22 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN There are black and white Associated Press photographs donated by George Stephanopoulos, the journalist and host of “Good Morning America.” The pictures show soldiers in the United States Army training in a Korean camp after the Korean War. The photographs’ edges are worn by the handling of hurried editors, while the backs of the pictures are stamped with a faded copyright from the Seattle Times, dated Aug. 15, 1955. A pre-Columbian jug, depicting a sea lion deity wearing a polka dot poncho, dates back to 600 to 900 CE — before Christopher Columbus set foot in the New World. Despite its age, the brightly colored jug has only a few paint chips missing. “Essential Clay,” made of colored beeswax on wood board, is part of Lehigh’s own history, painted by Richard J. Redd, a longtime professor who served as chair of Lehigh’s Department of Art, Architecture and Design from 1970-1976. “It was really interesting to see the restoration side and all the artworks we have that aren’t on display,” says Charlotte Cooper ’25, a graphic design major and one of Crow’s students. “I thought there were so many cool pieces. There was a Keith Haring box on one shelf,” she says, referring to the American artist and activist known for his graffiti-inspired art. “I didn’t know we had all this stuff.” Lanie Yaswinski, a collections assistant, compares the storage facility to a restaurant’s “back of house,” where all the cooking goes on. “We are stewards of what is donated here. We keep it in perpetuity,” she says. Behind the scenes, LUAG staff strive to keep the storage facility at a constant temperature of 68 degrees and humidity no higher than 45%. A database tells what room, shelf number and box number an item is in. A registrar processes incoming donations and acquisitions, managing legal paperwork for insurance and compliance with museum policies. There are entire rooms dedicated to storing paintings, sculptures and ceramics. Floor-to-ceiling flat file cabinets hold “The direct encounter with original works of art is an invaluable opportunity for Lehigh students.” —William Crow, director of LUAG and professor of practice in art, architecture and design Mr. Imagination (Gregory Warmack) created this mule sculpture for Lehigh as part of the public art project “Miles of Mules.” More than 150 life-sized, fiberglass mule sculptures were created for the project. CHRISTA NEU
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