Waszut-Barrett Travels – Page 4

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 8-12, 2022

My recent scenery restoration project at the Louisville Scottish Rite Theater began three years ago in 2019. These projects are often years in the making, and it really takes the right person to set the ball in motion. I have watched scenery collections crumble from both indecision and poor stewardship. Time is often of the essence when historic scenes start to fail. Scenery that survived decades against an upstage wall can rapidly deteriorate over the course of a few years if the conditions are right.

My initial visit to the Louisville Scottish Rite was a side trip while attending USITT (United States Institute of Theatre Technology). Whenever I attend the annual conference, I try and schedule a visit to a nearby Scottish Rite theatre or historic opera house. These side trips provide me with an opportunity to learn and document “just one more” scenery collection.

*Visiting the Louisville Scottish Rite during the USITT conference in 2019.*

*The Louisville Scottish Rite Auditorium.*

The only day that I could photograph Masonic scenery while attending USITT in 2019 was on Wednesday, March 20. Preparations for the Scottish Rite reunion were scheduled to start the next day. I had from 9AM to 3PM to document as much as possible and make my way back to the convention center for a meeting.

I must have made an impression, as the Louisville Scottish Rite hired me that fall to assess the collection. I was contracted to compile condition reports, historic analyses, and replacement appraisals for each drop in the collection. My documents that December were so well-received that I was asked to visit Louisville and present my findings at a special event.

*The Egyptian Setting for the 31st degree was one of six settings featured during my presentation on March 7, 2020.*

On March 7, 2020, I was the guest speaker for Family night at the Louisville Scottish Rite. I gave a presentation about their historic scenery collection, tracing the history of Masonic scenery in the United States and placing the Louisville Scottish Rite scenery collection withing the context of American theater. At the time I was also asked to work as an historical consultant for upcoming interior renovations throughout the building. After speaking at the Scottish Rite in Louisville in March 2020, the pandemic put everything on hold.

March 2020 – May 2022

Eventually, I lost touch with the Louisville Scottish Rite and moved onto other projects, yet the Louisville Scottish Rite scenery collection continued to lurk in the back of my mind. Surprisingly, Randolph Starks, Secretary of the Louisville Scottish Rite, reached out again last spring. On May 2, 2022, I received the following text: “Hi Wendy. It has been a very long time since we spoke, but I have enjoyed seeing your Facebook posts, the reports of your travels, and the images of your beautiful artwork. I would like to renew our conversation about you providing advice and guidance on some renovation and painting of our Scottish Rite temple. Let me know when you would be available to schedule a phone call to discuss this.” I received this on the same day that my mother went into the ER, so our conversation was again placed on hold for a few more months.

Stark contacted me again on June 29, 2022, but for another reason.

I received a series of pictures of the Egyptian cut drop, with the text message, “Hi Wendy. We just discovered this damage to this scenery drop today. I don’t know how it happened. I would like to know if it would be possible to repair and restore it.”

*Damage to the Egyptian Cut Drop at the* *Louisville Scottish Rite.*

My response was, “Yes. You will need to take the drop down, or damage will continue- I am mid-project, but can chat tomorrow afternoon.” Realistically, I was in no position to take on another project and knew that I would have to mostly advise from afar. Starks gathered a team to lower the drop, and I then directed its preparation for short-term storage, until I could travel to Louisville that fall. We tentatively scheduled my visit for November. I would not only repair the scene, but also advise on some upcoming interior renovations. I was also scheduled to again speak about the history of the Louisville Scottish Rite scenery (another Masonic event on Nov. 10, 2022).

Repairing the Egyptian Cut Drop

Unfortunately, there were a series of obstacles to overcome before rolling and storing the cut drop to await my future repairs. The first obstacle was removing wood from the backside, as several “stiffeners” were glued to the cut edge. Many cut drop openings without netting for support curl over time. As a preventative measure, some scenic studios attached wood stiffeners upon installation. These stiffeners were frequently thin strips of pine that were secured to the drop with a strip of glued muslin. Removing an original stiffener is often simple, as the fabric and wood easily peel off of the fabric.

Over the decades, Masonic stage crews tried to replicate this technique. Unfortunately, instead of using thin strips of light-weight pine, they improvised, using a variety of hard woods and solvent-based or inappropriate adhesives. Over the years I have encountered oak strips attached with contact cement (Wichita, KS), lathe attached with wood glue (Fort Scott, KS), yard sticks attached with plaster of paris (Fargo, ND), just to name a few.

*Patch on a cut drop at the Scottish Rite Theatre in Fargo, North Dakota.*

In Louisville, however, an enterprising Mason opted for a black substance that looks like coal-tar pitch; this was a new one to me.

*Photograph sent to me by Jordan Morgan, showing stiffeners attached with a black adhesive.*

*Wood attached to the backside of many cut drops at the Louisville Scottish Rite.*

In addition to the stiffeners, ¼”-thick black flexible foam was secured to all of the cut edges with spray adhesive. Sadly, I have encountered this before too, at the Scottish Rite in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Although it works in the short term, it wreaks havoc when repairs need to occur. In Louisville, a solvent-based spray adhesive was used, partially melting the foam and permanently affixing it to the backside of the drop.

*Removing the flexible foam from the Egyptian cut drop.*

And there was one more thing…

The original netting in the cut opening was replaced with plastic netting that was hot glued on.

*Plastic netting attached with hot melt glued, placed over original cotton netting.*

Although I feel like a broken record, constantly repeating myself, here goes…NEVER use hot melt glue on historic stage scenery. Hot melt glue has no place in historic preservation, as it severely damages fragile fabric, embedding itself in the fabric’s fibers. Often the hot melt glue is even visible from the front, marring a once beautifully painted composition. Attaching anything to historic scenery with hot-melt glue makes the repair irreversible and flammable. It is especially unfortunate if the new netting is plastic or poorly positioned in the cut opening. Both were the cases with the Egyptian cut drop at the Louisville Scottish Rite. When conducting the initial examination of the scenery, I recognized that the plastic netting would have to remain, as there was so much hot melt glue applied to the fabric that it is now permanently affixed to the cut drop.

The stiffeners, foam, and plastic netting prohibited any expedient storage of the scene last summer until my fall arrival. Fortunately, one diligent Masonic volunteer, Jordan Morgan, spent over thirty-hours removing both foam and wood. Despite his diligence, some areas were left for me to deal with once on site. As I expected, removing the foam and stiffeners could not occur without damage to the painting and fabric. Some of the foam remains firmly adhered to the cut drop.

*Egyptian cut drop with flexible foam around cut openings.*

My trip to repair the scenery was slotted for November. During my stay, I would not only fix the damage to the cut drop, but again speak as a guest lecturer and continued to function as a historical consultant for a few anticipated interior renovations.

On the afternoon of Nov 8, 2022, my plane touched down and I was off to the races. This was well after casting my vote at 7AM; it was election day, and I was thankful that the Minnesota polls open so early. After renting a car, checking into my hotel, changing into work clothes, and driving to the Scottish Rite, I began the slow process of setting up the workspace. Once everything was set, I carefully unrolled the damaged cut drop and assessed the damage, simultaneously planning my attack. Despite the dozens of pictures that were sent, nothing replaces examining the damage in person. I went to bed that night, weighing the pros and cons of various approaches to the damage.

*The Egyptian cut drop on the stage at the Louisville Scottish Rite.*

Arriving at the Scottish Rite the next morning, I met my onsite assistant, Jordan, and we began the painstaking process of cleaning both the cut drop. This is necessary before any fabric repair.

*Cleaning the backside of the fabric prior to repair.*

I focused on the biggest damage, before tackling the dozens of small punctures. By midmorning, I realized that the project would go far beyond patching visible damage. I had to do some preventative care – placing vertical reinforcement strips on every seam and weak area. The culprit of the anticipated damage? Flame retardant.

*Split seams caused from repeated applications of flame retardant over the decades.*

A repeated application of flame retardant often causes the greatest damage to historic scenery; it is like giving the drop cancer. Applying different flame retardants over the decades creates a toxic environment for the fabric and the very fibers begin to break down. Therefore, I need to help support the fabric so that the weight of the fabric will not cause stress that results in tears.

Now, I was dealing with a few different problems. The central portion of the drop is much older than the top and the bottom; the oldest portion dating from the previous building, c. 1910. Toomey & Volland Scenic Studio records indicate that scenery was delivered to the Louisville Scottish Rite in 1910.

*Original fabric (below) and fabric extensions (above) added in the 1920s.*

These drops were later refurbished, enlarged, and installed in the current building during 1923. Over the years, there have been several alterations made to the collection. Initially, the top sandwich batten was removed and replaced with jute webbing and ties lines. This likely occurred when the 1910 scenery was refurbished and moved into the new building. The first-generation bottom sandwich battens were replaced with pipe pockets at this time too.

*Flexible black foam attached to the cut edge with spray adhesive.*

However, over time, as the pipe pockets failed, ripping off, second-generation pipe pockets were added, the latest being thick, clear plastic that was glued to the back.

