Author: Rachael Perkins Arenstein

AIC reaches out to Appraisers at AAA’s annual meeting

The second question that I am most frequently asked in my work after “Can you fix it?” is “Do you have any idea what it is worth?”   Hopefully the answer to the first question is “Yes!” but my answer to the second question is “No, assigning value isn’t what conservators do, but I know the name of several good appraisers”.  It is understandable that private clients are more likely to proceed with conserving a piece with high intrinsic worth, and there is synergy between what we do and what appraisers do.  Thus it was an important outreach opportunity for AIC to have an exhibitors table at the recent Appraisers Association for America annual meeting in November in New York City.  My business partner Eugenie Milroy and I had the privilege of representing our colleagues by manning the AIC booth during the two day meeting.

Yuri Yanchyshyn and Rachael Arenstein at AIC table
Yuri Yanchyshyn and Rachael Arenstein at the AIC table

There were about 300 people in attendance and during the coffee breaks the exhibitor’s area was full of appraisers perusing the tables.  We brought a laptop so that we could have the visually appealing AIC outreach PowerPoint presentation on a looped display and then use the computer to connect to the AIC website when we wanted to show people how to access the Find A Conservator feature online. Some attendees were well aware of conservation as a field, and AIC as a professional organization.  These individuals tended to stop by the booth to pick up some of AIC’s brochures, fliers and bookmarks to pass along to clients or ask specific questions.  Then there were others who, while aware of conservation, were not familiar with AIC.  Once they understood that AIC was to conservation what AAA was to appraisers, they often gave a sigh of relief to know that there is a place to turn to find us!  It was illuminating to talk to these allied professionals and learn more about their views on conservation and conservators.  In addition to these individual interactions that will hopefully turn out to be productive for AIC, the opportunity to talk with and reach out to the other exhibitors was also valuable.  There were auction houses, art storage companies, insurance agencies, and others who now know more about AIC.

It was important that AIC was represented at this meeting but we were not the only conservators there.  It was nice to catch up with colleague Yuri Yanchyshyn of Period Furniture Conservation who had a beautiful booth displaying before and after images of some of his furniture conservation treatment.  Yuri has been working with AAA for several years and has been a good ambassador for our field.  Also in attendance was conservator Gordon Lewis of The Fine Arts Conservancy whose wife is an appraiser and has a long history of working with AAA.  Having more conservators exhibit on their own at events like these and on behalf of AIC is good for our profession as a whole.  While Eugenie and I were there representing AIC, we did have questions about our own specializations and practice and we have even received one potential job lead from someone we met at the conference.

The meeting was titled Tomorrow’s Challenge: Valuing Art & Design in the 20th Century and when there was no traffic in the Exhibitor’s area we were able to listen to a few of the talks.  The Keynote Address by James McAndrew a Forensic Specialist from law firm Gunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt LLP was titled A Decade of Transition in the Trade of Art and Antiquities.  He discussed the role that everyone in the art world (including conservators) has to play to reduce sale of stolen and looted art.  Other sessions at the conference included topics such as:

  • Following your Appraisal through the IRS
  • What Museums Collect Now: A Curator’s Perspective
  • Serving as an Expert Witness
  • Condition is Everything!
  • Ask the Folk Art Expert

If you know of a professional organization that holds an annual meeting where AIC might exhibit, please send the information on to Ruth Seyler in the AIC office.  The probability of having a booth is, of course, increased if you are willing to staff it!  There are never enough hours in the day and it can be hard to take time off from the work waiting in our studios and labs but helping AIC with outreach is good for us as a profession and, you might even find it good for business.

Connecting to Collections Online Community

 

The expertise of conservators is an important aspect of the Connecting to Collections Online Community, and you are encouraged to go online and register! Currently 850 members strong, Heritage Preservation moderates the Connecting to Collections Online Community (www.connectingtocollections.org), a place to network with the goal of helping smaller museums, libraries, archives, and historical societies quickly locate reliable preservation resources. Live chat webinars, group discussion boards, and links to online resources are available on the community. If you have any suggestions or questions about the community, email Elsa Huxley at ehuxley [at] heritagepreservation __ org.

