10 Ways to Recognize a May Weber Collection Intern

"You are not a 'drop in the ocean,' you are the entire ocean in a drop."
~Rumi

Those of us who work in the May Weber Collection make up a small, brave segment of the Anthropology Department. (And I am one of few in the group who is also a history major.) We're not quite the same as other students, even other anthropology students, and that is because we haven't had the same experiences as most other students. Anthropological field work in a remote location is one thing; field work in the Cardboard Jungle is another thing entirely. But how can an ordinary observer tell one of us apart from all the other students at Loyola??   

Here's a list of 10 ways to recognize someone who works in the May Weber Collection:     

1. We appreciate non-Western art more than most Westerners.
Every time I show someone a picture of an object in the collection, the reactions range from "What IS that??" to "Oohhhh, I love it!!" Current or former intern reactions come closer to the "Oohh, I love it!!" side of the scale. Anthropology majors and minors tend to be on that side of the scale too.

A face only a mother could love...and anthropologists. This is a mask of a demon queen, after all.

2. We can recognize where some of the artifacts are from.
We might not be experts, but after spending so much time in the collection we've started to notice some trends. Many of us have also done research on some of the artifacts.

This is definitely an Indonesian shadow puppet. It resembles the style of the others in the collection.

This is one of the Day of the Dead figures, judging by its subject matter (a skeleton dressed up).

3. We have a highly specialized vocabulary.
What's all this babble about accessions, backer rod, and blue board?? If you have the time, I'm sure any of us will be happy to explain it.

Accessions!

Backer rod!

Blue board!

4. We've learned the limits of Google.
It turns out that the all-knowing Google isn't so "all-knowing" after all. Google is a great place to start researching artifacts in the collection, but more often than not it doesn't know exactly what it is. This is why all of us have made use of the Loyola library's books and May Weber's books.

5. We've become quite crafty.
Need a box in weird dimensions? Does it also need oddly shaped bumpers? What about sewing on a tag or stitching a pillow by hand? You can count on us.

6. We know that "impossible" is really only a word.
Sometimes our duties require us to complete tasks that are really more like the epic undertakings of mythic heroes. Despite our mortal state, we nevertheless use our creativity and endurance to accomplish these quests so that our names may gloriously live on forever in the history of the May Weber Collection. You'll find these heroic endeavors somewhere in the records between the stories of Hercules and of Perseus.        

The Gordian Knot of fabric tape

Cotton gloves: the armor of a true hero/heroine.

7. We're taking the elevator in Mundelein to a floor not used for classroom space.
Other people in the elevator must think we pushed the wrong button, or that we forgot to get off at our floor. Or they're too busy on their phones to notice.

8. We have extensive photography skills.
We may not be National Geographic photographers, but we're operating under very different circumstances. I'd like to see them try to balance a mask on a stand, AND get a good picture of it.

9. We're budding artists and writers.
Describing and drawing each object on the condition reports has given each of us plenty of practice. We could probably write a novel (with vivid descriptions) and illustrate it beautifully. If not, then at least the collection's records will be thorough.

10. We have a cool t-shirt.
Last semester, we made awesome class t-shirts to commemorate our work in the collection. We used a picture of the smiling mask from Cameroon, since we all saw it so frequently throughout the semester. If you see someone wearing this t-shirt, then they probably have many, many stories to share. Ask them about the collection!!

Now that you've read this list, hopefully you'll be able to spot one of us, even when we're outside our natural habitat of the Cardboard Jungle.

Thanks for reading!! 

Just Another Day in the Collection

"Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans."

~John Lennon

Without any special projects in the May Weber Collection, the past couple of weeks have been full of the usual: accessioning, building, and some researching. In other words, just another day in the collection. But as you should know by now, "just another day in the collection" is never any ordinary day. Even though I don't have any exciting stories to share, I thought all of you readers would like to see some of the objects I've come across recently. Enjoy!!

Chomp chomp chomp...

It's so colorful!!

Mooooo...

I think this is a statue of an adult monkey holding a baby monkey. How appropriate since I'm taking a class on primatology this semester.

What an outfit!!

This is a picture of the infamous bone blanket (or shirt??), which recently resurfaced in the collection. I ran into this object while sorting textiles over the summer and have tried to avoid it ever since. The skulls kind of freak me out, and to top off my dislike, I got a cut while handling it. The less I have to touch it in the future, the happier I will be.

A beautiful beaded disk from India and my colorful sketch of it.

This little hat was made for a child in China and it would have been worn with shoes like the ones I wrote about in my last post. Like the shoes, the faces on the hat are stylized tigers, and were meant to protect the little wearer. A tiger hat and pair of shoes would have been two of many articles of clothing and other objects with tigers on them, like collars and pillows, given to a child. 

I didn't make the box for this little guy, but I did get to make some bumpers inside the box so it would be stable when moved. 

Doesn't this kind of look like R2D2? We thought it did... It's actually a very fancy, high-tech vacuum (in the process of being assembled) that can be used on textiles in the collection. Take that, dust!

As always, stay tuned for more adventures from the Cardboard Jungle!! Thanks for reading!!!!!!

