AIC Advocacy – AIC Needs You

In today’s tough times, advocacy is more important than ever. AIC continues to partner with organizations such as the American Association of Museums and National Humanities Alliance to advocate for funding and recognition for conservation and preservation in the U.S. However, we cannot do it without you.

How can you help AIC advocate on your behalf?

  • Be part of our Emergency-Efforts Email Campaigns
  • Sign up for our Advocacy List
  • Engage in long-range advocacy efforts

AIC’s advocacy efforts have two tracks. One encompasses emergency efforts and other encompasses long-term efforts, and you can play an important role in both.

Emergency Efforts

These most often take the form of email blasts from AIC asking you to contact your members of Congress to encourage them to support or oppose a particular piece of legislation. AIC often gets very little notice in advance of legislation votes, so short emails sent to your members of Congress within 24 hours of receiving the AIC email are the most effective way to respond to these calls to action.

One important piece of information to remember is that members of Congress DO listen to their constituents, and these emails and phone calls do make a difference. However, timeliness is what is important, not a well crafted email or letter. Congressional staffers often just keep tallies of those calling or emailing in for or against a particular issue. The result of these tallies is often the only information passed on to the member of Congress.

So, when we ask you to take five minutes to cut and paste a message in an email and send it to your representatives, that is really all the time that is needed.

Some good examples of the important role individuals can play in the federal legislation process are the defeat of the two Coburn Amendments:

  • Early this year Sen. Coburn attempted to prohibit museums from competing for or receiving any funds from H.R. 1, the economic stimulus bill. After a lobbying effort led by AAM in which AIC members were involved, the word “museum” was dropped from the final prohibition. Unfortunately, zoos and aquariums remained barred from competing for economic stimulus funding.
  • More recently, on September 16, 2009, an amendment sponsored by Senators Coburn/McCain – which would have prohibited ANY funding from the Transportation Appropriations bill from going to ANY museum – was defeated on the Senate floor after another AAM lead lobbying effect.

Interestingly, a recent amendment that would have targeted museum funding proposed by Senator Coburn did not make it out of committee, which illustrates that building an effective lobbying effort can extend beyond a particular bill or amendment. I can envision a time when members of Congress will be fully aware that they don’t want to “rile” those conservation people.

Sign up for our Advocacy List

Join our advocacy-efforts list. AIC is developing a list of members who would like to be contracted beyond emergency efforts to assist AIC in broader advocacy work for the arts and humanities. You would be sent additional email blasts when action was needed on Federal issues and to keep you informed of actions being taken that might affect the arts and humanities. Also, we might be able to expand our efforts and advocate for state issues if needed

You can join the list today by:

  • Login to the AIC website and click on Manage Your Profile and scroll down to Interests and select Advocacy Alerts
  • Email resyler at conservation-us dot org and ask to be added to the list.

Long-Term Advocacy Efforts
These following organizations offer occasional training sessions on how to be a good advocate.

If we want conservation to have a greater focus in arts advocacy, we need to be represented.  Take a few minutes to try to open up a dialog with the staff in your representative’s District Office.  You can set up an appointment to talk about what you do, invite them on a lab tour, or include them in museum events.

We at AIC are happy to help you gather materials and make your case. Contact me at rseyler_at_conservation-us_dot_org.

Thank you!
Ruth Seyler

Conservator works to save Hollywood’s Batsuits

The insidious danger comes from below. Liquids oozes up to wreak havoc on a foundation that seemed solid, but now suddenly cracks with fissures that spiral out of control. Malicious gases rise and permeate, damaging everything in their path. No, this is not part of some super-villain’s diabolical plot to destroy Gotham or Metropolis, but there are heroes in danger in this scenario. I’m Ron Barbagallo talking about the impending peril that I thwart daily while preserving Disney animation cels and other art made with painted plastic materials. I am the art conservator and director of Animation Art Conservation, and for nearly 25 years (along with my partner in all things chemical, conservation scientist Michele Derrick) I’ve worked to protect Walt Disney animation cels, as well as other motion-picture artifacts such as Tim Burton’s painted plastic puppets or the on-screen Batman suits, from further degradation.
The costume of Batman has lived in the public imagination since the Franklin Roosevelt administration, has stayed close enough to that original color scheme and overall profile that fans of any age know the hero when they see him on the page, on the screen or ringing the doorbell on Halloween. What has changed, here in Hollywood, is the cloth and thread which the hero wears on the screen. In the movie-serial years, filmmakers translated comic book drawings with stitched fabric but in recent decades there has been a new array of materials – specialized plastics poured into molds, for instance, have given Gotham’s caped crusader a pliable body armor. It’s an understanding of those plastics where a new conservation expertise comes into play.

