From Jan. 24 to Feb. 4 a group of 19 AIC members went on a research trip to Cuba. Over the next week we will be posting about our experiences. Below is an account of days 3-5. Join us on our journey.
26 January 2014 (Day Three)
In the morning, we toured Santa Efigenia Cemetery, a necropolis second only to Havana’s Cristóbal Colón in importance. Created in 1868 to accommodate the victims of the War of Independence and a simultaneous yellow-fever outbreak, it includes many great historical figures among its more than 8,000 tombs, most notably the mausoleum of José Martí, the intellectual author of Cuban independence. Marti’s imposing tomb is positioned so that his flag-draped casket receives daily shafts of sunlight. A round-the-clock guard of the mausoleum is changed every 30 minutes, amid much pomp and ceremony. Other notable Cubans buried at Santa Efigenia include Cuba’s first president Tomás Estrada Palma (1835–1908); Emilio Bacardí (1844–1922) of the famous rum dynasty; the Spanish soldiers who died in the battles of San Juan Hill; and Compay Segundo (1907–2003), of Buena Vista Social Club fame. Afterward, we toured the Moncada Barracks, a 1938 military garrison where on July 26, 1953, more than 100 revolutionaries led by a little-known revolutionary named Fidel Castro took on Batista’s troops in a spectacularly failed action that also happened to spark the Cuban revolution. Housing a museum which commemorates both Santiago’s most famous political event and the beginnings of the Revolution, the building contains a scale model of the barracks plus artifacts, diagrams, and models of the revolution. After lunch at Aurora, we visited one of Santiago’s most important and best kept museums: the Carnival museum. Then the group went to see San Juan Hill. Later, some of us took salsa “lessons” at the Casa de la Trova. It was more like a crash course, which when out on the dance floor became for some of us more like train wreck. We at least got in our exercise that day, which was helpful to counter the mojitos we had begun to down twice daily. A dinner, we gathered again at the Trova (the scene of the crime from the afternoon) for more music and this time a lot less dancing.
27 January 2014 (Day Four)
We left Santiago early in the morning, stopping first for a visit to the Basilica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre, or “El Cobre,” which is a 1926 church near a copper mining town that honors Cuba’s patron saint—La Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre. This beautiful church sits in a beautiful valley, and as befitting a church dedicated to a patron saint, the church is a place of pilgrimage for many Cubans. It also became a place of pilgrimage for us as well. Yudi, our Cuban logistical coordinator for the trip, suggested we all light a candle for the renewed relationship between our two countries, and regardless of whether we were religious or not, each of us lit one. It will take more than lighting a candle to finally end the embargo, but at least for now, we could recognize the thaw in our relations that has occurred so far and not focus so much on the long road of diplomatic work we have before us. Leaving El Cobre and our flickering candles behind, we headed for another place of pilgrimage for Cubans—this one more secular in nature. Bayamo, the second of the seven cities founded by Diego Velazquez in Cuba in 1513, has a town center that dates from 19th century. It also happens to be not only the birthplace of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, the general who led the Cuban war of independence against Spain but also the birthplace of Cuba’s national anthem, the “La Bayamesa,” which at regular intervals can heard blaring across the loud speakers positioned in the main square. After visiting the church where the anthem was first performed, we had lunch at a restaurant called La Bodega, which was right behind the church and overlooked a lush ravine with a shallow stream. From there we made our way to our accommodations that night on the beautiful Playa Santa Lucia, a beachside hotel that is the only place near Camaguey with enough lodging for a group of our size. Very few groups on cultural visits see these resorts, which are mostly filled with Canadians escaping brutal winters up North, and this became apparent by the quality of the back road we used to get there (something tells me the one directly from the nearby airport is much smoother). Thankfully, our guides were prepared for the journey and “opened the bar” on the bus, which made the ride a little smoother if not “jovial.”
28 January 2014 (Day Five)
In the morning, we traveled to Camaguey, a UNESCO World Heritage city founded in 1528. Sacked by the pirate Henry Morgan in the 17th century, an effort was made to confuse future marauders by rebuilding the city with an unusual labyrinthine city plan, which we navigated with the help of bicitaxi drivers who took us around the historic center, accompanied by the staff of the city’s conservation training facility and architectural preservation team. After a delicious lunch in Camaguey at La Campana de Toledo, we left for the colonial city of Trinidad, where we stayed in what are known as casas particulares or, as we would call them, “bed and breakfast.” After dinner at our Casas Particulares, we gathered for an evening of music at Trinidad’s own Casa de la Trova.
