Terry Drayman-Weisser will be a guest blogger here on Culture Comment, during her trip to Iraq. She is the director of conservation and technical research, at the Walters Art Museum, and travels to Iraq to assist with conservation efforts there. The Walters’ conservation laboratory is the third oldest in the U.S. and is known for its high standards in treatment and research. Terry writes about the first day of her work in Iraq.
After about 12 hours of sleepless travel I got my first glimpse of Erbil, Iraq. As my plane began its descent, the view of the city from the air was obscured by a yellow dust cloud. When I could finally see, I was amazed at how large and sprawling Erbil is with lots of new construction. Apparently many refugees have settled here. I am staying in a house in a protected traditionally Christian community, so it is much less conservative than the downtown (liquor stores!). I was struck by how many bridal (yes bridal) shops there are in Erbil. In fact, one of the streets looks a lot like Eastern Avenue in Baltimore. The house I am in has everything one needs to live a simple, comfortable life. So why do all of the bathroom fixtures look as if they were looted from Saddam’s palaces?
More later.
Terry
Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum since 1994, has been with the Baltimore institution for more than 20 years. A native of Minnesota, Gary received his B.A. from Carleton College in 1967 and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1976 before working as Senior Associate for Byzantine Art Studies at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.