Category: AIC’s Annual Meeting

Provides the membership with updated news about the annual meeting. Also announces themes, deadlines for papers, need for volunteers, etc.

AIC’s 40th Annual Meeting, Recovery and Conservation of the Textile Collections at the National Museum of Music, Alina Vazquez De Arazoza

Alina Vazquez de Arazoza is one of 20 Latin American colleagues who were able to join us at the 40th Annual AIC meeting thanks to funding from the Getty. Ms Vazquez requested that our colleague Amparo Ruedas read her paper to the TSG.

In 1971, a former Colonial mansion located in Havana was converted to the National Museum of Music. It contains, among its diverse collections, costumes of prominent Cuban musicians and banners from musical groups. The majority of collection dates to the 20th century, but several important 19th century items are also preserved. Among these is the glove of Perucheo Figueredo, the author of Cuba’s national anthem, and great great grandfather of Amparo Ruedas, giving added meaning to this presentation.

The renovation of the museum building provided the opportunity for the author to survey the collection, undertake conservation treatments prior to rehousing and exhibition, and do biographical research into the artists represented by the collection. She worked in collaboration with CENCREM (Centro Nacional de Conservacion, Restauracion y Museologia) which provided a facility and analytical assistance, all at no charge!

In general the collection was in fair condition. Items were dirty, distorted from poor storage, and dry, despite the tropical climate and lack of adequate environmental conditions. Humidity had taken a toll on some items, however, as seen by corroded metal trims, associated staining, some water damage with dye migration, and some insect damage. Much of the collection also exhibited yellowing.

The author undertook analysis of items in order to prepare a proposal for conservation. SEM results confirmed fiber content of organic and metal components. Much of the collection is hand made, though industrially produced items and commercial labels were noted and researched. The presence of prior repairs were documented, as well as types of adhesives that had been employed. Parameters of the conservation project were set out identify which textiles needed surface cleaning, aqueous or solvent cleaning, which prior repairs would be reversed.

What impressed me most about Ms Vazquez’s and her project are the advanced level of treatment skills, storage and conservation materials, analytical tools and connoisseurship compared to other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean that I have visited. This conservation project was equal in all ways to similar projects undertaken in the United States, which happily dispelled my notions of the ability of Cuban conservation professionals to achieve a high level of skill and accomplishments.

AIC’s 40th Annual Meeting- Objects and Research and Technical Studies Joint Session, May 9, 2012 “www.chemistryinart.org: Chemistry in Art Scholars– A Virtual & Real Community” by Hill and Odegaard

I’m not an educator, but while listening to this talk I was thinking “Sign Me Up!”. Dr. Hill spoke about the intensive workshop provided for educators who want to improve their science classes or start new ones. She’s a professor at Millersville University and wants conservators to know that chemistry professors are safe to connect with! The overarching program of cCWCS (Chemistry Collaborations, Workshops, and Communities of Scholars) covers many topics, but she focused on those that combine chemistry and art. You can check out their website (there was a typo in the original talk title) and find lots of materials if you aren’t able to attend the workshop or you’re just interested in finding out more about what they do. If you are thinking about starting a class or want to improve a class that you already give this 5-day intensive workshop might be for you. And it’s all expenses paid, thanks to the NSF. Their target audience is undergraduate faculty and staff and includes mainly chemists, practicing artists and art faculty. They are interested in having more representation from the conservation community. It sounds like a fun way to get the word out about what conservation is and what conservators do as there is a high degree of confusion about the difference between curators and conservators amongst this group. Also, you could potentially make some helpful contacts in the chemistry world.

The participants come from all over the country and generally fall into four categories:

  1. those how are looking for a fancy vacation (really a minority)
  2. older faculty who now have more flexibility in their schedule and are looking to pursue interests outside of their previous research and bring excitement to their students
  3. mid-career faculty who are looking for a unique area of research or trying to find their teaching niche
  4. and community college faculty who are looking for support and to bring interesting applications to students to engage them and get them more enthusiastic about science.

Vicki Cassman is an example of one of their alums who attended a session in 2010 and took what she learned back to UD for an honors seminar.

In 2009 they started an advanced workshop, the third of which will be held this summer. During this workshop they discuss ethics and understanding the questions you are trying to answer before starting analysis. Participants can bring an object that they have questions about and then they share the results with one another.

In the future they are looking for ways to broaden the community and making resources available to educators. Thanks to Nancy Odegaard and Dr. Hill for bringing this to our attention.

AIC’s 40th Annual Meeting – AIC Wiki Meeting, May 9

The AIC Wiki meeting provided active wiki Creators with the chance to connect faces with the names they’ve seen contributing over the past year, and everyone introduced themselves to the group. AIC’s e-Editor Rachael Perkins Arenstein noted that roughly half of those present were new to the wiki, and at the meeting to learn how to get involved.  She began by providing a brief background on the history of the wiki.

