ECPN had the opportunity to speak with Nicki Luongo, head of Protective Services at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to learn more about a very special four-legged volunteer at the MFA.
ECPN: How did the idea to hire a dog come about in the first place, and does Riley have any special qualities that might make him better than other dogs at helping with integrated pest management (IPM)?
Nicki Luongo (NL): Discussions between the Conservation and the Department of Protective Services began in fall 2017. Weimaraners are very intelligent and have an incredible sense of smell. Riley’s duties as a scent dog at the MFA are well suited to his breed!
ECPN: Have you trained dogs for service or nose work before?
NL: In my spare time I’ve trained working K9’s for many years, so it’s exciting to be able to apply these training skills with Riley to work with the MFA’s conservation team.
ECPN: How many hours a week is Riley expected to be “on duty”?
NL: Once Riley’s completed his training, he’ll be on duty as needed.
ECPN: Who cares for Riley on his off-hours? And what are his favorite activities outside of “work”?
NL: Riley lives with me and loves to play hide and seek, rope tug and nap in his free time.
ECPN: How does Riley’s role fit into the MFA’s larger IPM strategy? What other IPM tactics does the MFA currently employ and how will Riley’s role supplement and enhance these protocols?
NL: In addition to the current conservation protocols we have in place, Riley will act as an additional layer in protecting the Museum’s collection. His extremely sensitive nose can be trained to detect the presence of pests that are hidden from plain view.
ECPN would like to extend sincere thanks to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston for the paw-some opportunity to learn more about Riley. For more information on Riley, visit his page on the MFA’s website: https://www.mfa.org/about/riley-the-museum-dog
To promote awareness and a clearer understanding of different pathways into specializations that require particular training, the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) is conducting a series of interviews with conservation professionals in these specialties. We kicked off the series with Chinese and Japanese painting conservation, and now we are focusing on practitioners in AIC’s Electronic Media Group (EMG). These conservators work with time-based media, which can include moving components, performance, light or sound elements, film and video, analog or born-digital materials. We’ve asked our interviewees to share some thoughts about their career paths, which we hope will inspire new conservation professionals and provide valuable insight into these areas of our professional field.
Previous posts in ECPN’s EMG blog series include interviews with Yasmin Dessem, Alex Nichols, and Nick Kaplan. In this installment we hear from Brian Castriota, a conservator specialized in the conservation of time-based media and contemporary art. Brian holds a Master’s degree in Art History and a Certificate in Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU where he graduated in 2014. He worked as a contract conservator for time-based media artworks at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and was a Samuel H. Kress Fellow in Time-Based Media Conservation at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. He is currently a Research Fellow in the Conservation of Contemporary Art at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and is pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Glasgow within the research program “New Approaches in the Conservation of Contemporary Art” (NACCA) – a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network.
Brian Castriota documenting the artist-modified turntables used in Susan Philipsz’s installation “Seven Tears” (2016) at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. [Photo: B. Castriota]ECPN: Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Brian Castriota (BC): My name is Brian Castriota, I’m a conservator of time-based media and contemporary art. I’m currently working on a Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow within the EU-funded research initiative “New Approaches in the Conservation of Contemporary Art” (NACCA).
ECPN: How were you first introduced to conservation, and why did you decide to pursue conservation?
BC: Both of my parents are art historians and my mother worked as a museum curator and director for many years, first at Duke University and later Amherst College. I spent a lot of my childhood backstage in museum storage around artworks and artifacts from all periods, which I think was probably a very formative experience for me. Something resonated with me in the kinds of interactions I observed conservators have with museum objects, their unique expertise about the material fabric and production history of these objects, as well as their profound sense of responsibility in ensuring their continuity.
Backing-up and verifying file integrity of audiovisual material on artist-supplied carriers in the collection of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. [Photo: B. Castriota]ECPN: Of all specializations, what contributed to your decision to pursue electronic media conservation?
BC: I think I have always felt a draw towards “obsolete” equipment, media and technologies; I was an avid record collector in my adolescence, studied color darkroom photography in college, and I have a small collection of vintage analog synthesizers. I first became aware of electronic media conservation as a sub-specialism of art conservation after starting in the conservation masters program at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts. Christine Frohnert was of course a big inspiration for me – her enthusiasm and passion for time-based media conservation was absolutely contagious, and she really gave me the confidence to pursue this pathway and specialization. Joanna Phillips was also instrumental in providing me with the practical training to become a time-based media conservator in my fourth-year internship and subsequent fellowship at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
ECPN: What has been your training pathway? Please list any universities, apprenticeships, technical experience, and any related jobs or hobbies.