*Plastic pipe pocket glued to the back of a Louisville Scottish Rite backdrop.*

Additional scenery was purchased from Volland Studios between 1951 and 1952, then again in 1968.

Additional repairs, fabric reinforcements and attempts to consolidate loose pigment occurred continuously over the decades. For example, olive green edging (similar to a coarse bias tape) was sewn onto the offstage edges. This was an early attempt to prevent tearing from contact. Although this has prevented some damage and deterioration, the actual sewing greatly damaged the painted surface and has weakened the fabric over time. Other drops have large pieces of mesh glued to the entire back, possibly an attempt to prevent rips. However, the added weight is now jeopardizing the top of each scene.

*Mesh glued to some of the backdrops at the Louisville Scottish Rite.*

Over the course of three days we cleaned, patched, and reinforced the fabric of the Egyptian cut drop. Paint touch-up of visible patches will occur on my return. I only transport my distemper palette by ground, and therefore will drive on my next trip.

On the morning of Nov. 12 (my fourth day), I supervised the hanging of the repaired cut drop. Everything looked perfect!

*The repaired cut drop, as viewed from behind.*

*Egyptian Cut Drop. Repair work Completed from Nov. 8-12, 2022.*

I then assessed the remainder of the collection and began planning for the complete preservation of the entire collection.

*Painted detail from another Louisville Scottish Rite scene.*

By the afternoon I was on my way home, only 96 hours after my arrival. It was an action-packed trip that I have yet to recover from.

In regard to the history of the Louisville Scottish Rite scenery, my research indicated that Kentucky may have been the earliest state in the Southern Jurisdiction to use stage scenery for their degree work. Here is an excerpt from the document that I submitted in 2019 as it helps frame the significance of the scenery collection and my restoration project.

“The History of Degree Productions at the Louisville Scottish Rite.

Scottish Rite Valley’s bordering the geographical demarcation between the Northern and Southern Jurisdiction were experimenting with stages in Masonic Halls and common lodge room long before the first “official” Scottish Rite theater was constructed in the Southern Jurisdiction, c. 1890s. The earliest Scottish Rite stages frequently referenced in the Southern Jurisdiction are Little Rock, Arkansas and Oakland, California in 1896. Theatrical staging of degree work in Louisville, Kentucky, may have predated these two Valleys, signifying the inclusion of the earliest Masonic stage settings in the Southern Jurisdiction.

The Wilkes-Barre Times of Pennsylvania, the Arizona Daily Star of Tucson, and the Akron Beacon Journal of Ohio all published the following article in 1895:

“BIG SCOTTISH RITE DEDICATION. Louisville, Ky., Oct. 15 – The Scottish Rite Cathedral of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, at Sixth and Walnut street was dedicated today. This dedication surpassed anything ever seen in Masonic ceremonies in this city. It was open to the public, and conducted with all the pomp, which the occasion calls for. The remainder of the inaugural week will be given in reunion, during which all degrees will be conferred. The new cathedral in point of general magnificence is surpassed by only two in the United States, those being cathedrals of the Grand Consistories of Illinois, at Chicago, and of Ohio, at Cincinnati.” Both Chicago and Cincinnati boasted theatrical stages with elaborate scenery collections, but they were in the Northern Jurisdiction.

The article also notes, “All degrees will be conferred,” which translates to “all degree will be dramatically presented” aligning with the staged degree productions in the Chicago and Cincinnati Scottish Rite theaters at the time.

The Grand Consistory, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, was organized in Louisville, August 21, 1852, with meetings being held on the Southwest corner of Fourth and Jefferson Streets. By August 1876, the Louisville Scottish Rite occupied the Courier-Journal Building, located on Jefferson Street, between Third and Fourth Street. In 1894, the Louisville Scottish Rite Bodies purchased the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at Sixth and Walnut Streets. The church has been partially destroyed by fire when they acquired the building, and approximately $41,000 was spent on remodeling the facility. By 1895, it was dedicated as a Scottish Rite Cathedral. This predates what Little Rock and Oakland would do in 1896; remodel an existing space to include a Scottish Rite theatre to fully confer, or stage, the degree work. This Louisville Scottish Rite building was used until 1923, when their new home was constructed at Brook and Gray streets.

In 1910, Toomey & Volland business records note that they delivered a scenery collection to the Louisville Scottish Rite. This scenery would have replaced the original scenery installed in the renovated Episcopal Church space. Churches were perfect buildings to retrofit with theatrical stages for degree productions.

There is not yet a definitive indicator of the scenic artist or studio that first delivered the original scenery in 1895. However, it was not Toomey & Volland, as the firm was not established until 1901. Toomey and Volland delivered scenery to the Louisville Scottish Rite Cathedral in 1910, with many of their backdrops being refurbished and transported to the new building during 1923. This was a common practice throughout both the Northern and Southern Jurisdiction at the time. The Guthrie, Oklahoma, Scottish Rite even reused and transported their 1910 scenery collection to the new building during this same time.

The first Scottish Rite Cathedral in Louisville was a remodeled building. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at Sixth and Walnut Streets was renovated for Scottish Rite purposes in 1895. From this moment forward, the Masonic membership in Louisville continued to grow at a rapid rate, as was common with many other Valleys that began producing degree work for the stage. By 1919, Louisville’s Scottish Rite candidate class size numbered 200, and the overall membership began exceeding the building’s capacity.

During the 67^th annual spring reunion in 1919, the president of the “Victory Class “of Scottish Rite candidates introduced a resolution. Dr. T. H. Tuley urged, “the Grand Consistory immediately to make plans for the erection of a [new] Scottish Rite Cathedral in Louisville which will prove a credit to the Rite and to the city.” The Courier-Journal reported, “the reading of the resolution was greeted with applause, and from the manner in which the proposition was received it seems possible some steps in this direction will be taken” (26 April 1919, page 4).

Previously, the Courier-Journal reported, “Largest Class in History of Consistory Attending Scottish Rite Meeting. 200 At First Dinner” (23 April 1919, page 9). The session opened at 10AM on April 22, with conferring the Lodge of Perfection degrees (4-14). The article noted, “For several months the Scottish Rite has been practically overwhelmed with applications for membership, every Masonic lodge in the State reporting unusually large numbers of initiates.

The result has been that for the first time in many years it has been necessary to hold two spring Scottish Rite classes, the first one having completed work only about ten days ago.” Capt. John H. Cowles, sovereign grand inspector general of the Supreme Council of the Rite, was interviewed by the Courier-Times. The newspaper reported, “He says unusually large classes are being accepted into the rite in all consistories of the southern jurisdiction. He was highly pleased with the showing made by the Louisville lodge, especially in view of the fact that he received his degrees here and is a native of Kentucky, having lived for many years in Louisville.” In 1919, the Louisville Scottish Rite premiered a four-page publication for attendees titled “The Reunion News.” It was published every day during the Scottish Rite reunion. Interestingly, the Scottish Rite once met in the same building as the local newspaper, the Courier-Journal.

Scottish Rite membership was explosive during the 1920s, and the influential power of the Freemasons was substantial. This is a moment in time when the Rite, especially the Louisville Scottish Rite, was very vocal about their activities and positions on both political and social issues. From the late-nineteenth century to early twentieth century, it was not unusual to find detailed information pertaining to daily activities at Scottish Rite reunions, a list of members, the history of the organization and their stance on public and political topics. For example, the views of the Rite regarding public education were published in the local newspapers for all to read. When a potential candidate thought about joining a particular Scottish Rite, there was no question in his mind about what the organization stood for and could determine in advance if it was a good fit. This may be why the Scottish Rite continued to gain ground and dominate the fraternal landscape of America during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

In regard to the construction of their new home, on May 11, 1923, the Courier-Journal published, “Scottish Rite Masons will begin a three-day campaign May 23, to raise the $300,000 necessary to complete their building fund for the proposed $750,000 cathedral at the southwest corner of Fourth and Breckinridge Streets. Ground for this structure will be broken in September, it was said. The cathedral will have four stories and basement, with an auditorium seating 1,350 persons. Solicitation will be from the 2,286 members in the State of which 1,200 are in Louisville, The campaign will be in charge if Benjamin S. Washer, Richard Priest Dietzman, Edward F. Metzner, Harvey White and Dr. E. L. Henderson” (page 18).

On June 27, 1923, the old Scottish Rite was sold, becoming the new R. E. Jones Temple, Methodist Episcopal Church. On September 9, 1923, the Courier-Journal announced, “The contract for the construction at Fourth and Breckinridge Streets will be awarded shortly after bids are opened about October 15” (page 34). The building was sold to the Methodist Episcopal Church, becoming the R. E. Jones Temple. Rev. Dr. Robert Elijah Jones (1872-1960), namesake for the new church, was also a 33^rd degree Scottish Rite Mason. Within a year, however, tragedy struck the old Scottish Rite building. On May 27, 1924, the Courier-Journal reported “Five Firemen and a negro preacher were overcome by smoke last night when flames of undetermined origin ignited debris in the basement of the R. E. Jones Temple, formerly the Scottish Rite Cathedral at Sixth and Walnut Streets” (page 5).