Writing for Conservation

With the relaunch of the Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies  in November there is now another entry on the list of conservation e-journals that should be on a conservator’s  radar.  You can stay abreast of new issues via RSS feed or updates on your favorite social networking platform.  I was particularly happy to see JCMS revitalized as it was the brainchild of Alan J. Hogg,  a conservation classmate of mine at University College London.  Alan eventually shifted from conservation, obtaining a PhD in Atmospheric Space Science and now works at the Sweetland Center for Writing at the University of Michigan where he teaches writing with a focus on presenting scientific research.  Alan joins the new JCMS editorial board and is well positioned to assist our profession bridge sciences and humanities.  Alan wrote a short editorial for the latest issue of JCMS entitled Writing About Conservation that I think may be useful to emerging conservators as well as experienced professionals.  If you aren’t familiar with IMRaD: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Take a look at his post and see how it might help you with your next conference presentation or JAIC submission.

 

 

Israeli and Italian Conservation Centers Join Forces on Mural Conservation Project

The following information was received from the International Conservation Centre – Citta’ di Roma (the Center), Old Acre, Israel.  For further information on this and other projects or  to visit the restoration site, contact Mrs. Shelley-Anne Peleg, Director, International Conservation Center, Citta’ di Roma, at shelleypeleg@gmail.com.

A multi-phase mural conservation project is currently taking place at the International Conservation Centre – Citta’ di Roma (the Center), Old Acre, Israel.  A team of skilled professionals from two conservation institutions joined forces on this unique project, which includes practical mural conservation, a series of related workshops, master classes and on-going professional cooperation.

The Center in Acre and the Istituto Veneto per Beni Culturali in Venice, are both hubs of conservation in their respective countries, Israel and Italy.  Now, under the auspices and support of the Italian Embassy in Israel and the Italian Cultural Institute in Haifa, they cooperate on a conservation project and training programs.

The practical conservation of the ceiling at the Center’s building, a grand house in the Pisan Quarter of Old Acre, commenced in early November. Experts from both institutions inspected the mural, documented it, and carried out tests and analysis. They then jointly constructed a relevant intervention plan, which formed the basis for conservation work currently carried out. Work is expected to continue until February 2012 and involves Italian restorers, under regular guidance and inspection by experts from the Israel Antiquity Authority (IAA) Conservation Department.

Alongside the practical conservation, the Center and the Venice Istituto run open workshops and master classes. Those study days are directed at both professionals in related fields and interested individuals with a background in conservation. During the last open workshop, (November 23rd – 24th, 2011), architect – restorer Paolo Mariani from Venice, examined the relations between monuments degradation and its painted masterpieces, the degradation process of wall painting, and relevant restoration methods. His lectures were followed by specific reference to the painted ceiling currently restored at the Center.

Participants on the workshop had the privilege of additional professional visitors that are leading figures at the IAA: Mr. Raanan Kislev- Head of the Conservation Departments, Kamil Saari – Head of Research and Inspection Department, Jacques Neauger -Head of Artistic Conservation. The workshop was also attended by Mr. Giovanni Pillonca, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Haifa, who expressed his delight with the workshop’s content and suggested presenting a summary of the proceedings in a lecture at the Cultural Institute in Haifa.  The workshop was conducted in the usual Center community-participation manner, hosting Father Quirico Calella from Acre’s Fransiscan Church and local women residents who provided the catering of traditional Acre delicacies.

Mr. Ranzo Ravagnan, Director of the Istituto Veneto per Beni Culturali and Mrs. Shelley-Anne Peleg, Director of the International Conservation Center, both expressed their delight with this form of cooperation between the institutions they lead. Future cooperation programs will include additional open workshops as well as students and experts exchange programs.

 

Participate in AAM’s 4th Annual Museums Advocacy Day

Each year, participation by small business owners who work in the museum field has been a unique and important part of Museums Advocacy Day.  With the current legislative agenda focused almost exclusively  on jobs and job creation, legislators will really appreciate hearing from small business owners like conservators.  Please consider joining AAM in Washington, DC on Februrary 27-28, 2012  to share your story with elected officials.