BC: My training pathway has by no means been straight and narrow. I concentrated in studio arts at Sarah Lawrence College where I did my Bachelor’s degree. During my junior year abroad in Florence, Italy I took a year-long course on painting conservation which confirmed my interest in pursuing master’s-level training in conservation. Upon returning to New York I interned in the Photographs Conservation department of the Met for a summer. After I graduated from Sarah Lawrence in 2009 I worked for a paper conservator in private practice for a year while I completed the rest of my lab science requirements for grad school. During my time at the IFA I specialized in the conservation of objects and archaeological materials. I took every opportunity to work on their affiliated excavations, including three consecutive summers with the Harvard-Cornell Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, and NYU’s excavations at Selinunte and Abydos.
After taking Christine Frohnert’s seminar “Art With a Plug” in my third year I devoted my thesis research to examining the significance of CRT video projectors in Diana Thater’s early video installations. I then split my fourth year internship between the Artefacts Conservation section of the National Galleries of Scotland and the Time-Based Media Conservation Lab at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Upon graduating I was fortunate to work for a few months at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on their time-based media art collection, and afterwards returned to the Guggenheim for a Samuel H. Kress Fellowship in Time-Based Media Conservation before I started my Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow.
ECPN: Are there any particular skills that you feel are important or unique to your discipline?
BC: I find that time-based media art conservation requires a very unique combination of skills: a sound knowledge of modern and contemporary art history and conservation theory, a sensitivity for contemporary artistic working practices, a broad technical knowledge of historic and current audiovisual technologies, a knack for interfacing with many groups of people with diverse skillsets and backgrounds, and an ability to think critically and reflectively.
One of seven synchronized record players used in Susan Philipsz’s installation “Seven Tears” (2016), installed at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. [Photo: B. Castriota]ECPN: What are some of your current projects, research, or interests?
BC: In my doctoral research I am taking a critical look at how contemporary conservation theory and practice grapple with works of art whose authenticity doesn’t inhere through a fixed or finite physical assemblage, or even a fixed set of rules, parameters, conditions, or properties. There are in existence works whose creation continues after the work is acquired by a museum, works whose rules or conditions change over time or are seen as being variable among stakeholders. This in turn leads to questions about how the continuity of the work’s authenticity can be ensured. I am developing a framework and language to characterize these phenomena and account for them in our practical workflows and protocols.
In conjunction with my doctoral research I am working part-time at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art where I wear two hats. As a researcher, I’ve been examining some of the theoretical and practical challenges posed by particular artworks in and entering the collection. Right now I’m working on an exhibition that includes a number of Susan Philipsz’s complex sound installations involving custom equipment and wireless transmission, which are serving as case studies. I’ve also been lending my expertise as a time-based media conservator to help review their collection care practices around their growing time-based media art collection. Following an initial collection survey and risk assessment we have begun backing-up and condition assessing audiovisual material in the collection, as well as revising and expanding documentation records and acquisition protocols for time-based media artworks.
ECPN: In your opinion, what is an important research area or need in your specialization?
BC: I think one that deserves a bit of focus is terminology. There are a lot of terms that we use in our field, not always with the most consensus about what we mean: emulation, replica, copy, version, authenticity, fidelity, iteration, just to name a few. Some of these terms are borrowed from or have particular lineages within academic discourses in philosophy, ethnography, performance studies, or computer science. In some cases these terms may also have particular meanings in particular industries. These terms also have colloquial usage and connotations. And these are just the English terms. Our field is so international, and there are many terms in other languages that do not have direct translations in English. I have joked for a while that we need to have a “Term Focus” conference – perhaps there will be one on the horizon!
Receiver aerial mounted on the roof of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, relaying Susan Philipsz’s wirelessly-transmitted sound installation “You Are Not Alone” (2009/2017). [Photo: B. Castriota]ECPN:Do you have any advice for prospective emerging conservators who would like to pursue this specialization?
