Amelia Hazen
March 5, 2012
Museum Or Mausoleum?
Sarah Williams & Lara Evans
Annotated Bibliography
1. Gans, Jennifer Cross. “Al Farrow.” Metalsmith 30.3 (2010): 20-21
This compressed profile on artist Al Farrow gives an account of his signature
metalwork sculptures and the responses that they provoke. Moreover, he gives a
succinct summary of his views of religious institutions and the production of his
own art. Most interesting and useful in this article is the perspective that Farrow
himself gives the reader on behalf of his artwork. For my Evocative Objects
chapter, it was imperative that I at least get a glimpse at the creator of my object,
"The Spine and Tooth of Santo Guerro."
2. Prendergast, Gareth J. “Scaring Them To Death.” World War II 21.3 (2006):
18-20
The article provides information on the Browning Automatic Rifles (BARs)
used by U.S. Army Rangers during World War II. The Browning, its abbreviated
nickname, arose as a solution to the many shortcomings in transportation and
effectiveness of the Browning's precursors. Al Farrow uses pieces of the
Browning and its ammunition in his sculpture "The Spine and Tooth of Santo
Guerro" on display at the De Young, which I researched for my Evocative
Objects chapter. This article gave me even more of a perspective from which to
understand the ideas in the foundations, metaphorically and literally, of Farrow's
work.
3. Amelar, Sarah. “De Young Museum.” Architectural Record 193.11 (2005):
104-115
This article offers a history of the De Young as expressed through its
architecture. The significant role of Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron in
incorporating a sense of past is explored by examining their combination of
relevant natural and historical elements in the 2005 building's architecture. The
article gave me a brief history on the De Young as well as an understanding of its
present incarnation. In addition, it briefly explained the De Young's internal
composition, which was crucial to my understanding of its galleries.
4. Cameron, Elizabeth L. “Permanent African Gallery.” African Arts 42.1
(2009): 100-102
This article is a review of Elizabeth L. Cameron's visit to the De Young
Museum shortly after the opening of its Permanent African Gallery. It explores
the successes and failures present and coexisting within the gallery, not as an
attack on the museum itself but more by exploring the compromises necessarily
existing between curators and their presiding institutions. It gave me valuable
insight into the dynamics of exhibition formation, the occurrence of which in the
De Young Museum was specific and with visible consequence. It was a major
resource for understanding the De Young at a managerial level and as well as
conflicting ideologies that both aspire for the museum's success.
5. Hirsch, Faye. “A New de Young.” Art In America 94.1 (2006): 49-53
After the De Young failed to acquire public funding for its reconstruction,
Diane B. Wilsey sought to privately finance the entire effort. This article reviews
the newly opened building, which was designed from scratch by Swiss architects
Herzog & de Meuron. Most useful in this article was the short history that Faye
provides as well as a detailed examination of the background contained in the
museum's new structure, which incorporates natural features as well as historical
elements from the museum's past. By looking at the De Young's new physical
incarnation, Faye establishes a narrative of destruction, rebirth, and continuing
life for this famed institution.
6. Latimer, Tizra True. “The Art of Starting Over.” American Art 20.1 (2006):
96-107
As summarized in this article, the 1906 earthquake devastated San Francisco
in both physical terms and in terms of the emigration of a huge part of San
Francisco's artistic community that it prompted. Ironically, it was the surviving
community that fueled the consequent rebuilding efforts. Though she did not
mention the De Young exclusively, Latimer provided me with a compelling
history of the 1906 disaster and its consequences for art and institution alike.
7. Lizundia, Bret and Rich Niewiarowski. “Regenesis.” Civil Engineering 76.9
(2006): 38-45, 99
The article highlights the renovation of the De Young Museum after it was
badly damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It gives a brief history of the
museum but mostly focuses on the engineering solutions for building a structure
capable of surviving a considerable seismic event. Most important for me in this
article was the discussion of the structure's composition. The comprehensive
systems in place for responding to an earthquake directly impact the organization
of the building and subsequently its exhibitions, which I explored somewhat in
my history paper.
8. Glantz, Aaron. “Planning news.” Planning 64.2 (1998): 2 pages
This brief update gives information on the progress of the De Young
Museum's reconstruction, in 1998, before it was officially rebuit. It gives a
summary of the major obstacles facing the museum's board of trustees and their
plans for overcoming them. I found this article sparse but informative, as it gave
me a small window into the De Young's past.
9. Berglund, Barbara. “ ‘The Days of Old, the Days of Gold, the Days of ‘49’:
Identity, History, and Memory at the California Midwinter International
Exposition, 1894.” The Public Historian 25.4 (2003): 25-49
This article was enlightened the origins of the De Young Museum at the
California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, often called the Midwinter
Fair. The fair was proposed by Michael H. de Young, the publisher of the San
Francisco Chronicle, as a remedy for San Francisco’s economic depression.
However, it also constructed an ideology of white male dominance using
nostalgia for California’s gold mining past to abate the social turbulence the elite
perceived in society in 1890. This article exposed a past that the De Young does
not openly exonerate as well as a glimpse into its formation as an institution. I
found it valuable for the contrast it provides against the present De Young’s focus
on non-hierarchical galleries and architecture that incorporates a sense of
institutional and local history.
10. King, David Shaw. Food For the Flames: Idols and Missionaries in Central
Polynesia. San Francisco: Beak Press, 2011.
