Volume 9, Number 2
Apr 1985

Friends of Paper Museum Meet

The Dard Hunter Paper Museum, a world-ranking paper history collection, has been at the Institute for Paper History in Appleton, Wisconsin for 30 years. A few years ago, at an AIC meeting, a Friends group was organized to support the IPC's efforts to care for the collection. Most of its members are paper conservators and hand papermakers, and most of its meetings are held at Appleton.

Twenty-six people, including past and present council members, attended the December 1 open board meeting of the Friends of the Dard Hunter Paper Museum in Appleton. Howard Clark, president of the Friends group, introduced the IPC director, Harry Posner, and vice president, Dr. Harry Cullinan, who discussed matters of mutual concern with the group: how the collection could be used as an educational tool; how to increase financial support for the museum, perhaps by obtaining matching grants through the Friends; possibilities for housing the collection elsewhere; and the hiring of a full-time curator, who could perhaps be supported jointly by the IPC and by grant funds obtained by the Friends.

Doug Stone presented a list of 38 materials conserved and 12 other projects carried out by him for the museum. He also presented a list of short and long term needs, with costs ($1½ M startup and $100,000/year) and announced that paper historian Henk Voorn has agreed to survey the collection once again and establish conservation priorities.

The Friends will write a position description for a curator, and apply for tax exempt status. Annual meetings will be in the second week of November; the next will be November 8-10 in Appleton. An open board meeting for the Friends Council and all other interested persons will be held in Appleton April 19-21 and each April thereafter. Council will also meet at this May's AIC meeting. The newsletter (Christine Smith, editor) is to appear twice a year.

There are 263 members. Current council members at the open board meeting were Howard Clark, Theresa Fairbanks, Susan Gosin, Susan Page, and Doug Dugal. Past council members include Tim Barrett, Cathy Baker and Kathryn Clark.