BC: Do it, because the need is certainly there. If you are pre-program, the Institute of Fine Arts has developed the first dedicated stream in time-based media conservation training in North America. Also be on the lookout for short Mellon-funded courses and workshops geared towards established conservators wishing to pursue greater specialization in time-based media. Attend digital archiving conferences and workshops, join the AMIA listserv, make use of some of the online resources like Code Academy to learn some programming languages, get a Raspberry Pi or a kit for building a little synth or a guitar pedal. The best way to understand the technical underpinnings of time-based and electronic media is to play around with some yourself. Make something!
To promote awareness and a clearer understanding of different pathways into specializations that require particular training, the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) is conducting a series of interviews with conservation professionals in these specialties. We kicked off the series with Chinese and Japanese painting conservation, and now we are focusing on practitioners in AIC’s Electronic Media Group (EMG). These conservators work with time-based media, which can include moving components, performance, light or sound elements, film and video, analog or born-digital materials. We’ve asked our interviewees to share some thoughts about their career paths, which we hope will inspire new conservation professionals and provide valuable insight into these areas of our professional field.
In our first interview from the EMG series, we spoke with Nick Kaplan, a graduate fellow in the Winterthur/University of Delaware class of 2019. Nick is pursuing a major in objects conservation and has a special interest in electronic media conservation.
ECPN: Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Nicholas Kaplan (NK): I have just begun my second year as a graduate student in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation where I am pursuing a major in objects conservation and a minor in preventive conservation. In 2009, I received my BFA with a concentration in sculpture from Washington University in St. Louis. Between 2009 and the start of my graduate education, I worked as an intern and held various positions at The National Archives and Records Administration, Art Conservation and Restoration LLC., and the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden respectively.
Nicholas Kaplan, graduate fellow in the Winterthur/University of Delaware class of 2019.
ECPN: How were you first introduced to conservation, and why did you decide to pursue conservation?
NK: I was first introduced to the field of conservation by my high school chemistry teacher. I didn’t think about it too much at that time, but then a few of my undergraduate professors reiterated the idea of pursuing a career in conservation. I had been studying fine art and chemistry independently up to that point. Despite my love of art, I think I knew that I didn’t really want to pursue it professionally. As I began to look in to art conservation more seriously, it became apparent that it was a good blend of my interests. So, I tailored my remaining time as an undergraduate toward the aim of attending one of the graduate programs in art conservation.
ECPN: Of all specializations, what contributed to your decision to pursue electronic or time-based media conservation?
NK: When I began my pursuit of a career in conservation, I hadn’t actually heard of electronic media conservation as a unique specialty, and I had planned to focus on the conservation of contemporary art more generally. Modern and contemporary art has long been my favorite area of study, and its conservation seemed to present the most diverse range of areas for exploration. The number of unanswered and perhaps unanswerable questions appealed to me, as did the ethical and philosophical considerations of an artwork’s conceptual nature versus the material reality of its constituents. When I was introduced to the specialty of electronic media conservation, the issues that had initially drawn me to contemporary art conservation became magnified. The phrase “time-based media,” denoting a particular artistic genre, was also new to me, but it quickly became apparent that all of my own artwork fell solidly into this category. So, given my interests and previous familiarity with the materials and media, specializing in electronic media conservation seemed a very natural fit.
Image of Nick Kaplan conserving a computer that is part of the artwork Neither There Nor There (2005) by Siebren Versteeg [Photo: Alexandra Nichols, courtesy of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden]ECPN: What has been your training pathway? Please list any universities, apprenticeships, technical experience, and any related jobs or hobbies.
NK: As an undergraduate in the Sam Fox School of Art and Design at Washington University in St. Louis, I took classes in video production, circuit design and fabrication, and the use and manipulation of A/V feeds and playback equipment. At the time, all of that was geared toward my own artistic practice, which I continue to pursue independently. When I began to enter the conservation field, however, I was incredibly fortunate to get a position at the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden where I began as a pre-program intern in the conservation department. I was eventually hired as the Collections Assistant in the museum’s collections management department. While I was there, Gwynne Ryan, now chief conservator, enthusiastically encouraged my participation in the museum’s artist interview program, its internal time-based media team, and the Smithsonian Institution’s time-based media working group. Thus, I was able to take part in workshops, learn tools for media analysis and playback equipment from experts, and work with colleagues across the Hirshhorn Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.