Keep tuned for more blog posts on this amazing trip…
Month: March 2014
ECPN Minutes from January 14, 2014
On the recent Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) conference call, the meeting minutes from January 14, 2014 were approved for posting.
ECPN Conference Call Minutes
Tuesday, January 14, 2014 | 12-1pm ET
Submitted by Fran Ritchie
In Attendence:
Network Members:
Eliza Spaulding (Chair)
Megan Salazar-Walsh (Vice-Chair)
Michelle Sullivan (co-Professional Education and Training)
Anisha Gupta (Webinars)
Saira Haqqi (co-Outreach)
Fran Ritchie (co-Communications)
Kendall Trotter (co-Communications)
Ryan Winfield (AIC Staff Liaison)
Ruth Seyler (AIC Staff Liaison)
Not in Attendance: Ayesha Fuentes (co-Professional Education and Training), Carrie McNeal (co-Outreach), Stephanie Lussier (AIC Board Liaison)
Non-Network Members in Attendance:
Daisy DeMarsh
Sara Levin (Regional Liaison- Philadelphia)
Heather Brown (Photographic Materials Specialty Group Liaison)
Kelly McCauley (Collection Care Network Liaison)
Conference call #: 866-225-4944
Pin: 9992396916
-Approve November 12, 2013 meeting minutes– Megan approved. Post to blog and Facebook
-Annual meeting:
Eliza: Thanks for all your work so far. Ruth, for the happy hour, have you made any more connections on location and time allotment?
Ruth: Thinking about the Atrium area just off lobby, so that it’s easy for people to find. That’s one option. But we need to be sure to have cash bar set up, even if we hand out drink tickets, so that way if it is accessible for AIC members who want to come over, that can control the bar tab.
Eliza: Is the hotel bar still an option? Ruth: That’s an option, but if in the Atrium it would be as if done in a meeting room-the drink order would be through banquets [department], as well as the appetizers. The hotel bar is a little more tucked away. Drink prices might be same, we might save on apps from the bar, but not much.
Eliza: Are you planning to go out again to the site to reassess?
Ruth: Yes, in March or early April. Both locations are close enough to list as Atrium in brochure. If makes more sense cost-wise, we can make the change later from Atrium to bar.
Eliza: Thoughts on time slot?
Ruth: Space is reserved for evening, but really we can do what you think would be the most popular time. Now that you don’t have a portfolio review, we might want to do it later as people arrive? Either 6-8 or 7-9.
Eliza: I’ll see what’s already scheduled for that day.
Ruth: Workshops will be over, day tours are at different times and will probably be back to hotel by then… late afternoon tours, pre-sessions that are free in registration are 4:30-6:30, which would make a 6:30 or 7 start time make sense. And you really can go as late as you want, but if we do end up being in the Atrium and going through Banquet, you pay a bartender charge for some of the hours, but there may be an hourly minimum anyway, making is go until 10 (a 4 hr min).
Eliza: That start time makes sense and we’ll see what contract says. Other suggestions for activities to make happy hr more engaging (been low key and nice in the past, so don’t need to do new ideas, necessarily)? Such as, all officers wear stickers that say “come talk to me about ECPN.”
Megan: We should wear those stickers all the time. (Michelle agrees.)
Eliza: Ok we’ll plan on that. What about give people at happy hr different color stickers and encourage them to talk to others with same color? In the past it seems like people mixed really well. Just throwing that idea out?
Ruth: The only thought about that, with the locations– we’re so visible to people checking in, you’ll get more AIC members stopping by, which might get a little confusing with the stickers. If want pure ECPN only happy hr, might want to look at a different place. You’ll naturally attract other AIC members.
Eliza: I wasn’t really thinking of it being an ECPN only event, I know a lot come hoping to mingle with not just emerging professionals…so maybe this is unnecessary.
Megan: It is always nice to have excuse to talk to someone, even if you already know people. People probably stick to talking to people you already know. If you have excuse, you’re more likely to talk to people you don’t know. I like the idea, don’t think it’s necessary, but it could make a difference.
Eliza: I guess the other option is I could stand at front and encourage mingling with other people, too.
Megan: I think if officers are wearing stickers that could encourage them, too.
Fran: What about regional liaisons wearing a sticker with where they’re from?
Eliza: Good idea, we’ll have to get a sense of who’s coming first so we can have that ready.
