The fascinating world of conservation

September 22, 2009 4:31 PM

Biohistorical research • Wax engraving • The Thinker after the bomb • Alfred Stieglitz's palladium photographs • Tibetan bronzes with interior contents • The examination and treatment of a pair of boots from the Aleutian Islands — A small sample of the articles available from the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation (JAIC).
posted by tellurian (8 comments total)

I was going to read the fascinating articles at these great links all in one go, but I think I'll preserve them for the future.
posted by Abiezer at 5:44 PM on September 22 [1 favorite]

Interesting stuff, thanks.
posted by StickyCarpet at 8:07 PM on September 22

"The Thinker after the Bomb" describes how the bronze cast of Rodin's classic statue that stood in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art for decades was blown off its pedestal by a bomb in 1970. The bomb did nasty damage to the lower part of the cast. Articles about the incident usually attribute the bombing to "radicals", "a radical group", or "the SDS." But speculation about who actually did the bombing has been a parlor game in Cleveland for the past 38 years. I can tell this much: It was not "the SDS" (fer cryin' out loud) or any radical "group". Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.
posted by Faze at 8:30 PM on September 22

I can tell this much: It was not "the SDS" (fer cryin' out loud) or any radical "group".
That's interesting Faze, it's pretty much all over the net that it was the Weathermen (most of the references can be traced back to the Cleveland Museum statements).
posted by tellurian at 11:16 PM on September 22

tellurian: For one thing, there were no "Weathermen" in Cleveland. What SDS there had been in town a few years earlier were rich suburban kids who had aged out of the role by 1970, and certainly weren't going to risk their careers by doing something stupid like planting a bomb. The administration of the Cleveland Museum of Art had no idea who had bombed them or why, and the clueless Cleveland police threw up their hands, opened up LOOK magazine, saw an article about the Weathermen and said "It musta been them!" At the time, the word on the street was that it was a certain teacher at the Cleveland Institute of Art (an art school located across the street from the Museum of Art). The guy was in his thirties, a narcissist and known jerk who wanted to be thought hip, and craved attention. He was not "radical" in any ideological way. He just wanted in on the excitement of the times. Since then, I've heard more or less convincing arguments pointing the finger at another guy who was not a teacher, but a student at the Art Institute at that time -- another non-radical who just wanted to do something wild and daring. "Politics" among young people had become something quite different in 1970 than it had been in 1968. The bombing of the Thinker was really just some guy asserting his right to be an asshole -- something just about everybody was doing at that time.
posted by Faze at 5:02 AM on September 23 [2 favorites]

Man, the story of the Thinker is great. And regardless of who blew it up or why, I think it looks fantastic!
posted by molecicco at 8:43 AM on September 23

Thanks Faze, that sounds reasonable. I'll leave you with this genuine sounding (and amusing) titbit I came across whilst looking into the background story:

Umm, I'm old enuff to remember the SDS. I think there was a chapter at CWRU here in Cleveland (which stands for Christ What a Rotten University). A far, far, far left campus to be sure.

We once had to duck for cover when the Cleveland Mounted Police (yes, horsies) charged down Euclid avenue to break up some kind of demonstration. I was working for the college administration (yes, I was a computer programmer for the man) and that was back in 1969 or 1970, circa the famous Kent State target practice.

As I recall, we office workers went out on the campus lawn to viddie the spectacle of horses charging students. But this was in the day of hot pants and no bras. Thus far less attention was paid to the politics, than perhaps, say, the sight of some Hippie getting a blowjob out in the open from a hot panted lass.

And that's how I shall ever remember those days, splendor in the grass.

Prolly won't find that in any history books, either.

— In response to a Do you remember?
posted by tellurian at 4:01 PM on September 23

Has anyone asked Orly Taitz if Obama and Bill Ayres were in Cleveland at the time?
posted by ...possums at 5:42 PM on September 23