 

SG’s and the “Wiki Edit-a-thon”

There was an update on each specialty group’s use of the wiki.  The specialty groups shared their strategies for building participation in January’s “Wiki Edit-a-thon.”  The event was a great success, as Rachael described in the March 2012 issue of AIC News.  There were 137,000 hits to the wiki during the month, 59 new articles were added, and over 100 supplemental pages.  PMG had surveyed members and then set up two categories to populate during the event.  One day per week was scheduled as a “write-in” day, when members knew they could email each other to confer as they posted their content.  The Book Group in BPG set up a sample page for Creators to refer to, and it jump-started the creation of other pages.  EMG set up an outline and template, and then scheduled a single “write-in” day for everyone to join in.  Some groups, such as WAG, ASG, and the Paper Group in BPG, used the event as an impetus to identify people to spearhead their SG’s nascent wiki efforts.  OSG expanded their template, nearly doubled their number of Creators, and expanded content on a variety of topics, as well as adding new ones.  CIPP and TSG both realized that their Listservs had threads that would make great pages, so that will be a next step.

 

New Developments

The wiki software is outdated, and plans to update it are in development so that video can be embedded and the citation tool can be improved.  The wiki home page was reorganized, and there is significant interest in translating some of the wiki pages.  The first request came for a Russian translation of some of the content.  The translation will also be available on the AIC Wiki.  There’s interest in a Spanish translation of the Paper catalog.  A section on “The History of Conservation and Conservators” is in development and will include interviews from the FAIC Oral History Project.  Quality control and peer review were discussed, and what processes might be set in place across SG’s.  A working group is in formation to propose a series of headers (such as the “Draft” header currently in use) that would designate the stage of peer review for each page.  Contact Rachael (Rachael [at] amartconservation __ com) to join the group.

 

 

Getting Involved

An online tutorial is available for those interested in learning how to post content, and Rachael encouraged potential wiki Creators to get in touch with her to get added to the wiki email list.  The goal is to make the wiki a go-to resource for professional content for conservators, by conservators. One important note is that no one forfeits their rights to content they post on the wiki (the copyright agreement is what is used for post prints).  Members should feel that publishing on the wiki is a respected and valuable contribution to the field.

 

A key message of this session was this: your ongoing efforts to expand the wiki, whatever your time permits, are valued and appreciated!

 

To stay informed of updates on the wiki, visit the AIC wiki at www.conservation-wiki.com and scroll down to the Getting Started section.

 

Web-based media platforms: outreach through online communication and networking

In compiling information for ECPN’s outreach-themed poster, we felt that it would be useful to showcase some of the online tools that emerging conservators have used to reach their target audience. The number and variety of web-based media platforms available is impressive (and somewhat daunting), but as outreach tools they have helped many conservators increase their visibility. To select the right tool (or tools) it helps to understand what each platform has to offer.

Basic tools – How are they different? What do they offer?

Consider linking your social media pages to draw your target audience to your primary information platform. For example, ECPN officers often copy the URL of new ECPN blog entries and post them on the ECPN Facebook page’s wall. The same can be done if you have a professional website that you would like to make visible to a wider audience.

Finally, check out AIC’s new Public Relations Toolkit, currently in development on the AIC WIKI, for more Web-Based Media platforms and outreach strategies: http://www.conservation-wiki.com/index.php?title=Public_Relations_and_Outreach_Resources

 

Creative Endeavors and Expressive Ideas: Emerging Conservators Engaging through Outreach and Public Scholarship

Steven O’Banion speaking to students at Bishop Wordsworth’s School, UK

This is the first in a series of blog posts that will feature interviews with emerging conservators who have contributed to ECPN’s outreach-themed poster for the AIC annual meeting. The poster showcases success stories in outreach and new media that are being applied by emerging conservators, and highlights the variety of tools that are making these endeavors possible. Interviews with the contributors describe different approaches to outreach, including the tools that helped them reach their target audiences. These include public conservation treatments, as well as communication through traditional and social media. These outreach initiatives have helped emerging conservators reach many different audiences, including members of the public, prospective clients, allied professionals, and other conservators.

ECPN would like to thank the following members for their contributions: LeeAnn Barnes-Gordon, Heather Brown, Liz Chayes, Rose Daly, Emily Gardner Phillips, Tara Hornung, Melissa King, Allison Lewis, Jennifer Martinez, Steven O’Banion, Megan Salazar-Walsh, Melissa Stone; we wish you all the best in your continued outreach endeavors!

