Sponsored by Society Circle
Speakers:The Tile Industry, Government Art, and The White House 'Restoration': The Brief Life of the White House Library's Fireplace Surround - Sally Stokes, Adjunct Lecturer, Cultural Heritage Information Management, School of Library and Information Science, The Catholic University of America and Interim Head, Art and Architecture Libraries, University of Maryland
Coinage, Politics, and Power: Preservation Grants and Fundraising at the Library of the American Numismatic Society - Elizabeth Hahn, Librarian, American Numismatic Society
Moderator:Susan Reyburn, Senior Writer-editor, Publishing Office, Library of Congress
This session will address the complex connections between politics and cultural heritage preservation from two different perspectives.
Drawing from the fascinating story of the Franklin D. Roosevelt fireplace surround in the White House library, Sally Stokes of the Catholic University of America will discuss the role of government policy – or lack thereof – in the decoration, renovation, restoration, and documentation of government buildings. She will explain the challenges of conducting research on architectural elements within the White House when records are scant, scattered, and, in some cases, closed to researchers for security purposes. Stokes will also describe the efforts of a community of art librarians and historians to study the history of the ceramic tiles in the fireplace surround.
Presenter Elizabeth Hahn, head librarian for the American Numismatic Society, will describe her experience securing funding for preservation and access projects through private and government agencies. The example of coinage as propaganda will underline a continuing theme of the connection of art, and the institutions that preserve art, and politics, from the past to the present while also demonstrating how our actions often repeat the past. Hahn will also discuss the importance of exploring new ways for libraries and museums to attract donors to projects that may be perceived as unexciting, though necessary for the preservation and study of our cultural heritage.