This helped me to build a comprehensive understanding of the various considerations surrounding the conservation of electronic media. Now as a graduate student in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, my advisors and instructors are very supportive of my decision to pursue electronic media conservation and have helped me to hone my education through independent studies and specialized projects. I have also had the opportunity to work with Christine Frohnert and Reinhard Bek as an intern at Bek & Frohnert LLC.
ECPN: Are there any particular skills that you feel are important or unique to your discipline?
NK: Like any conservation specialization, I think it’s important to have a familiarity with the material and media of the works being treated. For electronic media the specific information that might be important to familiarize oneself with can range from physical media to various coding languages to formats, codecs, and color spaces, as well as hardware and playback equipment. The list could go on and on, but I don’t think it is necessary to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all the video formats that have ever existed, for example. I think it is more helpful to look at these all as systems and be familiar with the parameters, their relationships, and how they come to define specific characteristics or aspects of a particular work. I also think it is important to be familiar with the tools and safeguards of examination. Again, these can vary but the list might include write blockers, checksums, activity logs, programs for metadata extraction, analog and digital scopes, multimeters, and imaging tools.
I think that possibly one of the most important things when working with electronic media is knowing the limits of your own knowledge and being comfortable reaching out to professionals in related fields to ask for help and advice. Given the breadth of materials that fall under the umbrella of electronic media and the speed with which that material changes, there will always be people who are more familiar and knowledgeable about particular areas. This may include professionals in IT, cyber security, video production, exhibitions, the library and archives community, electrical engineers, and other areas of computer science. I think it’s crucial that the conservation community be able to engage with people outside our field to draw on their expertise and the resources allied professionals can provide.
Image of Nick Kaplan and colleague evaluating Horizontal by artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila. [Photo: Andrew Doucette, courtesy of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden]ECPN: What are some of your current projects, research, or interests?
NK: Recently, I have become increasingly interested in exploring processor-based control systems as well as 3D printing software and technology. I am also interested to see how consideration for the materiality of legacy equipment and components becomes increasingly relevant in the face of obsolescence. Obsolescence is obviously an ongoing concern for the conservation of electronic media. As stockpiles of replacement equipment are depleted I see more treatment focusing on the retention of as much of the original equipment as possible with a focus on the inherent aesthetic qualities that anchor this equipment to particular moments in history. I hope to pursue research in this area with a focus on CRT monitors in the near future.
ECPN: In your opinion, what is an important research area or need in your specialization?
NK: Electronic media conservation is, in my opinion, still in the early stages of development, and there are any number of avenues for future in-depth research. One such that caught my attention recently had to do with the consideration of artwork that exists on social media platforms. I also think that with the increasing availability of things like virtual reality (VR) technology, which have given rise to more interactive pieces, it will be important to focus research and preservation efforts on aspects of designed user experiences.
ECPN: Do you have any advice for prospective emerging conservators who would like to pursue this specialization?
NK: I would recommend that emerging conservators interested in pursuing electronic media conservation not be daunted by the scope of knowledge and information that may be relevant. I would encourage them to try and gain as broad of an understanding of the types of media and materials as possible from inside the conservation field but also through practical experience working with the medium. A large portion of my knowledge of electronic media came out of my interest in learning how to make it. I would suggest that people try writing a program, assembling a controller, or shooting, editing, and producing a video. It doesn’t necessarily have to be focused on conservation but just as a way to build a foundation of knowledge of how these things actually work.
On our final day we split up into two groups: one traveled to the archives of the Musse de l’Amerique Francophone part of the Musées de la Civilization and the other to the storage facilities of the same museum network. The tour of the storage facility was led by one of the museum’s curators, who wove several fascinating stories about items into our visit (including an especially intriguing and gruesome tale about the gibbet of Marie-Josephte Corriveau that recently made its way into the museum’s collection). The storage center organizes collections primarily by material and preventative conservations needs. Rooms are titled by their principal contents, such as large objects and furniture, small wooden objects, paper, metal, etc. Each room’s temperature and relative humidity vary according to the items in storage. The facility also includes large rooms for initial quarantine, cool and cold storage, a relatively small conservation lab for minor treatments, and an area for documentation. Despite the large scale of the storage spaces, barely a speck of dust could be found anywhere and it was clear that the collections are cared for very well. We only stayed for the morning, but we easily could have spent an entire day or weekend just to see the facility in its entirety. Storage facility of the Musées de la Civilization
After our tour we headed back to the Chateau Frontenac on our bus, being sure to give Ruth Seyler a large round of applause for a productive meeting and a marvelously-planned tour of Quebec City. Old Quebec is sure to charm any visitor with its historic ramparts and European flair, although the opportunity to experience the city and its museums with historians and conservators was an especially wonderful treat.