Anisha: And what about graduate school liaisons? Good for pre-program and schools talk to each other.
Eliza: Yeah, again, I think this is good… encourage the entire liaison network… and if they want to wear a sticker throughout the entire conference that would be good. **So put that on to-do list to make that happen.
Eliza: What did people think of the schedule I sent out for the program?
Ruth: I haven’t had chance to see; I can look at it after this call.
Megan: So half hour for resume reviewing, 15 min for speed-networking, right?
Eliza: Yes, we’re trying to figure out how to do all of them. I only met with people for 8 min at the AAM conference speed-networking, so it was a lot shorter, but since we’re a more focused conference, I thought we could do more time. I feel like half an hour seems like good amount of time for resumes, could be maybe a little too short.
Ruth: If we changed it to 15 min for resume, it could end up being a little too short, but keeping it longer—it’s not bad if people end early. Eliza: Good, we’ll keep those lengths.
Megan: The switchover will be the hardest part because there might be time wasted finding next person.
Eliza: Yes, we want the session to synch up in some way so it isn’t insane and super confusing.
Megan: Yeah, it could get chaotic really quickly.
Eliza: Ruth, we’ll wait to see what you think after you review the schedule. Basically it’s 12-12:45 lunch period (still waiting to hear about if we’ll be sponsoring lunch or ask people to bring lunches), and during that time will also be our informational meeting. 12:45-1:45 we’ll jump into the program with time to wrap up before people leave at the end.
Ruth: One thing people can’t do is bring outside food into the hotel, so if we can’t get a sponsor for meals at lunch, we might have to look at just starting at 12:45 to give people a chance to pick up something before they arrive. When it gets closer and we have a budget, maybe AIC could be the sponsor. It’s the kind of thing that if one person has a subway sandwich [outside food] it’s fine, but if everyone does that and it seems like we’ve encouraged it, the hotel would be mad and it would be against our contract. Getty still thinking of being a sponsor, but it’s getting stuck in their internal structure. They don’t know yet.
Eliza: Good to know we can’t bring in outside food. We’ll wait to see what happens with that and then figure how our info meeting would fit in, too. Moving on to speed networking application intake process. I’ve been thinking a lot because I know this will be big part of the next few months. Ryan, do you think we can post questionnaire on AIC website, have submissions sent to the office, and then forwarded to one of us?
Ryan: I thought we would have the form on AIC site and then give people an e-mail address to send it to [once completed] that would forward to an ECPN person. We can have the system where it goes to one e-mail address, but through g-mail you can set up to have e-mails forwarded to other people from that account. Other committees have it working that way.
Eliza: Ok that sound good to everyone who will be helping out with this? Sounds good. So we could do it that way and then dump all applications in one spot that we can all access like a dropbox account or something. We can talk about more over e-mail, but anyone want to be the person? (Saira volunteers) And Ryan, the Cuba trip is coming up, so when is earliest to get these forms out to people?
Ryan: Yes, I will be out of the office Jan 23rd-Feb 4th. I’m probably out the 6th and 7th or that next Monday, not sure yet.
Eliza: So maybe we should try to catch you before you leave, if we can.
Ryan: Once the form’s created, it should be fairly easy to post on-line.
Eliza: I know this isn’t the format we have to do, but it occurred to me that writeable PDF’s you can save and then e-mail to people. It might be a setting when you set up the writeable form.
Ryan: There shouldn’t be a reason why people couldn’t save the blank form we give them when they fill it out and then send it back to us.
Eliza: What did people think of speed networking questionnaire? Saira, I saw your comment from your e-mail this morning about a new question.
Saira: Yes, to ask the person what they are interested in talking about with the other people.
Eliza: Yeah, I thought it was inherent in the other question, but maybe not.
Saira: I figure people are at different points in their career, so they might have a particular concern that they want to ask others about.
Eliza: It can’t hurt to add that. Any other feedback? We’ll go ahead and work with that. The one thing is, I can make it into a writeable PDF, but it’s hard to make changes once it’s done, so now is the time to change things. We can continue this discussion over e-mail. Any thoughts about the resume review doc that was created? Fran and Anisha I think it’s looking really good, so I’d like Stephanie to weigh in, so we’ll make sure she sees it. We can move forward with getting resumes from various people. Anisha: that sounds good.
Eliza: Michelle, how is career coaching coming along?