There is one thing to consider about the original Scottish Rite stage and scenery when the Louisville Scottish Rite Cathedral changed ownership. When the building became the R. E. Jones Temple, it is highly unlikely that any fraternal artifacts or decorations were left behind. This means that the old scenery, stage machinery and other stage equipment was either returned to scenic studio (for credit on the purchase of a new collection), it was enlarged for their new stage, or it was sold to another Scottish Rite. To all indications, there remains a significant amount of scenery used by the Louisville Scottish Rite that predates the current building, c. 1910.

In 1910, the Louisville Scottish Rite purchased scenery from Toomey & Volland. Interestingly, Toomey and Volland advertisements from 1912 do not list Louisville alongside fifteen other Scottish Rite Cathedral installations by that time, suggesting that they may have only been adding to a previous purchase. Toomey & Volland could have simply expanded an earlier collection, possibly the one delivered in 1895. There is a distinct possibility that scenery was delivered by the precursor to Toomey & Volland – the scenic studio of Noxon & Toomey.

Thomas C. Noxon was a Freemason, and extremely active in the Shrine. Also, in 1895, Noxon & Toomey delivered stock scenery to Louisville’s Amphitheatre Auditorium. This may have been the crucial connection, a preliminary link with Louisville Masons and the scenic studio of Toomey & Volland. It would not be surprising to learn that Noxon visited the Scottish Rite while installing scenery for another theatrical venue; a common practice among scenic studio owners at the time.

It remains uncertain as to whether the major Scottish Rite scenery supplier to the Southern Jurisdiction at the time, E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co., delivered any scenery to the Louisville Scottish Rite Cathedral. Scottish Rite minutes may point to a specific vendor. If the theater work was contracted to E. A. Armstrong, Sosman & Landis were the preferred subcontractors in the mid-1890s, the scenic studio who manufactured and installed the scenery for this fraternal supplier. However, the Louisville Scottish Rite is not listed in a 1902 E. A. Armstrong advertisement that notes all the Consistories they had equipped since 1897. Keep in mind that was after the potential 1895 date of delivery. If it was manufactured at the Sosman & Landis studio, David A. Strong would have been the Masonic designer and primary scenic artist for the earliest Louisville collection due to his early Masonic affiliation. Strong was instrumental in producing much of Chicago’s Scottish Rite scenery for stages starting in 1873; this was the other Masonic theater that Louisville was compared with in 1895.

There are two other possibilities in regard to regional artists who may have created the original 1895 scenery collection Louisville Scottish Rite Cathedral –scenic artists E. T. Harvey or Henry C. Tryon.

Harvey was the scenic artist who designed, painted, and installed Scottish Rite scenery collections for Cincinnati in 1886 and Cleveland in 1901. In 1886, Harvey delivered eighteen sets of scenery to the Cleveland Scottish Rite Cathedral’s stage. Keep in mind that Louisville’s 1895 Scottish Rite Cathedral was compared with the Cincinnati Scottish Rite Cathedral in the newspaper article; “The new cathedral in point of general magnificence is surpassed by only two in the United States, those being cathedrals of the Grand Consistories of Illinois, at Chicago, and of Ohio, at Cincinnati.”

Tryon was the scenic artist credited with scenery and stage machinery at the Indianapolis Scottish Rite a few years earlier in 1883. Both Harvey and Tryon were close friends with Thomas G. Moses, who was in charge of the design, painting, construction, and installation of all Scottish Rite scenery at Sosman & Landis (Chicago) after 1904.”

There is so much more that I could write about this project and the collection as a whole, but I need to pause here. For more posts about this collection, keyword search “Louisville Scottish Rite.”

To be continued…

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Mural Preservation in Okanogan Washington, Oct. 7-23, 2022

*Painted detail from the 1915 Okanogan Mural.*

My involvement with the Okanogan Murals began earlier this year. On January 28, 2022, I received the following email and a link from my Canadian colleague John Madill.

He wrote, “In case you hadn’t seen this (nice tranquil images and palette). Cheers, J”

*Here is a link to the Jan. 27, 2022, article:* *https://www.cnn.com/style/article/couple-discover-murals-during-renovation-trnd/index.html*

The article reported, “A couple renovating a 115-year-old building discovered two 60-foot-long hidden murals.” The accompanying photograph pictured a lovely landscape painting above piles of construction debris.

Madill was just the first of many friends and colleagues who day shared this story with me on January 28, urging me to contact the young couple. I didn’t have to think about it for long, as Lisa Timm contacted me the next day.

On January 29, 2002, I received the following FB message:

“Hi, Wendy! My husband and I recently uncovered a 60ft mural from 1915 and are hoping to conserve it. I was wondering if you could offer any advice or expertise as it looks like a theatre backdrop. There are videos and pictures on our Facebook group (mural restoration at the historic Timm building). Thanks so much.”

I had already delayed several out-of-state business trips, as familial obligations were pressing. I was trying to stick close to home. However, that did not stop me from finding Okanogan on a map. Amazingly, it was an hour north of Chelan, Washington. I was working with a theater owner in that town.

*Okanogan is located 3 hours west of Spokane, Washington.*

My Chelan client was Ruby Theatre owner, Larry Hibbard. In fact, I had just received half of the main drape for the Ruby Theatre with a request to bid out replicating curtain, complete with hand-painted border. I would soon find out that J. M. Deeds Scenic Studio had not only decorated Okanogan’s Hub Theatre, but also Chelan’s Ruby Theatre. This was my sign to quickly document the Okanogan murals and visit the Ruby Theatre.

*Larry Hibbard in front of the Ruby Theatre, Feb. 2022.*

The Ruby Theatre Curtain.

Originally constructed as a commercial building in 1907, the structure in Okanogan initially housed the Okanogan Commercial Club, a precursor of the Chamber of Commerce. By 1915, the building was transformed into the Hub theatre. The theatre renovation included the installation of two 60’-0” long large murals on the north and south side walls. On Dec. 7, 1915, the “Okanogan Independent” announced, “Improvements at Hub’s.” The article reported, “Hub Carlton has contracted with J. M. Deeds of Wenatchee for interior decorations, new screen and new curtain for the Hub Theatre that will greatly improve the inside appearance of this popular playhouse. Mr. Deeds came up from Wenatchee last week and is now supervising the work, which is being done by W. J. McConnon, and experienced decorator who has been in Mr. Deeds employ for some time. Mr. Deeds has just completed decorations for the Wenatchee theater, which is said to be one of the finest in this part of the state, and also is the man who did the decorating for the Ruby Theatre of Chelan, known far and near as one of the most attractive playhouses in the country. The new improvements at the Hub include 120 feet of panoramic landscape scenery in light tans. The picture screen will be 11×13 feet in size and have frame effects of moulding. There will also be a pretty drop advertising curtain with an overhead roll, noiseless I operation and will be controlled from the operator’s booth. Mr. Carlton is sparing no means to improve his place of business and is making additions to his equipment as rapidly as business will warrant.”

*One of two murals delivered to the Hun Theatre in 1915.*

In 1918, another building renovation transformed the building into the Paramount, a movie house. It was at this time that the two three-years-old murals were encapsulated between the original wood walls and the new plaster walls.

An article from May 14, 1918, described the new Paramount Theatre recently completed by C. P. Scates, reporting, “When Mr. Scates first went into the theatre business in this city, he expected to erect a new building. He secured a location and had architects submit plans for an up-to-date theatre, but soon discovered that war prices on labor and material made it absolutely impractical to build at the present time. He then set about to remodel the old building, which has been accomplished under mechanical guidance of Geo. W. Colyar, and expert in his line, as an inspection of the Paramount will convince anyone.

“There is very little left of the old building. The entire front had been torn out and replaced with concrete and metal construction. A thirty-foot brick addition has been built on the rear. The front of the new theatre is as handsome as the interior, finished in white cement and artistically decorated with ornamental plaster in the shape of cornice, cartouches, and flower boxes. The lobby is entirely done in white and presents a particularly fine appearance from the street. The interior is a work of art. The general color scheme is old rose and silver, gray, and the ceiling is heavily beamed and panels. A heavy proscenium arch forms a handsome frame for the screen.”

*Interior of the Paramount Theatre with old rose and silver-gray walls.*

*Remnants of the Paramount interior decor.*

Despite changes in the use of the building over the years, the murals lay hidden plaster and lathe. The Timms purchased the building during late 2021. During their extensive renovation in early in January 2022, their crew broke through a section of plaster wall, just to see what was behind the wall. To their surprise, the hole revealed a section of a painting. No one could have anticipated that the two paintings delivered by Deeds Scenic Studio were hidden behind the walls installed during Scate’s opening of the Paramount Theatre.

*Layers of plaster, lathe, furring strip, and painted mural.*

*Furring strips and lathe were nailed to the painted murals.*

Despite bright colors, the murals were extremely damaged. There were hundreds of punctures from nails for furring strips and lathe, sporadic pockets of plaster that had oozed between lathe strips, cut openings for windows, and water stains from seasonal leaks, the paintings remained exceedingly vibrant and appeared in remarkably good shape.