In 2012, AAM is planning a continued focus on helping independent professionals who work for and with the  museum field make the critical case for museum funding and how it supports jobs and contributes to the local economy.  You are invited to work with AAM to plan Museums Advocacy Day, including developing this important message.

To register, or to learn more about Museums Advocacy Day, please visit www.speakupformuseums.org.

Relaunch of the Journal for Conservation and Museum Studies

The Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies (JCMS), an Open Access and fully peer-reviewed journal, is being relaunched with a newly constituted international editorial board.

We are currently welcoming contributions focusing on:

  • Collection and exhibition management
  • Critical approaches to conservation, museum collections and exhibitions
  • Learning, communication, interpretation and evaluation of museums
  • Materials science and technical studies of objects, collections and conservation materials
  • Participatory processes
  • Professional and ethical issues
  • Remedial or preventive conservation

Check the JCMS website and get in touch with Renata Peters (m.peters@ucl.ac.uk) and/or Anastasia Sakellariadi (a.sakellariadi@ucl.ac.uk) if you wish to contribute.

Editorial board:

  • Renata Peters, UCL Institute of Archaeology, UK
  • Dr Anastasia Sakellariadi, UCL Institute of Archaeology, UK
  • Eleni Asderaki, Archaeological Museum of Volos, Greece
  • Dr Kalliopi Fouseki, UCL Centre for Sustainable Heritage, UK
  • Dr Alan J. Hogg, University of Michigan, USA
  • Emily Kaplan, National Museum of the American Indian, USA
  • Dr Barry Knight, The British Library, UK
  • Dr Theano Moussouri, UCL Institute of Archaeology, UK
  • Eric Nordgren, The Mariners Museum Norfolk, USA
  • Prof Elizabeth Pye, UCL Institute of Archaeology, UK
  • Prof Bethania Reis Velloso, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
  • Dr Cordelia Rogerson, The British Library, UK
  • Devorah Romanek, The British Museum, UK
  • Tracey Sweek, The British Museum, UK
  • Brian Hole, Ubiquity Press, UK

Anton “Tony” Rajer Obituary

Full text of Tony’s obituary is available online on the greenbaypressgazette website

Anton (Tony) William Rajer, art conservator, teacher, humanitarian, from Green Bay and Madison, Wis., passed away suddenly of a heart attack on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, at 2:30 p.m. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was restoring a 4’8″ x 22′ WPA mural for Harrison Elementary School. Tony was born in Sheboygan, Wis., in 1952 to Mr. and Mrs. Anton Rajer (both now deceased).

He received a certificate in French studies at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, Paris (1974) and then completed his BA in art history and chemistry at UW-Milwaukee (1977).  Tony then went to the Churubusco Regional Conservation Center, in Mexico City, Mexico for a Certificate in Art Conservation and then was awarded a funded advanced internship for another Certificate in Conservation from Harvard University Art Museums in Cambridge, MA (1987).  He then completed another Certificate in Mural Conservation at the ICCROM, in Rome, Italy (1992).  Through his international studies and travels Tony spoke five languages fluently – French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and English. He was an Associate Conservator for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, MO, an Art Conservator for the Texas Conservation Center in West Texas, Project Conservator to the restoration of the Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison, WI and Project Director for SOS! (Save Outdoor Sculpture) Wisconsin Chapter, a grant program supported by the Smithsonian Institution.  The SOS! position resulted in Tony co-authoring the book, ‘Public Sculpture in Wisconsin: An Atlas of Outdoor Monuments, Memorials, and Masterpieces in the Badger State’ in 1999.  In 1987 Tony began his own art conservation business for museums and private clients and he managed Fine Arts Conservation for 24 years.

