Dispatches from the Mid-Atlantic: Castles (And Dragons and Mermaids) Made of Sand

by columnist Madeline Karp

I’ve been known to complain that Atlantic City is a culture vacuum. People don’t come to Atlantic City to take in Shakespeare, look at fine art or go to wine tastings. They come to go to get tanned, ogle half-naked girls at the beach, and get trashed on over-priced drinks at the beach bars. If you want refinement, the locals say here, go to Philadelphia. This is the Shore, baby.

So you can imagine my (pleasant) surprise when I stumbled across the 2013 World Championship Sand Sculpting Competition hosted right on the beach in Atlantic City. Twenty champions from around the world qualified to compete as solo artists and in pairs.

OK, yes. It’s glorified sand castle building. But it’s also amazing.

People who admitted they would never have set foot in a sculpture garden or museum, were wandering around these sculptures admiring the technique, discussing the meaning of the works, and voting for their favorite pieces by dropping quarters into milk jugs. It was public art and co-curation at its absolute best.

I think we’re all on the same page when it comes to needing creative ways to involve the public in our collections management and exhibition processes. I took lots of pictures, so rather than talk about things you already know, I’d rather just show you what the competition looked like, and give you the basic FAQs.

Twenty sculptors competed this year from all over the world. Countries represented included the United States, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Singapore, Latvia and Russia.

Ocean Symphony by Jooheng Tan of Singapore

Folded Memory by David Ducharme of Nelson, British Columbia, Canada

The sand was special beach sand from many years ago, unearthed in a sand quarry and trucked in to the beach. Regular beach sand was deemed “unsuitable” for proper sculpture construction.

Sculptors are not allowed to use molds or power tools. All construction must either be done by hand or with hand tools – they can’t use any extra sand or binding agents and must keep their sculptures within a specific, pre-marked area.

The Phoenix is Always Rising by Morgan Rudluff of Santa Cruz, USA

Some sculptors plan their works out. Others make it up as they go along. I asked one of the sculptors if she built her sand up and shaped as she went, or if like Michelangelo she packed the sand into a big block and then carved out her piece. She smiled shyly and simply said, “We all do little of both.”

All sculptors spray their sculpture down with a mixture of Elmer’s glue and water. The glued sand can withstand some rain and can sometimes harden into a cement-like substance after a small shower.

Awards were given by a juried panel of sculptors, by visitors who voted for their favorites with their pocket change, and by the competing sculptors themselves.

The sculptors take breaks throughout the day to give visiting kids sand castle building lessons and to talk a little bit about their pieces and process.

Some of sand sculptors were retired, but most have day jobs. Some are industrial designers, some are photographers, and one was even a curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History!

Goddess by Carl Jara of Cleveland, USA (Jara is the exhibits curator of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.)

PS – It poured on Sunday night, a few hours after the competition’s conclusion. If that wasn’t incentive to see the sculptures ASAP, I can’t imagine what would be. There’s a lot to be said about this kind of art – it’s gorgeous, but you definitely have to take a Zen perspective and accept that this particular beauty is very, very fleeting.

To see the official contest rules, pictures of past years’ winners and the schedule of events, check out the World Championship of Sand Sculpting’s website.

Dispatches from the Mid-Atlantic: “Rights”-ful Ownership

by columnist Madeline Karp

There are two things in this life that I particularly love: early American history, and a good dramatic mystery.

So of course, when news broke that Pennsylvania’s original copy of the Bill of Rights may have been found in the New York Public, my ears pricked up and I started tuning in to the unfolding drama. Don’t know the story? That’s okay! Dispatches from the Mid-Atlantic now presents:

The Wandering Bill of Rights: A Tale of Provenance

Act 1: In which Pennsylvania’s Copy of the Bill of Rights goes missing

1789. New President George Washington dispatches thirteen copies of the Bill of Rights to the new states for ratification. One copy is kept for the Federal Government.

A shadowy figure – a man, about whom there are few details – decides he has some problem with Pennsylvania specifically, and begins selling the state’s important historic documents on the black market in New York City. Pennsylvania’s copy of the Bill of Rights goes missing without a trace.

Act 2: In which an unaccounted copy is found in the New York Public Library

1898. A wealthy New York collector donates a copy of the Bill of Rights to the New York Public Library. The document has no other provenance record, and is assumed to belong to New York. The Library displays the document on and off for several years, before pulling it permanently, citing preservation concerns.

1911. A fire breaks out in Albany, New York’s capital, destroying the state archives and library. Experts wipe their brows in relief – New York’s copy of the Bill of Rights is safely ensconced in New York City. Or is it?

INTERMISSION.

Act 3: In which a museum becomes involved

2003. Pennsylvania, Georgia and Maryland have all misplaced their original copies of the Bill of Rights. One unaccounted-for copy is for sure on the black market; another found a home in the Library of Congress.

Enter Stephen Harmelin, a lawyer from the state of Pennsylvania who has been diligently working to prove that the NYPL’s copy of the Bill belongs to his state. Evidence suggests that New York’s copy did burn in the 1911 fire and that the NYPL’s copy belongs to Pennyslvania, but Harmelin increasingly runs into problems reclaiming ownership of the Bill.

