also, the connections will come apart as the pipe shifts over time – unless they are soldered. Now, pipe pockets began to appear in the 1920s as the price of steel was affordable and this was a cost-effective alternative to wood. Unfortunately, over time the seams are more at risk than the wooden battens as the wooden battens compress the fabric. If not the fabric ripping, the thread will fail as it the cause at the Scottish Rite in Moline, Illinois (ca. 1929). Battens just work better if you are attempting to hang historic drops for several decades.

1929 pipe pocket where stitching has failed due to dry rotted thread.

For years, I have warned against simply sewing pipe pockets onto historic drops, yet individuals have continued to sew pipe pockets onto historical scenery. I receive calls from those who did not head my advice.

If the pipe is too light, it will not pull out the wrinkles. Furthermore, if the pipe has too narrow of a diameter, it will bend. For example, if a skinny pipe on a cut drop is used and the cut open gets damaged – the pipe will bend and the bottom of the drop will look like it is smiling at the audience.

At some point, the collection is dangerous for all those below it and each production is a game of Russian roulette. Who will be standing below the pipe when it lets go and will they die? Is the theatre owner willing to take that particular risk?

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 27.

Batten Down the Hatches

I estimated the replacement value for this historic scenery collection at approximately 1.5 million dollars, excluding all of the other accessories that we had brought back from Fort Scott. The Ready Labor crew was treating the rolls like cardboard tubes and not artworks. I couldn’t help but think, “This might be one of the reasons that museums don’t hire Ready Labor to handle historic artifacts.”

Bloomington, MN. Note that the spacing of those carrying the tub is not even. This means that the tube is not supported on the end, causing the object to be more difficult to handle when loading into the storage unit.

As the three Ready Labor hires and the general director shoved the tubes into the storage unit, they repeatedly smashed the ends against the central supports. The crew was not being careful nor observant. Although, I had repeatedly explained the unloading and loading process, no one seemed to remember it. I supervised this exact same task the previous year when the Winona Scottish Rite scenery was placed into a similar storage unit and hadn’t had any problems.

Winona Scottish Rite Storage Units from 2014

The tubes needed to be slowly and gently inserted into each slot, carefully being lifted and guided over each central support as to not scrape the fabric. This meant that as the tube was inserted, the lead individual at the front of the tube had to get into the unit and gently guide each tube over the numerous horizontal supports. I could clearly see that this was not happening and no amount of verbal direction from me would alter their actions, especially while I was working in the truck.

Ty, the owner of BellaTex, LLC, immediately identified my dilemma and jumped into help. He understood that no one was listening to me and started to give direction from within the storage unit. Unfortunately, his presence only helped a little bit. At one point, Ty’s hand was badly smashed when he tried to guide the tube over the supports and the crew did not listen – they just kept shoving forward. Bruised and bleeding, Ty continued to guide each tube through the slots while trying to minimize the overall damage. He was the only person attempting to gently handle these historic artworks and it was painful to watch. I heaved a sigh of relief as we completed the scenery rolls.

View from far end of storage unit in Bloomington, Minnesota, looking toward outer door.

We next focused on unloading the wooden battens. Removing 13,000 linear feet of pine boards is an intimidating task, especially when one is running behind schedule. In Fort Scott, I had carefully labeled each batten bundle, separating the tops from the bottoms to facilitate the installation of each scene. As I had already injured my back that morning and Ty had also injured his hand, I decided that we would identify and distribute the battens to the crew from inside the trailer. We would quickly spot each batten label and direct the handlers to the appropriate storage unit (they were several yards apart). Eventually, Ty told Amanda to supervise the far unit as it became obvious that battens were being randomly placed.

Battens from Fort Scott transported in trailer.

After watching this circus for about ten minutes, my husband stepped in to supervise the second unit and also carry some bundles. He knew that this would be a big mess to unpack if the battens were paired with the wrong tubes. In the trailer I whispered to him, ”You were told not to help.” He responded, “This is ridiculous and you will never finish if I don’t help.”

However, even with Andrew’s help, this portion of the project was a going extremely slow. The Ready Labor men were getting tired and their pace rapidly diminished. They now slowly ambled back to get each bundle.

