A Formative Experience In The Making
In 2004, The Huntington’s book and paper conservators moved into a new work space on the second floor of the Munger Research Center. Much bigger, brighter, and better equipped than the old one, the Conservation Lab heralded a new era for staff members charged with preserving the 8 million plus books, manuscripts, and ephemera from the Library collection.
“Good Chemistry” (page 10) describes what happened when students from Scripps College and UCLA gained access to the lab as part of two new internship programs. The opportunity to handle and repair rare materials is proving to be an inspiring experience for young students. These internships help guarantee a workforce of individuals with uncommon, if not esoteric, skill sets. In this, the digital age, it is more critical than ever to ensure the preservation of the Library’s collections and the profession that conserves them.
On the other end of the career spectrum is Harrison McIntosh, who looks back and ponders the singular events that conspired to make him the artist he is today, well into his 90s. In “Crafting a Community” (page 6), he identifies a combination of circumstances that converged to shape his career, perhaps none greater that the relationships formed with other artists such as woodworker Sam Maloof and painter Millard Sheets. In the interview, McIntosh describes how a community of artists in and around Claremont, Calif., helped him—and his art—thrive.
Novelist Susan Straight traces a more solitary formative moment that still resonates for her, seven books into her successful writing career. In “A River Runs Through It” (page 16), she recounts a field trip to the Huntington Art Gallery as a 13-year-old. John Constable’s View on the Stour near Dedham would take on a cumulative power for her in the years that followed. The landscape painting even plays a supporting role in her latest novel, Take One Candle Light a Room, in which a travel writer struggles to mentor her 22-year-old godson, who finds himself in trouble. In a lighter moment, she shares her enthusiasm for Constable. “Dedham,” she corrects him, putting the emphasis on the first syllable, wary of coming on too strong. “Not dead ham.”
