January 2012 – AIC Blog Archives: Conservators Converse

Joint AIC and SPNHC sessions at SPNHC 2012 meeting

The Local Organizing Committee of SPNHC 2012 has opened registration for its upcoming meeting Emerging Technology and Innovation in Natural History Collections Management. The meeting will be held at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut (June 11-16). Early bird registration rates are available through April 6th.

Joint AIC-SPNHC programming – Of particular interest to conservators, AIC is co-sponsoring an oral presentation session on Preventive Care. Additionally, there will be a special poster session entitled Storage Techniques for Arts, Science, and Humanities Collections to commemorate 20 years since SPNHC’s first publication of the seminal work Storage of Natural History Collections: Ideas and Practical Solutions.

Abstracts – Abstract submission is open through April 13th for poster and oral sessions.

Travel grants available – Graduate students and emerging professionals can apply for a Fitzgerald Travel Grant designed to assist members with the cost of attending the Society’s annual meeting. A total of $3,000 is available and individual awards will be for a minimum of $750 USD each.

Email questions to spnhc2012@yale.edu.

ECPN December Meeting Minutes

ECPN MEETING MINUTES

Monday, December 19, 2011

Conference Call Attendees:

Abby Aldrich

Amy Brost (Communications)

Molly Gleeson (Chair)

Amber Kerr-Allison (outgoing Professional Education and Training)

Gwen Manthey

Rachael Perkins-Arenstein

Carrie Roberts (co-Professional Education and Training)

Megan Salazar-Walsh (co-Outreach Coordinator)

Ruth Seyler (AIC Staff)

Eliza Spaulding (Vice Chair)

Emily Williams (ETC)

Ryan Winfield (Staff Liaison)

Liaisons:

Amy Baker, BPG and Publications

Genevieve Bieniosek, E&T Committee

Avigail Charnov, Architectural Conservators

Amanda Holden, Textile Specialty Group

1. Minutes Approval – November 21 minutes were approved. Amy will distribute to the AIC-emerging list, and post on the AIC blog in the ECPN category.

2. Introductions (Molly) – Liaisons as well as ECPN committee members are participating in today’s call. List of all liaisons is on Basecamp. Molly introduced newcomers to the committee.

3. AIC 2012 ECPN Sessions (Ruth) – ECPN informational meeting will be held again next year, the Happy Hour at the end of the conference, and the second year of the Portfolio Session. A lot of positive feedback on that from 2011. Next deadline January 19 – need to decide on ECPN events so there can be placeholders in the program, and an idea of date and time. For planning purposes, Ruth is allocating meeting space based on ECPN holding all three. Discussion on 2011 Portfolio Session: representatives from all training programs were present; attendees ranged from pre-program to museum professionals; numbers were mostly pre-program but interest across experience levels was high. Hope to have a larger, more visible space next year. Over 60 people attended, according to Ryan and Amber. Amber had contacts at the graduate programs from the Student Research Repository project. She reached out to the programs, which then identified representatives to present portfolios. Lots of career stages were represented: successful portfolios for entry to conservation graduate programs, current students, graduating students entering the field. Would be helpful to have an on-site storage space for the portfolios where presenters could keep portfolios before and after the session. Carrie will be organizing the Portfolio Session for 2012, working with Molly.

4. AIC ECPN Poster (Carrie) – Carrie thanked Amber and others for help editing the proposal, which was accepted. Theme involves outreach using social media, illustrated with case studies and a “how-to” section on how conservators can use new media tools. Call for ideas both through personal contacts, Facebook and the blog resulted in a number of ideas. Carrie is organizing a poster working group, and will schedule a call on gathering content from volunteer contributors, as well as soliciting case studies from private practices or other groups not well represented yet. May be an ‘interview’ format. Brainstorm content for ‘how-to’ session, to determine which media tools will be most useful. Set content deadline so there is design time for Amy and Carrie. Anyone is welcome to contact Carrie to join the working group. Amber thought perhaps there could be a computer near the poster with live examples, but Ruth indicated that it would be cost-prohibitive. Any device, such as a phone with hot-spot ability, could provide a working demo, but this is in violation of the contract with the conference hotel, which requires the use of their Internet connections for all official conference programming. Ryan suggested a call-out on the poster itself or a flier that drives attendees to a blog post containing all the applicable links. May also be able to create a remote demo that doesn’t require an internet connection.