Tigers and Toads and Qilins, Oh My!!

"One generation plants the tree, the next enjoys its shade."

~Chinese proverb

Surprisingly, research on the Chinese children's boots is going quite well. It seems that the catalog was right (shocking, I know) and these shoes really are Chinese. Even more fabulous has been the animals on the boots. On the toe of each boot there is a tiger, the bottom has a toad, and on each side there is a qilin (pronounced "chee-lin"). Each of these creatures means something, so by looking into their meanings I've begun to piece together the greater cultural context of the shoes. Since it's probably safe to assume you don't want to read my 5-7 page paper on these fascinating boots, I'll give you a condensed version.

The most obvious animal on the boots is the tiger. You can't miss it right there on the front of the shoe. The tiger has long been an important animal in Chinese culture, and it's even one of the 12 Zodiac animals. Tigers generally represent strength, power, and courage, making it an ideal protector figure for humans. Many sources have pointed out that tigers are common motifs on children's clothing, especially hats and shoes, because of their association with protection. Little children in China still wear tiger hats and shoes today, so these boots are only one piece of a long tradition in children's clothing.

Roar!

On the bottom of the shoes there is a small frog. At least, I thought it was a frog until it turned out to be a toad. Toads are generally associated with wealth and money, especially toads with three legs that are used in Feng Shui to bring prosperity. Each toad on the boots has four legs, so these aren't the special toads of prosperity. It turns out there are five poisonous creatures in Chinese folklore: centipedes, lizards, scorpions, vipers, and TOADS. In order to ward off these creatures and their dangerous potential, their images are embroidered onto children's clothing and other possessions, such as shoes. To further protect the child from these creatures, the images are often accompanied by an image of a tiger because of their protective reputation. Thus, it makes sense for the image of a toad to be on a pair of tiger-head shoes.

Ribbit ribbit!

The animal that raised the most questions was the creature on each side of the shoe. It looks like it has the body of a goat, the head of a dragon, and the tail of a rooster. Fortunately Google knew what this animal was: a qilin. A qilin is a mythical animal with the body of a horse or deer (close enough to a goat, right??) covered in scales and the head of a dragon. The tail has been depicted in different ways, from the fluffy tail on these shoes to more of a lion tail. They are also often shown with antlers or horns, but the ones on the shoes lack those. They symbolize all-around goodness, but what is most relevant is their connection to children. Qilins are said to carry baby boys on their back and bring them to hopeful parents (kind of like the Western idea of a stork bringing babies). One source said that the babies brought by qilins are destined to be successful, specifically as traditional high-level civil servants. On another note, the circular design near the front feet of the qilin is an ancient coin, representing wealth and prosperity.

Qilin are also called "Chinese unicorns," but they really don't look like any sort of unicorn. Well, maybe except for the rainbow of colors. 

Move over Mr. Stork, this qilin has a baby boy and is on a mission.

Together, all of these images give me insight into the message behind these boots. I suspect that these shoes were made for a baby boy, mostly because of the image of the qilin and its connection to boys. The tiger and toad images show that his family wanted to protect him from danger, like the goal of most parents around the world. His family obviously had great expectations for him too, as shown by the images of a qilin and a coin and their ties to success and prosperity. These boots are clearly more than just a pretty pair of shoes; they point to the hopes and dreams of parents for their new little one.

I'm currently on Spring Break, so I won't be in the May Weber Collection until next week. Stay tuned for more posts once I return!! Thanks for reading!!

___________________________________
Resources:

Eberhard, Wolfram. 1986. A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols: Hidden Symbols in Chinese Life and Thought. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Welch, Patricia Bjaaland. 2008. Chinese Art: A Visual Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery. North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publications.

Sew Cool

"Either I will find the path, or I will make it."
~Hannibal

Part of last semester's training was learning how to make appropriate storage for objects, so while researching the pair of Chinese children's shoes I also began thinking about how to better store them. Technically, the children's shoes I have been researching are boots (or baby booties??), and boots need a little more care than other shoes since tall boots flop over when they're not being worn. That's why boot stuffers/fillers/shapers were invented. Whether the stuffer is made of hard plastic or just fabric and stuffing, its goal is to keep a boot's shape when it is not on your foot. After wearing my own pair of wonderful boots this week, I decided that the little boots in the May Weber Collection could use something similar to preserve their shape for the future.

So, where's the best place to go if you have a question about DIY projects? Pinterest. In addition to researching the cultural context of these shoes this week, I scoured Pinterest, looking for an easy boot shaper pattern. Unfortunately Pinterest crafts can be a little too creative at times. Since I didn't feel that pompoms were necessary and lavender scented filling probably wouldn't be good for my artifact, I improvised. There was also the slight problem of my sewing repertoire. My skills are about as extensive as sewing a button back on a cardigan or a pair of pants. As you can imagine, I was a little apprehensive about beginning an important sewing project such as this. Nevertheless, necessity is a powerful motivator for learning new things.

