A Final Visit to Scenery Storage
On Monday, June 27, 2016, I visited the Fort Scott scenery storage unit in Bloomington, Minnesota. Little did I know at the time, but this would be the last moment that I would see the collection until after it was hanging in the Ives Auditorium. The restoration start date was currently on hold, waiting for some final construction delays in the theatre space.
After the Grand Opening, my new task was to take stock of the rolled scenery tubes and battens, verifying where the Ready Labor crew had placed them during November 2015. I would create a document noting the placement of each tube and the batten locations for future reference. My mural painting assistant was there to help shift any scenery due to my back injury. We stopped by the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center for her to run in and get the keys from the general director, as he had forgotten to pass along the three storage unit keys at the opening.
While visiting the storage unit that Monday, I noticed an extremely sore area on my upper shoulder; this was in addition to a swollen eyelid and low-grade fever that had instantaneously appeared the day before. I felt absolutely miserable while opening up the doors at the storage unit. Upon inspecting the tubes, we noted Asian spotted beetles throughout the space, little dots of black piled up in corners and scattered across the muslin covers. This was not a good sign.
About the time that we noticed the bugs, a fellow scenic artist stopped by. She was visiting the Twin Cities, but had been unable to attend the grand opening. I suggested that she stop by the storage unit while I was working. I wanted her to meet my painting assistant and see the entirety of the Fort Scott collection, neatly tucked away into my custom-designed storage system.
As my shoulder pain continued to worsen, I asked my friend to see if had she noticed a bug bite or sting mark. “I would have a doctor look at this soon,” she suggested, “it looks pretty bad.” I agreed with her, saying, “We can always finish this later as the restoration start date isn’t even scheduled yet,” and sent them both on their way.
I was diagnosed with Shingles. Finally my stress had manifested into a physical condition; I was a prime candidate and the doctor pointed that out. “You have got to slow down,” she said, “Just go home and take some time off from work. I know that this prescription is often given to those over 50, but we might have caught it early enough for it to really work on you. ” I was flabbergasted with her diagnosis and picked up my prescription. “Really!?!” I told my husband, “On top of everything else, I need to get Shingles now?”
The final series of betrayals I experienced at the grand opening of the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center had crushed my last my spirit and any hope that it would be a world-class research facility. It also suppressed any lingering enthusiasm for to work for the CEO or on the Fort Scott restoration project. I honestly knew that it was just a matter of time before I was let go and would never touch Thomas Moses’ paintings again; the future of the scenery collection was no longer in my hands.
The next day, I cancelled my afternoon appointment with the CEO emailing, “I will not be in today due to illness. Yesterday, I developed a fever and rash on my right eyelid and right shoulder. Today, I was diagnosed with Shingles and placed on a prescription for Acyclovir. I have scheduled a follow-up appointment for this Thursday afternoon as [my doctor] was concerned with the possible complications for my vision. I will keep you posted regarding my recovery and return to work.”
Two days later on June 30 at 8:35AM, the CEO responded to my email, inquiring about a possible date for a future meeting, “I hope you are recovering from your bout with shingles. I would like to meet with you in my office on Thursday, July 7 at 10 am. Will you be able to meet at that time?”
To be continued…