Although I was swamped with work and had no intention of taking any out-of-state work , I began to contemplate the feasibility of a very, very, quick trip west to document the paintings before their removal. I immediately began to act as a resource for the young couple; they were being inundated with opinions regarding removal and restoration.

Over the course of the next two weeks, the Timms sent very detailed pictures of the two murals, and we began a series of discussions about possible options for removal, storage, and preservation. I did my best to educate them about the painting process and various options for removal, storage, repair, and restoration. We scheduled virtual meeting where they walked me through the space, closely examining how the attached to the wall. We were in luck, as the mural was glued to a few layers of wallpaper, meaning that it may easily pop off of the wall.

*Green wallpaper under the painted fabric.* *This was one of two wallpaper layers glued to the backs of the paintings.*

Various decorative layers tacked and pasted to the original wooden walls of the building offered a a walk thru time as the space was transferred from one owner to another. Initially, cotton sheeting was tacked onto the wooden walls, the only barrier to the outdoor elements.

A Delta Mills fine sheeting(right) stamp was discovered on this first layer of fabric. Only a layer of thin wallpaper covered the first layer of Delta sheeting (left).

This was likely to provide an air-barrier and uniform surface for the first layer of wallpaper. This first layer of wallpaper was off white with metallic edging.

*The first color scheme for the Hub Theatre was cream with metallic scroll work. The interior was very light and simplistic in style.*

A decorative border was pasted to the top of each section, somewhat ornate with metallic scrollwork paper atop a creamy background. A few years later, a new color scheme was introduced to the space, one that was much darker. A second layer of wallpaper and border paper were dark green with metallic accents in jeweled colors. The border paper was especially lovely and quite thick. When the building was renovated for a third time in 1915, the green wallpaper was primed white, and the fabric mural pasted on top.

*The second color scheme for the Hub Theatre was primarily green with metallic details.*

*The second border for the Hub Theatre. There was metallic detail on the floral border.*

*Detail of second border, found directly under the painted mural.*

In 1918 the venue changed hands, the building was renovated, and the theatre was renamed the Paramount. During the renovation plaster walls encapsulated the murals, effectively concealing them for over the next century. In the dark they patiently waited for another renovation; one that may possibly reveal the work of Deeds scenic artist W. C. Connell. would not happen until early January 2022.

*The Hub Theatre was purchased and renovated in 1918, becoming the Paramount.* *This is when the murals became concealed behind new plaster walls.*

I flew into Spokane, Washington, and examined the murals for the first time on February 16, 2022. The old Hub Theater in Okanogan is easy to miss. There is no a fly tower, no ornate façade; nothing to announce that it was once featured live theater or movies. The building looks more like an old hardware store than any temple of entertainment. If the Timms had not been standing outside, shouting, and waving their hands, I would have missed it entirely.

*The exterior of the old Hub Theater during my visit in February 2022.*

My plan was to only take pictures of the murals and leave with only memories. Upon entering the building my heart sank and I knew that there was very little time to save these murals. The relentless drip of water accentuated the dampness of the space. The drips both hit and missed a series of buckets lined up on the floor between the two murals. In previous conversations, the Timms had mentioned their concern of snow melt and a leaking roof. I had no idea it was this bad. I knew that it was just a matter of weeks before the distemper paintings were entirely destroyed.

*My initial visit to document the murals. Note the two large garbage cans catching water from the leaking roof and wet floor.*

That was when I began to game plan about their immediate removal. The preservation could happen slowly in phases, but there was minimal time to remove the murals from a leaking building.

I could not extend my stay, but I could return in a week. During my brief absence, the Timms frantically prepared the space for the upcoming mural removal. They cleared debris, removed walls, redirected water leaks, and ordered all of the necessary supplies.

On February 28, 2022, I returned to Okanogan and started work the next day. The first mural came down in two hours, the second in less than an hour. As I anticipated, the thick wallpaper backing was key to the murals’ quick release from the wall. Nick, Lisa, and their crew of four helped stabilize the painting as I carefully separated the wallpaper-backed mural from first layer of cotton sheeting that was tacked to the wooden substrate.

*A view of the wallpaper backing as the murals were removed from the walls.*

Removing the murals necessitated that I insert myself in between the wallpaper-backed mural and fabric-covered wall, carefully releasing the wallpaper from the wall.

*Painted detail showing areas where plaster reached the mural.*

After the murals were removed from the wall, each received a preliminary cleaning, and then was rolled, encapsulated, and transferred to a climate-controlled storage room.

A section showing the mural before (right) and after (left) the preliminary cleaning.

The last sections of each mural were completely unsalvageable. This reducing the overall length of each mural to 50-feet. However, many of the unsalvageable scraps were carefully packed in my luggage.

*Some areas of the murals were unsalvageable. It is amazing that any of the painting survived.*

For the next four months, I began the laborious task of identifying the best method to remove layers of wallpaper from the fragile fabric without damaging the distemper painting. In the end, I was able to lightly mist the paper backing, wait twenty-minutes, and carefully peel the paper off, without damaging the paint.

The first phase of the Okanogan Mural Preservation included wallpaper removal, cleaning, fabric repair, fabric reinforcement, paint consolidation, and preparation for hanging. The work was planned for the first two weeks of August. We ordered materials, located a workspace, and identified local assistants. As the project neared, I watched temperatures soar to 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius). This is an area where many homes do not have any type of air-cooling systems. Despite the newly purchased swamp cooler for the Arts and Crafts Building on the fairgrounds, interior temperatures could not reach an acceptable level for art preservation.

We delayed the project until the beginning of October, hoping that the temperatures would drop to an acceptable level in fall. Yet as the project neared, I noticed that temperatures were still in the mid-80s. Crossing my fingers, I hoped for the best. Little did I know that we would have to buy heaters for the end of the project.

On October 7, 2022, I journeyed from Minneapolis to Okanogan. Flying into Spokane, I rented a car and drove the three hours west to the eastern slope of the Cascades

It is a lovely drive in the fall. This time I passed endless miles of harvested fields before entering the Okanogan Valley with acres of apple trees.

I arrived in Okanogan as sunset approached and soon settled into my new abode. My lodging was at the Timm’s estate, in a separate house once owned by Nick’s late father. With many of the windows facing east, the view was quite stunning with fall colors just starting to peak.

On Saturday, October 8, Nick Timm and I began to set up my workspace in the Arts and Crafts Building of the Okanogan Fair Grounds. This was not an unfamiliar space, as I had approved the location during my February visit. It was a massive building, with two sets of sinks, counter tops, fantastic lighting, ample electrical outlets, and nearby restrooms. Little did we know that by October the Okanogan fairgrounds would be in the midst of water and sewage troubles. The greatest challenge on Day 1 was access to the building and running water. The fairground’s entrance gates and bathrooms were locked as it was a weekend. This meant crawling over a 4-ft. gate to get into the grounds. Fortunately for me, there were two satellite bathrooms near the railroad tracks and a potable sink to wash my hands.

My workspace was in the Arts & Crafts Building on the Okanogan County fairgrounds. Notice the two small Satellites by on the far left by the railroad tracks.

Less than ideal, it was the lack of running water that concerned me the most.

The building had housed arts and crafts projects during the county fair in September. This mean that there was dirt, flower pollen, and bits of trash all over the place. I needed a clean environment to ensure that dust and debris would not become airborne when I later turned on the box fans. By the end of the day, most of the supplies were unpacked and the murals were ready for the work to begin.

*Two layers of wallpaper and border paper* *on the back of the Okanogan murals.*

On October 9, I began the slow and arduous process of wallpaper removal from the back of each mural. It had taken me most of the spring and early summer to come up with a process to remove the paper without damaging the distemper painting. Keep in mind that distemper paint reactivates with water; it is just dry pigment paste mixed with diluted hide glue. I came up with a technique where I misted the paper with distilled water to soften the wallpaper adhesive, effectively releasing it from the painting. In Minnesota, it took a minimum of twenty minutes for the water to penetrate the adhesive, releasing it from the fabric.

*When the distilled water reached the last layer of adhesive, strips of wallpaper easily lifted from the fabric.*

What I did not anticipate was varying humidity levels in Okanogan. Although, the process remained very successful, it took a bit longer the first day. However, just like my experiments at home, the fabric easily released in big sections, and I was able to complete half of the first mural by the end of the day. Right on schedule, it would take a full four days to remove the wallpaper before starting the preservation of the fabric.

My second day of wallpaper removal was a bit of surprise. That night, the winds picked up and dried everything out. Temperatures dropped and everything began to dry out. This is the type of air where your lips immediately chap, and your skin begins to feel stretched. My wallpaper removal technique was no longer working; the water began to evaporate from the paper before it had a chance to permeate the adhesive. I began to experiment with a series of techniques, refining my process where the wallpaper could easily lift off. Picking at the paper or attempting to remove it when dry caused the paint to immediately release and dust off of the surface; it was too thin. I was already doing a balancing act, dampening the fabric without releasing the distemper paint.

