From the Figge Front: A new series

In the coming weeks, we'll be hearing regularly from Melissa Hueting, UIMA assistant to the director for special programs and curatorial assistant since July 2008.

Melissa does many things here at the UIMA, but most recently she has been logging a lot of hours in Davenport at the Figge Art Museum. Just a few weeks ago, the bulk of the UIMA's more than 12,000-work collection was moved to the Figge from storage in Chicago -- and that was the easy part. Now, along with several other staff members, art movers, and conservators, Melissa is examining works of art for damage before they are relocated in their new storage spaces at the Figge. It's a time-consuming and fascinating process, and we hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes peak into art museum operations!

Melissa is originally from St. Louis, MO. She attended Knox College, where she received her BA in Classics and Art History in 2004. She then entered the University of Iowa Art History graduate program and received her MA in 2006, writing her thesis on ancient Roman art in North Africa. She has participated in numerous archaeological excavations, both in the US and abroad, and has experience conserving ceramics and animal bones. In her free time, Melissa enjoys writing creative non-fiction short stories about her travels and life experiences. She recently decided to become a volunteer at Coralville Lake, where she will be introducing nature-art projects to the trails and doing educational programming.

--Maggie Anderson, UIMA Marketing and Media Manager