Scottish Rite Scenery – Page 26

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 1.

THE BEGINNING OF MY TALE….

Early Contacts with the Valley of Fort Scott

My initial contact with the Fort Scott Scottish Rite began long before any involvement with the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center (MMHC). I received a call from the Sovereign Grand Inspector General (SGIG) of Kansas during the fall of 2011, asking about the market value of historic scenery. He was hoping that I could provide a complete evaluation of their scenery collection as they were preparing to sell the building and wanted an estimate on what the drops were worth. Due to a lack of funding, the evaluation and appraisal never took place.

In the fall of 2011, I was actively running a scenery restoration company, Bella Scena, LLC. Since founding the company, I had restored over 500 historical backdrops nationwide. From a Masonic standpoint, I was an active Scottish Rite Research Society Member, guest speaker at the 2003 SRRS meeting during the Biennial Supreme Council Session in Washington, D.C., and a published author in “Heredom,” “Scottish Rite Journal,” “Theatre Design and Technology,” and other publications. Additionally, I had completed my Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, my doctoral thesis being “Scenic Shifts Upon the Scottish Rite Stage: Designing for Masonic Theatre, 1859-1929.” All the while, I continued to freelance as a scenic artist and set designer.

Fort Scott popped up again on my radar during January of 2014 when I assessed water damage at the Yankton Scottish Rite in South Dakota. The Masons told me about an auction being planned to liquidate all of the Fort Scott Scottish Rite assets that coming summer. We spoke of my attending the auction with some of the men as the Yankton Scottish Rite was interested in purchasing the collection and retrofitting it for their space. Unfortunately, the date of the auction coincided with a family wedding on the east coast and Fort Scott once again faded from my radar.

During the spring of 2015, Rick Boychuk, author of “Nobody Looks Up, the History of Counterweight Rigging Systems, 1500-1925,” contacted me after examining the Fort Scott Scottish Rite theatre rigging system. We discussed the installation as a whole and its historic significance in both the evolution of counterweight rigging systems and the design of Masonic scenery. Boychuk mentioned that the Valley of Fort Scott was contemplating another auction – one to sell their remaining asset – the scenery collection.

At this same time, I was directed by the CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities to locate a Scottish Rite scenery collection for purchase to display at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center. I was looking out of the state as the Valleys in both St. Paul and Minneapolis will not have folded in time for the opening of MMHC– making those collections unavailable for the space. MMHC is being set up to accommodate both Valleys when they merge and sell their buildings, as I explained by the CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities.

The Fort Scott collection was one of only two Scottish Rite scenery collections available at that time nationwide that could be restored in time, possibly for the opening of the building in 2016. The other Scottish Rite scenery collection was located in New Orleans, Louisiana.

During the spring of 2015, I contacted a fellow Scottish Rite Research Society member and the SGIG of Louisiana to help me attain images of the New Orleans Scottish Rite scenery collection. The New Orleans collection was posted online as “free” (League of Historic American Theatres page). I received this information as an allied service provider to LHAT. My contact with the New Orleans Valley Secretary then stalled, and I never received any information concerning their actual scenic inventory. That was why I turned to the Louisiana SGIG for help. Unfortunately, the entire scenery collection had been already sold for $1000 without the knowledge of the SGIG. It was sold to a group from Austin during June 2015 who cherry-picked what they wanted and left the rest.

My search for a Scottish Rite scenery collection to display at MMHC resumed in full force by the end of June 2015. We were now only one year away from opening of the MMHC. the designs had been altered to accommodate a fraternal scenery collection. Fort Scott was our target. I focused on the artistic provenance of the Fort Scott scenery collection, using my previous contact information from the initial call made by the Kansas SGIG in 2011. Luckily, the local representative remembered me and we scheduled an onsite visit to evaluate the collections for removal, transport and restoration. By the way, by June 2015, I transitioned from the position of historical consultant on retainer to Curatorial Director for the MMHC.

I was asked by the CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities to schedule a trip to evaluate the scenery collection in Fort Scott, Kansas. The General Director of MMHC and a local Scottish Rite mason would accompany us not only to Fort Scott, but also to Guthrie, Oklahoma for “a little research” concerning interior decoration for the architectural ornamentation at MMHC.

Previous travels for research had brought us to Detroit, Michigan for MMHC architectural ornamentation research and to Washington D.C. Our trip to D.C. was for MMHC museum work where I pitched the MMHC museum project to various masonic scholars. There, the CEO Minnesota Masonic Charities was interested in hiring nationally-recognized masonic scholars to work on the MMHC Museum – lending name recognition and credibility to the endeavor.

To be continued tomorrow…

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

This is the preface to “Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Acquiring the Fort Scott Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.”