“It’s not good enough to conclude that a document may or may not have originated in Pennsylvania,” he says. “…You also have to demonstrate that it unlawfully left Pennsylvania.” Harmelin’s case becomes bogged down in frustrating legal technicalities.

Meanwhile, the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia is on the verge of purchasing an original copy of the Bill of Rights from an antiques dealer to put on display as “Pennsylvania’s copy” of the document. Upon hearing the news, Harmelin contacts the Center’s president, Joe Torsella, with some concerns about the document.

Torsella decides to continue with the purchase when – PLOT TWIST – the purchase is really an FBI sting. The dealer is arrested and the black market copy is returned to its original state…which is neither Maryland or Georgia, but North Carolina.

Epilogue: In which New York and Pennsylvania reach a compromise

Present Day. The New York Public Library concedes that their copy probably does belong to Pennsylvania. Rather than get bogged down in the legalities of ownership, the states broker a deal of joint stewardship. NYPL loans the document to the Constitution Center for three years, and agrees to let it travel around the state if host institutions meet the required security and exhibition standards.

Our hero, Harmelin, joins the Constitution Center’s Board of Trustees.

FIN.

This could totally be a docu-drama right? Right?

Or maybe I’m being a total nerd.

Mark you calendars! You can see Pennsylvania’s Wandering Bill of Rights on display at the National Constitution Center starting in 2014.

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To read the less dramatic version of the tale, check out the full article here on philly.com.

For more about the lost Bills of Rights, check out David Howard’s book Lost Rights.

Dispatches from the Mid-Atlantic: A Pinch of Sage

by columnist Madeline Karp,

As many of you already know, I started a new job at the museum this week. On the one hand, it’s the easiest start to a job ever – I already know my supervisors and coworkers, I know the programs we’re going to run, where they will be and when, and I know how the museum functions and works to fulfill it’s mission.

On the other hand…starting a new job is never easy. There’s definitely a learning curve. As a lot of my friends, classmates, former coworkers, (and even my sibling!) are starting new ventures, let’s take some time to remind ourselves of some sage new job advice.

1. Don’t underestimate how long it takes to adjust.

I came home sobbing my very first day of work last summer. And my second day. And my third. Not only was I exhausted, I had no idea what I was doing and it felt like I never, ever would. (Eventually I learned, and soon started training new people.)

Being patient with yourself can be hard, and it’s something I often have to remind myself to do. You’re not going to be good at everything right away. Don’t be surprised if you feel like you’re doing really well, and then have a set back. It can take up to 6 months or even longer to really adjust to a new job.

2. Plan ahead!

I am a total sloth in the morning. The earlier I have to wake up, the slower I move. But the slower I move, the earlier I have to wake up. It’s a vicious cycle. Planning ahead saves me time and helps my morning run smoothly.

Find a routine that works for you. I pack my lunch, pick out my outfits, and fill up my gas tank the night before. Sometimes I even set my coffee pot to auto start and hard-boil a few eggs for breakfast. It totally stinks the night before to take my free time to prepare, but it makes my mornings a snap.

3. Dress for success.

My mother is a power-suited woman of the 80’s. Growing up I learned that you are never completely dressed without makeup and that a little nail polish can go a long way.

Now, I know that makeup or nail polish may not be your thing, and that’s cool. But I do believe that feeling good about the way you look is a confidence booster. So wear your favorite bracelet, swipe on a little extra mascara, buy a new hair clip, or give yourself a quick coat of nail polish – anything that makes you feel confident and professional!

4. Communicate with people the way they like to communicate.

This is one from my sister the Comm Major and it deceptively simple: Pay attention to how your coworkers, clients and partners communicate with each other. Is it through email? Phone calls? Text message? In person meetings? Post-It notes?

Paying attention to how people communicate can set you for successful dialogue and exchange of ideas. If you notice that your supervisor prefers to communicate through email, don’t waste your time leaving voicemails and then banging your head on the desk (a.k.a.: The Headdesk) wondering why she never gets back to you. I find more often than not, those situations open the door for passive aggressive behavior, which we all know is never okay.

By the same token, if you’re terrible about checking texts, perhaps suggest people call or email you instead.

5. Don’t be afraid.

I’ll admit it: sometimes I’m afraid to ask for help for fear of looking silly. No, seriously. I needed help using Gmail today and was kind of afraid to ask. I was afraid to buy lunch in the cafeteria because I had to ask for the special gluten-free noodles. I’m kind of a huge ‘Fraidy-Cat.

Don’t be afraid. Ask for help. It’s how you get better at things. Tell people what you need. It’s how things get done correctly the first time.

6.  Smile.

Not feeling so well? Smile. Not feeling so friendly? Smile. Not feeling so confident? Smile.

It takes fewer muscles than frowning, prolongs your life and helps make your workplace a positive environment. So just smile.

What kind of advice do you have to share? Did anyone give you sage advice when you started your job? Share it in the comments!