Ryan Winfield – Page 12 – AIC Blog Archives: Conservators Converse

NEH grants for preserving collections in sustainable ways

Guidelines have been posted for the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grants. U.S. nonprofit museums, libraries, archives, and educational institutions can apply for grants to plan and implement preservation strategies that pragmatically balance effectiveness, cost, and environmental impact. Projects should be designed to be as cost effective, energy efficient, and environmentally sensitive as possible, and they should aim to mitigate the greatest risks to collections rather than to meet prescriptive targets.

Apply for planning grants of up to $40,000 (with an option of up to $50,000) to bring together interdisciplinary teams that might reevaluate environmental parameters for collections and examine passive (nonmechanical) and low-energy alternatives to conventional energy sources and energy-intensive mechanized systems for managing collection environments. Testing, modeling, or project-specific research may help applicants better understand collection environments and formulate sustainable preservation strategies; therefore, with planning grants you might measure energy consumption; use blower door tests to identify air leaks in buildings; create mock-ups of lighting options; test natural ventilation methods; conduct thermal imaging of buildings; test the effect of buffered storage enclosures on moderating fluctuating environmental conditions; re-commission small-scale climate control systems; or adjust the operating protocols for climate control systems.

Apply for implementation grants of up to $350,000 to manage interior relative humidity and temperature by passive methods; install heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems; install storage systems and rehouse collections; improve security and the protection of collections from fire, flood, and other disasters; and upgrade lighting systems and controls to achieve levels suitable for collections that are energy efficient. Projects that seek to implement preventive conservation measures in sustainable ways are especially encouraged.

Deadline: December 4, 2012

Guidelines: www.neh.gov/grant s/guidelines/SCHC.html

FAQs: www.neh.gov/files/grants/sustaining-cultural-heritage-faqs_2012.pdf

Program officers are available to discuss project ideas and read draft proposals. Please contact the division for more information by emailing preservation [at] neh__gov or calling 202-606-8570.

Laura Word
Senior Program Officer
Division of Preservation and Access
National Endowment for the Humanities

Queen’s University Program in Art Conservation Seeks Alumni News for Yearly Newsletter

Please send your news, either professional or personal, for our yearly Art Conservation Program Newsletter. Previous newsletters can be found on our website: www.queensu.ca/art/artconservation/Alumni.html

Contributions (approximately 50 words) need to be received by 20 September 2012. Send to am26 [at] queensu__ca We all look forward to hearing from you.

Alison Murray
Associate Professor
Art Conservation Program

Georgia Archives Receives Grant to Support Sustaining Georgia’s Permanent Records

The Georgia Archives is pleased to announce receipt of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to implement methods for achieving stable environmental storage conditions for its permanent records while reducing energy consumption and thus costs. “This project will help the Georgia Archives continue to reduce energy usage and serve as a model of sustainability for other institutions during these times of budget cutbacks” said project manager, Christine Wiseman, Preservation Services Manager at the Georgia Archives.

The award is from NEH’s Division of Preservation and Access in the category of Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections. The grant funds support expanding upon energy saving measures at the Georgia Archives initiated over the past two years by updating and further automating the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) and by implementing lighting upgrades. The fundamental goal of the project is to increase energy savings efforts, while continuing to maintain storage conditions necessary for the long term preservation of Georgia’s permanent and historical records.

Archives staff will track and monitor environmental conditions as well as energy usage, and gather data that will be of use of other cultural organizations.

Be sure to subscribe to the project blog, Sustaining Georgia’s History, One Environmental Upgrade at a Time, to get timely updates. See www.sustaingeorgiahistory.wordpress.com and click on link to subscribe. The project begins October 1, 2012 and runs for three years.

For more information, contact project manager, Christine Wiseman <cwiseman [at] sos__ga__gov> or visit www.georgiaarchives.org.

The Georgia Archives is a division of the Office of Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp. The mission of the Georgia Archives is to identify, select, preserve, and make accessible records that constitute Georgia’s recorded history; to increase the efficiency of State Government through effective records management; and to improve the quality of records and archives management throughout the state.

Christine Wiseman
Preservation Services Manager
Georgia Archives
5800 Jonesboro Road
Morrow, GA 30260
678-364-3761

New ICON Ceramics and Glass Group Forum

Feel free to ask questions about materials and techniques that you’re encountering for the first time, or for advice on specific objects

If you’re struggling to locate a specific material or piece of equipment and want to know where other conservators go shopping, just ask.

Or if you know about job opportunities, student placements or internships that you feel would be interesting to the members feel

free to share them here.

iconcgg.proboards.com/index.cgi

US Blue Shield Statement on Syrian Heritage

AIC supports the USCBS position outlined in the press release below.

PRESS RELEASE

Recent media reports, as well as first-hand reports from Syria posted to social media and other Internet sources, recount the killing and wounding of innocent civilians and the alarming destruction and looting of cultural heritage sites during the current civil war in Syria. Some of these sites are designated World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal significance under the 1972 World Heritage Convention. Other sites appear to be at imminent risk.