5. AIC 2012 Angels Project (Ruth) – Sites are still under consideration. Identified one site, but scope of the work would exceed one day, with more intensive treatments needed. Two more sites being explored. Will have a site selected in January. In past years, have not had any issues recruiting volunteers. This year, will see how many volunteers the site can handle, and what type of project it will be, before seeing how many ECPN volunteers will be needed. Every Angels Project is different, based on the needs of the individual site.

6. Mentorship Program (Eliza) – Review of the program is in progress. Refining how matches are done. ECPN to shoulder more responsibility to support AIC staff. Letters drafted to current mentee and mentor applicants who have been on hold. Editing nearly complete. Ruth indicated that they would be sent out the first week in January, with responses required by perhaps the 18th. Letter drafts are all on Basecamp under Files tab. Ryan will get back to Eliza today. Ryan will send them out. Survey being developed for current applicants to see what their needs are and what they want to get out of the mentor relationship. List on Whiteboard on Basecamep of possible mentoring projects that pairs could do together. Will survey applicants about those activities and ask them to rate their importance. Survey can either go out with the letters, or later on. Ryan felt the list could be helpful for the application process also, instead of ‘why would you like to have a mentor’ – an expansion of that question. Ryan, Eliza, Gwen, and Emily to have a call about the survey. Use it to survey both mentor and mentee applicants, and moving forward, collect this information from all applicants. Will discuss an overall mentorship program timeline on their call.

7. Regional Liaisons (Megan) – Look for regional representatives to help expand ECPN, post about local events, post to the blog and Facebook to keep the group informed, may also organize events (lab tours, portfolio reviews, social events, etc). Drafting a letter to solicit involvement, also calling on personal contacts. Will send out the letters the first week of January, and give 2-3 weeks for a reply. By next call, may have the regional liaisons identified. Quarterly Forum Calls – one of those calls could be devoted to regional liaisons to talk about their activities and what the regional conservation associations are doing. Regional liaison ideas are on Basecamp – contact Megan and Anisha with any additional ideas.

8. Forum Calls (Amy and Molly) – Amy and Molly drafted a survey about the Forum Calls that is on Basecamp. It asks basic questions about whether or not people would be interested in quarterly Forum Calls for the full membership, and asks them to rate possible topics of interest. Ryan will add one more question about what duration of the call would work best for people: 30, 60, 90 minutes for example. Ryan will craft one more question, and then take the draft survey from Basecamp and develop it into a Surveymonkey survey. If he is able to send it out early in January 2012, the results can be discussed on the next call. The topic and time for the first “Forum Call” will be informed by the survey results.

9. ECPN Blog (Ryan) – The ECPN blog location has changed. It will now be integrated into the AIC WordPress blog. Posts should be categorized as ECPN in the drop-down list. Tags are optional. At a later date, Ryan and Rachel will export the contents of the former ECPN blog at Blogspot, and import those posts into WordPress. Ryan will create a post on the ECPN Blogspot that notifies visitors that the blog has moved, with a link to the AIC WordPress blog. He will also provide a link from the new blog to the old for those who want to reference older posts, until the archives are migrated.

10. About the January Wiki Edit-A-Thon (Rachael) – Wiki was first populated with the catalogs developed by the various specialty groups. Several groups without printed catalogs then joined in. Paintings, Textiles, BPG, and PMG were first, with printed catalogs, so their Wikis have more of a traditional editorial structure than the others. Some groups have put up an outline showing the content they would like to see developed, and then look for people to populate it. Training is not difficult, but people interested in adding content are not interested in learning the interface. That is where ECPN can help – many members are comfortable with the interface, but may be less confident about creating entries. In January Edit-A-Thon, volunteers can post content that has been written and needs to be transferred to the platform. Rebecca Rushfield (FAIC Oral History Project) has material on past conservators that could be put up. Rachel can put volunteers in touch with the Wiki coordinator for your specialty group of interest, or you can work on exhibition standards, preventive care, or other topics that need “extra fingers.” Working on the Wiki can be a mini-mentoring opportunity, when experienced conservators have material and could be matched to an emerging conservator who would post it, and some interaction would be part of the process. The transferring and editing would be collaborative. Some common discussion threads could be posted for future reference (for example CIPP thread that recurs is one about what corporate structure conservators in private practice choose – LLC, S-corp, etc). Rachel has some threads that could be developed into Wiki content. An emerging conservator could be matched with a more experienced conservator to do this. ECPN will develop a list of volunteers with their area of interest and provide to Rachel so she can create some assignments. Molly indicated that this could tie in to the mentor-mentee projects list, so going forward, the Wiki could be something that mentor-mentee pairs could do together.