The second day’s itinerary was briefly delayed by a government strike, although late start was greeted thankfully by many of us. When the 1.5 hour strike concluded, we travelled to the Centre de Conservation du Quebec (CCQ), a government-sponsored institution that provides conservation services and advise to organizations across the province of Quebec. The facility services the national museums of Quebec, the National Library and Archives of Quebec, and the Ministry of Culture and Communications among other museums and archives. The CCQ is one of the largest conservation centers in North America and employs over 30 conservation professionals specializing in furniture, sculpture, paper, textiles, painting, photographs, archeology and ethnology, metal, stone, and wood. The center also conducts research related to conservation and art materials, documents museum objects, and publishes frequently in French and occasionally in English. Numerous publications are available on the CCQ website on the “centre de ressources” page under the the publications tab: http://www.ccq.gouv.qc.ca/
The director of the CCQ warmly welcomed us, after which the labs were free for us to explore in an open house format. The majority of CCQ conservators spoke excellent English, and we were able to discuss their current projects and discover the facilities at our own pace. From frames and sculptures to musical instruments and religious artefacts, the items undergoing conservation at the CCQ spanned hundreds of years of creativity and presented a wide range of complex treatment concerns. Staff from each specialty expressed how rewarding it is to work alongside and collaborate with such a large team of conservators and how helpful that can be while tackling difficult and complex problems.
One such collaboration on display at the CCQ resonated with the conference theme, Emergency! Preparing for Disasters and Confronting the Unexpected in Conservation. A recent fire at a museum collection was quickly extinguished by firefighters. While the emergency responders were well prepared and managed to drape the majority of the collection with plastic sheets, a few archeological and ethnographic objects were severely water damaged. Conservators at the CCQ’s textiles lab and archeology and ethnography lab worked together to slowly dry and stabilize the objects before performing exquisite treatments to bring the objects back to life.
Apart from the labs, the CCQ invited us to their rooftop to see three current research projects that explore the durability of various materials in the highly variable climate in Quebec City. One test is investigating the effectiveness of various paints and coatings on cedar shingles, another is testing the effectiveness of several varnishes as anti-graffiti coatings for use on outdoor acrylic murals, and the third is looking at the performance of several mortar recipes for use with limestone masonry. The CCQ is very passionate about finding answers to pressing conservation questions and sharing their findings with those individuals and institutions, especially those who may not have the resources to conduct equally technical studies. Material testing atop the Centre de conservation du Québec
After our tour of the spacious facilities, we enjoyed lunch with the conservators at CCQ. With the warm conversations, an invitation to a conservator’s classical music performance that evening, and a lively infant who joined us, the room where we dined was full of a familial spirit. Though we could have spent the entire day at the CCQ, we gathered for a group photo and departed for the Musée de la Civilization. A special thanks to Michael O’Malley for arranging the group visit to the CCQ. Lifelines exhibit at the Museum of Civilization
The Museum of Civilization is located in Quebec atop an historic waterfront which gradually expanded through rubble and earth in-fill over the past centuries. The museum’s design by Moshe Safdie dates from 1988, his first building in the province of Quebec since his Habitat 67. We had a guided tour of two exhibitions that highlight many of the museums inititatives. The first, This is Our Story, walks visitors through Inuit and first nations’ histories and contemporary experiences while posing questions about the future of over 90,000 individuals from eleven Aboriginal nations currently living in Quebec. The second, Lifelines, features indigenous contemporary art from Australia that grows out of a dynamic range of political, cultural, and aesthetic ambitions. A special thanks to Annie Beauregard for arranging the visit to the Museum of Civilization and the two Friday tours. Walking tour through Lower Town
We met David Mendel at the museum after visiting the exhibits and set out for a walking tour of the lower town. The urban fabric of Quebec City cascades over the extreme topography near the banks of the St. Lawrence, creating a series of stepped town squares and magnificently composed views of cobblestone streets. David brought drawings from the 17th and 18th century that highlighted the dramatic changes that the lower town has seen over the years. With his deep involvement in the architectural preservation of the city, David also shared some of the political conversations and decisions that resulted in the cities current approach to restoration. The city has opted to preserve as much history as possible without choosing to build new structures in a historical style, which many were worried might produce an inflated sense of architectural heritage. Place Royale
