One of the benefits of living in a large city which has many museums and a sizeable community of conservators is that there are opportunities to attend lectures, programs and other events that would be unimaginable in smaller communities. One recent event that New York metropolitan area conservators had the privilege of attending was the conversation between Tom Learner, Senior Scientist and Head of the Modern and Contemporary Art Research Initiative at the Getty Conservation Institute and artist De Wain Valentine about the creation of Valentine’s “Gray Column” (1975–76) and other poured resin sculptures that was organized by INCCA-NA at the Guggenheim Museum on July 11th. Pod casts, webinars, and videos posted on the Internet may provide excellent content, but the exchange of ideas that takes place before and after programs in casual chats with colleagues cannot be duplicated on-line.
It still is better in person