Michelle: It’s coming along; I hope to have it to you guys very soon. I looked over the resume review to have similar formatting. I’m hoping it’s not too much overlap with the resume document. You can judge once I post on basecamp.
Eliza: Megan, how about drafting letters to solicit mentors?
Megan: I haven’t started that yet, when would be a good time to put out a call for it? Eliza: What do you think about that question, Ruth? When should we solicit mentors?
Ruth: Now is an appropriate time when people are registering and thinking about the conference. I would definitely start now with an e-mail, and we can put info about the event on AIC website, now that we have more structure for the program. And put a prompt about registering as a mentor (to click here).
Megan: I’ll start drafting something to have by the end of the week.
Eliza: We’ll want to solicit widely. We’re hoping people will want to volunteer, but we should send out calls to Specialty Groups (SG’s), as well as through ETC.
Megan: Yes, I was thinking of writing SG’s and asking ETC what their thoughts are. Any other committees to target as well?
Eliza: All the groups, CCN we’ll want to reach out to… We can also see how we can use our liaison network to help with this, too. For example, to distribute the work, draft one letter and explain the goal to the liaisons, and then ask them to tweak it to their groups specifically. For the poster: Heather and Sara are joining us on the call today. A lot of organization we need to do with the poster. I was reviewing the abstract last night- let’s talk about topics we want to cover in the poster. For example, in the abstract we say we’ll talk about overview of existing platforms, comparing them, soliciting feedback from people who have used them, etc. Heather and Sara shared ideas in e-mails with more ideas, like how to achieve best image quality, compare and contrast the hard copy and soft copy portfolios, and the pros and cons of each. What does everyone think of those ideas?
Sara: It’s good to talk about the different platforms because there are so many of them and they pop up more every day. Some strengths and weakness, and what’s useful for our specific needs and of each platform. All platforms are different.
Heather: Are you still planning to do a webinar on e-portfolios, or is the poster covering that?
Eliza: Good question, it’s not currently planned for this year (by June 2014), but it’s still on the list, so could be after that.
Heather: Sounds like a lot to cover in the poster. Maybe focus on creating one, or if you should, and then later present a how-to?
Eliza: That was my reaction, too. We have big ideas and I’m wondering logistically how to cover all of these. Once we know who’s in the working group, maybe revisit the ideas and figure out priority of ideas. Ones that don’t get covered, we can have companion blogpost, handouts, etc. Fit in what makes sense. Who is working on it… Heather and Sara, Kendall and Saira?
Sara: Who is actually writing the poster?
Eliza: To be determined; who wants to work on it and create a tentative schedule for achieving milestones. I was wondering if Carrie wanted to be involved, but she’s not on call.
Michelle: I thought Carrie would be in it as well.
Megan: It’s kind of her brainchild.
Eliza: I’ll reach out to Carrie to see what she’s thinking. I was hoping one person would be interested in leading this group. I’ll ask Carrie.
Sara: I’d be interested in leading the group, I know Carrie from school and can work with her. (Unless Carrie really wants to do it.)
Eliza: We can discuss tentative schedule over e-mail. Try to develop content for poster/the writing and graphics by beginning of April, giving Kendall almost 2 months to work on designing it and give time for revisions. Early deadline, but gives us the space to run over time. Kendall how does that sound? Kendall: I think 2 months to work on design would be great.
-Mentoring program
Megan: The reviewers are sending suggested matches by the 17th, then 21st we can have a call to finalize matches and discuss any issues. Hopefully after that, e-mail the mentors and mentees to tell them they have a match. Ayesha not on call– She started working on a self-matching tool (we had a dedicated call to make the self-matching system) and she made some docs as instructions and we still need to review those.
Eliza: How is that process feeling to you? Manageable?
Megan: Yes.
E: Thanks, I still need to review Ayesha’s tool that she outlined.
Megan: I looked over them, but realized I needed to go through the process to see if they work. Eliza: Before we move on, anyone want to comment on anything? No.
-Webinars
Anisha: We had a planning call last week with all speakers and Stephanie, so we got a sense of the experience of our speakers and what they wanted to have as their take away message with the audience. The call determined that we need to think more about content because each person brings a lot, especially Teresa Meyers who works on the hill, so need more thought on how to present. We’ve scheduled a planning call with Ruth, Eryl, and others to discuss further. As that gets fleshed out, we’ll be able to talk more about logistics and how to present it. I’m talking to Eryl this week to sum up thoughts and figure out where we want to be with this webinar. We’re still on track for Feb 19th as the webinar date. Marketing our webinars has come up in the past, and this webinar is a great example of one that more than ECPs would be into. How should we reach out to other groups? And once we figure that out, we can use that to market all of our events.
