The Arizona State Museum, located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, has 
spent the past six years on a massive conservation project of their collection of over 35,000 Native baskets, sandals, cradleboards, mats, and more. They undertook their Woven Wonders conservation project because their vast collection of perishable items required new conservation techniques to safely store them without further deterioration. Moreover, the ASM aimed to make their collection more accessible to the public as well as researchers. This involved not only improving how the collections were physically stored and climate-controlled, but also updating how the items were organized and catalogued. [Photo via Arizona State Museum.]
The outstanding results can be seen in their new facility at the ASM, which comprises a state-of-the-art visible storage vault and conservation lab. Adjacent to the vault is an interpretive gallery and their current exhibit, "Woven Through Time: American Treasures of Native Basketry and Fiber Art."
For an excellent description of the breathtaking scope of the Woven Wonders project, please read the article, "Woven Wonders and Saving Basketry at the Arizona State Museum" by Nancy Odegaard, et al., in the journal Kiva, Vol 82, No. 4, December 2016, at pp. 403-420.
Plan a visit soon!
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