Akwesasne Museum set to re-open

On the morning of April 12th, 2008 the Akwesasne Cultural Center staff was anticipating attendance at the Ulali concert when a broken water pipe was discovered. The pipe broke during the night and water had filled the entire ground level of the center with three or four inches of water. Staff, volunteers, and a board member worked to remove the water and to move the museum collection, furniture, and files out of harm’s way, but the water damage to the carpeting and sheetrock necessitated an extensive repair process. The museum’s collection of basketry and other items was un-harmed and has been in the museum’s storage rooms. Repairs to the sheetrock and flooring would have been quicker if everything could have been moved out of the building. Preservation of objects requires a steady cool temperature. The museum exhibit and storage areas are kept at 65 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, and fluctuate only a degree or two at any time. Museum staff did not want to endanger the collection by removing objects from the building unless another climate-controlled area was available. Construction was sometimes delayed due to the need to move objects from one room to another to clear an area for work. White Arrow Construction was on-site for a total of six weeks.

The walls are now freshly painted, new flooring is in place, and the exhibits are being readied for re-opening. Staff is on hand during regular hours, Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 4:30, setting everything back in place. Please feel free to call and inquire as to what is ready at this time. Since such major repairs were needed; Glory Cole, the cultural center director, decided to implement a helpful renovation to improve classroom and storage space. The new classroom and office area will give students more room for traditional arts classes. Space has been tight, especially for Henry Arquette’s work basket classes, since the baskets are large and the class generally has ten students. We look forward to having class in the larger room. The room formerly used for classes will be used for storage. This is larger than the former storage room, allowing for more rotation of objects off of exhibit. This is a positive change for the exhibits, since it will allow for more changes on a regular basis. The New York State Museum had many objects on loan to the Akwesasne Museum since the 1970’s. Following the flood, their objects were returned to them with the promise that when we are ready to borrow items again, we can make new selections and change the items more regularly to allow for our community to view more objects from their collection over the years.

The re-opening date of the museum has been moved ahead several times. At this time, we are planning for an opening reception date of June 27th, which will also open the new ‘North By Northeast’ traveling exhibit produced by Kathleen Mundell of Cultural Resources in Maine. Kathleen assisted the museum by producing rack card portfolios for Akwesasne Basketmakers in 2006. This exhibit includes photos and quotes from basketmakers, beadworkers, and other Haudenosaunee and Wabanaki traditional artists from Akwesasne, Maine, and Tuscarora. Museum staff will supplement the text and photo panels with objects from the Akwesasne Museum’s collection. Stop in for the reception on Friday evening, June 27 and sign up for a beading workshop with Mary Clause, Tuscarora, to be held the next morning. On Saturday, June 28, from 9:00 am to noon, Mary and her mother, Marlene Printup, will share their style of flower and vine stitches, helping students to create a sampler to use as reference for years to come. Call 358-2461 to register.