While admonishing all parties to the current Syrian conflict to respect cultural sites and prevent further damage, the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield seeks to remind the Syrian government of its obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, to which Syria is a State Party. These obligations include avoiding the targeting of cultural sites, unless excused by military necessity, and, more important, avoiding the use of cultural sites in such a way as to expose them to harm during armed conflict. It appears that these obligations have been violated through the use of cultural and historical sites, such as the Roman city of Apamea, the Crusader fortress at Crac des Chevaliers, and the archaeological site of Palmyra, as bases for military activities. This makes them a target for military attack and exposes them to significant danger. Inexcusable use of cultural sites could be the basis for war crimes violations and charges, as was seen in the criminal tribunals and convictions of former Yugoslav military leaders after the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

Also alarming are reports of large-scale thefts of cultural objects from archaeological and historic sites and museums and the reported sale of these objects on the international market. Those who would deal in such objects should be aware that existing legislation and legal mechanisms prohibit the trade in looted and stolen cultural objects. For example, legislation in two of the largest market nations, the United States and the United Kingdom, provide for criminal punishment of those who knowingly deal in such objects and for forfeiture of the objects themselves. These include the United Kingdom’s Dealing in Cultural Objects Offences Act and the United States’ National Stolen Property Act. In addition, U.S. sanctions put into effect against Syria state that “All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person, … of the Government of Syria are blocked and may not be transferred, … or otherwise dealt in.” OFAC regulation EO 13582 of August 17, 2011, Section 1(a), http://www.treasury.gov/resourcecenter/sanctions/Programs/Documents/syria_eo_08182011.pdf.

The cultural heritage of Syria is among the most valuable in the world, spanning from the beginnings of civilization through the Roman, Crusader, Medieval Islamic and Ottoman periods. It is the duty of all nations and all people to protect and preserve this heritage for future generations. It is particularly the responsibility of both the Syrian regime and the rebel forces to honor international law and the interests of the Syrian people in preserving their shared cultural heritage.

U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield
24 August 2012

Contact: Corine Wegener, cwegener@uscbs.org, 612-870-3293 or 612-839-7654

“Designing Presentations” Online Meeting Series

Sarah Lowengard is pleased to announce the next offering of the “Designing Presentations” online meeting series, scheduled in time to assist conservators meet the deadline for AIC2013 abstract and proposal submission. Participation is not limited to those who plan to do so, however.

The meetings are:

A. Writing an Abstract or Other Short Proposal

Thursday 30 August 2012
12:00-1:30pm US Eastern Time
This 90-minute session will show you how to describe your workshop, presentation or talk clearly and succinctly. Use what you learn to improve your conference proposals or your presentations to current and
prospective clients. Will talk about what you do and don’t need to include, how to format your proposal to improve reader comprehension, and more.
Download a 1-page information sheet at http://bit.ly/DP-A-2

B. Designing a Hands-On Workshop

Thursday 6 September 2012
12:00-2:00pm US Eastern Time
A 2-hour session that leads you through planning, design and organization of a presentation that includes audience participation. If you’ve been thinking about teaching your clients, your boss, your board of directors, or others just what it is you //really// do, Designing a Hands-on Workshop will give you the start you need.
Download a 1-page information sheet at http://bit.ly/DP-B-2

The fee for the 2-meeting series is $70, $40 to attend a single meeting. (I offer discounts to affiliates and groups of five or more.)

As with all Research and Writing workshops and meetings, there will be time (and special after-meeting opportunities) for continued interaction and personalized assistance.

For more information, and to register please go to http://bit.ly/DP-2-2012

Or contact me:

Sarah Lowengard
Research and Writing
sarah@researchandwriting.net

IRUG Raman Spectroscopy Two-day Workshop

The Infrared and Raman Users Group (IRUG) is pleased to announce a two-day Raman Spectroscopy Workshop to be held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) on September 27-28, 2012. The workshop is the first of its kind to be offered by IRUG (www.irug.org) and will feature lectures on practical issues and strategies in the Raman analysis of cultural heritage artifacts and materials, as well as an introduction to the IRUG Raman spectral database. Topics covered will be: the history of the use of Raman spectroscopy in the museum field; theory and instrumentation; SERS; and analysis of minerals, pigments, dyes, gems, glass, plastics, paintings, photographs, works of art on paper, and cross-sections. All are invited to attend although space is limited. Workshop registration fee is $75 for professionals and $35 for students. The registration deadline is August 31, 2012. For more information, please contact IRUG at . The Workshop is being sponsored by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Register >>

Conservators also oppose plan to sideline Berlin’s Old Masters

Conservators in Germany have joined the protest over plans to relocate the world-famous collection of Old Masters in Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie. Under the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz’s (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) plan, the estimated 3,000 works will move into the much smaller Bode Museum to make way for modern art including the collection of Ulla and Heiner Pietzsch. Any Old Master that cannot be displayed in the smaller space will go into storage for an estimated six years until a new space is found for the collection on the capital’s Museum Island.