The tour terminated at the Musée de la Place Royale, a building that succinctly embodies the city’s attitude toward preservation: historic walls remain preserved while a series of architecture modifications in explicitly contemporary materials allow the building to be simultaneously historic and new. We enjoyed a reception at the museum with refreshments, hors d’oeuvres, and wonderful views of the quaint square and church adjacent to the museum. After the reception, several of us ventured back into lower town in search of a regional dessert called beaver tail. After meandering through the twisty streets, a large beaver carved in wood led the way; we found our fried dough with cinnamon and sugar, and found the confection especially delicious with a squeeze of lemon! Beaver tail: fried dough a la Quebecoise
Square outside of the Chateau Frontenac in Old Quebec
After the magnificent whirlwind of the joint AIC, CAC-ACCR meeting, over twenty conference-goers and guests set out on an early bus towards Quebec City. As the Montreal skyline receded behind us, we caught glimpses of two groundbreaking works of architecture from the 1967 World’s Fair: Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 erupting as a brutalist landscape in the distance and Buckminster Fuller’s Montreal Biosphere, a futuristic pavilion encapsulated in a striking geodesic dome framework. The landscape quickly dissolved into forests and farmland, and we travelers began to get to know each other and share our conference experiences. One of the many pleasures of attending the post-trip was hearing fresh, first-hand accounts of the tips, breakout sessions, and lessons gathered by others at the meeting. Our conversations on the bus revealed the great variety of experiences among the group: from emerging conservators to spouses and seasoned conservation professionals, we came from diverse backgrounds and represented Australia, Canada, Portugal, and US locations from the east coast to California and Hawaii. The dynamic mix would be a great asset as we explored the history, culture, and collections of Quebec City together. As we approached the city over the St. Lawrence River, our bus driver pointed out the storied Quebec Bridge and informed us that the name of the city derived from an Algonquin word that means “where the river narrows.” This etymology is a point of pride for Quebec City inhabitants and was affectionately recounted by several others over the following days. The magnificent Chateau Frontenac
Upon arrival, we had a few moments to settle into our regal accommodations at the Chateau Frotenac before gathering for lunch and a lesson in Quebec City’s history led by David Mendel. David is a walking encyclopedia of the region, and his enthusiasm for the history, architecture, and culture of Quebec City was infectious. He shared the origins of the city, outlined military and trade history, and explained the national and international role that the city has played across time. David is such a talented raconteur that he makes Quebec City appear to be the center of all North American history, if not the whole world. On a walking tour, outside of Notre Dame de Quebec
After our lesson, David led us on a brief bus trip across the Plains of Abraham, site of an historic battle during the French and Indian War during which British soldiers took control of the city from the French. The battlefields are also home to the Quebec Citadelle, the strategic architectural forefront of the city’s ramparts. This series of defensive structures make Quebec City the only fortified city in the US or Canada, a fact that helped the city gain UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1985. After our bus tour, David led the group by foot across the charming, winding streets of Old Quebec. We stopped in several magnificently gilded churches, learned about historic building methods, and saw an especially breathtaking collection of tapestries at the Museum of the Ursulines of Quebec. A small domicile squeezed between two existing buildings in Old Quebec
After some restful free time, we indulged in a spectacular feast at Le Saint-Amour. A well-decorated restaurant, Le Saint-Amour prides itself on highlighting local products in traditional, regional dishes updated with innovative and contemporary culinary techniques. The company was as delightful as the food, and it was an ideal way to wrap up our first day in Quebec City.
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![Image of Nick Kaplan and colleague evaluating Horizontal by artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila. [Photo: Andrew Doucette, courtesy of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garnden, Smithsonian Institute]](http://www.conservators-converse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017_ECPN_EMG_Nicholas_Kaplan_3.jpg)