Tony also taught throughout his career at UW-Madison in Continuing Education, teaching Introduction Art Conservation, The Business of Art, and Latin American History.  Tony was a multi-year Fulbright Professor at the University of Panama in Art Conservation in 2002-2004 for the restoration of the National Opera House in Panama City, Panama.   In 2005 Tony received a U.S. State Department grant for teaching in Malaysia.  Tony volunteered at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks where he worked with the Red Cross and FEMA as he was working on the installation of a folk art mural at the Folk Art Museum in NYC at the time of the attack.  Additional service to disaster communities includes New Orleans, Malaysia, and Haiti.  Tony was a member of the AIC (American Institute of Conservation) and ICOM (International Council of Museums) as well as Wisconsin Visual Artists.  He conducted a multitude of conservation assessments and worked with CAP-Heritage Preservation at various sites including Ten Chimneys in Milwaukee, The Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison and the Wriston Art Center at Lawrence University.  Tony’s most recent book is ‘Museums, Zoos, and Botanical Gardens of Wisconsin’ through University of Wisconsin Press.

Tony married Christine Style in 2000 and was a loving stepfather to Sarah and Victoria Davitt. Tony referred to himself as the ‘art doctor,’ You ignore, I restore it.’ ‘You tear it I repair it.’  Tony was most active in his dedication to the preservation of Nek Chand’s ‘Rock Garden’ in Chandigarh, Northern India where he traveled at least once a year for well over a decade and was an active volunteer for the Nek Chand Foundation. Tony’s accomplishments throughout his career touched so many different communities in the States and abroad.  His command of language made for rich and meaningful relationships. His love of humor, history and folk art developed through being a Roman reenactor, as a folk art auctioneer in tux and turban, and his numerous art history, conservation and disaster relief lectures to groups of all ages throughout the world   His philosophy was to “look, listen, observe and recommend, always with an eye towards practical solutions that a team approach can implement.”

Anton (Tony) Rajer is survived by his sister Judy Meier (Ron), wife, Christine Style and her two daughters, Sarah and Victoria Davitt, Ruth and Peyton Muehlmeier, Pam, Steve Kitt, Cody, and Cassidy Doucette, Scot, Jill, Courtney, Lizzy and Christine Muehlmeier, Lyndsey and Jeff Glasner, and Daniel Muehlmeier.  Tony was a registered tissue donor, allowing him to continue to generously extend life to others – through the Iowa Organ Donor Network.  He will be greatly missed.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.prokowall.com.  In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, a memorial fund is being established.

 

Western Science Seeks Cultural Knowledge

Baskets are important not only amongst the Cahuilla, but for Native peoples throughout the west and northwest regions of the United States.  It seems fitting, then, to focus the eyes of conservators on baskets and other items made from plant materials in the collections of the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum.  The online exhibition Western Science Seeks Cultural Knowledge demonstrates the kinds of discoveries that UCLA/Getty graduate conservation students made in the research, investigation and treatment of cultural objects and sandals in the Museum collections.

 

Proposal for the creation of an AIC Collections Care Network

Proposal for the creation of an AIC Collections Care Network

This proposal recommends the creation of the Collections Care Network (CCN), a group of collections care, conservation, and allied professionals united in promoting a preventive approach to collections care.

Objective:

The CCN will respond to the directive in the AIC’s Guidelines for Practice to “recognize the critical importance of preventive conservation as the most effective means of promoting the long-term preservation of cultural property”. It will do so by: providing resources to support collections care and conservation staff; creating awareness of preventive care; identifying and developing standards and best practices, training, and other projects to advance preventive care in institutions of all types and sizes, locally, nationally and globally; and working with related groups to reach and support key collections care constituents.

Goals:

  • Create a network of collections and conservation professionals committed to the preventive care of collections by providing a focused forum for current AIC members and encouraging non-member collections care professionals to become AIC members.
  • Advance the understanding that preventive care preserves our cultural heritage in a way that post-damage interventive treatment cannot restore.
  • Advocate for professional recognition of all collections care professionals and support the development of the role they play in institutional preservation planning.
  • Create a forum for collections and conservation staff to exchange preservation information, ideas and research.
  • Provide preventive care programs and resources that will be of interest to the broad spectrum of constituents the CCN intends to serve.
  • Network with related collections and conservation organizations to better support shared goals.