Eliza: Ruth, so to address that, are you also going to Cuba?
Ruth: I am, and I thought that I had talked with Stephanie a bit about scheduling in February (it’ll be tight), but we’ll see what we can do. It’s hard for Ryan and I to do a lot of marketing and admin details until Feb. 4th because of the trip.
Eliza: If we did the webinar in March, would that work for you?
Ruth: March would be better and easier with more time to market.
Ryan: Early March, if possible. First two weeks in March.
Anisha: March is fine for me. I can talk to the speakers about when in March we want to do it.
Eliza: I think that would help us out. We realize we need more thought into the webinar. Ruth, as Anisha mentioned too, it would be great to have a call with you and Teresa because she brought up a lot of good points that would be good to have your opinion. We can do it when you get back.
Ruth: Yeah, better to do it when we get back from Cuba. Away until Feb 4th.
Eliza: Anisha, any thoughts on the blogpost idea with Suzanne Davis?
Anisha: I got in touch with her yesterday to get a feel if it’s feasible and she likes the idea. It works for her schedule and I told her that we want to build on the last AIC meeting up to a potential webinar. It would be a nice lead up to next AIC meeting because what she talks about could help people prepare for the meeting and professional development.
Eliza: That would be great; we need to think about how we’ll structure that blogpost. Maybe start an e-mail discussion with her, or just schedule a call with her.
Anisha: It would be good to have a call; we could then discuss the webinar so there would be no overlap with blogpost, since they’re related. We should have time for the call.
Eliza: Good point, make sure we’re thinking about them as two separate things so they cover different topics. We’ll wait and see how the next webinar shapes up so we can fit in a call with her. Early February, hopefully. We’ll skip over the July webinar on pre-program experience for now. I’m keeping everyone in the loop by email.
-Liaison program
Eliza: Saira, how is reaching out to SG liaisons going? Saira: I asked Carrie and haven’t heard back yet. What I can see based on Writeboard, we have quite a few confirmed, but a few to go. Fran was helpful getting some people figured out. I’m not sure because Carrie has been dealing mostly with that.
Eliza: We’ll follow up by e-mail to see where things stand; let us all know if you need extra hands for it.
-ANAGPIC
Eliza: Megan shared that ANAGPIC is at Buffalo April 11&12th. In addition to Megan, Anish, Michelle and Saira will be attending. As you all likely know, in the past ECPN has been giving a brief presentation on ECPN to further connect with our demographic on the Saturday of the conference. Megan gave it last year and it was a good experience. Should we do again this year?
Anisha: I got great feedback about it from other members who were there, so sounds like it would be worthwhile to keep going with it.
Saira: I agree.
Eliza: I think it would be great, too. Megan and I discussed that Megan has given it 2 years now, so maybe time for someone else to give it. That can show diversity of ECPN. Any others interested? (Anisha would be happy to.)
Michelle: I’m presenting a paper, so I’d rather not.
Saira: I was going to suggest that maybe we all go up and only one talk?
Eliza: I had that idea too, but we’ll keep talking about that later.
Megan: I already e-mailed Buffalo about presenting, so they’ll put it in the schedule. In the past we involved the Canadian group, but do we want to ask them again if they’ll be part of it?
E: I think so. We’ve co-presented with emerging group from Canada and they liked exposure. Maybe they want to be involved in presenting.
Megan: I’ll contact them and see.
E: We’ll wrap up here and follow up via e-mail for other things. Next call is March 11th 12-1pm, and we’ll invite liaisons to contribute content. We’ll contact them before to let them know, and follow up as it gets closer. Anything else? Thanks, we’ll continue to be in touch by email!
Respectfully submitted by Fran Ritchie, co-Communications Chair
FranRitchie@gmail.com
AIC Cuba Trip Travelog Part 1
From Jan. 24 to Feb. 4 a group of 19 AIC members went on a research trip to Cuba. Over the next week we will be posting about our experiences. Below is an account of the first two days. Join us on our journey.