*A close-up of the mural fabric and layer of paint. There were many areas with complete paint loss.*

On the third day of wallpaper removal, two assistants now helped carefully peel the paper away. One was my full-time onsite assistant Marty Staggs and the other was mural owner Nick Timm. As Timm observed, it was very similar to skinning an animal hide. The trick was knowing when to move on and not stay if paper was stuck on a dry patch; the paper remained stuck in areas where the water failed to permeate the first layer of glue and white primer. I kept repeating, “If it doesn’t come off easy, move along to another section.” We finished removing approximately 95% of all wallpaper.

*Only scraps of wallpaper were left on the backside. We did not attempt to remove these at it would have irreparably damaged both the fabric and paint.*

On the final day of my first week, we cleaned the space and flipped the murals (painted side up). This was to assess their condition before continuing with the preservation next week. Each painting had held up beautifully during the wallpaper removal.

A fresh layer of muslin was placed below the murals. After cleaning each painted composition, we again cleaned the room to prevent any environmental dust from becoming airborne for the rest of the restoration.

By the end of the day, we secured the edges of each mural, and I gradually dampened the fabric with distilled water, so that any residual creasing or stiffness from the wallpaper adhesive would release. This would help with the upcoming fabric stabilization and patching.

The fabric repair began with patching small holes and continued to muslin backing for large cut openings (previous window openings and of access holes). This coincided with the temperature plummeting to 39 degrees Fahrenheit (3.9 degrees Celsius). As the inside the building was only a few degrees warmer, it was too cold to consolidate paint or patch fabric. So, we had to go out and purchase four large heaters. The irony of postposing this work due to heat was not lost on me. The new heaters, combined with warmer air temperatures during the day, meant that the building was finally warm enough to continue with the preservation.

After patching each drop, I attached the top hanging strip and reinforced both the sides and bottoms of each mural.

The final workday, October 21, was the hardest day of all; it was a firm deadline. All of the patching and support strips needed to be done by the end of the day if we were to hang them the next day. Nothing could be glued the next day, as they had to be completely dry prior to rolling and storing. I managed to make the deadline, but my body was a little worse for wear.

Saturday, October 22, was my last day on site. I was assisted by Staggs and the Timms. We spent the morning hanging and photographing details. The afternoon was spent preparing murals for storage again. This meant rolling each mural and encapsulating them in plastic.

*The murals hanging in the Arts and Crafts Building of the Okanogan County Fairgrounds. October 22, 2022.*

I drove back to the Spokane airport on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 23. The drive was absolutely stunning. It gave me some time to reflect on the project and the next steps. I was also taking photographs; source material for my easel art this winter.

*The Okanogan Valley on the morning of my departure home.*

*View on my drive from Okanogan to Spokane, Washington.*

As I flew home to Minneapolis, I could not help but reflect on the rarity of these two murals. I kept thinking back to my own research and post about Deeds. Here is the link to just one of my posts about this intriguing man: https://drypigment.net2022/03/07/travels-of-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-j-m-deeds/

*J. M. Deeds pictured in the “San Francisco Call” in 1896.*

On May 29, 1913, the “Spokane Chronicle” heralded Deed’s scenic enterprise, including a picture of work being done in his studio. The article reported:

“This is the only studio of its kind between Minneapolis and the Coast,” said Mr. Deeds today. “We are prepared to cover the territory completely, including states of Wyoming, Utah, and the western Canadian provinces, and we expect to invade the east. There is no reason why we should not do this since we are prepared to complete with them in workmanship as well as salesmanship.” Mr. Deeds has been engaged in the production of scenery for 10 years and during this time has traveled extensively, visiting the leading studios in the east and middle west.”

*Deeds studio pictured in the “Spokane Chronicle” in 1913.*

The two Okanogan murals may be all that remains of the Deeds Scenic Studio. Theaters were repainted, renovated, and razed. It is not enough that an artifact survives. There must be stewards to take care of it. It is extremely fortunate that the Okanogan murals were found by the Timms and that they acted immediately. The Timms continue to raise funds for the second phase of preservation that will focus on areas of paint loss. If you able to support the preservation of these murals, please visit the Timm’s Go Fund Me site:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/115-year-old-hidden-mural-preservation

*Lisa and Nick Timm, the current stewards of the Okanogan Murals.*

Here is the time-lapse video of the project that I posted to YouTube On Nov. 6, 2022.

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Okanogan, Washington

On January 28, 2022, I received a short email from John Madill in Canada:

In case you hadn’t seen this (nice tranquil images and palette)
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/couple-discover-murals-during-renovation-trnd/index.html

Cheers, J

He shared a CNN link from Jan. 27, 2022, that reported, “A couple renovating a 115-year-old building discovered two 60-foot-long hidden murals.” Below the heading was a photograph of a lovely landscape painting above construction debris. The color palette and stencil reminded me of several backdrops that I had encountered over the years, and my first thought was, “A scenic artist painted that.”

John was just the first of many friends who shared the link that day, and each time I thought, “Looks like fun, but nothing I can deal with right now.” I had already cancelled my trips to teach at Cobalt in February and attend USITT in March. Familial obligations were pressing, and I was trying to stick close to home this spring.

However, the story was intriguing. After serving in the military, a young couple had returned home to take care of dying parent. In the midst of grieving and settling the estate, they decided to put down roots in the town. They purchased and began the renovation of an old movie theater. It was to be a bar and restaurant; a gathering place for locals. Early in January of this year, they decided to break through a section of plaster, just to see what was behind the wall. No one could have anticipated that there would be a huge landscape mural; one of two. Despite punctures from furring strips and water damage from plaster oozing between strips of lathe, the paintings were in great shape.

The very next day I received a FB message from Lisa Timm. I opened it and read:

I scheduled a time to chat with her about the murals.

In the meantime, I decided to do a little research on my own. I started with the simple query: “Where in the heck is Okanogan, Washington?” After opening a Maps app, I started to peruse nearby towns. Okanogan was due north of Chelan, Washington. At that moment, half of the main curtain from Chelan’s Ruby Theatre was laid out on my paint frame. I had just started the process of bidding out a replica.

*Detail of main curtain from the Ruby Theatre in Chelan, Washington.*

Although I was swamped with work and had no intention of traveling out of state for the next few months, I began to contemplate the feasibility of a very quick trip west. After realizing that the same scenic studio decorated both the Okanogan and Chelan theaters, I booked a flight. There were too many signs pointing me in the direction of Washington.

Over the course of the next two weeks, Lisa and Nick Timm sent detail pictures of the murals and we began a series of discussions about possible options. I was still hesitant to take on another project yet fielded their questions. I also did my best to educate them about the painting process and options for removal, storage, repair, and restoration. We even scheduled a WhatsApp video chat so they could walk me through the space, and I could clearly examine how the mural was attached to the wall. We were in luck as the mural was the last of three layers.

*Three layers: cotton sheeting, wall paper and mural.*

*Detail of where furring strip was tacked to mural.*

Initially cotton sheeting was tacked to the wall with a thick wallpaper layer pasted on top. When the theatre was renovated in 1915, a second layer of cotton sheeting was tacked on top of the wallpaper and primed. This effectively glued the fabric to the wallpaper, creating a backing for the mural. The mural was only visible for three years before a plaster wall concealed it for a century.

*The layers: plaster, mural, wallpaper and cotton sheeting.*

*Area behind a chimney showing lathe, furring strips and mural. The chimney was removed prior to my arrival.*

In 1918 the venue changed hands, the building was renovated, and the theatre was renamed the Paramount. During the renovation, furring strips were tacked to the murals. Then lathe and plaster entombed the landscape paintings. In the dark they patiently waited for another renovation; one that would not happen until early January 2022.

*The renovated Paramount Theatre, c. 1918.*

*Remnants of the Paramount theater walls. Some remnants will remain in place.*

I flew into Spokane and drove three hours west to Chelan where I stayed for the remainder of the trip. In Chelan I met explored the Ruby Theatre space and gave a community presentation about their theatre. When I ventured north to Okanogan, I was accompanied by Larry Hibbard, local architect and Ruby Theatre owner. I could not have asked for a better host. It is an absolutely beautiful area, home to miles and miles of fruit orchards. Their biggest export remains apples. Hibbard operated an apple orchard for decades.

*Scene just south of Okanogan, Washington.*

*Scene on my drive from Spokane to Okanogan*.

My plan was to only take pictures and leave with memories. This was not a project that I could drop everything else and take on in March. I was in the midst of several restoration projects, an opera design, and recognized that I was already overextended. Little did I know that everything was about to change.

The old Hub Theater in Okanogan is easy to miss. There is not a fly tower nor ornate façade to announce that it was once featured movies. The building looks more like an old hardware store than any temple of entertainment. If the Timms had not been standing outside, shouting and waving their hands, we would have missed it entirely.

