By: Leah Davis Witherow, Curator of History The museum exhibits team is currently reinterpreting the life and work of noted author Helen Hunt Jackson. To do so, we are creating a new set of exhibits outside the three rooms of the historic Jackson house on display in the museum’s third floor north gallery. Additionally, we are taking this opportunity to photograph, catalog and clean the hundreds of Jackson Family artifacts within its walls. In particular, two especially fragile items are undergoing professional conservation to prepare them for exhibit. Paulette Reading, a textile conservator in Denver is adding special hanging sleeves to the back of a nineteenth-century heirloom quilt and cleaning the entire textile. A new wall case will be built to accommodate this irreplaceable collection item which has not been on exhibit for several years. Rennie Hunt 19th century hierloom quilt, in Helen Hunt Jackson home Helen Hunt Jackson’s beloved portrait of her son, Rennie is being cleaned, stabilized and reframed by paper and print conservator, Jennifer McGlinchey Sexton here in Colorado Springs. Importantly, the temporary closure of the exhibit the past few weeks has allowed us to carefully assess the ongoing preservations needs of these collection items and take appropriate measures. A Home of One’s Own: The Life of Helen Hunt Jackson opens Saturday, October 27 The updated exhibit will reveal new details about her life, work, friendships, influences and family while examining how her advocacy work grew out of an evolving sense of justice and connection to place. CSPM is excited to be nominated as a finalist in the “Best Museum” category by readers of the Independent and the community! The final round of voting runs until September 25 and we would love to have you vote for us at: www.CSINDY.com Winners will be announced in the Independent’s October issues. MUSELETTER SEPTEMBER 2018 | PG 6
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