Category: AIC/FAIC Announcements

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or 2009, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration has the opportunity to conserve historic monuments in its cemeteries. Sixteen solicitations have already been issued and several dozen more will follow in the coming weeks.

Heritage Preservation will post a list of the opportunities that will point users to the Solicitation Number that can be checked on www.fbo.gov for full proposal instructions and forms. Please note that all questions about proposals should be directed to the contracting officers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

As part of an MA in Arts Management dissertation, student Sophie Sarkodie has posted a survey about public outreach in conservation. She describes this as “a chance to hear what conservators have to say about the changing role of the conservator in regard to facing the public, and what events in their opinion are most successful for educating the public about conservation.” Take the survey>>

AIC Member-led Workshop at AAM Conference: Wet Recovery Workshop for Registrars Committee of the American Association of Museums

On May 4, 2009, Ann Frellsen and David Goist, members of the American Institute

for Conservation-Collections Emergency Response Team (AIC-CERT) conducted a Hands-on Care Workshop: What to Do When the Water Recedes event at the end of American Association of Museums (AAM) annual meeting at the Philadelphia Marriott. Tamara Johnston, Collections Manager and Preservation Coordinator, Kohler Foundation Inc., Shorewood, WI, was Chair for the workshop. Ann Frellsen is Collections Conservator at Emory University, Atlanta, GA. David Goist is a conservator of paintings in private practice in Raleigh, NC, and past Project Manager for the AIC-CERT training program.

The workshop drew 27 attendees, largely registrars and archivists, from 14 states ranging from Rhode Island to California. Louisiana and Texas were well represented with 7 attendees.

Goist presented PowerPoint lectures on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the flooding in Iowa, and lessons learned from other disasters and on how to be better prepared for future disasters. The attendees were made aware of AIC-CERT, but were cautioned that they need to be self-reliant with good emergency plans and additional response training. He also discussed aspects of dealing with wet paintings.

Frellsen organized the hands-on wet recovery portion of the workshop. She skillfully conducted the exercises in two relatively small, carpeted hotel meeting rooms. A number of handouts were provided to the attendees. AIC members from Philadelphia, Nancy Love and Leslie Guy, assisted during the day of the workshop. All of the AIC members were impressed with the care and dedication which the attendees demonstrated toward the workshop exercises.

(Written by David Goist)