On Tuesday May 28th, The New York Times published a long article by Carol Vogel, “A Pollock Restored, a Mystery Revealed“, about the Musuem of Modern Art’s study and conservation of Jackson Pollock’s “One: Number 31, 1950”. Discussing what was done to the painting and what was discovered about its materials and construction, this article could have been a wonderful lead-in to the topic of this year’s AIC annual meeting– “The Contemporary in Conservation”. Yet, not a word was mentioned about the meeting which was to start the next day. How can we get media coverage of the activities of the AIC along with coverage of the field of conservation?
The timing of the article could have been so fortuitous for AIC
Thank you, Rebecca, for speaking out about what I consider a chronic, fixable, problem. AIC needs to work harder at doing PRO-ACTIVE outreach!
Press releases issued by our national organization can be more effective than the articles and letters-to-editors that individual conservators occasionally contribute to hometown newspapers, college and university publications, etc., especially if AIC’s press releases are well prepared, well targeted, well timed, and MORE FREQUENT!
Caroline K. Keck learned early the importance of doing effective advertising. During the lean years of the Great Depression, she worked for her father’s jewelry business, also for a fashion designer. The lessons she learned then stuck with her, and she excelled at promoting art conservation on behalf of AIC (while she was director of the FAIC) and independently.
The listservs of some AIC Specialty Groups are buzzing with chatter about George Clooney’s mew “Monuments Men” movie, scheduled to open in the US on December 18. I have already contacted AIC’s new president (congratulations to Pam Hatchfield!) and office staff, urging that AIC draft part of a press release BEFORE that date, so it only requires a little tweaking (to laud the movie’s merits and tactfully address any errors of fact regarding depicted conservators and conservation methods) before being whisked to the nation’s major newspapers, TV networks, etc. If AIC fails to plan ahead, I fear we’ll lose a great opportunity to garner loads of free publicity.
A well-worded, to-the-point AIC press release about the movie in which George Clooney plays the role of George Stout — followed up with public comments from many individual conservators — could do a lot to raise awareness about our field and some of its heroes. If the movie’s attendance count peeks when AIC’s response gets attention in the nation’s media, hey, even George Clooney might notice!
Rule #3 ‘ Talk about the one subject that is most interesting
and important to your date. Unfortunately bats are becoming increasingly endangered because of decreased habitats and roosting spaces.
One of the best ways to do this is to pick up key points as a
person speaks and remember them because you share a similar experience
or have knowledge about the subject.