Read the complete article by Ron in The Los Angeles Times: Hero Complex feature.

New Conserve-O-Grams Available Online

The U.S. National Park Service Museum Management Program is pleased to announce the publication of several new Conserve O Gram technical leaflets on the following topics: 

The National Park Service (NPS) Conserve O Gram (COG) series is geared to collections management staff. Technical leaflets cover a range of collections types, including archives, ceramics, digital media, fine arts, furniture, leatherwork, natural history collections, photographs, and textiles. The COGs address specific procedures, techniques and materials on preservation, security, fire and curatorial safety, agents of deterioration, packing and shipping, storage, and disaster preparedness.

The Conserve O Grams series and other resources are available for free download on the NPS Publications page.

 

 

April Meeting Minutes

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ECPN meeting minutes – April 21, 2011, 1 PM EST

Call Participants:

Karen Pavelka

Amber Kerr-Allison

Ryan Winfield

Ruth Seyler

Amy Brost

Heather Brown

Rose Cull

Carrie Roberts

Communications

* Poster – Amy is sending out a final version, if a committee member does not send back comments or changes after 3 days it means the content and layout are approved.

* Amber and Amy will coordinate having the poster printed, brought to the conference installed, and removed from the exhibition space. Rose will be present for the ‘author’ coffee break on June 2, 3-3:30PM. Other committee members are invited to stand with the poster during this time or at other breaks throughout the AIC meeting. The poster will be taken down on Friday, June 3rd by an ECPN member.

* Flier – Ryan, will have it printed and included in the bag for AIC.

* Amy Brost will attend the publications committee, face to face meeting. They are currently investigating Basecamp as a repository for documents, which may be a future archive for ECPN information. Ryan mentioned that he has a folder on a server in the AIC office for ECPN information. Committee members should send Ryan a CD of information if they would like it backed up on the server. Committee members are recommended to write up a few bullet points about their position and transitioning their position and give this information to Ryan.

* Article in WAAC newsletter – We are currently looking for anyone out West who would be willing to talk about their experience in ECPN – to create some new content for the newsletter article. Rose and Ryan may have a few options of who this could be. This article will be pitched for the September WAAC newsletter.

Education and Training

* Mentoring program: Rose, Carrie, Amber, Karen are contacting specialty groups, and Ryan is sending out an e-mail blast in early May. It is hoped to have all matches before the AIC 2011 meeting so mentees and mentors can meet face to face at the meeting.

* ETC business meeting will be Thursday June 2nd at noon during AIC annual meeting – Amber and Carrie is willing to sit in on that meeting. Amber is contacting Stephanie Lussier about the possibility of attending that meeting. Rose has contacted Rebecca Rushfield about a representative from the ETC attending the ECPN meeting on May 31st.

* Student research database meeting has set a time, has representatives, and Amber and Carrie will provide a summary of the project. This meeting is introducing the project to the graduate programs. Amber and Carrie are drafting a proposal and summary along with input from RaTS and the ETC. A final proposal will be ready for review during the AIC annual meeting.

* Portfolio session: still no representatives from Buffalo, Rose will contact Buffalo students who are receiving Stout funding – to look for a representative, and cc Amber as the contact. There is a room designated for the portfolio session, we will know in a few weeks. Representatives will be informed by Amber via e-mail one week prior. Amber is contacting Heather to make this into a facebook event.

* Rebecca Rushfield has joined the ECPN as the ETC liason, she was unavailable for this conference call, but will be present in the future. Here contact e-mail is wittert@juno.com. The ETC welcomes Genevieve Bienosek as their new student member and Rose has suggested that either Rebecca or Genevieve, or both are invited to the ECPN business meeting at AIC 2011.

AIC 2011 meeting

* Angels Project: ECPN committee members should still volunteer by contacting Ruth via e-mail and include their C.V., there is a good number of volunteers, mix of conservators, graduate students, pre-program conservators, etc.

* A Survey will be created to discuss all ECPN activities at the AIC 2011 meeting, a sign in book or sign in sheet will be at the Informational meeting, portfolio session, in front of the poster, at the Angels project, and at the happy hour to get a list of e-mails that can be contacted with the survey. Rose will carry a notebook, Amber will keep a notebook of the portfolio session, other committee members are encouraged to keep a notebook with them as well. Rose and Ryan will draft a few questions about the survey for the next call.

* Two weeks before the meeting Ryan will send out an e-mail blast about the ECPN events at AIC 2011. Heather is organizing the Facebook events. Amber will contact Heather about the portfolio session.

ANAGPIC

* Ryan mentioned that it went well, he met students, there is more awareness. Rose is going to follow up with Erin Anderson about whether the ECPN flier made it into the bags.

