Posted by 09/02/2020 No Comments

Virtual Program Preserving Your Precious Memories

Free Virtual Public Program Tuesday October 20, 2020 | 7:00 – 8:15 PM

Scott Haskins of Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory

Preserving Your Precious Memories

Event Description:

Scott Haskins will present a multimedia presentation about techniques to preserve your historical photographs and documents. Participants will receive downloadable eBook(s) with guidance for preserving family heirlooms.

This is the second of two lectures by Scott Haskins. Click here to learn about the first event.

Participants Must Register in advance for this meeting:

https://4cd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcof-qoqDsrHtY5jUXoqgCMi4RnkOGEI1vg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

About the Speaker

Scott M. Haskins graduated in 1978 from the Italian government (Lombardy Region – ENAIP) 3 year master?s degree level painting conservation program run in conjunction with the Istituto Centrale del Restauro (ICR) in Rome.

Between 1978 and 1984 Mr. Haskins established the painting conservation laboratory at Brigham Young University, in Utah, USA which also served the historical collection of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they prepared to build two art museums.

In 1986, Mr. Haskins established Fine Art Conservation Laboratories (FACL) in Santa Barbara, CA where they presently provide professional painting conservation services over a wide geographical region. FACL is also recognized and well known nationwide and internationally for art restoration work on murals. They consult on damaged art issues as an expert witness for the Los Angeles court system and for insurance companies, nationwide. FACL has a specialized division of disaster response services for art related items (wildfires, house fires, floods and mud slides, earthquakes etc).

He is the author of the best-selling book series, Save Your Stuff, collection care manuals for collectibles, heirlooms, family history items and is a speaker internationally on the subject. He is also the author of several blogs and has a presence on several social media sites. He often uses these assets to help small museums, foundations and historical sites fundraise.

Posted by 07/10/2019 Museum News, Richmond History No Comments

No Controversy About This Once Missing Arnautoff Mural

No Controversy About This Once Missing Arnautoff Mural

While controversy continues about one famous artist?s mural at a San Francisco high school, an East Bay museum is determined to restore another valuable work by the same person.

The Richmond Museum of History unearthed the mural, ?Richmond an Industrial City? by artist Victor Arnautoff in 2014.? It had hung in the Richmond Post office from 1941 until 1976 when mural was taken down due to remodeling. ?Decades passed, the crate went missing, and mural was eventually declared lost.

Now the Museum has scheduled a gala for September 12 with a silent auction at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. at the Rockefeller Lodge, 2650 Market Ave. in San Pablo. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to restore the mural.

?This is a compelling work that captures the diversity of Richmond, a blue collar community,? says Melinda McCrary, the Museum?s Executive Director. ?A wide range of occupations, ethnicities and scenery demonstrate what life was like in those days. Richmond was working class American community.?

When Arnautoff painted the mural, he was one of the most prominent and influential members of San Francisco?s ?arts community. Between 1932 and 1942, he completed 11public murals, the best known of which is City Life (1934) at Coit Tower in San Francisco. The Richmond Post Office mural was Arnautoff’s last mural of this size and the first time since Coit Tower that he chose to depict a mix of city people going about their daily tasks.. His mural presents life in Richmond as of 1941?when war was on the horizon.? An image of the mural is on the Museum?s website.

?We are looking at this event not only as a way to raise funds to restore the mural but also a celebration of a work of art that was created especially for Richmond.? It is an extraordinary honor and we hope the community will help,? says McCrary.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at https://richmondmuseum.org/event/2019dinner/

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Posted by 06/12/2019 No Comments

A New Deal for Richmond, Arnautoff Mural Benefit Dinner

Help us restore the
Richmond: Industrial City mural by Victor Arnautoff

Thursday, September 12, 2019 at the Historic Rockefeller Lodge

5:30 pm – Drinks and Silent Auction
7:00 pm – Buffet Style Dinner

Can’t make it to the fundraiser but still want to contribute?

Please consider making a donation!

All proceeds benefit the Richmond Industrial History mural restoration project.

