The Save Our Hide Conservation Fund was established in 2008 to allow donations to be set aside to complete conservation work on important artifacts in the Museum’s collection. The Museum has identified more than 100 objects in its collection that are in need of professional preservation and conservation; however, this work is extremely expensive and often falls by the wayside due to financial constraints. Conservation efforts supported by this fund ensure that Lam Museum’s objects will survive to educate future generations.
Contributions to the Conservation Fund have been used to support the following projects:
- Conservation of a mid-19th century Comanche painted hide
- Conservation of a Yan ka di puppet, a ceremonial object from Mali
- Purchase of appropriate materials to create a state of the art storage environment for the entire collection
- Conservation of a pair of Barong Sai masks from Bali
- Conservation of a Pima ceramic cup
- Conservation of a Yoruba house of the head, or ile ori
- Conservation of a stone Coptic icon from Ethiopia
- Construction of a mezzanine level in our storage facility to provide the best care and storage of our collections
- Materials needed to move collections to new custom-designed storage space in the Museum’s new Palmer Hall location
- Conservation of a Kuba hat from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Conservation of a Yoruba shrine figure from Nigeria
- Conservation of a Bedouin wedding necklace from Saudi Arabia
2024 Project
This year, we request your financial assistance to professionally conserve a Baule fly whisk from the Ivory Coast. The fly whisk is a traditional symbol of authority that reflects both the power and wealth of its bearer. On this whisk, an elephant finial represents political power, and the gold leaf covering displays important connections to the local gold trade. This object is currently on display in All the King’s Men: Status and Power in Africa. However, the gold leaf is flaking off in several areas making it extremely fragile to handle. In order to use the fly whisk in teaching following its removal from the exhibit in January, it must be conserved. The missing patches of gold leaf need to be filled in and the existing leaf needs to be stabilized to prevent any additional losses. The help of supporters like you is essential to completing the conservation of this important artifact.
Please contact Assistant Director Sara Cromwell at 336.758.5282 or lammuseum@wfu.edu to learn more. Donations to the Conservation Fund are fully tax-deductible.