 Rationale:

The creation of the CCN offers AIC the opportunity to more efficiently support the growing number of conservators with strong preventive responsibilities and interests. This change in role and focus affects conservators from all AIC Specialty Groups. Thus, the creation of this network would build a bridge between groups, allowing conservators to discuss needs in a topical, rather than media specific way.

Today, many collections care staff have difficulty selecting a professional organization that fully represents their interests. Creation of the CCN would offer AIC the opportunity to significantly expand its membership by welcoming collections care staff and positioning AIC as a professional organization relevant to their needs.

Ultimately, strengthening the connection between conservators and collections staff as professional peers will enable AIC to further the preservation of collections by facilitating exchange and dialogue, support the development of training and resources that interest collections care groups, and ultimately, lead to the application of sound standards for collections care practice in cultural institutions.

Anticipated groups to be served:

The audience for this network will include those with stewardship responsibilities in museums, libraries, archives, historic sites and other institutions working to preserve tangible and intangible heritage, including but not limited to:

  • Collections managers
  • Conservators
  • Art handlers
  • Collections care staff
  • Registrars
  • Packing and crating staff
  • Libraries and archives staff
  • Preservation architects and engineers
  • Historic house museum staff
  • Exhibition mountmakers
  • Preparators
  • Preventive conservation supply vendors
  • Exhibit designers
  • Archaeologists
  • Heritage preservation students
  • Conservation students

Ideas for future projects:

 Collections Care Resource Development

  • Create an online resource that would help to codify resources and offer a platform for the sharing of projects, curricula, and material sources.
  • Advocate for and identify people to write needed text books in the field
  • Identify or develop best practices for the care of challenging collections.
  • Develop formal standards of commitment and practice for collections care that can guide institutions and staff
  • Develop educational materials to promote preventive conservation approaches and conservation planning to institutions at conception, building, renovation and operational stages
  • Support AIC projects and Committees
    • AIC wiki Exhibition Standards & Guidelines
    • Web module on collections storage  (STASH –  Storage Techniques for Art, Science and Humanities collections)
    • RATS sponsored wiki on materials and materials testing
    • Environmental Guidelines Working Group
    • Emergency Committee effort to develop risk assessment and preparedness resources and AIC-CERT
    • AIC Health and Safety Committee

Staff Development

  • Identify and encourage development of continuing education programs for collections care professionals
  • Advocate for job creation and permanence for collections care and preventive care staff
  • Provide training activities that will address
    • collections care activities
    • project management
    • planning
    • obtaining institutional support
    • professional development

Outreach and Networking

  • Connect with related professional groups world wide to explore joint programming and resource development, including but not limited to
    • AAM and related sub-groups, RC-AAM and PACCIN
    • Allied professionals in universities
    • American Institute of Architects
    • ICOM-CC
    • International Institute for Conservation
    • Mountmakers Forum
    • RegionalMuseumorganizations, such as New England Museum Assoc (NEMA), Virginia Association of Museums, (VAM), and the Small Museum Association.
    • SPNHC
      • Support the preventive conservation session at 2012 SPNHC meeting – Yale, June 2012
    • The Association for Preservation Technology (APTI)
  • Work with other AIC committees and specialty groups to develop joint programming
  • Support the CAP program

To be submitted to the AIC board by the CCN organizing committee, October 15, 2011:

  • Rachael Perkins Arenstein, A.M. Art Conservation, LLC
  • Julia Brennan, Textile Conservation Services
  • Rebecca Fifield, Collections Manager for the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, MetropolitanMuseum of Art
  • Gretchen Guidess, Mellon Fellow, HistoricNew England
  • Catharine Hawks, Conservator, NMNH Smithsonian Institution
  • Wendy Jessup, Conservator, Wendy Jessup and Associates, Inc.
  • Karen Pavelka, Lecturer,School ofInformation, TheUniversity ofTexas atAustin
  • Patricia Silence, Conservator, Conservator of Museum Exhibitions and Historic Interiors, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
  • Joelle Wickens, Assistant Conservator, Head of Preventive Conservation Team and Winterthur Assistant Professor, Winterthur Museum