From Viktor's Attic: An Interview with Archivist Craig Bara

Archivist Craig Bara talks about his new assignment with the Viktor Schreckengost Foundation to organize, conserve, catalogue and make accessible the thousands of artifacts in Viktor's art studio.

Those who have seen Viktor Schreckengost’s attic describe it as a mind-boggling place.

This third-floor studio is crammed with literally thousands of artistic artifacts: finished paintings, sculptures and prints; rolled-up drawings and blueprints; boxed mechanical parts from various inventions; sets of his famous dinnerware; albums of photographs, slides and newspaper clippings relating to his career; and dusty piles of papers that hide gems like original 1920s sketches on brittle, yellowing paper. A work-stained drafting table sits in a well-lit corner, littered with ink bottles. It is as if the artist has just stepped out for a moment.

To archivist Craig Bara, Viktor’s studio is, yes, a little overwhelming—but extremely exciting. Craig has been retained by the Viktor Schreckengost Foundation to help organize, conserve, catalogue, and make accessible the life’s work of this talented artist. “This is like a treasure trove for me, just wonderful,” says Craig. “I have loved art all my life. I knew who Viktor was even as a child. I remember as a seventh-grader once asking a kid in my class with the same last name if he were related to Viktor Schreckengost.”

This large-scale “Mission: Organization” project comes naturally to the accountant-turned-curator/preservationist. He comes with just the right experience. He treats Viktor’s work with expert care, derived from previous restoration work and classes in the preservation of paper and textile artifacts. In Alliance, Ohio, he transformed a historic home, filled with original historic and artistic pieces, into a beautifully restored museum. He has helped families and older individuals to make sense of generations’ worth of family artifacts and he catalogued the papers of one of President Nixon's secretaries.

Craig came across the Viktor Schreckengost Foundation while trying to research Viktor’s works. Craig explains that source materials about Viktor were scattered and difficult to find. “I love knowing that I am now facilitating future research efforts, so scholars don’t have to go to 20-30 places to find material on Viktor.”

So what exactly is Craig doing? “I am going room by room,” he explains, “focusing on the third floor [of Viktor’s home].” He sorts everything. News clippings, exhibition programs and photo series of works-in-progress are arranged with the correct chronology, to be cross-referenced with the projects they describe. Sketching and drawings of industrial design projects, finished fine art pieces, and even theater set designs are identified and referenced to the resulting works. “Things are being shuffled, moved away from the lights and windows, and sorted for digital cataloguing.” Dirty, dusty, thrilling work to Craig. “Just knowing that Viktor is alive and that I can ask him about things is exciting [as an archivist]. His memories related to his works are sharp; he even remembers the often elaborate processes involved in the creation of individual works.” Craig summarizes his work in a satisfied tone: “What I’m doing is putting his life together, that’s how I see it, organizing it so others can enjoy it as well.”

Craig finds beautiful pieces and important memorabilia every day. Periodically he will report the highlights of these finds in the Viktor Schreckengost Foundation newsletter. Watch for more from Craig in the coming series “From Viktor’s Attic.”