Selected List of Items on Silent Auction

Item Description Donor
San Francisco Helicopter Tour L. Maack
Two Adult Tickets American Conservatory Theatre
Golf (4) at Richmond Country Club Joshua Genser
San Francisco Rooftop tour (4) California Preservation Foundation
Family Pack Pier 39
San Francisco Opera tickets San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Symphony San Francisco Symphony
Oakland A’s vs. Rangers 2 Tickets 9/20/19 John & monique Ziesenhenne
San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies 2 Tickets 9/26/19 John & Monique Ziesenhenne
Autographed Photo of Brandon Crawford #35 San Francisco Giants
Autographed Puck by Aaron Dell #30 San Jose Sharks
Membership San Francisco Botanical Gardens
Tickets to 49ers Museum San Francisco 49ers

 

Learn More: https://richmondmuseum.org/history/arnautoff-mural/

Posted by 02/02/2019 No Comments

Trivia Night at East Brother Beer Company

Challenge your knowledge of Richmond history while supporting your community museum at Trivia Night!

Join us for a fun evening of competition, trivia and beer. We’re raising funds to restore the Richmond Industrial City mural by Victor Arnautoff. Only a limited number of teams can compete so don’t wait to sign up!

GAME RULES

  • The game consists of two rounds of questions
  • No more than four players to each team.
  • Each round consists of five themed categories of four questions each. Regulation Time consists of 20 questions per round for a total of 40 questions. Each round will last roughly 25 minutes.
  • Round 1 questions will be worth 10, 20 , 30 ?and 40 points for a total of 500 pts
  • Round 2 questions will be worth 20, 40, 60 and 80 points for a total of 1,000 pts
  • Answers will be submitted to the judges for verification and total points will be kept by the official game scorekeeper.
  • Questions will be presented by the Judges in order of category. Point values have been assigned arbitrarily and do not reflect relative difficulty.
  • Teams have 30 seconds to discuss and write their answers on sheet provided
  • All questions will be somehow related to Richmond California
  • NO cell phones, tablets, Iwatch or any other portable electronic device is allowed during game play.

Many thanks to our friends at East Brother Beer Co. for hosting this event.

Posted by 09/27/2017 Richmond History No Comments

Arnautoff Mural

Arnatouff Mural_1

In 2014, the staff at the Richmond Museum of History learned from longtime member Fran Cappelletti that a mural had once graced the post office lobby. ?Richmond Industrial City,? created by Victor Arnautoff commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Section of Fine Arts, had been installed at the downtown post office in April 1941. A prot?g? of Diego Rivera, Arnautoff, a prominent figure in New Deal art, is perhaps best known for his role as the artistic director of the extensive murals at Coit Tower in nearby San Francisco.

Records show that when the post office lobby was remodeled in 1976, the 13?4? x 6?6? mural depicting prominent people and places in Richmond was carefully removed by art conservator Nathan Zakheim, the son of another renowned New Deal artist, Bernard Zakeim. It was believed to be stored in the building?s basement. A janitor for the post office investigated and found a huge triangular crate in an unlit room, the label clearly identifying it as the missing mural. It has been forgotten for nearly four decades.

As museum staff worked for months to gain permission from the local USPS authorities to take possession of the crate and have it opened by a conservator, the post office was closed due to flooding in the basement. That led to the crate being moved six blocks to the history museum where it was opened it. The crate showed a distinct water line. There was a collective sigh of relief when, upon opening the crate, it was revealed that Zakheim, the conservator, had built the tube to hold the canvas on 6? high stilts. The oil-on-canvas was dry and in overall good condition.

Be a part of this exciting project to restore the Richmond Industrial History mural! As you could expect, art restoration is costly and this ambitious project will be made possible through the committed support of donors at all levels. Museum staff have already raised more than half the necessary funds to restore and hang the mural. Please make a donation to bring the Richmond Industrial City back to the public for the first time in over 40 years

Richmond: Industrial City is art made by the people, for the people, of the people and is now being restored with the help of the people.