Richmond Industrial City – Richmond Museum of History

Richmond Industrial City at the Main Post Office on Nevin Ave

Posted by Melinda McCrary 09/01/2020 No Comments

Rescheduled: Virtual Program Restoring Richmond Industrial City

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Free Virtual Public Program Tuesday November 10, 2020 | 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Scott Haskins of Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory

Restoring the historic Richmond Industrial City mural

Event Description:

FACL is currently working to restore the historic Richmond Industrial City mural that was rediscovered by Museum staff in 2015. Scott Haskins will give a multimedia presentation about the techniques employed by the art conservators to treat the flaking paint, remove distortions, cleaning, and archival varnish to protect the mural for the future. Participants will receive downloadable eBook(s) with guidance for preserving your family photographs and documents.

FACL Conservators Virginia and Oriana Inspecting Mural (May 2020)

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.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95950526679?pwd=Syt3MXpCanNuZFFwNThJUjFEeXFXUT09

Meeting ID: 959 5052 6679
Passcode: 897505

Posted by Melinda McCrary 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!

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 Melinda McCrary 09/27/2017 Richmond History No Comments

Arnautoff Mural

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.