Arizona State Museum
The Arizona State Museum was recognized for its whole vessel collection of more than 20,000 pieces of pottery.
Arizona State Museum has received a national award for its care and preservation of the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of southwest Indian pottery.
The 2008 National Preservation Award for Demonstrated Excellence and Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections was presented to the museum in recognition of its decades-long dedication to care of its vast and varied collections.
The award specifically cites the museum's care of its renowned whole vessel collection of southwest Indian pottery, which contains more than 20,000 pieces.
The award, presented by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and Heritage Preservation, is a very high honor – almost the equivalent of an Oscar in the field of collection care and preservation.
Beth Grindell, the museum's director, said the award recognizes not only the museum's long-term dedication to the care of its collections but the world-class and visionary work of Head Conservator Nancy Odegaard.
The museum "has never thought of conservation and collections care as a luxury, they are absolute necessities at this museum," Grindell said.
In the late 1970's the museum established the state's first museum conservation laboratory. To this day, it is still the only museum lab in Arizona.
During the 1980's the lab, then under Odegaard's direction, developed and published object care and emergency response guidelines that remain international standards. Odegaard also pioneered chemical spot testing and chemical-free pest control standards that were immediately adopted worldwide.
Odegaard is one of a few conservators to be called on to assist with famous and significant anthropological specimens such as Kennewick Man found in the United States, Lucy unearthed in Ethiopia, and the Chinchorro Mummies located in Chile.
Among many professional associations, Odegaard is a Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation and a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation.
"Nancy is recognized worldwide for her pioneering research and high standards in collections care," said Eryl P. Wentworth, executive director of AIC said.
"Her comprehensive conservation program at Arizona State Museum has put the museum on the international stage when it comes to collections care," Wentworth said. "Arizona State Museum has received this award for committing and adhering to the standards Nancy has set."
Arizona State Museum celebrated the completion and grand opening of The Pottery Project in May 2008. Prior to that, ASM's famed collection had been stored in five different storerooms in two historic buildings and was in danger of deterioration and significant damage due to environments that left the vessels susceptible to temperature and humidity variations.
Odegaard's vision and designs for The Pottery Project resulted in a $3.5 million climate-controlled storage vault, a state-of-the-art conservation laboratory, and a new exhibit gallery.
"We are delighted to recognize the Arizona State Museum's sustained commitment to the care and preservation of its remarkable collection," said Larry Reger, president of Heritage Preservation.
"In particular, the museum's work on The Pottery Project is exemplary for its enthusiastic volunteer and fundraising participation of both local and national community members," Reger added.
In 2000 The Pottery Project received federal recognition in the form of official status in the Save America's Treasures program - a Clinton White House preservation initiative. In 2005 the collection was recognized and named an Arizona Treasure by Governor Janet Napolitano.
Funding for The Pottery Project came from the Ak-Chin Indian Community, the Gila River Indian Community, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Mrs. Agnese Nelms Haury, from numerous generous individuals around the state and across the country, and from federal granting agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Center for Preservation Training and Technology, the NAGPRA grant program, and the National Science Foundation.
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An award ceremony will be held at the Arizona State Museum on Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. Representatives from the American Institute for onservation of Historic and Artistic Works and from Heritage Preservation will present the award to museum staff. The event is free and open to the public.
About the Arizona State Museum
Established in 1893, Arizona State Museum is the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the Southwest. Its scholars and vast collections are among the
most significant resources in the world for the study of southwestern peoples. The collective body of work conducted at Arizona State Museum over the past century tells the story of 13,000 years of
human history and interaction in the Southwest.
Darlene F. Lizarraga
Arizona State Museum
520-626-8381
Elsa Huxley
Heritage Preservation
202-233-0830
ehuxley@heritagepreservation.org