Lanore Cady: Houses & Letters

The entire 26 piece collection of original artwork from the book, Houses & Letters (1977) by Lanore Cady from the Humboldt Arts Council’s Permanent Collection, was recently treated by a conservator for typical paper damage such as foxing, acid migration, and accretions. The collection will be on view for the public to see the transformation of the paper after treatment. Visitors can view beautiful renderings of some of Humboldt’s most historic buildings and homes while reading related text executed in Cady’s brush-painted calligraphy. These works of art were then published as an alphabet book, Houses & Letters. The original books will be available for purchase in the MGMA Museum Store.

Collecting works of art is one of the most basic undertakings of an art museum. Moreover, what the museum collects strongly determines its overall character and influence in the art community at large. As a consequence, the Humboldt Arts Council in the Morris Graves Museum of Art is founded upon the principles of ethical art collecting and stewardship. The Museum recognizes that it holds for posterity a significant portion of our cultural wealth. The addition of Houses & Letters to the HAC Permanent Collection is a wonderful gift of local history, and the Humboldt Arts Council is proud that the pieces have been restored to ensure visitors for future generations can enjoy this beautiful collection.

The next step for caring for this collection is to have all 26 works of art framed in museum quality products that will not cause any further damage to the paper. Being that this collection is so important to our local culture, community members are invited to support this effort by donating funds for new archival framing. Donors of $100 will receive an original print from the series and donors of $500 or over will receive an original print signed by Cady.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

Houses & letters: A heritage in architecture & calligraphy