24 January 2014 (Day One)
Having flown in from various (mostly snowy) places the day before, the group of 21 members and staffers gathered in the lobby of the Sofitel Miami in the early morning hours (4am!) to board shuttle buses that would take us to the airport. It would be a short flight–only an hour–but where we were going would be a world away from where we were. Santiago de Cuba, our destination, sits on the eastern side of the island of Cuba, a mere 500 miles from the shores of South Beach, Florida, and with a population of almost 500,000 is its second largest city also capital of a province of the same name. One of the first seven cities founded in Cuba and older than Havana itself, Santiago is surpassed only by nearby Baracoa and Bayamo in age and is home to many of Cuba’s most famous historical sites.
After arriving at Antonio Maceo International Airport–named for the famous general of the Cuban-Spanish wars of the latter 19th century—we quickly passed through passport control with little more than a smile and a welcome-to-Cuba-I-hope-you-enjoy-your-visit nod to our American passports. After meeting our Cuban guides and boarding our Havanatur bus, we immediately headed out to Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca. Known more commonly as El Morro, the castillo (or “fortress”) is a picturesque fortification from the 16th century that sits about 6 miles south of the city and guards the Bay of Santiago. Inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997, it is considered the best preserved example of Spanish New World military installations as based on Renaissance principles. It affords some outstanding views, too!
After lunch on the site, we checked in at the Melia Hotel, a post-modern style Spanish chain hotel that towers over the city to the east of historical center. As we had all been up so early in the morning, we gather later for a light dinner at the hotel, and then we debated about going out to experience some of Santiago’s greatest cultural heritage: its musical traditions. Thankfully, after a mojito or two, there were enough festive travelers who were keen to explore the city’s music, which is part of its complex and layered cultural blending. So using a tip from a local, we decided to check out the club Patio de Los Dos Abuelos, a small open-air place where a few locals and tourists freely mixed, dancing (some better than others) under the night sky. A resident band Son del Tres was playing, and after a few impromptu lessons from the bandleader, we joined in the whirling fun. As the birthplace of many extraordinary musical traditions given to the world, Santiago de Cuba is truly the best place to experience them. Some of the country’s best musicians, including Buena Vista Social Club members Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, and Eliades Ochoa, and even the Cuban American bandleader Desi Arnaz, hail from the city.
25 January 2014 (Day Two)
After feasting on a huge breakfast buffet at the hotel, which caters mostly to European tourists and consequently had a Cuban take on everything from churros to crepes, we went to the office of the historian of the city, where we listened to an introduction to the city. After the lecture, we began our walking tour of Santiago’s historic center, guided by the city’s historian and chief preservation architect. After the tour, we had lunch in the historic center at Los Primos Twice, a great paladar (or private restaurant) where we feasted on shrimp in creole sauce and pork in sweet and sour sauce, as well as the haunting, beautifully sung songs of Chely Romero, a mainstay of the Santiago music scene. After lunch, the Archbishop of Santiago hosted our group at the city cathedral to learn more about the restoration work going on there and in the diocese’s other churches undertaken by a joint Cuban-Italian team. The work they are doing is a rare example of successful conservation being done outside the government system. Dinner that night was at Compay Gallo.
Keep tuned for more blog posts on this amazing trip….
Conservator, The Strong
Position Announcement
Conservator at The Strong
The Strong seeks an experienced and energetic professional to direct the conservation of The Strong’s varied collections including a comprehensive array of toys, board games, dollhouse miniatures, and arcade video games and to supervise four staff members.
The successful candidate must have superior oral and written communication skills, experience in and enthusiasm for working collaboratively in a team-based environment, capacity for strategic thinking and planning, and ability both to delegate and to lead by example.
Qualifications:
- Advanced degree in conservation.
- Significant experience in relevant artifact conservation, including digital.
- Demonstrated skills in project management and supervision.
- Knowledge of key issues and standards in lighting and environmental conditions and experience with their application in artifact storage and exhibition.
- Commitment to quality guest service.
The Strong is the only collections-based museum anywhere devoted solely to the study of play and its critical role in learning and human development. It holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of toys, dolls, board games, electronic games, and other artifacts of play; a library of almost 150,000 volumes; and a growing collection of related, national significant personal, corporate, and other archival materials. The Strong’s collections, 285,000 square-foot facility, and nearly 600,000 annual visitors place it among the largest history museums in the nation.
The Strong requires all applicants to complete an online application to be considered for employment: www.thestrong.org and click on Employment at the bottom of the homepage. Candidates without access to Internet Explorer may apply with their credentials to: jobs@museumofplay.org.
