Historic Preservation

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Fine Tuned Delivered: Motown anticipates homecoming of restored piano

April 27, 2012 in Historic Preservation, Music, News | No comments

Sir Paul McCartney and chief curator Linda Stephens during the former's visit. Photo: Motown Museums

By Sheryl Davis

The original studio piano of Hitsville USA will soon return home to Detroit following its restoration at Steinway & Sons in New York. A visit to the Motown Historical Museum prompted Paul McCartney to commission the effort.

Before his concert at Comercia Park last July, McCartney paid a visit to Motown, or “the holy grail” as he referred to it later when reflecting on the experience.

While in Studio A, he requested to play the 1877 Steinway grand piano he recalled on many of the records he listened to as a kid in Liverpool, England. “He was disappointed when we told him it didn’t play,” remarked Motown Historical Museum CEO Audley Smith, Jr.

When McCartney learned of the instrument’s fragile condition, he immediately offered his assistance, calling the museum a day after his concert. In October 2011, the museum officially announced McCartney’s support and the Victorian rosewood piano was carefully transported by train to Queens, New York.

The Motown Historical Museum’s chief curator Lina Stephens accompanied McCartney on his tour and received the call from him later about his excitement and confidence in the project following a conversation with Steinway & Sons.

Myriad recently connected with Ms. Stephens to ask her about the forthcoming special occasion.

Myriad: What are your thoughts as curator on the piano’s restoration and anticipated return? Will there be any special events for its homecoming or have there been any changes at the museum to prepare for its arrival?

Stephens: I am very excited about the return of the piano. The restoration is only a plus as the piano will be playable with the sound quality a Steinway piano should have.  As far as a special event to mark the homecoming of the piano, there have been many things talked about, but nothing concrete.

Myriad: Will the piano now take a more active role in the museum’s tour experience?

Stephens: I don’t think the general tour will change with the return of the piano.

Myriad: Is there any chance that Sir Paul will return to Motown to inspect the restoration work for himself?

Stephens: We would love for Sir Paul McCartney to come back and see the piano, but there are no plans for that to happen.

The piano contributed to the “Motown Sound” on recordings from 1960 to 1972, including tunes such as “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “What’s Going On” and “Tracks of My Tears.” It was last featured on The Commodores’ “Machine Gun” album in 1972.

“Steinway & Sons is honored to restore the historic Steinway piano that was used by such legends as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder – and to do so in the very same New York factory where it was originally built in 1877, “ said Ron Losby, President of Americas, Steinway & Sons. “We’re especially proud, as an American company, to help the Motown Museum in preserving the legacy of the Motown Record Company, whose artists and albums played such a vital role in one of the great eras of American music.”

Reports from the field: The Johnny Cash Boyhood Home Restoration Project

March 7, 2012 in Historic Preservation, Music, Reports From the Field | 1 comment

The restoration of Johnny Cash's boyhood home is a labor of love and economical hope. (Source: Sony Legacy)

By Sheryl Davis

On Sunday, Feb. 26, the 80th birthday anniversary of Johnny Cash was commemorated with the official restoration launch of his childhood home in Dyess, Arkansas.

Beth Wiedower, director of the Arkansas Delta Rural Heritage Development Initiative, acknowledged this as a moment of real gratification and excitement for the potential success of revitalizing a fading community through its native son.

Wiedower said of the project, “Although much work has gone into the project to date – researching, uncovering, and planning for the restoration, this Sunday’s ceremony will mark the visible start to the preservation of an American icon’s home leading to the revitalization of the town of Dyess and the Arkansas Delta region.”

 

In April 2011, the house was acquired by Arkansas State University after over forty years of private ownership. During that same month, Dr. Ruth Hawkins, Director of the Arkansas Heritage Sites program at ASU, joined the Cash family in making the official announcement of the project and the inaugural Johnny Cash Music Festival benefit.

“We are pleased that the Cash family has gotten behind this project.” Dr. Hawkins said, “The occasion of his 80th birthday is certainly a perfect time to raise national awareness of the efforts that are ongoing to restore his boyhood home and other properties in the historic Dyess Colony.”

Last summer I was very fortunate to have connected with Ms. Wiedower and Dr. Hawkins who made possible my proposed visit to the Johnny Cash boyhood home as part of a field study and research project for one of my historic preservation graduate classes at SCAD.

