University Museums unveiled the restored Silver Code Curtain on Sept. 14, a conservation project that began a little more than one year ago.

The Silver Code Curtain at Stephens Auditorium weighs in at 3,000 pounds and is a historic piece of Iowa State. It is also the only curtain of its kind left in the United States. Surprisingly, not many people know about this tapestry, even though it’s a massive piece of artwork.

It is actually pretty easy to miss. Even though Stephens Auditorium is used frequently for different events, Silver Code was rarely noticed. The reason behind this 3,000-pound mystery is that it is hidden in the rafters during events at Stephens.

The curtain was donated by J.W. “Bill” Fisher in 1969. While traveling in Japan, Fisher visited Chiba Culture Hall where he first saw a similar stage curtain. Fisher found the artist, Ryokichi Mukai, and called on him to make a similar one for the grand opening of Stephens Auditorium in 1969.

This 80-by-35-foot tapestry was hand woven by seven people in four short months. It was then shipped to the United States and put on display at Stephens Auditorium, which is where it has been hanging since. Silver Code celebrated its 45th anniversary on Sept. 9.

On Sept. 14, I was fortunate to go to an event led by Kate Greder, who was largely in charge of the recent conservation project of Silver Code. During this event, Greder talked a lot about the history of the curtain and about the yearlong conservation project.

Greder showed several before and after pictures from the last year that demonstrated the difference their efforts made. After 45 years, it’s obvious that there is going to be some damage and a collection of dust, especially if it was never properly cleaned before.

During her presentation, Greder mentioned that there was layer upon layer of dust that needed vacuumed and brushed off. I can’t force myself to vacuum my apartment, let alone imagine vacuuming this massive curtain. Greder also said that after the backing of the curtain was replaced, she went through and did a quick recleaning of the front, which still took two weeks.

After the presentation, everyone walked over to Stephens to actually view the curtain. Just describing this curtain doesn’t do it justice. Viewing it was something completely unexplainable. When I say Silver Code is massive, I mean it. Not to mention how ornate it is as well. The materials and colors are so well preserved.

I highly recommend that everyone looks for the Silver Code Curtain the next time it’s displayed — it is truly impressive.