Outreach

* Looking for people to write blog posts about AIC 2011, Rose is going to send Heather Rachael Perkins Arenstein’s contact info. Carrie has volunteered to draft a blog post that will be posted during the week of AIC. Other blog authors will also be solicited, perhaps in a blog post soon. Stephanie gave a contact about an American working in Canada. Ryan and Rose may have a contact for an American working in Canada.

Advocacy

* Rose is drafting a blog post about advocacy and how emerging conservators can get involved.

Respectfully submitted,

Rose Cull

Per Knutas restores a Van Gogh with an audience watching

From the WKRC Cincinnati website with a few minor edits for clarity:

Children on a trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum today saw a kind of artistry they probably didn’t expect to see. Work is now underway to restore one of Vince Van Gogh’s last masterpieces.

“Is it really a Van Gogh?” The young visitor to the Cincinnati Art Museum asks the man looking through a microscope that surgeons use. The chief conservator is working on one of Van Gogh’s last great masterpieces, needing the tool for the detailed, precise work.

Per Knutas, Chief Conservator at Cincinnati Art Museum: “When you see under the microscope, vigorous brush strokes, it’s fun to see how he built up the painting.”

The Dutch post impressionist painter is known for the vivid colors in portraits and landscapes. But in the 70’s an old technique used to protect the painting, Undergrowth with Two Figures, left wax in Van Gogh’s brush strokes.

“The wax was clear, but over the years has become milky and obscures the intended colors of the painting.”

Per Knutas usually works in a back room. But the combination art historian and chemist is on display so visitors can watch on a projection screen, as he uses a soft brush to apply a solvent, then a stick to carefully scrape the wax buildup away.

“To bring back the intended colors, it’s not just important to the art world. This is the way the artist intended it to be.”

“I started today, guess how long it will take… a day?”

The young visitors guess …a day…20 hours? Knutas will work until July 31 to get the painting back to the way Van Gogh wanted us to see it. The work is so detailed, it does not go on all day.

You can check the art museum’s website for the times, which will usually be between 2 pm and 5 pm.

Conservator works to save Hollywood’s Batsuits

The insidious danger comes from below. Liquids oozes up to wreak havoc on a foundation that seemed solid, but now suddenly cracks with fissures that spiral out of control. Malicious gases rise and permeate, damaging everything in their path. No, this is not part of some super-villain’s diabolical plot to destroy Gotham or Metropolis, but there are heroes in danger in this scenario. I’m [Ron Barbagallo] talking about the impending peril that I thwart daily while preserving Disney animation cels and other art made with painted plastic materials. I am the art conservator and director of Animation Art Conservation, and for nearly 25 years (along with my partner in all things chemical, conservation scientist Michele Derrick) I’ve worked to protect Walt Disney animation cels, as well as other motion-picture artifacts such as Tim Burton’s painted plastic puppets or the on-screen Batman suits, from further degradation.

The costume of Batman has lived in the public imagination since the Franklin Roosevelt administration, has stayed close enough to that original color scheme and overall profile that fans of any age know the hero when they see him on the page, on the screen or ringing the doorbell on Halloween. What has changed, here in Hollywood, is the cloth and thread which the hero wears on the screen. In the movie-serial years, filmmakers translated comic book drawings with stitched fabric but in recent decades there has been a new array of materials – specialized plastics poured into molds, for instance, have given Gotham’s caped crusader a pliable body armor. It’s an understanding of those plastics where a new conservation expertise comes into play.

Read the complete article by Ron in The Los Angeles Times: Hero Complex feature.

ECPN in Philadelphia

Here’s everything you need to know about the exciting events hosted by ECPN at the AIC Annual Meeting in Philadelphia (only two weeks away!):


Informational Meeting
TUESDAY, MAY 31, 5:30 PM–6:30 PM

Come learn about ECPN’s activities — the growing Mentoring Program, the use of social networking sites, the creation of a student research database, enhancements to the website, development of resources for setting up a private practice, and more. Other new initiatives will help students and others learn about publishing, internship, and job opportunities. We will also announce some positions opening within the ECPN committee.

Portfolio Review Session
THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 10-10:30AM and 3-3:30PM in meeting room 415 (4th floor)

Several representatives from the various graduate-level conservation training programs will be on hand to present their pre-program and graduate portfolios, and to discuss their portfolios with attendees. Pre-program and graduate students are especially encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to see examples of student work first-hand.

Happy Hour
FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 6:00 PM–10:00 PM

Don’t just head home when the sessions end at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3. Stop by Mcgillin’s olde Ale house at 1310 Drury Street — Philadelphia’s oldest continuously operating tavern —anytime between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to enjoy dinner and socialize with your fellow emerging conservators. If you’d like to walk over as a group, please meet in the lobby of the hotel at 10 to 6.