*The old theater is sandwiched between an automotive repair shop and a law firm in Okanogan.*

Upon entering the building my heart sank and I knew that there was very little time to save these murals. The relentless drip of water accentuated the dampness of the space. The drips both hit and missed a series of buckets lined up on the floor between the two murals. In previous conversations, the Timms had mentioned their concern of snow melt and a leaking roof. I had no idea it was this bad. I knew that it was just a matter of weeks before the murals would be entirely destroyed. That was when I began to game plan about their immediate removal. There would be plenty of time to plan the conservation of each painting, but there was minimal time to remove the murals from a leaking building.

*Water leaking from the roof from rain and snow melt.*

I could not extend my stay but could return within the week. In the meantime, the space needed to be cleared, prepped and necessary supplies ordered.

The first mural came down in two hours, the second in less than an hour. Nick, Lisa and their crew of four helped stabilize the painting as I separated the wallpaper from the first layer of cotton sheeting.

*One of the two murals prior to removal.*

*I inched along behind the mural to loosen the layer of wallpaper from the original cotton sheeting tacked to the wall.*

I am breathing a bit easier today, and happy to report that both murals have been successfully removed from the walls. In the end, the thick wallpaper backing helped support the long artworks throughout the process. Each mural will be transferred to a climate-controlled storage room until I am able to restore them.

*After the first mural was down and prior to rolling.*

These murals come with their own artistic provenance and shed a little light on American Theatre in the Pacific Northwest. J. M. Deeds Scenic Studio, of Spokane, secured the contract to paint the murals in 1915. By this time his firm had already decorated Chelan’s Ruby Theatre and the Wenatchee Theatre, located south of Chelan. I’ll share the story of J. M. Deeds tomorrow.

*Map showing the location of Okanogan, Chelan and Wenatchee, Washington.*

To be continued…

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Restoring the Brown Grand Theatre Drop Curtain, Day 7.

Sunday was my final day of work at the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas. Over the course of seven days cleaned, repaired, consolidated loose paint, in painted, reinforced the seams, and replaced the entire top of the drop curtain with new fabric and batten. I also cleaned, consolidated loose painted, and repaired the matching grand border. Initially, this project was a pretty straightforward repair and touch-up job that was going to take five full days. However, it morphed into a “replace the entire top of the drop curtain and reinforce the seams.” It tacked on an extra two days to the project, so was my last chance to finish everything last night before I left town today. Concordia is a nine-hour drive from my home in Minnesota.

Constructed a PVC roller for the bottom of the drop; this will solely to help reposition the piece for hanging. An extremely thick layer of original primer and paint makes the composition extremely fragile and subject to cracking. All that was available was available for a quick roller was ten-foot sections of 4” PVC. We purchased four sections and five connectors. The last two connectors were added to the ends, as it lifts the tubes up, and the fabric is able to adjust during the rolling, preventing wrinkles that sometimes occur.

*Roller to help shift drop curing hanging.*

*Test run to make sure that roller would easily roll,*

I positioned the assembled roller and did a dry run to make sure it would work. I wanted to verify that the paint didn’t crack when being wrapped around the diameter. Rolling would occur Monday morning, as it has been extremely humid and I wanted to make sure that everything was really dry.

My next task was to attach the new top batten, made by local theatre volunteer Royce. The battens were beautiful. As the drop is out of square, I referenced painted detail (bottom of the frame). Just as they used to attach battens: I started out with nailing the back of the batten to the stage floor. This keeps the boards straight and in position as I attached fabric. I was also able to work out a few warps this way too. Then I attached the top of the fabric to the back batten, stapling every six inches; no, there were no tacks available. I placed the front batten, sandwiching the fabric, with screws every foot, staggered. After everything was all set, I pried up the top batten and hammered over the nails. Voila! It was all set to go. The holes for suspension will be drilled when it is hung next Friday.

*Attaching the back part of the batten.*

I then returned to both in-painting and paint consolidation on the drop curtain. I worked on the drop until there were too many wet areas and then shifted to the grand border – about 2PM. After cleaning the piece, I patched and replaced a missing grommet at the top. Then I was able to focus my attention on both the green drapes for the drop curtain and grand border.

*New top batten on drop curtain and matching grand border curtain.*

I finished up at 7PM and headed back to my hotel for the Board Meeting via. Zoom. I created a power point to show details of the work that occurred over the week and answered questions. The daily posts of this project were primarily for the Board of Directors to follow the progress, without stopping by during the day.

***View of matching grand border curtain and new trop of drop curtain.***

This morning after checking out of my hotel, I stop by the theater, roll the drop, load up my supplies and head home. On my way home, I am stopping by the Blair Theatre in Bellville, Kansas to see their 1928 theater; Belleville is due north of Concordia.

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Restoring the Brown Grand Theatre Drop Curtain, Day 6.

The three horizontal seams on the Napoleon Drop Curtain at the Brown Grand Theatre were separating; the thread completely failing, leaving gaping holes in the painted composition. Each needed to be reinforced prior to hanging.

*There are three seams on the Brown Grand Theatre Napoleon Drop Curtain.*

Although this is not a common occurrence, I have encountered it before on historic scenery at Scottish Rite theaters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Pasadena, California.

*My past work reinforcing the top, bottom, and vertical seams on a backdrop at the Pasadena Scottish Rite.*

In each case, the historic scenery was treated at least twice with flame retardants, possibly more. I have noticed that when some historic drops are re-treated with a secondary type of flame retardant, a chemical reaction occurs, causing the fabric to become stained and brittle. Not only will the fabric deteriorate, but the paint will actually begin to flake off. Such is the case with the Napoleon Drop Curtain.

*Brown staining on the back of the Napoleon Drop Curtain from flame retardant, c. 1978-1979.*

*Staining from multiple applications from flame retardants. Backdrop at the Pasadena Scottish Rite Theatre, c. 1902.*

*Damaged area on the seam.* *Backdrop at the Pasadena Scottish Rite Theatre, c. 1902.*

We know for certain that the Napoleon Drop Curtain was treated with a flame retardant as the back clearly states “Flame Proofed”– twice. It is possible that an overly strong solution was applied to begin with, or that a secondary application was added over the years. Some fire marshals will demand that historic scenery be treated ever few years; they have no idea that this will destroy historic scenes.

*Flame Proofed stencil on the Napoleon Drop Curtain at the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas.*

In regard to the failing seams on the Napoleon Drop Curtain, the only remedy is to reinforce them, thus preventing the further separation of the fabric panels. I reinforced one seam earlier this week as a test sample. This was to make sure that I could manipulate the drop, as well as verifying the strength of the glue and width of the necessary patch. Today I realized that all of the seams were different widths.

*The narrowest areas of a seam on the Napoleon Drop Curtain measure 1/4″.*

*The narrowest areas of a seam on the Napoleon Drop Curtain measure almost 1 1/2″.*

*Reinforced seam. Note how the width of the seam varies beneath reinforcement strip.*

There are two factors accelerating the overall deterioration of the painted surface on the Napoleon Drop Curtain: flame retardant and primer. The primary issue is that the pigment has begun to separate from the primer. Saturating areas with an extremely diluted hide glue has helped some. However, I have been hesitant to treat any areas that were not dusting. My hesitation stems from the overall thickness of the combined primer and paint layers. I have actually never encountered such a thick layer of dry pigment paint on an entire drop before, and the added weight to the fabric is quite something.

*Paint that has flaked off of the Napoleon Drop Curtain, revealing the white prime coat beneath.*

The weight makes the drop difficult to shift. This drop is incredibly heavy, and it has nothing to do with the actual fabric. The weight comes from the paint. This excess weight is also taking a toll on the fragile fabric. Typically, I am able to easily move a drop once it is on the stage floor. Keep in mind that the drop is on plastic, so it should easily slide in any direction that I want it to go; I just have to get a little air under the drop and it should readily move. The easiest way I can describe this process is playing with a parachute in gym class. Giving a little flip to the edge gets air under the fabric, lifts it up, and helps move the entire drop. When it is airborne, you guide the direction of where the drop will land. Usually, I can do this by myself with very little effort, but not the Napoleon drop curtain. It took two of use today to shift the drop.

*After all three seams were reinforced on the Napoleon Drop Curtain.*

The drop curtain was flipped face side down to reinforce the two remaining seams. This was not an easy task. When we flipped the drop face up again, I just about burst into tears. There were entirely new areas of damage to the painted composition. This time the damage was in vertical lines running down one area of the drop. I could not believe my eyes.For the life of me, I could not figure out why there was vertical damage, and not horizontal.

*An example of vertical damage that occurred when flipping the drop. Notice previously stabilized horizontal cracks*.

*Detail of damage that occurred after the Napoleon Drop Curtain was flipped painted side up.*

There is that moment of stunned silence when I find myself at a loss. Then my brain goes into overtime, trying to process what has happened and what this means for the rest of the restoration and hanging process. I thought of all of the obstacles that will occur when it is hung from the pipe and raised. I needed to come up with a process to minimize any further damage during handling and hanging.

When I was patching four horizontal tears on the the backside of the drop, I noticed a vertical crease running though an entire fabric panel. At the time, I could not imagine was caused it. This flaw was original to the creation of the drop and not recent. It is now contributing to the paint separation, as are other areas with fabric flaws.

