John Gaw Meem at Acoma: The Restoration of San Esteban del Rey Mission

5: Patronage and Questioning of Intentions: Hiatus, 1928

144 5 Patronage and Questioning of Intentions hIAtus, 1928 Patronage and Image the 1927 season had ended in early september, and reuter went on to work on the roof of the church at santa Ana. but financial accounts for the work at Acoma were still being settled in november of that year. on november 17 Anne evans sent two telegrams to John Gaw Meem, followed by a long letter the next day.1 The first telegram indicated that work was about to start on santa Ana: $500 was sent to santa fe for use on that mission. That telegram also had the urgent message that there were no funds for Acoma. Anne evans “personally subscribed” an additional $109 to cover costs, and she had borrowed from a second fund. in the second telegram sent later that day, evans wrote to say that she was sending a check for $100 for Acoma, for she had just received these funds. The november 18 letter gave further information and insight into the society’s finances, fundraising efforts, and future plans for soliciting funds. in the first paragraph Anne evans explained, “we were as i said absolutely (or almost absolutely) out of money in the general funds.” she explained to Meem that she borrowed from “the convents fund” and that she was culpable in this action. “you see we were running very close to the wind—i borrowed from the convents fund, rather thinking (carelessly) that they had let the project lapse because they had had such poor luck in getting money. Mrs. ickes rather called me down and we made up the amount we had taken.”2 in the letter Anne evans wrote of donations from new york, chicago, st. louis, santa fe, Denver, and colorado springs. she was organizing 145 information on projects planned and already accomplished by the society so that she could solicit funding in the eastern cities of the United states where she planned to visit that winter. she said that she was sure to get more money for the Acoma church and also for the convento. in the letter she asked John Meem for an estimate of how much it would cost to finish the work at Acoma, stating that it was helpful to tell subscribers of specific goals. figure 50: subscription form, society for the restoration and Preservation of new Mexican Missions. Undated, probably 1926. Mss 675, box 12, folder 4, Meem Papers, cswr. 146 figure 51: solicitation letter, society for the restoration and Preservation of new Mexican Missions. Undated, probably 1926. Mss 675, box 12, folder 4, Meem Papers, cswr. PatronaGe and QuestIonInG oF IntentIons 147 The society for the Preservation and restoration of new Mexico Mission churches was becoming more and more established, and the fund-raising efforts were becoming more and more structured. Anne evans was central to this effort. The handwritten letter from Anne evans to John Gaw Meem also explained the urgent need for fund-raising. by 1927 a well-established structure of subscribers was in place to obtain funding for the missions. The structure procured donations in part through the social and business networks of the society’s leaders and members. it appears that the problems of obtaining funds led to some discussion by the santa fe group within the society of ways to maintain continuity of funding so that work could be carried out more consistently than what was current , where work was done only when funds were available. And in 1928 plans were discussed to alter fundraising methods. in a January 12 letter, John Meem wrote to Anne evans about a meeting he had with a Mrs. funk, who suggested to him that the best way for the society to continue to fund preservation and maintenance work over the long term was to build an endowment. “My first reaction to this was disapproval,” Meem stated, as it seemed to me that the custom established by the society, of using every penny donated in actual reconstruction work was the policy to be maintained and that all work done by ourselves be a matter of love. Upon second thought, i have changed my mind and i now believe that Mrs. funk’s idea, while apparently rather radical is in reality the correct one. At the rate we have been going, small amounts of money can be raised from time to time but never with any definite assurance of a...