On a Tuesday morning in early July, in the 104-degree heat, I made the hour’s drive from Memphis through the stark landscape of northeast Arkansas. It was beautiful. The thick cover of dust from the long, narrow gravel road obscured the home’s initial approach but as I turned into the drive, I saw the historical marker and the house appeared.

At first glance it had a striking and almost disparaging normalcy but even more resonant was its rugged and quiet perseverance, which it almost seemed to don as a badge of honor. Perhaps it was the residual pride of the Arkansas Delta sharecropper, a toil-worn survivor of the Great Depression.

The work of the land and their way of life was very difficult, and Cash never wanted it to be “mythologized,” as his daughter Rosanne has recalled. I think the home’s plain and forthright honesty as an architectural symbolism of this hard knocks shot at the “promised land,” as he referred to it, continues to successfully wield the character and soul of the Cash catalog and the man himself.

With the announcement in April and the inaugural concert fundraiser in October, I had gotten to experience the project during a very active and exciting time, particularly with regard to the removal of the home’s non-historic material and the unanticipated reveal of such high integrity. 90% of the house was found to be original and had been protected beneath over forty years of mostly cosmetic or superficial modernizations like linoleum, faux wood paneling, wallpaper and dropped ceilings.

I was very honored by the opportunity to visit this place where the legend of Johnny Cash was cultivated. To me, this musical prophet of the heartland, his lyrics and signature sound, the biting grit of reality and heartened messages of everyday life are profound, philosophical. The transference of time and place and the humbling authenticity of his early life are forever emblazoned in the storied material culture of his boyhood home that will soon be ready for the world to experience.

To learn about these tender and prolific years before celebrity in one of the most genuine, sensory and intimate of ways is truly a gift that I hope many will come to know personally as it lifts the little town of Dyess into prosperity again.

When I asked childhood friend and classmate A.J. Henson about Sunday’s event in Dyess he responded: “I plan to be there. My memories of J.R. aren’t about his singing although I really enjoy that, but of a good friend and the things we shared together as young men.” Mr. Henson is an honorary co-chair of the project’s Arkansas Steering Committee.

The Johnny Cash Boyhood Home Project is a community revitalization effort via cultural heritage tourism that includes restoration of the boyhood home as well as the rehabilitation of two buildings in the historic town center of Dyess to be utilized as the museum complex. For more information on the project or the Johnny Cash Music Festival, visit www.johnnycashmusicfest.com.

Alumni Spotlight: Monique Velez

February 20, 2012 in Careers, Historic Preservation | No comments

Monique Velez hopes to bring historic preservation to the masses with her new project.

By Sheryl Davis

Last week SCAD Myriad interviewed alumnae Monique Velez (M.A. Historic Preservation, 2010) about her Kickstarter campaign, Brooklyn to Harlem.

Myriad: Tell us about your current project, Brooklyn to Harlem. Why, how and when was it inspired?

Velez: Brooklyn to Harlem started out as an idea for the name of a family Web site to share photos and to create a family genealogy chart or tree.

In doing the research on my family history the desire and need to travel to Brooklyn, Alabama, the town my great-grandmother migrated from to Harlem, New York, grew.

Documenting that trip also became a priority and the project grew from there.

Myriad: You mention that this pilgrimage “has been a idea (seed) germinating for as far back as I can recall.” Did it influence your decision to study historic preservation at SCAD?

Velez: Absolutely. In my essay application for the M.A. program at SCAD I talked about my upbringing in Harlem and the Bronx and how during the ‘70s and ‘80s when I was coming up there were pre-war buildings, avenues and boulevards that were blighted but glimmered of an illustrious past. I grew up on the Grand Concourse and went to school around the corner from the Apollo when it stood boarded up for years.

I always wanted to make sense of all of this. I had a knack and interest that led me to pursue history for my undergraduate work but I was not sure how to apply that. When I learned of the M.A. in Historic Preservation at SCAD I felt finally I found the itch I had been trying to scratch.

Myriad: What makes Brooklyn to Harlem a unique and critical opportunity in historic preservation, both in your personal and professional points-of-view?

Velez: Brooklyn to Harlem will show historic preservation in an accessible and cool way through a documentary that will highlight two really interesting places. There are many people who, when I say I have a degree in historic preservation, ask, “What’s that?” I think the name/title is self-explanatory, but unfortunately, it’s not. It should be.

Personally, this project is going to change my life. I am learning the story of my maternal lineage back to slavery. Professionally, I am applying my degree in a way that will hopefully bring greater awareness to the field and importance of preservation work.

Myriad: What kinds of activities will you be involved in during your visit?