Check out the ECPN Facebook page for more updates during the meeting. I look forward to seeing you in Philly!

Formation of the Philadelphia Area Conservation Association (PACA) and Inaugural Event

At the beginning of the year, a small group of conservators and preservation specialists gathered to gauge interest in the formation of a Philadelphia area conservation network. In March, we tested the waters by sending out a survey, distributed both on the consdistlist and via email to professionals in the Philadelphia area. After receiving positive results, the Philadelphia Area Conservation Association, also known as PACA (just like the adorable animal from Central and South America!) was born. Like other regional networks, PACA hopes to offer both informal events where professionals can gather to hear talks and exchange information, as well as social gatherings. In the future, other endeavors, such as outreach events may be considered.

On Tuesday, May 24th, we are pleased to be hosting our inaugural event. Samuel Anderson of Samuel Anderson Architects, NYC will be speaking to PACA about designing conservation lab spaces. The title of his talk is, “Rules and Wisdom of Conservation Lab Design with Insights into Museum Expansion Projects.” Since 1993, Samuel Anderson Architects has designed numerous research, academic, and cultural spaces. Some of their clients include: The Morgan Library & Museum, Harvard University Library, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Please find details for the event below. We hope to see you on the 24th and look forward to future posts on the ECPN blog as our group evolves!

Please join us for our inaugural event featuring
Samuel Anderson of Samuel Anderson Architects, NYC
“Rules and Wisdom of Conservation Lab Design with Insights into Museum Expansion Projects”

Tuesday, May 24, 2011
5:30pm + reception
Free

Penn Museum, Rainey Auditorium (please enter through the Kress entrance)
3260 South Street
Philadelphia, PA

If you are able to attend, please RSVP by Friday, May 20th with a simple ‘YES SAM’ in the subject line to pacaphiladelphia@gmail.com.

For directions, transportation, and parking information, please visit: http://www.penn.museum/directions-and-parking.html

Please direct all inquiries to:
pacaphiladelphia@gmail.com

Tsunami Survivors Seek Japan’s Past, in Photos

Excerpt from an article in The Wall Street Journal that demonstrates just one example of the importance of things and why conservators are so passionate about their life’s work.

___

The March 11 tsunami that devastated Rikuzentakata, a small seaside city in northern Japan, wiped away thousands of homes and left 2,000 residents dead or missing. As it swept away a community, the tsunami surge also carried off its memories, stockpiled on photographic paper and catalogued in albums.

As search crews recovered bodies in the weeks following the disaster, they also collected what waterlogged family albums and muddy pictures they found scattered within the rubble. Volunteer groups have since embarked on the tedious tasks of drying, cleaning and organizing hundreds of thousands of photos.

“When they thought they had lost everything and something like an old picture reappears, we think it will give them strength to move forward,” said Tatsuya Hagiwara, a volunteer with the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention.

In a scene resembling a flea market, organizers spread out albums, yearbooks, diplomas and other keepsakes across a parking lot on the edge of town. A crowd quickly gathered, many seeking pictures of family members and friends who numbered among the dead and missing.

A yelp rose from the crowd. “That’s me!” shouted Etsuko Kanno, showing a picture of a young woman in a wedding dress. The bride, laughing, covered her mouth with a white-gloved hand.

Ms. Kanno – now a 51-year-old grandmother, who arrived at the parking lot with her one-year-old granddaughter asleep on her back – said the picture was taken 26 years ago at a photo shop in neighboring Ofunato. The photographer, she recalled, snapped the picture without warning her.

“This was the happiest moment,” she said, gripping the picture. “But this is only a picture of me. I wanted a picture of my husband.”

The man she married a few days after that picture was taken died in the tsunami. The powerful waters swallowed their home, where he was spending a day off from work with his 83-year-old mother, who also died.

Pictures of her three daughters, grandchildren and husband were washed away with the rest of their possessions.

“I want something on paper that I can look at,” she said. “I looked around and found nothing.”

When volunteers began tackling the photo cleanup several weeks ago, they started with a wet clump of snapshots. They laid the pictures out to dry. They dusted dirt from individual photos with paint brushes, and wiped plastic album sheets clean with damp rags.

The process was time-consuming and imperfect. Only about 10% of the recovered photos, some still damp and covered in dirt, were displayed last week.

People who found photos belonging to them filled out a form and took the pictures. Organizers said they may take the rest of the photos by truck to the 65 different evacuation centers across the city.

For group photos, the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, one of the organizations leading the volunteering, plans to scan the pictures digitally and upload the images to the Internet. The group is working on a project to archive photos along with tsunami-related information from Rikuzentakata and nearby towns.