Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1000 – Why I Write, a Milestone

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

I reach a milestone today – post 1000. When I first starting writing “Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar,” I never thought that it would go beyond 100 installments, and I would return to writing posts about painting techniques and materials.

Over a year ago I explained the reason why I write daily about the life and times of Thomas G. Moses. I am reposting it today.

Part 600: Why Do I Write?”

There is so much more information to discover online than a decade ago. I can quickly scan thousands of newspapers with keyword searches, gathering information about a late-nineteenth century scenery installations and Scottish Rite degree productions. My trips to the rare books room are almost non-existent, as I am able to access a ridiculous amount of information in a relatively short period of time. While preparing for my posts, I dig through old photos, slides and research files from my predecessors, digital collections, online archives, historical newspapers, and other public databases. It takes time though.

Why do I take time every day to blog about the life and times of Thomas G. Moses? I made a commitment to myself in September 2016 to share my discoveries, while providing me with both incentive and inspiration to continue.  When my position as Curatorial Director at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center was eliminated, I encountered a unique form of character assassination. It was an extremely difficult time as I went through the varying stages of grief. Much of the passion that I had for Minnesota Masonry simply died, and I had to shift my focus elsewhere.

In the middle of a particularly low point, I made a decision about my future. I decided to take the high road, ignore the continued attacks, and make a positive contribution.  I decided to share all of the information that I had gathered over the years in a public forum, one that would benefit both theatre and fraternal communities; to increase the awareness of historic scenery as cultural artifact; to change the perception of historic scenery from old stage backings to large-scale artworks created by nationally recognized artists; and to broadcast the need for proper handling and preservation of extant scenery collections. I decided to start writing – a lot.

Writing one or two pages for a daily blog makes me re-evaluate preconceived notions and accepted theories, ranging from painting techniques to basic theater history.  I try to catch things that I may have missed in the past. Hopefully, my journey will never be about being right, but about getting it right. I also gather more information than I need, as I never know if a historic scenery collection will still be hanging upon my return. Scenery and stage machinery hold telltale signs for the common practices associated with early-twentieth century scenic studios and artists. Each scenic studio had something akin to a signature. They all had a specific way of doing things, whether in the sewing room, carpentry shop, paint studio, or during an installation.  The width of cotton sheeting, the direction of seams on a backdrop, the shape of a wooden batten, the type of stage hardware, the color used to ink a composition, and the preferred fabric manufacturer are only a few examples.

It may be the next generation who pieces together my research; a primary reason that I am digitizing and posting as much as possible. Ideally, some artist, historian or scholar may be able to see the connections that I cannot at this time. I may simply be planting seeds for those that come after me. If I am able to help another along the way, that would be the best feeling of all, because then I become part of something much bigger than myself.

Theses posts and many others appear on my FaceBook Group “Dry Pigment.” Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1281238915233859/

To be continued…