Author: Abigail Choudhury

The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (FAIC) announces a temporary facility to provide volunteer assistance and work space to museums, libraries, archives, historic sites, galleries, collectors, and artists to open in Brooklyn the week of December 10.

The Cultural Recovery Center will be operated by The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (FAIC), in cooperation with a consortium of organizations:

Alliance for Response New York City
Heritage Preservation
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
New York Regional Association for Conservation
Industry City at Bush Terminal
Smithsonian Institution

Funding for the Center has been provided by a leadership gift to FAIC from Sotheby’s.  The Smithsonian Institution and a grant to Heritage Preservation from the New York Community Trust, as well as support from TALAS, have enabled purchase of supplies.  The Center has also been outfitted with supplies from Materials for the Arts, a creative reuse program managed by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional donations to FAIC have come from PINTA, The Modern & Contemporary Latin American Art Show; Tru Vue; members of the American Institute for Conservation; and others. The American Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Modern Art have also provided key support for recovery efforts.

FAIC and its partners have been offering crucial disaster response assistance to cultural organizations and artists in need in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. In the first 10 days after the storm struck, FAIC’s Collection Emergency Response Team’s (AIC-CERT) 24-hour hotline (202-661-8068) fielded over 55 calls from collectors, artists, and museums. AIC-CERT and New York area volunteers are working with approximately 120 small collections, galleries, and artists in New York and New Jersey to recover collections.  In addition, AIC member conservators in private practices throughout the New York City region are helping owners preserve their collections.

Access to some collections, including those of individual artists, is only now becoming possible.  Even artwork that has been dried still may need rinsing and cleaning to remove residues and mold spores.  The Cultural Recovery Center will offer space and expertise to help owners stabilize their collections.

More information about these volunteer services can be found at www.conservation-us.org/cert

Information for owners of cultural materials can be found at: http://www.moma.org/explore/collection/conservation/recovery

On Friday, December 14, conservator Rustin Levenson will give two free seminar/demonstrations on caring for paintings damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Artists and collectors can bring one (preferably small) wet/moldy painting on canvas or wood. Limited supplies will be available, along with a supply list, website list, and printed instructions. The first seminar will be in Manhattan from 10-12 PM on Friday, December 14 at Parsons New School for Design, The location is Room 1618, 79 Fifth Avenue. The second will be from 3-5 at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. It will be classroom 001 in the basement of South Hall.

To sign up, or with questions about the seminar, contact Rustin at rustinfl [at] aol [dot] com or through her website artcarenyc.com.

Rustin Levenson graduated with a degree in Art History from Wellesley College and was trained in conservation at Harvard University’s Fogg Art Museum. She worked on the conservation staff of the National Gallery of Canada and the Metropolitan Museum of Art before opening Rustin Levenson Art Conservation, with studios in Miami, Florida and New York, New York. After Hurricane Andrew in Miami she rescued over 5000 works of art.

The seminars are sponsored by the Foundation for the American Institute for Conservation