The Jack Kirby Museum Questions Article

People are emailing. And they are really interested in just exactly what the Jack Kirby Museum actually is.

(There's a podcast at the bottom of the page if you REALLY wanna catch up.)

For the uninitiated, an illustrator (among other things) named Greg Theakston donated a ton of stuff to the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center. That much is undisputed.

Greg claims he donated everything but a set of original pencil copies. The museum claims it's all THEIRS now. Even though we also know no master list of items was ever issued to Mr. Theakston.

So, that sort of thing breeds questions. And, in TGS fashion, we sent off a list of those questions to the Museum's media contact, Mr. Patrick Berzinski of Tranquility 49. Where Rand Hoppe is also employed, according to their website.

Here's the email:

Mr. Berzinski,

Our show has been following the Greg Theakston matter--and as a result, has received quite a number of emails from listeners and museum industry professionals containing questions about the Museum.

Naturally, we realize that the Museum won't necessarily be able to answer questions about that matter, but there are some questions about the Museum and its general operation that people are curious about:

1. How many days or weeks during the last five years has the museum physically been open to the public at regularly scheduled times without appointment?

2. Where are the museum’s artifacts stored—what type of structure (residential, commercial office, etc.)—and are they all stored in one location?

3. What precations have been taken to make certain the items are being stored at the optimum temperature and humidity?

4. Are all the museum’s artifacts stored individually? Sleeved and prepared for preservation?

5. Who is the museum’s expert in the preservation, restoration, and storage of rare documents and/or artwork?

6. Does the museum have a master list of all artifacts—including how the item was procured, the exact date of procurement, date the item was created, contributors to the creation of the work, date of appearance of publication where appropriate, type of media, differentiation between published and unpublished works, and designation for loans or donations?

7. How many items in the museum’s possession are donations and how many items have been loaned to the museum?

Naturally, these are questions that anyone could have about any museum, and reflect our audience's interest in understanding the Museum more fully.

Thanks for your time,

Tom Gulley

Sent it first thing Friday morning. I've been assured by three museum professionals--and we're thinking of doing a show with those folks about this issue--that these questions are all well within the bounds of what any museum would and should be able to voluntarily and freely disclose.

Let's see what happens.