As it is Valentine’s Day, I needed to address a topic that I feel passionate about:

“Old Backdrops or Large-Scale Art?”

Are Scottish Rite scenery collections just “old backdrops” or “large-scale works of art produced by nationally recognized artists?”

I have noticed over the years that one can often identify the individual artist who created a painted scene– even in a studio setting. You just need a little time, or a lot of time, to do some extensive research. This is what makes Christine Hadsel’s book “Suspended Worlds – Historic Scenery in Northern New England” so fascinating. It’s the stories of the artists and their place in the world of art, whether they are significant or not. She specializes in small roll drops, especially those created for Grange Halls. Hadsel and I have known each other for years, occasionally reaching out to with unusual questions or requests, always respecting one another’s contributions to theatre history. Her work with communities to preserve their heritage parallels my passion to preserve fraternal history. We are from two different worlds, but we share the same endgame.

This topic resulted from my attendance at my husband’s conducting debut for Singers in Accord – “From Highlights to Shadows: A Choral Scenographic Journey. The scenic art of Thomas Gibbs Moses set to Music by Whitacre, Gjello, Paulus, Parry and More!” This was the scenery collection that had consumed my life from August 2015 until June 2016. It was, and is, one of my passions as I piece together the history of Scottish Rite theatres in North America. Seldom does a single artist produce an entire Scottish Rite collection, such was the case when Thomas Gibbs Moses (1856-1934) painted the collection for the Valley of Fort Scott in Kansas during 1924.

Last Saturday, I sat in the fourth row at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center and watched the grand drape open to reveal Jerusalem in chaos. My heart stopped when I saw damaged versions of the painted drops- the same drops that I had placed into storage during November 2015. In an instant, I knew that this scene, and most likely all of the others, had been irreparably damaged. Did the audience realize that the cut drops were destroyed, or were the wrinkles and sagging perceived as simply “old backdrops,” showing a natural wear because of their age?

I began pondering a much larger issue and one that went beyond any disastrous restoration attempt; specifically, why is scenery frequently viewed as mere backings for performances and not as an art form with cultural value?

Maybe it is because the owners fail to realize that they are stewards of large-scale art collections, maybe not. But I am reminded of Victor Higgins (1884-1949), the scenic artist and fine artist who painted with Moses. Higgins painted his “Little Gems” out of the back of his car and sold them for $250 (see February 4, 2017 post). Some are now valued at $750,000. What would a backdrop painted by Higgins be worth? To examine the studio records, locate the Scottish Rite collection, and identify one of his scenes – wow. It might be the only one left in the world produced by this fine artist.

After all, painting for the theatre is ephemeral and Scottish Rite collections are anomalies, right? What could we gain by examining Higgins’ painting techniques in a large scale format and comparing them with his fine art techniques? Were they the same? Did he explore new color combinations or paint application techniques? Did scenic art inform his fine art, or vice versa?

Moses worked with Higgins in both scenic studios and fine art studios. We have Moses’ memoirs, scrapbook, business records, communications with other fine artists, fine art, and much more. This information provides an incredible amount of context for both Moses’ own painting and the artistic endeavors of others. The Fort Scott scenery collection was painted during the same time that Moses contemplated becoming a Mason (Pasadena, California, 1925). Is that why the designs for Fort Scott depart from the standard Sosman & Landis stock designs for Scottish Rite theatres?

Unless people understand the national and international significance of this collection, it will forever remain known as the old backdrops that were purchased from Fort Scott.

It is time for me to fully explain the significance of this scenery, its conception, creation, and transportation to Minnesota in 2015. To really look at the personal artifacts that Moses’ left behind on site; artifacts that we discovered twenty-feet above the stage.

As a good friend often says, “They don’t know what they don’t know.” So this and my daily postings for the next few days, or week, will attempt to inform others about the significance of the Fort Scott scenery collection and its placement within both Masonic and theatrical history. I will document the evaluation, acquisition, removal and transportation of the collection from the theatre in Fort Scott to the storage facility in Bloomington, Minnesota from August 2015-June 2016.

It has nothing to do with the current restoration of these drops under the direction of Kim Lawler and Outhouse Productions (owned by Mia Schillace-Nelson). I strongly encourage you to seek out their Facebook pages and contact them directly if you have any questions regarding their involvement and the preservation of these artworks.

This post also is a result of the constant inquiries that I receive regarding the Fort Scott collection at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center. Many people ask the same questions over and over again.

Why did I suggest this particular scenery collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center?

Why restore the scenery at all?

Why not just hang the scenes immediately and fix them later?

Is it really a unique collection?

Why go out of our State to preserve fraternal heritage when there are so many Scottish Rite collections here?