*Flaw in the fabric on the back of the drop that I noticed while patching. This is one of the areas where a vertical line appeared when he drop was flipped over.*

Here is my plan for today:

When the paint restoration is completed it will need to dry overnight. Despite the air conditioning, an abundance of rain this week has not helped lower humidity levels or dry time. Early Monday morning, I will roll the drop onto a tube. Due to limited time and supplies, I am forced to use fabric-wrapped PVC tubes. This in itself is incredibly tricky, as old drops seldom easily roll without creases. The new top batten will already be attached and ready to go. The idea is that the drop will be slowly unrolled as it is lifted; a time-consuming process, as it will need many hands gently unrolling the drop. Once suspended, and the lines leveled (hemp system), the bottom batten will be added. Attaching the bottom batten is pretty straight forward as the original lines are still visible. This is an original batten, by the way. The problem is that I will not be there for the actual hanging, scheduled next Friday.

How the drop responded during handling does not bode well for the overall longevity of this piece.

I was recently asked how long the restored drop could last. Considering the deteriorated fabric and flaking, I explained that it could possibly last for another forty, or even fifty, years. However, at some point it will need a backing piece, one that covers and supports everything. That is always a last resort and should be delayed as long as possible. The repairs to the back will cause a huge problem during the backing process. The added thickness and weight will also become problematic. After seeing the vertical lines today, I don’t know if it will last more than a few decades now, especially when I start factoring in the humidity and heat in Kansas. Temperatures on the stage greatly vary.

I have been restoring historic scenery for quite some time. There are always wildcards that you can’t anticipate, but this one is really unique. For a drop painted in 1978, this should be in much better shape. There is just so much paint on the fabric. The seams will hold, but it is impossible to determine when the actual fabric will give way. I say this, having handled drops three times the age of this one, with absolute confidence that they had several decades left in them.

The thickness of a paint layer ultimately determines the lifetime of a backdrop. The seaming matters too. Over time, I have noticed that vertical seams support the weight of bottom battens better than horizontal seams.

To be continued…

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Concordia KNCK Radio Interview

On September 17, 2021, I was interviewed by Tony at KNCK Radio. He asked a variety of questions my current scenery restoration project at the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas. Here is the link to the interview:

https://www.ncktoday.com/local/restoring-brown-grand-theatre-drop-curtain?fbclid=IwAR0bRDrO10dzvP4-HTC8bdCkbwS9hCcsToBrZQJAmX900Jmk8BceBKCsUkg#.YUSaa5N0-O0.facebook

*Article with interview snippets. Concordia KNCK Radio*.

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Restoring the Brown Grand Theatre Drop Curtain, Day 5 – Random Patches

I have never encountered random patching on a historic backdrop. Patches are usually placed with a purpose; to repair some sort of damage to the fabric. The Napoleon drop curtain at the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas, has dozens of patches that range from approximately 1” x 1” to 3” x 8”. Only a handful of these patches cover damaged fabric. The placement of the rest remain a mystery.

*The Napoleon Drop Curtain at the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas.*

*Random patches on the back of the Napoleon Drop Curtain.*

*Detail of patches on the Napoleon Drop Curtain.*

Initially, I surmised that an enthusiastic individual came up with a solution to prevent light spill, covering thin areas with a patch, but now I am beginning to wonder. Today, I had to remove a few of those patches along a horizontal seam for reinforcement. There was nothing odd about the fabric beneath the patch.

*Patch covering seam that needs a reinforcement strip.*

*Removing patch to place reinforcement strip – no damage below.*

As I removed each patch, I was surprised to find no thinning fabric or apparent damage beneath. This was very perplexing, and I started to take a closer look at the actual patches, the glue, and placement. Here is an example of another patch that I removed to prepare the area of a reinforcement strip.

*Removing patch to place reinforcement strip*.

*Removing patch to place reinforcement strip – no damage below.* *There is only glue residue along the bottom edge where the patch used to be.*

It was apparent that the patches were placed while hanging, just based on glue drips alone. Glue saturated the drop, and a variety of muslin patches were pressed into place. Not all patches were well cut or placed. This haphazard process not only cracked the paint, but also left some staining on the front when the glue seeped through.

Here are my observations:

Multiple hands cut the patches. Some had perfectly frayed edges, with all of the thread removed. Others had wadded up bunches of thread in the corners. A few patches were even cut with pinking shears. I could not help but think of the individual who was was actively working to prevent frayed edges.

Multiple individuals slathered glue on the area to be patched. Some used an abundance of glue to the point that there is more glue on the surrounding fabric than under the patch. In some cases, so much glue was added that it dripped down like tree sap.

*Glue drips that indicate the patching was done while the drop was hanging.*

Quality greatly varies in placement. There are so many examples where one can say “not like this.”

Here are a few examples of what not to do when patching a drop:

1. The glue goes on the patch first, not the drop; it never goes on both. The reason for this is to prevent the glue from seeping through to the painted surface.

*Too much glue used for each patch. This will affect the front (painted composition).*

*Notice the two squares that are darker. This is the staining from the patches pictured in the image above.*

2. Do not place one patch over another; it’s pointless.

3. Fray the edges of each patch, do not use pinking shears. This helps secure the edge of the patch.

4. Smooth down the frayed edges of each patch. This helps secure the edge of the patch.

*A patch where the edges were not smoothed down during application.*

5. Smooth down each patch and don’t forget to remove wadded up threads attached to the patch. This helps secure the edge of the patch.

*Wadded up threads from fraying edges of the patch were not removed, just glued in place.*

Here is how to place a reinforcement patch on a seam:

Back to the project…Reinforcing a seam is a pain. Ideally, I use one long strip. However, this could not be the case with this project, as the original seams were very poorly done. Typically, I press open up the seam, and place prepared patch. Keep in mind that the patch is to prevent the seam from pulling apart; evenly supporting the weight. I reinforce seams when the thread begins to fail. A thread that fails is often the subject of flame retardant. In some areas, the seam on the Napoleon Drop Curtain would not lay flat, as it was uneven. That meant slowly making my way across the drop with 3’-0” lengths.

*There were flaws in the original seam throughout. This causes great difficulty, as the reinforcement strip will not lie flat in that area.*

*Placing the reinforcement patches on plastic near the seam.*

*Hide glue is used to prepare the reinforcement patch. Glue and brush are placed on an industrial sized cooking sheet to prevent spilling, while flattening down the seam as the work progresses.*

*Reinforcement patch in an area where the seam was sewn correctly, and flat.*

In addition to reinforcing one of the three horizontal seams, I finished securing the painted patch at the top. I still have a little paint touch up, but it seems good to go for the new top batten. There is just a little more painting to go.

*The top patch was fully secured yesterday, with only a little detail painting to go.*

The next two days are going to be pretty intense.

To be continued…

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Restoring the Brown Grand Theatre Drop Curtain, Day 4.

The wild card of my project at the Brown Grand Theatre is replacing the top of the drop curtain. It is a long process, that requires several steps and several days of dry time.

This portion of the project all stemmed from a horizontal rip that began along the top batten years ago.

What should have happened when this damage was initially identified, was a simple patch. In other words, remove the top batten, repair the fabric, replace the top batten, and rehang; problem solved. Instead, the old four-inch pine batten was replaced and a new six-inch oak batten, placed well below the original damage. The excess fabric was then wrapped around the backside of the batten. Even this repair may have been reversible, except the excess fabric was glued to the batten.

*Original damage from batten (bottom rip) and damage from top batten (top rip).*

Furthermore, the new top batten was not adequately prepared prior to use. Specifically, the sharp edges were not rounded, shaved, or sanded, so another rip began to appear in the same location as the previous one. On top of everything else, the glue used to secure the excess fabric was solvent-based, so it continued to off-gas after the new oak batten was attached. A chemical reaction occurred that rapidly deteriorated the fibers and irreparably damaged the top of the drop. This meant that the top twelve excess inches wrapped around the oak batten became damaged beyond repair; they could no longer support the weight of the drop. A simple reinforcement strip along the top was no longer an option. The damaged excess fabric needed to be removed and the new top edge would be “sandwiched” between two reinforcement strips for adequate support.

*Solvent-based glue* *was used when new batten was attached to the top.*

Although this seems like a complex repair, the biggest problem is dry time. Each step requires a good day for the glue to dry. The drying goes slow because the patch needs to be compressed for a secure seal. This is not like the application of a normal patch to a puncture where you lightly press and walk away. I am using hide glue for this repair.

*Hide glue granules before adding water and heating.*

Three days ago, I glued the fabric extension to the backside, creating the back patch. While this dried, I prepared a painted front patch. By yesterday afternoon, I had managed to secure the painted front patch to the edge of the top, as I could not glue the entire patch at once due to size. Today, I will continue to attach the remainder of the front patch.

*Back strip that is placed below damage. This combined with front patch will “sandwich” the old fabric.*

*Completed top patch and secured back patch.*

*First step in gluing top patch, successfully encapsulating the original fabric.*

In addition to the top patch, I will also need to reinforce all of the seams. This will be the most difficult repair in the entire project. It is time-consuming and tricky. There were four panels of fabric sewn together when the drop was constructed. The three horizontal seams have begun to fail, so this will require a reinforcement strip that runs the entire length of each seam.

