Sharing experience in restoring precious Hue kite artifacts

The discussion on the project To Wake a Kite Up: From Smithsonian 2025 to Hue 1967, co-organized by Lan Tinh Foundation, art conservator Vu Do, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC (USA), will take place simultaneously on the Zoom platform and at the Creative Activities Coordination Center of the Hanoi Museum from 7-9 p.m. on June 13.

Poster for the talk show Waking the Kite: from Smithsonian 2025 to Hue 1967

Photo: Organizing Committee

The talk not only recounted the work of restoring and preserving a precious artifact of Vietnamese culture at an international museum, but also an interesting story about political changes, aesthetics and skills of Vietnamese artisans, as well as the appreciation from friends half a world away.

In March 2025, Vu Do (the first Vietnamese graduate student to study under the Fulbright scholarship, majoring in art conservation at Buffalo State University) accidentally discovered a Vietnamese kite that had been stored for many years in a storage room at the Smithsonian Museum. 58 years ago, US Air Force Colonel Robert C. "Bob" Mikesh "fell in love" with Hue kites, so he ordered a kite artisan in Hue to make this kite and brought it back to the US at the request of Mr. Paul E. Garber, then curator of the Smithsonian Museum. Later, both Mikesh and Garber became pioneers in the field of aviation conservation.

Art conservation scholar Vu Do

Photo: Organizing Committee

After nearly a month of serious work with conservation, curation and archiving experts at the museum, Vu Do successfully restored the kite based on scientific and methodical measurements, testing, and archival searches about the origin, techniques, manufacturing materials as well as the historical story behind this artifact.

The project also received contributions from artist Nguyen Duc Niem in the research process, journalist Truong Uyen Ly in the role of coordinator and the Center for Coordination of Creative Activities, Hanoi Museum.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chia-se-kinh-nghiem-phuc-che-hien-vat-quy-dieu-hue-185250613010125312.htm