ARROYO SECO NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL

Reviving the Southwest Museum
Plan for the Future

Reviving the Southwest Museum Plan for the Future The Southwest Museum Welcomes a New Class of Eighth-Graders Into the Junior Docent Program Soon the rooms of the Casa de Adobe will be filled with a class of eighth graders who are participating in the popular Junior Docent program. Thirty students from Los Angeles Unified School District's Arroyo Seco Museum Science Magnet School will complete a nine month program. They will learn the history and growth of the diverse cultures in Southern California and the basics of conservation, preservation and museum science. Classes start in late September. Meeting twice a week, the students will spend the first semester studying the history and culture of Southern California, with an emphasis on the Rancho period. Each lesson is integrated with the California State content standards of history-social science, reading/language arts, or math and science. Led by a Museum Teacher, students learn the basics of museum science. For their second semester, the eighth graders will utilize all of this information in special living history tours conducted for students throughout LAUSD. The Latest on the Caracol Tower Repairs Scaffolding around the historic Caracol Tower is imminent with major repair work starting this fall and completed this winter. FEMA funding ($700,000), secured by the Autry Center, will be used to stabilize the Caracol Tower and strengthen a number of structural defects with epoxy injection. A grant from CCHE ($936,000), also secured by the Autry National Center, will be used for much-needed waterproofing projects such as installing a new roof and drainage system for the Caracol Tower, sealing water leaks, repairing portions of the main building's roof, restoring the tower's skylight, improving drainage on the two balconies, and upgrading electrical systems. Great care has been taken to ensure that the needed repairs will not harm the landmark building. A number of exploratory tests have been conducted, including flood tests on the roof and south terrace to identify the extent of the damage and the location of major leaks. Also, mock-ups have been completed on four surfaces of the tower and main building to test safe methods for removing the plaster, replacing the plaster, and applying paint. Brenda Levin, well known for her work to repair and restore many of Los Angeles's historic properties, is the project architect. California Restoration and Waterproofing, also specializing in the repair and restoration of historic buildings, has been retained as the general contractor to manage the repair projects. Part of Groundbreaking Exhibition The Southwest Museum is pleased to be part of a controversial and important exhibition that includes photographs from Braun Research Library's collection alongside a touring exhibition of photographs by contemporary Native photographers. Picturing the People, a provocative exploration of photographs of and by Indigenous peoples in the American West and around the world, is open from September 7, 2007, through January 27, 2008, at the Museum of the American West in Griffith Park. Conservation of the Collection Never Stops Conservation and collections management activities are in full swing to save the collection and accommodate the much-needed repairs to the Caracol Tower (see above). As part of this process, each piece is being cleaned, catalogued, photographed, bar-coded, and transferred from cramped storage facilities in the Caracol Tower to improved museum-standard storage in the Southwest Museum exhibition galleries. Come see us! We're open on weekends during repairs and conservation of the collection. Join us for exciting family programs; shop in the museum store; stroll in the relaxing ethnobotanical garden; learn about our founder, Charles Lummis, in a lower lobby exhibition; and marvel at Migratory Memories, a SCI-Arc student art map project installation through December 2007. Admission is free. SAVE THE DATE!! Southwest Museum Centennial Open House Sunday, October 21, noon to 4 pm It's a day to celebrate as we honor the past and look forward to the next hundred years at the Southwest Museum. Enjoy music, entertainment, and light refreshments in a festive open-house setting. For more information, please visit our website at www.swmfuture.org, contact us at swminfo@autrynationalcenter.org, or call 323.221.2164, ext. 221. Hours Saturdays and Sundays, Noon to 5 pm Autry Membership Has Its Benefits Become a member of the Autry today and enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the Southwest Museum. Experience up-close-and- personal tours led by Autry staff who will engage, inspire and educate about ongoing preservation efforts at the Southwest Museum. Call the Autry today to learn more about this and other exciting benefits of membership 323.667.2000 ext. 326 Members' Only Behind-the-Scenes Tours Saturday, November 17 and Saturday, December 15 Mt. Washington Autry National Center's Southwest Museum of the American Indian 234 Museum Drive Los Angeles, CA 90065 Directions: From the Pasadena 110 Freeway, exit Avenue 43 and follow the green directional signs. Use Metro! We are located a few steps away from the Gold Line's Southwest Museum station. Sign up for this newsletter at: www.swmfuture.org