Sew Easy Boot Stuffers for the Unskilled Seamstress

Materials:
Unbleached muslin
Polyester batting (fluffy stuffing material)
String
Thread
Needle
Scissors


1. Measure and cut a piece of unbleached muslin as long as the boot and about twice as wide as the boot. Admittedly, I just eyeballed the measurements on my first piece. Once I figured out what size worked, I took measurements and the second boot stuffer was much more precise. However, they both turned out just fine in the end.

A roll of unbleached muslin   

2. Fold the piece of unbleached muslin in half lengthwise. It should now be about as wide as the boot.

Don't worry if the edges aren't straight! That can be fixed later.

3. Sew two of the three open sides (one side is folded) together. I used a running stitch because it was relatively quick and easy, but someone with more sewing experience than me could probably think of a stitch better suited for the task.

A close-up shot of the stitches

The left and bottom sides are sewn together, the right side is folded, and the top is still open.

4. At this point the boot stuffer should look kind of like a tube sock, but with the stitching visible. To fix that, turn the fabric inside out. (Now it really looks like a tube sock.) I'm not really sure if there is a practical reason for doing this, but it looks much cleaner this way.

See? It really does resemble a tube sock.

5. Fill your boot stuffer with batting (fluff) until it's mostly full. Once it has been stuffed with fluff, either tie the top with string or sew it shut (if you're feeling fancy). I chose to tie the top closed simply because it's faster.

 6. Repeat the steps to make a boot stuffer for the other shoe! Wasn't that sew cool??

Ta-da!! Now these boots will be properly supported for years to come!!

Despite all  my concerns about sewing, it all went incredibly well. The boot stuffers work perfectly, and I'm pretty darn proud of myself! It seems that I'm not as bad at sewing as I thought!

On another note, the May Weber Collection has been officially announced to the public!! It's awesome to see the collection getting some good publicity. I'm also pictured with a fellow intern from last semester and one of the Indonesian shadow puppets, so that's pretty awesome too. The article has been posted on both the College of Arts and Sciences homepage and the Anthropology Department homepage and you can check it out here:
http://luc.edu/anthropology/homenews/maywebercollection-1.shtml

In the upcoming week I plan on accessioning the boots and continuing my research. So far, research has been coming along quite nicely, and I'm excited to share the information with you in a future post. Until then, stay tuned!!

As always, thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!

Wondering

"Wisdom begins in wonder."
~Socrates

This past week I've been wondering about an object in the May Weber Collection because over the next few weeks I'll be researching again. This time it's for an assignment in a class that I am taking this semester called Anthropology of Art and Expressive Culture. The collection reflects Dr. May Weber's interest in aesthetics and so those artifacts are perfect for an anthropology of art class to study. Just like last semester's object research, we still don't know very much about the objects we're going to study, and the catalog is often wrong. Now that I am more familiar with the collection, I've noticed that Dr. May Weber seemed to buy the most unique, one-of-a-kind artifacts in the world. It gives the collection excellent variety, but also puts us students at risk for dead-end research. Nevertheless, I'm ready to begin this frustrating and rewarding mission.

     

Gloves on and ready to research!! 

Unlike last semester's object research, my classmates and I didn't get to pick from the entire collection. Dr. Nichols (with help from another alumni intern and myself) kindly unearthed a bunch of artifacts for us to choose from, based on what geographical regions and styles my class is interested in. Being anthropology students, we're interested in pretty much every group of people in every part of the world. For a collection as diverse as ours, most people quickly found something that caught their attention. I had less trouble finding something and more trouble picking only one object. Even with probably 40 objects around me, I still didn't recognize any of them. Everything looked interesting, and I wanted to research all of it.

Pick an artifact, any artifact. There were much more throughout the room, too.

 A carved storyboard from Papua New Guinea

 A drum with demon heads, eyeballs, and entrails painted around it. Fun stuff.

 Anyone know how to play this instrument??

 Beware the sawfish headdress. It's still sharp.

The shield on the right was last semester's class example of a mystery object!

 A helmet mask from somewhere far, far away.

 My, what intense eyes you have.

Over the next few weeks I will be researching this pair of children's shoes from China, so expect to see a lot more of them in the future. They're so adorable, and I can't wait to learn more about them!!

One of the goals for the May Weber Collection is to make it a research and teaching collection, a place where students and scholars can learn about other cultures through objects. We all knew from the beginning that the collection would not reach that goal while we were still students, but my class assignment has altered that perception a bit. The collection is still very much a work in progress (the accessioning never ends), but thanks to all our work last semester other classes are able to use some of the collection for research. Even better, about half of my original intern class from last semester is also in the Anthropology of Art and Expressive Culture class, so we're unexpectedly benefiting from our own work. At the same time, my classmates and I will also be contributing to the collection itself. Like my research on the Indian jacket, any information I find (that means the paper I will turn in for a grade in my class) will be placed in the permanent records for that object, so even those who did not formally intern in the May Weber Collection will be part of its foundation. It's become clear that it takes a team of people to build a collection, but it also takes the cooperation of so many more than that to finish the job.

Hopefully by my next post I'll have some information on these shoes to share with you all. Until then, stay tuned for more adventures!! Thanks for reading!!!!