Pottery Project Progress Reports

Governor Napolitano presents an Arizona Treasures plaque to ASM Director Hartman H. Lomawaima on Feb. 7, 2006

ASM Pottery, An Arizona Treasure
Summer 2006

On February 7, 2006 we were honored by a visit from Governor Janet Napolitano. Governor Napolitano came to ASM as part of her ongoing Arizona Treasures initiative. During her visit she commemorated our Southwest Whole Vessel Pottery Collection an Arizona Treasure.

We are grateful to Advisory Board Member Don Luria for his encouraging phone calls to the governor’s Tucson office during the selection process.

As you may recall, the same pottery collection was named an official project of Save America’s Treasures, a President Clinton White House initiative, in 2000.

At 20,000 whole vessels (and growing) ASM’s Southwest Whole Vessel Pottery Collection is the world’s largest and most comprehensive of its kind.

Currently, we are in the middle of construction for the new home of our honored pottery collection. Progress on the climate controlled, state-of-the-art, 8,000 sq. ft. Pottery Vault, Conservation Laboratory and Interpretive Gallery is on schedule. Lloyd Construction Company, Inc., working hand-in-hand with UA Facilities Design and Construction and Burns Wald-Hopkins Architects, has been doing a stellar job with asbestos abatement, old-construction demolition, and the setting of new structural foundations. The cooperation of the three principals, all of whom bear in mind the museum’s ongoing daily work, has been extraordinary. We have a truly remarkable team. They care about this project and about the museum. Because of the principals’ professionalism, cooperation, and hard work, we expect to have the construction phase completed by late fall 2006. At that point, we will begin the labor intensive phase of carefully moving, one by one, each of the 20,000 vessels into its new home.

Governor Napolitano with ASM friends Agnese Haury and Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup on Feb. 7, 2006

Simultaneously, Conservator Nancy Odegaard and her team of preservation experts will be moving the entire conservation laboratory from the basement of the south building. The new laboratory will offer our conservators and student interns the tools and workspace to effectively and safely assess and preserve each piece of ceramic in the collection.

We are ever mindful of the fact that all this is due in large part to your caring and generosity. Without your support and ongoing contributions, we would not be able to accomplish this very important and long-awaited development.

In the next Pottery Project Update we will discuss in greater detail the conservation assessment process and our plans for the interpretive gallery. On behalf of the staff and this important project, I thank you.

Sincerely,

Hartman H. Lomawaima
Director

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Photos by Julie Luchetta