Executive Director, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA)
The Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), a nonprofit conservation center established in 1977 and located in center city Philadelphia, PA, seeks a chief executive officer to lead CCAHA and provide for its continued growth and success through the management of all operations, maintaining the highest levels of productivity, integrity, and quality. CCAHA has a professional staff of 33, an annual operating budget of $3 million, and undertakes documentation and conservation treatment of works of art on paper, photographs, documents, and books. CCAHA addresses pressing preservation challenges facing museums, libraries, archives, artists, and collectors through innovative educational programming, on-site consultations, scholarship, and public advocacy. CCAHA has a national reputation for excellence in the field of cultural heritage preservation.
The Executive Director for CCAHA leads in the development, implementation, and oversight of CCAHA’s vision and mission. Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the successful candidate will have a passion for conservation, an entrepreneurial spirit, excellent communication skills, and the ability to inspire loyalty, trust, and respect in his/her colleagues and professional associates.
Minimum qualifications include a master’s degree and at least seven years of increasing responsibility in managing a department or division within a nonprofit cultural institution. The experience must include the supervision of staff, financial management, successful fundraising, grants management, and strategic planning.
CCAHA has a generous benefits package, and a competitive salary will be offered to the successful candidate.
Candidates should send a letter of interest discussing their qualifications, a résumé, and the names, addresses, and contact information for three references to:
Search@CCAHA.org
Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
264 South 23rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
The Application Deadline is April 15, 2014. For more information, visit CCAHA’s website at www.ccaha.org.
Director of Conservation, Glenstone
Position Posting
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Director of Conservation |
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Founder and Chief Administrative Officer |
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Curatorial, Facilities |
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| Background: |
Located on 200 acres in Potomac, Maryland, Glenstone strives to provide visitors with a unique experience through the seamless integration of art, architecture, and landscape. Its first exhibition building was designed by late architect Charles Gwathmey and opened to the public in 2006. It hosts a series of rotating exhibitions with artworks drawn from Glenstone’s permanent collection of postwar art. The outdoor landscape is home to monumental sculptures carefully placed amidst rolling pasture and unspoiled woodland. Admission is always free, and visits are scheduled by appointment to encourage an unhurried, intimate engagement between the viewer and their surroundings. Glenstone is now embarking upon an expansion in order to strengthen its commitment to the viewing public. The centerpiece of this project will be the construction of a new exhibition building designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners. The building will highlight a series of discreet pavilions, or “rooms” surrounding a central water courtyard, many of which will be devoted to single-artist installations. It will provide significantly expanded gallery space and state of the art collection storage. Landscape architects Peter Walker and Partners will also oversee a revised master plan of Glenstone’s outdoor landscape. Finally, the expansion will incorporate a new public entrance and visitor amenities, to support a more comfortable and rewarding visit. |
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Job Purpose: |
The successful Director of Conservation candidate will bring a broad range of skills to the position in order to fully initiate an extensive conservation program for the museum. |
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Essential Duties: |
The primary goal is to comprehensively address the conservation needs of Glenstone’s collection which is comprised of painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, installations, electronic media, and outdoor sculpture. Applicants should have a background in objects conservation and ideally some experience working with installation art and/or works with electronic media components. She/he will be responsible for all aspects of establishing a conservation program to include treatment, condition assessments, and documentation for works in the collection falling within their area of expertise as well as supervising contract conservators addressing other types of materials. In addition, the Director of Conservation will play an active role in Glenstone’s ongoing exhibition and outgoing loan program, providing guidance and support as needed for stewardship and care of the collection. A key responsibility will be facilitating dialog with artists, studio assistants, and/or artist estates regarding documentation of works in the collection. Therefore applicants should possess direct experience and comfort in working with artists and a broad knowledge of modern and contemporary art. Glenstone is committed to continuing professional development, and will enthusiastically encourage research on the collection to advance both conservation practice at Glenstone and to inform the conservation community at large, in addition to supporting attendance at professional meetings and conferences. Glenstone has undertaken initial steps to construct and outfit a conservation studio onsite at the museum, therefore the successful applicant will participate in this process to provide specifications and define parameters for this dedicated work space. Other responsibilities to include: routine maintenance of works on view, guidance regarding preventive conservation within museum facilities, establishment and supervision of a conservation internship/fellowship program, and direct collaboration and engagement with other museum staff (registrar, curatorial, visitor services, archives, facilities, etc.) |
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Qualifications: |
A degree from a recognized conservation training program with a specialization in objects is required, along with knowledge of modern and contemporary art and a minimum of five years work history. Direct experience with and aptitude for working closely with living artists is essential. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are necessary, as are strong organizational skills and the ability to collaborate creatively with other Glenstone colleagues across multiple museum departments. Candidates should have a demonstrated commitment to advance the field of conservation through dedicated research projects and dissemination of this work through presentations and publications. |
| Salary and Benefits: | Glenstone offers competitive salary and a total compensation package that includes health care and a 401(k) matching program. Glenstone is an equal opportunity employer. |
| To Apply: | Send a cover letter, resume, salary requirements, and references to Laura Linton, Chief Administrative Officer at: hr@glenstone.org |
| Application Deadline: | April 18, 2014 |
| Date Posted: | March 19, 2014 |
Updates to Sustainable Practices on the AIC Wiki
The Sustainability Committee spent the month of February adding content to the Sustainable Practices section of the AIC wiki. We each choose a short project to work on, most of which involved adding information to the wiki from websites, articles, and books. What better way to highlight our new wiki content than to celebrate it in poetry? It is still possible to delve much deeper into these topics. We welcome your comments and feedback emailed to sustainability@conservation-us.org.
