by Quentin Lewis

Weeknotes: 5/5/24-5/11/24

weeknotes indigenous music teaching museum

This Week:

  • I finally finished and submitted a NAGPRA repatriation grant, to help pay for the costs of returning human remains and a cultural object back to the Ute tribes from whom they come. It was a lot of work, and I’m glad to have it out the door. Fingers crossed, but I’m optimistic that we can get this done in the Fall.
  • My Collections Management students had their final class on Thursday. We’ll do some more work on their project during their final exam period next week, and then we’re done!
  • On Saturday of last week, I went to my daughter’s ballet recital. She’s been taking ballet lessons for the last few months, and really enjoys it, and it was great to get to see her onstage. I’m so proud of her!
  • This semester, we hosted an intern this semester named Peyton Legg, and among many other things, she put together a wonderful display of objects of personal adornment in one of our hallway cases. She also took over the Museum’s instagram account this week and is showing off pieces from her display. Great job, Peyton!
  • I picked up a digital copy of Luluc’s quiet, sad album “Dear Hamlyn” this week.
  • Like so many people, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Steve Albini this week. He made music both in bands (Big Black, Shellac) and as an engineer (Nirvana, Slint, the Jesus Lizard, and so so much more… that has been vital to me throughout my life. I never met him, but I’ve found myself quite affected by his death. I think it’s because, despite the image of him as a cantankerous hater (which the many tributes this week have completely blown apart), he clearly loved music, and believed in its power to move people and change them, and bring them together. This belief held together his own approach to making and recording music, his anti-capitalist politics, his feminism, and by all accounts, the way he comported himself with the people around him, and his commitment to sharing what he knew about music. My heart goes out to the people who did know him, family and friends and colleagues, and to everyone who loves and respects music and musicians.