How were these drops created and is the dusting pigment dangerous?

The list of questions goes on and on.

But let’s simply start with something simple:

Scottish Rite scenery collections are large-scale artworks, many produced by nationally recognized artists. They are not merely old backings for degree work.

Attached are pictures from August of 2015 when I evaluated the collection in Fort Scott to assess their condition.

Wendy Waszut-Barrett was not involved with Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center Scenery Restoration

My husband’s concert last night at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center was a success! He set songs to the scenery I located, suggested for purchase, and supervised the subsequent removal and transportation from Fort Scott, Kansas, to Bloomington, Minnesota. My involvement stopped there!

Everyone I encountered last night who was familiar with my history of restoring Scottish Rite scenery, believed that I was responsible for the restoration. Much of this belief, no doubt, was based on the video shown during Grand Lodge (March 2016) at the Minnesota Masonic Charities breakfast; using my profile and reporting that a nationally recognized expert would restore the entire collection.

For professional reasons, I must distance myself from this project as the scenery has been destroyed with hot melt glue.

It it is a shameful destruction of historical paintings created by the nationally recognized fine artist, Thomas Gibbs Moses (1856-1934). Attached are pictures of the scenery from last night showing the work of someone who has never restored scenery before this project.

For past examples of my own restoration work, visit my website at www.bellascena.com

Scottish Rite Scenery – Egypt

One of the most interesting Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry stage sets that I have ever encountered is in my home town of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is for the thirty-first degree and was designed by the Twin City Scenic Company for the Minneapolis Scottish Rite.

The Minneapolis Scottish Rite building was once church. When they transformed the space for Masonic uses, the altar became the stage. There is also use a lodge space for ceremonials that is used for certain degrees and is referred to as the Red Room (named for the color of the carpet). This beautiful space used to be the area that I converted into a paint studio whenever I had a large project and is now the home of Lodge No. 19.

Like the theatre space. there is a horseshoe balcony surrounds three sides of the auditorium. The central floor in both rooms do not have fixed seating in the center. In the Red Room there is a small recessed area for the stage. There used to be a roll drop that hung above this area, depicting the rebuilding of King Solomon’s Temple.

The Egyptian setting scenery by Twin Cities Scenic Co. for the Lodge room transforms the entire space. Flats (scenic walls) are place against the walls under the balcony. A scrim ceiling obscures the ceiling, yet members seated in the balcony areas are able to view the activities on the floor below.

The pictures below are depicted with a photographic flash so you could see some of the colors and painted details.

Andrew Geis Source Book – Egypt, part 1

The thirty-first degree for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry typically includes an Egyptian setting. The popularity of for the exotic on the commercial stage carried over to the fraternal stage. This will be the topic for the next few posts.

Below is an example of an Egyptian source from Geis’ design book. It is a print titled, “Scene from the New Egyptian Drama of ‘Nitocris,” at Drury-Lane Theatre – the Coronation Procession.” This production premiered at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1855 and was announced as “an original Egyptian play.” The image from Geis’ print was originally published in the Illustrated London News. The production and the creation of an historically accurate setting for both the commercial stage and the fraternal stage is worth comment.

The production of “Nitocris” was primarily intended to be amazing display of scenic illusion and effects, as well as depicting exotic locales. In “Punch” (London: January issue, October 20 1855, page 159) the author writes: “Antiquarian research has become fashionable among theatrical managers, who appear to be up to their eyes in the dust of the ages; and it will soon begin to be a question or rivalry as to which theatre lessee shall be regarded as a regular dust man of the past, and which theatre shall be looked upon as the original dust hole of antiquity.” The author further comments, “Nobody, we believe, claims literary merit for the piece itself which is merely a vehicle – a rather slow one – for the effects arising out of it.”

For me, one of the most interesting sections from the piece was the author using quotes from the theatre lessee in the following excerpt: “‘No research has been too trying’ for the patience and purse of the lessee, who has distributed his agents and money over every spot where anything was like to be found to aid the ‘reviving the associations of the Pharaonic Period.’ Everything bearing any pretensions to an Egyptian character has been ransacked, from a coffee-cup to a Colossus, and we dare say that even the Egyptian Hall, in Piccadilly – where the lessee of Drury Lane exhibited the African Twins was occupied in the hope that some Egyptian notions be got out of it.”

Geis’ image in his design book:

Here is an example from the setting originally produced for the Albert Pike Consistory of Little Rock Arkansa and currently housed in the Pasadena Scottish Rite, ca. 1920

And a few details from the backdrop…

Below I have included a variety of other early- to mid-twentieth century Scottish Rite scenes for the Thirty-first degree. The first is from Fargo, North Dakota