This book is a huge compilation of David Shaw King’s efforts to research and
explore the Polynesian culture as it was documented by the London Missionary
Society during their attempts to convert the local inhabitants. He discusses the
objects of the Tahitian society in relationship to the London Missionary Society’s
efforts, both the ones that were destroyed, and the ones that were preserved and
have survived into the present day, obscured and marginalized by their reminder
of an unpleasant historical past. This book is central to my research into Polynesia
and directly addresses the concepts of preservation and colonization that I want to
address in my final presentation.
11. King, David Shaw. “Idols, Explorers, and Missionaries in Central Polynesia.”
Art History Lecture. M. H. De Young Museum. Koret Auditorium, De Young
Museum. February 11 2012.
I visited the De Young one afternoon to attend a lecture on Polynesia
given by David Shaw King, a molecular biochemistry professor at the University
of California in Berkeley. Though it is far from his professional sphere, Dr. King
has investigated Polynesian colonization and exploration for some time,
compiling his research into the book listed above. The lecture proved to be an
important foundation for my interest in Polynesia and gave me valuable
information on the changes that Polynesian society underwent after having
extensive contact with Europeans. Dr. King made it apparent that the research
collected by the London Missionary Society during its presence in Polynesia is an
invaluable primary source that has been disgraced due to its context within British
historical framework.
12. Dixon, Roland B. “The Problem of the Sweet Potato in Polynesia.” American
Anthropologist 34.1 (1932): 40-66
Among the controversies surrounding Polynesian settlement, this article
provides scrutiny for the flora of the region when Europeans initially breached it.
It contains an exhaustive account from many different exploration logs,
comparing mention of the sweet potato, or "batata", in encounters with local
islanders upon each visit. The article does not reach an encompassing conclusion
that affirms or denies the sweet potato's migration to the Pacific before Spanish
involvement, but it's useful for understanding the climate of Polynesian research
in which documented evidence exists in contention with, and often despite, a
historical colonial presence.
13. Finney, Ben R. “Voyaging Canoes and the Settlement of Polynesia.” Science
196.4296 (1977): 1277-85
Polynesian colonization and exploration historically remains a dispute from
colonial times and onwards. Ben Finney attempts to prove through experimental
research that the Polynesians were in fact capable of traveling thousands of miles
around the Pacific Ocean equipped only with their double canoes. This article
gives a brief background of the dispute of the origins of Pacific cultures and the
surviving controversy, which was necessary for me in understanding the context
of the De Young's small exhibit on Polynesian artifacts. Its exploration of the
double canoe is also useful for examining the changes of Polynesian culture
expressed through its objects.
14. Finney, Ben R. “Anomalous Westerlies, El Nino, and the Colonization of
Polynesia.” American Anthropologist 87.1 (1985): 9-26
This article gives a perspective on the scope of early Polynesian exploration
and expansion in the face of seemingly opposing environmental circumstances of
wind and current. By both examining the meteorological and technical climate of
the early Polynesians, Finney strings together the evident information to argue
that Polynesians had the ability to, and did, sail eastward across the Pacific. This
article is relevant to assembling a foundation for my final presentation and also
offers an argument for Polynesian expansion that impacts the modern historical
considerations of Polynesian society.
15. Wardwell, Allen. “New Light on Polynesia.” African Arts 6.1 (1972): 49-51
Wardwell seeks to bring Polynesian art out from under the shadow of its
overreaching Oceanic art category by exploring three different exhibitions, one in
Chicago/New York, one in Paris, and one in New Zealand, that took place in the
20th century. He describes the content and display of the exhibitions and also
makes suggestions for further exhibitions that could continue to highlight, in the
same strand as the ones he reviews, Polynesian representation in the broader
scope of Oceanic art. This article not only informed me about the artistic
representation of Polynesia, or lack thereof, but also revealed, through its
language, the aesthetic value system that a dominant society imposes on its
collections. The article is short but provides an introduction to the language and
politics of preservation and display.
16. Harding, George L. and Bjarne Kreopelien. Tahitian Imprints of the London
Missionary Society (1810-1834). Oslo: La Coquille qui chante, 1950.
Though sometimes hard to decipher, this book gives a valuable secondary account
of the London Missionary Society’s work of compiling a lexicon of Polynesian
vocabulary and languages with the goal of translating scripture in order to convert
the people of Tahiti. It first documents the initial considerations of Tahitian
language by traders and explorers but then documents the colossal attempt of the
London Missionary Society in not only mastering the Tahitian language but also
designating a written alphabet for it, which was unprecedented. This book
provides a brief history on the exploration of Polynesia as well as the London
Missionary Society’s involvement there, which will be invaluable to my final
presentation.
17. Knapp, James F. “Primitivism and the Modern.” boundary 2 15 (1986-1987):
365-379
This article gives a critical overview of the climate surround the Museum
of Modern Art's exhibition "Primitivism in the 20th Century: Affinity of the
Tribal and the Modern." Without critiquing the exhibit itself, it provides an
examination of the evolutions of the "primitive", as an aesthetic, political, and
cultural label. As the De Young's primary focus for their collections is to display
them as fine art above all else, this article gives me an interesting perspective on
how the centralizing forces of institutional ideologies can often decontextualize
and marginalize other cultures after they "blunt and polish" them, or in other
words, appropriate them.