Museum: Ivan is History

A conservator has arrived on island to help the National Museum assess their damaged collection and set new priorities for the restoration process.

“The collection has been stabilized, meaning it is not going to get any worse, but we must now focus on the proper storage of the collection in a safe environment until it can be restored in the museum,” said renowned international conservator Ms Mary Peever.

Originally from Canada, Ms Peever has extensive experience in assisting museums and other institutions with disaster recovery. She is also no stranger to Cayman, working at the museum from 1992 to 1997 and joining the staff of Pedro St. James until 2000. During those years, she was instrumental in creating a disaster response plan for the museum. Refined over the years by staff, the plan proved invaluable in the days after Hurricane Ivan: “Having a response plan ready helped us save many artifacts that would otherwise have perished,” said Collections Manager Debra Barnes-Tabora.

Ms Barnes-Tabora explained that although the museum suffered extensive damage and still needs all the assistance possible, the years of practicing the recovery plan paid off: “Staff knew how to pack the collections, how to put up the shutters and the steps they had to take immediately after the storm to save as many artifacts as possible. Every staff member had a custom-made recovery kit, including gloves, dust masks, tools and cleaning supplies.”

Since the hurricane, staff and volunteers have cleaned over 7,000 objects in the National Collection, working from the museum’ support facility at Paddington Place. The facility suffered extensive flooding from seawater and objects had to be assessed prior to salvageable items being washed, brushed, scrubbed and/or sprayed with mildew retardant or oil (depending upon the type of material and the extent of damage), before being dried and packed.

“People would be surprised at how many things can be saved, like photographs for instance. Don’t just throw them out; rinse them in clean water and hang them to dry. Depending on the type of chemicals used to process them, they might recover, especially black and white photos,” Ms Peever said.

She advised people who want to try and salvage some of their personal goods to visit websites such as the Canadian Conservation Institute or the Smithsonian Institute for tips on recovering belongings with a sentimental value.

Although the museum remains closed, its gift shop is open to the public and people should visit the shop for authentic Caymanian gift ideas.