Ode to Feburary
“Oh February, Oh ‘Wiki Month,’” cried this committee,
“How quickly you passed, like snow on the trees.”
“What’s changed?” You ask. “Quite a lot, I think!
There are new pages and content and at least one new link.”
We start with the past, we added our roots.
A brief history of sustainable institutions – Oh what a hoot!
Added are tables on green measurements
For water purifying lab instruments.
What about packing and shipping of art and supplies?
Consider recycled boxes or reused crates, before they fly!
How sustainable are your materials? How green are your treatments?
We’ve started a section but need your comments.
And solvents, green solvents, we cover those too,
With info on substitutions made just for you.
Think big, think bold, and make your lab green,
Or think about starting your own “Go Green!” team.
Contribute, we ask, please help us improve!
Its March and we’ve just gotten into a groove.
– Robin O’Hern and the Sustainability Committee
sustainability@conservation-us.org
Paintings or Senior Paintings Conservator, Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC)
Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC)
Paintings or Senior Paintings Conservator
The Midwest Art Conservation Center is seeking an experienced paintings conservator upon the retirement of one of our Senior Paintings Conservators. This is a full-time position with occasional travel. Applicants must have an advanced degree in art conservation with a specialization in paintings conservation or comparable training. A minimum of ten years post graduate experience is preferred. The position calls for treatments on paintings from all periods, including contemporary works and murals. The position title and responsibilities will be commensurate with experience. MACC provides excellent salaries along with outstanding benefits including medical, dental, 403b contributions, vacations, AIC membership, and professional development.
MACC is an independent, nonprofit, regional center providing comprehensive conservation services in Paintings, Objects, Paper and Textiles. The staff is collaborative, very collegial and works innovatively with the curatorial and collection professionals of hundreds of Midwest institutions including the largest art museums, historical societies, universities, libraries and archives, as well as small and mid-sized institutions with unique and varied collections. MACC laboratories are located within the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Please send your confidential curriculum vitae and references to:
Colin D. Turner
Executive Director
Midwest Art Conservation Center
2400 – 3rd Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55404
cturner@preserveart.org
612-870-3120
It’s thanks to the conservators and their innovations
According to J.S. Marcus writing in The Wall Street Journal issue of March 15-16, 2014 (“Looking Up at Veronese’s Grandeur”), after years of taking a back seat to Titian and Tintoretto because his works are so large as to be extremely difficult to transport, Paolo Veronese will have an exhibit at the National Gallery London from March – June 2014. Marcus quotes Xavier Salomon, the exhibit’s curator as saying that one important reason the show can be mounted today is “we now know how those large paintings can be preserved properly during transportation.” What he is really saying is “thank you conservators”.
When for profit businesses can do what not-for-profits can’t
In the March 13, 2014 issue of The New York Times, David W, Dunlap writes about the rebirth of the Williamsburg Savings Bank building in Brooklyn which was built in 1875 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (“From Floor to Grand Dome, Landmark is Restored”). It was abandoned for more than thirty years before it was turned into an event space by developers who also have plans for the adjacent parcels of land. The owners spend $27 million dollars to salvage the building and undertook a painstaking restoration of the interior. Those well-funded profit seeking owners did what no not-for-profit organization could have afforded to do.