It was at this same time that Ty pointed to the general manager, now covered in dirt and sweating a little as he carried a bundle of battens to the far storage unit. Ty grinned and slowly drawled,” Right about now, I bet he’s regrettin’ not havin’ called Ready Labor earlier.” This made me burst out laughing and I agreed. Ty’s timing was perfect as I desperately needed to smile about something.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 26.

Unloading the Truck

We first unloaded the trailer; packing the first storage unit with several large-scale flats, boxes of hand props, five-gallon buckets of whiting, folded floor cloths, the painted cyclorama, a large wooden track for the five small vision drops, stage weights, and a variety of other theatrical artifacts. These items all had to be unloaded in order to reach the wooden battens as they needed to get paired up with the appropriate rolled drops. Due to the late start, it soon became lunchtime.

At lunch, I again discussed the necessary process with the general director. Again, I explained that we really needed a four people to unload the battens and tubes, as I needed to supervise where each item would be placed within the storage units. The general director explained that he would step in and be the fourth individual as it was apparent that no one else from Ready Labor was available. It was going to be difficult task to unload both trucks and I once again wondered why they hadn’t asked a crew of Masons to show up.

We had been planned for this to be a big public relations event; one more thing that would keep the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center on the public’s radar as they anticipated the opening. The Masonic Charities’ Director of Communications and our advertising firm were adamant that this opportunity was crucial to draw positive attention. Our next opportunity would be the unrolling of drops on the stage and beginning the restoration. Yet there was no one there and I wondered whether it was because of the individuals from Ready Labor.

During lunch, I called my husband, explaining that it would be a long day to arrange for childcare that evening. I still suggested that he come down to meet Ty and Amanda from BellaTex, LLC, as I had spoke so highly of them and their company during the past three weeks.

In Fort Scott, I had carefully organized and packed the truck based on the order of future restoration. The last drops to be pulled for restoration were placed in the center of each unit. This allowed us to pull out those on each side, slowly working our way toward the center. As each tube was loaded into the storage unit, two of the four people carrying the unit would break off and go within each unit to help convey the tub along its path.

Unfortunately, during lunch the general director explained that we would be restoring the cathedral scene first as a member was planning a September wedding. This meant that my order of unloading the tubes wouldn’t work and I had to scramble. Initially, the cathedral scene was going to be restored in the second phase of the work and was currently slotted closer to the center of the storage unit. I quickly drew a diagram, labeling each storage unit row with a letter and number – creating a grid so that my crew would know where to place each tube as I shouted out the location. I would shout “A1” or “B5” and each rolled drop would be placed that space.

We returned to the storage unit after lunch and started the slow process of unloading the tubes. Getting the tubes out was difficult at best and I realized that the drops were going to be damaged if this type of handling continued throughout the afternoon. Someone had to get in the truck and I looked at my options.

No one was going to hop up into the truck due to their size. The one worker who was physically able to do this task was also the only one who had the strength to pull to tub, so I climbed into the truck. My task would be to lift each tube and shove it out the pack, just enough for the one man to grab. He would pull and as the tube slid out of the truck, I would refer to my list and shout out the number. So much for me just supervising…

My husband showed up as we were just getting the second tube out of the truck; it was close to 1:30PM. When he saw me in the truck, his expression confirmed what I already knew –this was going to take awhile. “Can I switch out with you and help?” he asked me. But before I could respond, the general director said,” No, Andrew, you’re not covered by insurance. The Ready Labor guys come with insurance.”

So my only replacement went over to visit with Ty and Amanda while we unloaded the drops.

By the fourth tube, I felt the “pop” in my lower spine, that something had just happened to my lower back. The lifting up of each tube and shoving 100 pounds forward was too much for my 5′ 1½” frame. At this point, I felt like flinging myself onto the top of the tubes, curling up in a ball, and crying. Looking at the crew, I realized that the only person who could do my job was my husband- and he had already been told that he couldn’t help.

I had worked so hard to carefully transport the drops, I was damned if I was going to let the general director and his Ready Labor crew damage them now. This was where I made a mistake, I put the handling of the drops ahead of my own safety. I continued to unload the truck, shouting where each tube should go.

To be continued…