The move, which was announced at the beginning of July, poses a “significant conservation risk”, said a statement released by the Bonn-based Verband der Restauratoren (Association of Restorers) on 19 July. The association, which has around 2,500 members, argues that the Pietzsch collection should move into the Gemäldegalerie only when a suitable location has been found to accommodate the Old Masters. “Only then can transport be reduced and the possibility that large parts of the collection will disappear into stores for years be avoided,” the statement said. “Any handling, packaging and transportation—even within the building—means mechanical stress and climatic changes to the works, which weakens their substance.”

Around 12,000 people, including Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia, have signed a petition against emptying the Gemäldegalerie of its Old Masters. The petition was set up by Jeffrey Hamburger, an art historian at Harvard University. Earlier, the Verband Deutscher Kunsthistoriker (Association of German Art Historians) wrote an open letter to Germany’s minister of culture, Bernd Neumann, protesting “vehemently” against the plans. But the Bundestag has already made €10m available for the renovation of the Gemäldegalerie, setting the wheels in motion for the move.

The Berlin-based collectors Ulla and Heiner Pietzsch have donated 150 works of art, valued at €120m. But their gift was made on the condition that the works by artists including Magritte, Pollock and Ernst will eventually be on permanent display.

Heiner Pietzsch, an industrialist, has hinted to the German media that should the deal collapse, their heirs would have a lot of art to sell.

From the Art Newspaper >>

Whose Artifact Is It Anyway?

Jane Klinger, chief conservator,
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has in its collection artifacts that were created for everyday use by everyday people. In the absence of direct testimony from victims, these objects have become the memory of their lives, and hold meaning far beyond their original use as simply a shoe or a dress.

Tension arises when the struggle between emotional content and physical protection take center stage. The conservator acts as an advocate for the needs of the artifact—battling time and the elements to maintain the object, while the curator seeks to put the artifact to use, to convey its histories and emotions to the public.

But with digital technology, often a middle ground can be found, as was the case with the burnt diary of a young woman named Debora. The museum recognized that this was a compelling object with a riveting text, but the damage it sustained might prevent it from reaching the audience it deserved. Instead, digital images, some enhanced to reveal the text, were used in a traveling exhibit. This is an excellent example of how an artifact can be used virtually–that is safely–yet still be a highly effective tool in telling a story.

The Volcano Hearse: Preserving a Civil War “Veteran”

Marc A. Williams
President, American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.

The “Volcano hearse” is one of the central artifacts remaining from an interesting footnote in American Civil War history – the only armed conflict that took place during the war in the state of California. The hearse, originally built in New Bedford, MA in the 1850’s, and currently owned by the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation, had been stored outdoors for many years. As a result, it had suffered both from vandalism and significant deterioration in the form of structural damage, water and light damage, and fungal decay. During a CA Parks Department project to assess its horse-drawn vehicle collection, the hearse’s age and historic value were recognized and the vehicle was treated in 2008-2009.

The hearse’s historic importance stems from its role in smuggling a canon into the Sierra foothills town of Volcano, CA. During the Civil War an armed band of renegade miners had been agitating for weeks in support of the Confederate cause. The town elders sent an emergency communication to San Francisco for assistance. The Union garrison there could not spare troops but sent a single canon, “Old Abe”, a model 1835 6-pounder bronze field gun, via rail to the nearest depot. The Volcano Blues, the local militia group, used the hearse to slip the 737 pound canon into town in secrecy.

Once there, an under-carriage was built, and the cannon was loaded with gunpowder, nails, and scrap iron in the absence of proper ammunition. Shortly thereafter, the Confederate sympathizers marched up the main street armed with rifles, pistols, and knives. A stand-off ensued when the cannon was initially revealed and, after a few tense moments, the Confederates retreated. Local lore contends that had the canon been fired, it most likely would have exploded, killing many standing behind it, so heavy was the load of makeshift ammunition.

Commercial restoration of horse-drawn vehicles usually consists of remanufacturing components and spray-painting with automotive lacquer to produce new-looking objects with smooth, even surfaces. Discussions between the Project Conservator and Parks & Recreation staff however, led to the decision to stabilize the hearse and preserve as much of its historic character and components as possible, while still producing an appearance that was sufficiently integrated to allow it to be exhibited. This balance meant that elements such as the tattered, original upholstery and areas of loss and damage that were stable were accepted as part of the historic nature of the vehicle.

The conservation treatment involved reassembly of collapsed parts, replacement of only structurally necessary missing elements, consolidation of decayed wood, cleaning and removal of dirt, cleaning and reattachment of the original upholstery, consolidation of historic paint, inpainting surrounding areas of paint loss, and the application of a protective surface coating.

The hearse is currently in storage while an appropriate exhibit space with adequate preservation conditions is sought. The cannon, which is not owned by CA Parks and was not part of this treatment project, is on exhibit in downtown Volcano, CA.

For more details on this project please contact Marc A. Williams. For additional information on the Volcano historic landmark visit California’s Department of Parks and Recreation Office of Historic Landmarks website.