Velez: I will be going to the Register of Deeds to pull records. I will be visiting what I believe is a pre-civil war cemetery to see the shape it is in, and accessing it while looking for the final resting spot of family members. I will be camping in the Conecuh National Forest and mountain biking, as well as exploring and looking for sites and structures that tell the Brooklyn to Harlem story.

Myriad: In your video, you revealed that the real “fuel” for your project was the sensory experience of Brooklyn, a longing to know what it “looks like, feels like, smells like.” Why is this aspect important and how do you envision those elements being translated to film? Photography, etc.?

Velez: The sensory experience is a personal one. It will be fulfilling to see this place of my familial history. I believe it is a special place and I think this is the essence of preservation work, the significance of place. On film we are going to do our best to capture visually my full sensory experience. I am confident that my small, competent team of four, including myself, is going to capture some amazing moments to tell this story.

Myriad: You’ve stated that you want “to show people that it is relatively easy, rewarding, fun, and exciting to learn about relatives and ancestors back several generations to periods in history that most of us have only read or imagined about.” How do you intend to communicate that with this project?

Velez: It is the hope that the documentary will illustrate this and the goal is to then provide research tools and resources for the general public on genealogy that make it user-friendly and accessible; not dusty or boring which is a misconception about research and history, but fun.

Myriad: What will be the defining legacy of Brooklyn to Harlem? Of you as both an interested family member and preservationist?

Velez: I am a part of the legacy of Brooklyn to Harlem. This was a journey that took place almost 100 years ago by my great-grandparents to leave the South in search of a better life for themselves and their families. In that decision they became a part of history and I now have the opportunity to tell that story. This in a very real sense is a storybook for my family; one that we believe is important to share. As a preservationist this is meaningful work that I am hopeful will bring dialogue and interest to the field.

When asked what she was looking forward to the most, Velez responded: “At this point I am most looking to the day we reach our funding goal on kickstarter.com.” Meeting the March 2 deadline at the $5,000 mark will determine whether the project goes forward from the preliminary stage. At various pledge levels, donors will receive incentives such as postcards shot on location, a Brooklyn to Harlem T-shirt, DVD, gift bag, or even an invite to the premiere party and screening. The SCAD community may support Velez by donating on the Brooklyn to Harlem Kickstarter page.

Student Preservation Association seeks connection with eLearners

February 18, 2012 in Historic Preservation, News | Permalink

The Student Preservation Association hopes to use eLearning students' perspectives to further its cause.

By Sheryl Davis

The Student Preservation Association (SPA) is looking to expand its membership to SCAD eLearning students and seeks your interest and feedback on how to make that happen.

SPA Vice President Meghan Weber spoke to Myriad about the decision this week.

“We are in the midst of figuring out ways to provide opportunities for eLearning students to get involved,” stated Weber. “Our club does a lot of hands-on opportunities such as workshops and community involvement.”

She went on to add, “We would love to have an interactive way to include eLearning students, so they could actively participate in lectures and share some of their own preservation projects.”

SPA was established in 1983 and is one of SCAD’s oldest student organizations. Part of its mission is “to make connections with students, faculty, alumni, and professionals from all disciplines, demographics, and locations that are interested in Historic Preservation.”

While the club has established an online presence through their blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts, utilizing modern technology for virtual communication is one area that SPA officers want to explore and develop in order to collaborate with their eLearning peers.

On January 12, Dr. Donald Jones, director of the U.S. National Committee for the International Council on Monuments and Sites (US/ICOMOS), gave a talk at SCAD on international preservation and heritage development. It was the first time an historic preservation lecture at SCAD had been streamed live.

The presentation is now archived and available for on-demand viewing here (enter your student username and password for access).

Although she anticipates that varying time zones may be an issue, Weber says that SPA is currently working on getting the lectures streamed live for Preservation Week, SCAD’s longest-running student-sponsored event, held annually in May.

Other possibilities mentioned include a SPA Skype account for eLearners to “attend” meetings, podcasting and Powerpoint sharing with embedded audio.

Weber went on to acknowledge both the challenges of distance in eLearning as well as the exciting global opportunities for all in getting connected virtually.

“We understand the disconnect eLearning students have from campus and want to close that gap.” She said, “eLearning students live all over the world, which can help increase our preservation knowledge and news in many places.”  

Interested in joining SPA and/or lending your tech-savviness? Share your thoughts and suggestions with Meghan by e-mailing her at spa@scad.edu.