While all of this is happening, I continue to work on consolidating loose paint and addressing areas with paint loss during dry time.

To be continued…

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Restoring the Brown Grand Theatre Drop Curtain, Day 3.

I am currently in Concordia, Kansas, working on a scenery restoration project at the Brown Grand Theatre.

I returned to the theater yesterday morning to discover bat guano scattered across my clean drop. This was something that I did not anticipate and added a layer of annoyance. It would not be a one-time issue.

My recent encounter with bats makes me leery of them now. I am sharing this story, as it taints my view of bats at the Brown Grand. My first “residential bat” experience occurred last month. It was when Jenny Knott visited my studio and helped document my restoration process. Keep in mind that my studio is in the woods and for the past eighteen years bats have never been a problem. That being said, I had never been in close proximately to a bat in any house. There is nothing quite like waking up to a bat that is repeatedly slamming itself into your screen window and then erratically flying around the room.

I did not run screaming from the room, but immediately panicked and hid under the covers. I would have stayed there until the morning if it hadn’t been ungodly hot at the time. Jenny and I dealt with it, eventually directing the winged critter into another bedroom at 2am in the morning. I had always thought that I would handle a bat encounter better, with calm determination as I vanquished the unwelcome invader from my home. I was wrong. I think the majority of my fear stems from the unpredictability of their flight pattern.

Anyway, after cleaning the droppings from the drop, I proceeded with my plan for the day. By the way, don’t worry, I am fully masked and gloved for this project anyway. I continued addressing the minimal cracks and paint loss throughout the painted composition. As I scooted along on a piece a plastic, I explored the varieties of the painted surface and actual colors. First of all, the drop had been touched up by a well-meaning individual at some point, but there was also a slight sheen to some of the original colors. I surmised that the reflective quality was result of two different things: the strength of original size (glue) in the paint and a later sealant added to some areas.

The main colors affected were all greens. Most of the painted green draperies will not reactivate with water. I have never encountered this problem with a strictly dry pigment and diluted hide glue (size water) mixture. This suggest that a premix paint was added to the dry pigment/size water medium. This means that an additional binder is added to the mix, and the paint will remain fixed.

Also, the malachite green (in the shadow areas of the drape) is the most reflective of the colors, but these dark colors are definitely composed of dry pigment and will reactivate. Some dark dry pigments are notorious for dusting, even upon initial application. They require a stronger size water than normal. However, you have to make sure that there is not too much glue in the size water or it dries shiny. That is possibly what happened here.

The light greens are also a problem, as they do not reactivate with water at all; suggesting that premixed paint was added to the mixture upon application. I suspect that it was the same white paint used to prime the drop. The white primer does not reactivate when water is introduced either. This is problematic and contributes to the overall flaking and dusting of colors. The dry pigment paint mixture never fulled bonded to the primer.

This same pre-mixed white paint was likely added to lighten the green drapery colors. I have explored the addition of premix to dry pigment mixtures in the past to analyze the final finish. White dry pigment is a wild card. It can lighten a color an unbelievably amount when only a little bit is added to the mix. This makes mixing light colors extremely tricky and why I always try to lighten color with another color of a lighter value instead of white. A premixed white paint (casein, latex, acrylic) will lighten colors at a different rate and remain more predictable. It is never an option when restoring an historic drop.

In addition to the color issues, there is also a sealant problem. At some point, a sealant was applied a few areas; the brushwork is very identifiable. Overtime, the sealant darkened and remains fixed. My guess is that the composition was dusting, and someone tried to consolidate the loose colors.

*The dark shiny sealant in the cracks has dimension, like tree sap.*

In addition to repairing minor paint damage, I also continued to work on the top of the drop. The entire top section was removed, damaged beyond repair from a solvent-based glue that was applied when the top sandwich batten was replaced. Yesterday, I prepared, placed, sized and base-coated the top patch. This will be applied to the frontside of the patch placed yesterday.

*Preparing the top patch. This is just a base coat on the green; colors will be finished after patch is attached.*

Finally, the new top battens were delivered by a volunteer, and they look absolutely beautiful!

To be continued…

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Restoring the Brown Grand Theatre Drop Curtain, Day 2.

I am currently in Concordia, Kansas, working on a scenery restoration project. With a population of approximately 5,000, this town is located in central Kansas; an area known as the Smoky Hills region of the great plains.

My project is to repair and restore the second drop curtain delivered to the Brown Grand Theatre in 1979; a painted replica based on the original one delivered by the Twin City Scenic Co. in 1907.

The painted composition is extremely deteriorated, with some of the problems stemming from overly thick layers of primer and dry pigment paint.

In my humble opinion, the key to a painted scene’s longevity is making sure that the painting remains flexible. This applies to any historic setting, whether it was painted with thin glazes (as in the English tradition) or opaque washes (as in the European tradition). The primer and the paint layer can never be too thick, even when a translucent area is back painted. I believe that it is a lot easier to accomplish this objective with dry pigments and diluted hide glue than with premixed paints. Dry pigment colors can maintain their vibrancy even after a ridiculous amount of size water is used, yet still sit on top of the previously applied color, maintaining an opacity unparalleled with premixed paints.

So, why is a thick layer on the surface of a drop curtain a problem? A thick primer and/or paint application means that it is drop becomes subject to cracking, flaking and dusting down the road, especially when handled a lot.

*Cracking, flaking and dusting on the Grand Brown Drop Curtain. Photograph from September 14, 2021.*

Normally this would not be a big problem for a permanent installation; such is the case with most drop curtains in historic theaters, as the drops stay on a dedicated line set and are never moved. However, the Brown Grand drop curtain has been handled excessively over the past decade. It has been lowered to the stage floor at least three times since its installation in 1979. The drop was lowered to the stage floor when the top sandwich batten was replaced, swapping the original 4-inch wide pine for 6-inch wide oak. It was lowered when the rigging was recently replaced too. I have to wonder if the rigging crew allowed the drop to accordion to the floor, as with some modern drops. There are tell-tale horizontal creases that suggest that method. It was lowered a final time just prior to my arrival this week. The lowering and raising process takes a toll on a thickly painted compositions, resulting in an abundance of creasing and abrasions. These weaknesses accelerate the aging of the scene if left untreated and eventually becomes irreparable.

*Cracks on the surface, revealing both white primer and raw fabric.*

I noticed that many areas of paint loss on the Napoleon drop revealed a white prime coat beneath, and the white paint had a slight sheen to it. This may be that too much size was added to the whiting during initial application – or that another paint product was used. However, there is not a good bond between the primer and paint. In other areas, the prime coat has completely detached from the fabric, revealing raw fibers below. In addition to cracking, flaking, and dusting pigment, there is a substantial amount of surface contaminants. Removing the top layer of dirt has been tricky, but I went color by color, determining which colors would need extra attention during consolidation.

*N95 mask, gloves and Absorene sponges used for cleaning the drop curtain.*

After cleaning the drop, I addressed areas with minimal cracking and paint loss. Using a damp brush, loose color can quickly conceal the damage and fill the void. I say, “easily,” but this is really a tricky process that has taken me quite a few years to fine tune. First of all, not all of colors will work, especially if any pre-mixed paint was added to the dry pigment colors. Secondly, this method only works for small cracks, not large areas of paint loss. It is important to remember that you have one shot to get it right, and a very limited window of time to shift the paint. For this Brown Grand drop curtain, I could successfully shift some yellows, browns, reds, sienna, dark blue and black (yes, there is black on this one, not Van Dyke). The greens are immovable, suggesting that something else is going on and another type of paint may have been applied at the onset.

*Shifted the dusting color with a damp brush to fill in the cracks.*

This whole approach takes a great amount of skill and years of practice. If you do it wrong or overwork an area, you can actually remove the color and further damage the composition. Light colors are incredibly tricky, including skies, as a tide line will also appear if your brush is too wet. However, this process does not introduce any new color to the composition. That being said, there will still have to be a significant amount of in-painting for this project.

My second task yesterday was preparing the top of the drop for a fabric reinforcement. Twelve-inches of the top of the scene had to be removed, as off-gassing from a solvent-based glue used while replacing the original top batten had irreparably damaged the fabric. Using hide glue, two long patches were secured to the backside, four inches below the new top. It will remain under weights for twenty-four hours, and then I will continue with that particular project later today. This was not part of the planned project, so we had to scramble for materials. This included a quick shopping trip in Salina, Kansas.

*Adding a four-inch strip across the top of the drop for reinforcement.*

By the way, this is a solo project. I am not using any assistants or volunteers for the restoration. Much has to do with the increased Delta variant in this region. We just lost a close family friend to COVID in the area a few weeks ago.

If it weren’t for the potential health risks for all involved, this would be a fantastic teaching opportunity. Regardless, I am tried to document my process and share daily updates with all stakeholders. This is the best way to communicate without having people stop by and check in on my progress.

*Painted detail showing horizontal cracking, caused during handling when the drop was creased.*

To be continued…