The Art and Science of Conserving Woven Treasures

Conserving Woven Treasures at the Arizona State Museum
Conserving each basket at the Arizona State Museum requires the vision of an artist and the innovation of a scientist. Historical baskets and fiber archaeological items may be ripped, misshapen or dusty. They might have holes, deterioration or pesticide residue. More than 25,000 artifacts are being transferred from boxes and trays stashed throughout the museum’s two buildings to its conservation laboratory. There, researchers will assess their conditions and develop new techniques to preserve them. http://azstarnet.com/news/science/preservation-of-baskets-combines-science-with-art/article_55bd16ae-11b1-522c-ba40-fed9cc49bc9a.html

Amerind Foundation Presents New Light on Casas Grandes (Paquimé) – Tucson
On Saturday evening, October 13, at 7:00 pm in DuVal Auditorium at the University Medical Center on Campbell Avenue, there will be a special program on recent research on the archaeology of northern Chihuahua. Sponsored by the Amerind Foundation of Dragoon, the program will feature the work of 14 archaeologists whose research expands on the pioneering excavations of Casas Grandes by Charles Di Peso from 1959–1961. The two hour program will include illustrated talks followed by a poster session where the public may interact with individual scholars. The program is being offered free to the public.

Discuss Ancient Animals in the Southwest at the Next Archaeology Café – Phoenix
Turkeys and Macaws and Dogs, Oh My! Archaeologist and historian Alan Ferg (Arizona State Museum) sniffs out human-animal interactions in the Southwest’s past. The presentation begins at after 6pm on Wednesday, Oct 17, at Macayo’s, 4001 N. Central Ave. Seating is open and unreserved, but limited. It’s best to arrive half an hour before the presentation begins. Share tables and make new friends!  The event is free. Please support our hosts at Macayo’s Central by purchasing refreshments from the menu—at happy hour prices! https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/event/archaeology-cafe-phoenix-turkeys-and-macaws-and-dogs-oh-my/

Museum of Northern Arizona’s Impressive Curation Center
The Museum of Northern Arizona has a closet most people could only dream of. With nearly 14,000 square feet of storage, the Easton Collections Center is two stories of historic and prehistoric possessions, relics and art, all preserved in climate-controlled cabinets. Not only is the amount of storage impressive, but the Platinum LEED-certified building is one of the most advanced and sustainable collections facilities in the nation. Inside, the Easton Center is a temporary home to a vast variety of artifacts from the Colorado Plateau. From prehistoric tribal art to intricately woven baskets and innumerable plant species, the museum collections staff, researchers and government employees work to organize, preserve, protect and study the historical pieces of the plateau. http://azdailysun.com/news/local/a8798834-b71f-5582-808b-f4b01a88fdff.html

The Salt River Project, the Hohokam, and Education
The Salt River Project (SRP) educates kids? Yep. And Wayne Kirby, a representative of the education department of the company, came to Julia Randall Elementary (JRE) to show fourth grade students what SRP has learned about the ancient culture of the Hohokam. “When SRP built substations in Phoenix, they ran across Hohokam ruins and set up a department to teach Arizona school children what archaeologists learned,” said Kirby. http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2012/oct/02/lessons-past/

18th Interpretive Fair Weekend at Hueco Tanks
Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site’s 18th Annual Interpretive Fair Weekend will be held from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, October 20, and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, October 21. The fair is a free, family-oriented event focused on natural education and cultural understanding. Attractions of the two-day event will include Native American dancing and drumming, folklorico and matachin dancers, pictograph, birding and nature tours, and booths.   http://www.celebmtns.org/2012/18th-annual-interpretive-fair-weekend/

Travelogue – A Visit to the Hopi Mesas
This is a journey to the center of the world. Jules Verne is not involved, nor is the Earth’s molten core on the itinerary. This is a humble place, reached by car in the high desert. It’s a quiet place, inhabited by people with a job to do: bringing nature back into balance, harmonizing the life of the planet and, if things go according to plan, transforming the world. http://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Journey-to-the-center-of-the-Hopi-world-3922408.php#ixzz28fCoYPyR

Lecture Opportunity – Durango
The San Juan Basin Archaeological Society will present Bob Bernhart on Thursday, October 11, at 7:00 PM at the Lyceum, Center for Southwest Studies, Ft. Lewis College, Durango, CO, to discuss Evidence of Moiety Organization at Jackson’s Castle, Southwest Colorado.  Bob presents additional evidence that supports the argument for the migration of ancestral Puebloans from the Mesa Verde area to the northern Rio Grande area in the late AD 1200s. A shorter version of this material, which was prepared in conjunction with co-author Dr. Scott Ortman, was presented at the 2011 Conference for Archaeoastronomy of the American Southwest at the University of New Mexico. Bob Bernhart is an avocational archaeologist who lives in Cortez, Colorado. Call 970-739-6772 with questions about this program.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Mayan Cave Cosmology a public lecture at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe. The presenter will be Dr. Keith M. Prufer, Mayanist, Archaeologist and Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of New Mexico. The program includes refreshments and a question and answer session following the lecture. Admission is $12 at the door and reservations are not required. The lecture is part of the Native Culture Matters Lecture Series co-sponsored by Southwest Seminars and Hotel Santa Fe, which is a Picuris Pueblo Enterprise. More information is available at southwestseminars.org or by calling Connie Eichstaedt, director at 505 466-2775.

Learn to Flintknap – Tucson
Expert flintknapper Allen Denoyer will instruct an arrowhead-making and flintknapping workshop at Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, 2201 W. 44th Street, Tucson, from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday October 20, 2012. He will demonstrate and coach participants in how to make arrowheads, spear points, and other flaked stone tools from obsidian and other stone, just like ancient peoples did. The class is designed to help modern people understand how prehistoric Native Americans made traditional crafts, and is not intended to train students how to make artwork for sale. The $35 fee ($28 for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center and Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary members) includes all materials and equipment.520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org.

Thanks to Cherie Freeman for contributions to this week’s Southwest Archaeology Today.