Next call: Monday, January 16, at 1 pm ET.

Respectfully submitted,

Amy Brost

Breaking up (with a Leonardo) is hard to do!

Dianne Dwyer Modestini, who conserved the “Salvator Mundi,” at work in her studio.

I must admit that I am always relieved when I finish up a project and get it back safely to a (hopefully) pleased owner. But maybe that is because I have never worked on anything like a Leonardo! Working on pieces of immense value and great cultural significance adds another dimension to a conservation treatment.

Read about conservator Dianne Dwyer Modestini’s experience conserving “Salvator Mundi,” da Vinci’s newly rediscovered painting of Christ in the November 10, 2011 CNN article by Laura Allsop Living up to Leonardo: The terrifying task of restoring a da Vinci.

The physical enjoyment of works of art

On January 21, 2012, the Walters Art Museum (Baltimore, MD) opened an exhibit, “Touch and the Enjoyment of Sculpture: Exploring the Appeal of Renaissance Statuettes“, designed in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins University Brain Science Institute to explore the implications of tactile perception for the enjoyment of sculpture. The exhibit provides museum visitors the rare opportunity to touch twenty-two (replica) statuettes. If we conservators were to be candid, wouldn’t a great many of us admit that one of the things that drew us to the field was the opportunity to touch and hold works of art?

Scenarios and the Futures of Conservation

Pauline Frederick-Potiphar's wife — Pauline Frederick – Potiphar’s wife from the Bain Collection, Library of Congress, call number LC-B2-2633-9.

I know there’s days when I find myself wishing for a Wayback Machine so that I could travel back into the past, and then there are days when I’m thinking about what might happen five or ten years from now. Do you ever think about how different our jobs will be 20 years from now?

Conservator of frames and furniture at the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, MaryJo Lelyveld applied forecasting and the technique of scenario planning to consider what the field of conservation might look like in 2030 for the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material (AICCM) National Meeting in September 2011. In the body of the paper she suggests that this longer range forecasting is beneficial in thinking through what skills conservators will need to develop and how organizations will need to adapt as a result. In an appendix, she suggests three possible scenarios factoring in the impact of the cost of caring for collections in a time of slow economic growth, technology, and a rise in volunteerism in the face of an aging population and an under employed younger generation, among other things.

For more commentary on Leyveld’s paper, Beyond Swabs and Solvent Gels: Using scenarios to generate, evaluate and navigate conservation futures, see the American Association of Museum’s Center for the Future of Museum’s blog.

Beneath the Wrappings: Conservation of Emory’s Old Kingdom Mummy

In 1921, William Arthur Shelton, a professor in Emory’s Candler School of Theology, purchased an Old Kingdom mummy from the sacred site of Abydos in Middle Egypt. In storage at the Carlos Museum for over 90 years, its linen in tatters, its head in a separate box, and many bones missing or exposed, the mummy provided an extraordinary challenge for conservators Renee Stein and Mimi Leveque. This video documents their almost year-long treatment of the mummy in close consultation with curator Peter Lacovara, students and faculty at Emory University, doctors at Emory Hospital, and other consultants.

For more information, visit carlos.emory.edu

View the 16 minute video on Emory’s YouTube channel

Objects Conservation: Wiki Month

I would like to thank the OSG members who have come forward to volunteer their help during our January Wiki Edit-a-Thon. The event will come to an end on Wednesday next week, but I hope that this is just the beginning of a revived interest in the wiki.

The articles that you see right now on the Objects Wiki are works in progress. These drafts are just the seeds of what these articles will eventually become with the support of our OSG community. If you would like to get involved, please contact our AIC e-Editor, Rachael Perkins Arenstein, with your area of interest.

This month a new article on “Glass” was started, as a collaboration with professors, professional conservators, and the 1st year conservation students in the UCLA/Getty Conservation Program’s Class of 2014. This highlights the potential for us to work in teams to begin and continue entries. Furthermore, it exemplifies one way that emerging conservators and training programs can get involved with the wiki. The potential for mentorship and learning is endless, and includes opportunities for specialists and non-specialists alike. http://www.conservation-wiki.com/index.php?title=Glass

Here are a few highlights of the progress made on the Objects Specialty Group Conservation Catalog Wiki this month:

*We’ve reached our goal of increasing the total number of OSG members with wiki creator status.

