In spring 2007, Father Mut's Sitting Room
was closed to the public to allow May Paintings Conservation
to stabilize and clean the wall and ceiling finishes. They
had previously conserved finishes within the adjoining room
and last year performed similar conservation treatments of
the historic Serra Chapel entryway. All work formed part of
an overall plan for the stabilization and preservation of
the South Wing building and Serra Chapel. Read more....
Light, Temperature and Humidity
During the past year, Mission San Juan
Capistrano has steadily implemented museum standards within
its interpretation spaces to improve the conditions under
which artifacts are displayed. Read more....
Mendoza Ceramics Storage Project
Born in Jalisco, Mexico, ceramist Ireneo
Mendoza learned his craft through his family. The regional
clay resources around Jalisco have long supported locally
crafted ceramics and even to this day techniques and ceramic
styles descend through families from one generation to the
next. Mendoza's simple, unglazed, hand formed and polished
wares reflected the traditional pottery craft of his home
and family. Please read on to learn why Ireneo Mendoza is
linked to the history of Mission San Juan Capistrano. Read more....
Storage of Historic Native American
Baskets
In December of 2005, the California Missions
Foundation (CMF) awarded Mission San Juan Capistrano $9,000
to improve the storage of its collections. At the same time,
the Mission received a similar grant in the amount of $5,000
from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). These
two grants enabled the Mission to buy two museum storage cabinets,
preservation tools and supplies, archival housing materials,
and environmental monitoring equipment. More significantly,
it also allowed the Mission to house one of its most fragile
and valuable collections, consisting of approximately thirty
historic Native American baskets.
Read more....
Father Serra's Chasuble Undergoes Conservation
Mission San Juan Capistrano has a valuable
collection of vestments dating from the eighteenth to the
twentieth centuries. Among them is a chasuble worn by Father
Junípero Serra, the father president of the California missions.
On display in the Mission's museum, the chasuble was recently
taken down so that it could undergo conservation treatment.
Read more....
