American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History will conserve the most fragile totem poles and large wood carvings housed in the historic Hall of Northwest Coast Indians. This collection is the largest and most important collection of 19th and early 20th century American Northwest Coast art and material culture in the world. The treatments will address both the structural instability and surfaces of these intricate organic objects. Supports for these large carvings will be strengthened; attached elements that have become loose, such as beaks and wings made from separate sections of wood, will be stabilized; and surfaces will be cleaned of accumulated dust and the consequences of heavy visitorship. Treatment will begin to safeguard this important collection for future generations of scientists, historians, artists, and the general public.