*New and improved guides make it easier to contribute with help on getting started, formatting, and templates. http://www.conservation-wiki.com/index.php?title=Contribute_to_the_Objects_Wiki

*There is more consistent information content and standardized headings between the articles; with much thanks to previous AND new contributors who have volunteered to upgrade articles to follow the new templates and guides.

*New articles are underway on the following topics: ceramics, feathers, glass, horn, metals, stone, ethnographic materials, outdoor sculpture, setting up a lab, magnetic mounts, and archaeological materials.

So, what are you waiting for? We need your help!

LeeAnn Barnes Gordon

OSG committee chair for the AIC Wiki

Workshop Instructors-Elissa O’Loughlin, Linda Morenus, Doug Nishimura, Barbara Lemmen

I was fortunate to receive an FAIC grant to attend the fall workshop, “Removal of Pressure-sensitive Tapes and Tape Stains from Photographs.” That grant made my attendance possible. As a conservator in private practice who graduated from the Cooperstown Art Conservation program in the early 1980’s, I have certainly attended a few workshops and professional meetings over the years. But I cannot speak highly enough of this week long chance to review material (Teas Charts!!) covered in a classroom over 30 years ago, to exchange ideas and information with new colleagues from not only the U.S. but also Columbia, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands – and to brush up my laboratory skills. It was a fabulous retreat at the NCTC site in Shepherdstown, WV and the instructors could not have been more helpful. I would encourage all “mid-career” conservators to treat themselves to this type of workshop.

AIC Collection Care Network Charge

The founding members of the Collections Care Network (CCN) are excited to announce the network has been approved by the AIC Board of Directors. Now we are beginning the work to create a voice for collections care, preventive conservation, and all of its practitioners. On January 31, founding committee members will meet to begin planning how to encourage and implement the ideas voiced in the Charge prepared for the CCN by the AIC Board of Directors and included in full below. We want to add your ideas and concerns to that discussion. Please post comments here on the blog or contact Rebecca Fifield at Rebecca.fifield@metmuseum.org , no later than January 30 with any ideas or issues you would like the committee members to consider at the Jan 31 meeting or in the coming months.

AIC Collection Care Network Charge

Purpose

The AIC Collection Care Network (CCN) was created in recognition of “the critical importance of preventive conservation as the most effective means of promoting the long-term preservation of cultural property” (Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, #20) and to support the growing number of conservators and collections care professionals with strong preventive responsibilities and interests. Its purpose is to:

Create awareness of preventive care
Identify and develop standards and best practices, training, and other projects to advance preventive care in institutions of all types and sizes, locally, nationally, and globally
Provide resources to support collection care and conservation professionals
Work with related groups to reach and support key collections care constituents

The Collection Care Network is a Division of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and is therefore bound by the Bylaws of the AIC and policies set by the AIC Board of Directors. Any revisions to the CCN Charge require written approval by the AIC Board of Directors.

Composition

The initial officers of the CCN are chosen by the organizing committee, in staggered terms, and presented to the AIC Board of Directors for approval. Thereafter, candidates for open positions are prepared by the CCN officers for approval by the AIC Board of Directors. All officers must be current members of AIC. Officers include a chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer, communications and outreach officer, editor, and chair emeritus. Terms of office are three years with an option to serve a second term if other officers approve. The Board liaison to the CCN is the Board Director for Committees & Task Forces; the staff liaison is the Membership Director.

Standing Charge

Create a network of collections and conservation professionals committed to the preventive care of collections. The network will support current AIC members and work to encourage non-member collections care professionals to become AIC members.
Advance the understanding that preventive care preserves our cultural heritage in a way that post-damage, interventive treatment cannot restore.
Advocate for professional recognition of all collections care professionals and support the development of the role they play in institutional preservation planning.
Encourage collections and conservation professionals to exchange preservation information, ideas, and research.
Provide preventive care programs and resources that will be of interest to the broad spectrum of constituents the CCN intends to serve.
Network with related collections and conservation organizations to better support shared goals.

Spit cleaning is a Dickens of a job!

When I was in London for the 2011 Pest Odyssey conference I picked up one of those free tabloid newspapers while riding on the Tube. I was pleasantly surprised to find an article on conservation on page 3! Apparently…

Charles Dickens clearly loved a bit of art and craft in his spare time. The discover of a room dividng screen decoratedd by the great man, using 800 illustrations, was beyond the expectations of historians – who are now cleaning it with gel and saliva.

Read the October 25, 2011 by Hayden Smith in its entirety on the Metro website