Outreach Session on K-12 Education – next Thursday at 2:30!

We’ve lined up a great panel of conservators, two local teachers and the Director of Education at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum to discuss how conservators can make an impact on K-12 audiences. As co-chairs of the AIC K-12 Working Group, we wanted to share a bit more with you about what we’ll be talking about and doing in this session than we were able to share in the conference program. We feel strongly that not only is it a lot of fun to work with elementary, middle and high school kids, but it gives us conservators a great chance to broaden their interests in art and in the sciences, and promotes value for our shared cultural heritage. What kid can’t tell you how acid rain is hurting the environment? Why shouldn’t they also be able to tell you what it’s doing to outdoor sculpture?

In this panel we’re going to focus mostly on the practical questions – what kinds of conservation-based topics translate well to these students? Who exactly is your audience and where will you encounter them – in your studio, in a gallery, in the classroom? How do you make inroads into your local schools, and find out who makes the decisions on what to teach? And how on earth do you fit this into your already busy work life? We’ll hear from conservators who have established tremendously successful programs, and hear directly from teachers and museum educators how they work – or would like to work – with conservators.

Then we’ll break up into focus groups, each one taking on a different age group (K-4, 5-8, and 9-12) and come up with some great ideas for topics, hands-on activities, and related explorations into other subject areas like history, social studies or math, so teachers can integrate these ideas across their school’s curriculum. These ideas will be further developed by the K-12 Working Group (and any interested volunteers, hint hint!) and be made available as lesson plans for conservators to take into their local schools, or for educators to use as springboards for working with conservators. The possibilities are wide open and we are excited to have a great and productive session. Please join us!

Details: Conservation and Education 1 Outreach Session, Thursday May 10th, 2:30-4, in Picuris/Santa Ana/Sandia

AIC’s 40th Annual Meeting – “Exhibiting ourselves: presenting conservation” Session

Exhibits are one (powerful) tool for displaying the range of conservation activities and engaging with the public.  Exhibiting Ourselves: presenting conservation will explore issues related to the development and implementation of conservation in exhibitions as well as issues related to conservation outreach through exhibitions. This interactive session will feature audience participation in addition to presentations by the following speakers:

Tom Learner, Rachel Rivenc and Emma Richardson will present the various objects, hands-on didactics, video, online and published materials used to tell the technical story behind De Wain Valentine’s sculpture Gray Column in the exhibition From Start to Finish. This exhibition was organized by the Getty Conservation Institute to raise public awareness of the technical studies and conservation decisions that conservators routinely make with modern and contemporary art.

Christopher McAfee will share the outreach activities of the conservation team in the Church History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, including signage, small exhibits highlighting preservation principles, public tours and videos.

Irene Peters will describe the benefits and challenges of working in a visible conservation lab and the solutions created at the Musical Instrument Museum to provide interpretation when the conservators are busy in other areas of the museum.

Cynthia Albertson and Anny Aviram will explore the efforts to include conservation-related content in the exhibition Diego Rivera: Murals for the Museum of Modern Art , as well as the various materials produced to accompany it, including audio and iPad application guides, website highlights, and materials for museum educators and family programs.

Sanchita Balachandran will examine the ways in which the conservation process has become an important part of the narrative of the new Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum. This narrative includes creating and maintaining a traditional museum display, encouraging and enabling physical use of objects for study, and providing public access to the “behind the scenes” functions and discoveries typically made by conservators.

Come join us Friday May 11th in the San Miguel room at 9:30 am! Be prepared to cogitate, contibute and converse!

Helpful Tips to Consider Before Attending AIC’s 40th Annual Meeting

With the 40th Annual AIC Meeting rapidly approaching, ECPN would like to share some helpful tips on making the most of this event!

Familiarize yourself with the program
Read through the program list and highlight the events you are interested in attending. Some events may be scheduled at the same time as others. Take some time to create a schedule for yourself and decide which events you would like to attend and which presenters you would like to listen to or meet.

Update your resume or C.V.
Make sure your resume or C.V. are updated with all of your current activities. Have a few copies with you in case you meet a potential employer and want to pass it out.

Update your social media accounts
In addition to your resume and C.V., make sure your social media accounts are also updated with your current information. This includes a LinkedIn profile and a Twitter or Facebook account. If you are passing out business cards, people may go on to check out your LinkedIn profile while you’re at the conference and you want it to be up to date!

Your Twitter and Facebook accounts will also be helpful in keeping up with conference information. AIC will be using the Twitter hashtag #aicmtg2012 at the annual meeting. If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, tweet or post if you’re meeting up with a group from the conference for lunch or coffee. Maybe others can join you and you can meet expand your network that way.

Bring business cards
If you have business cards, be sure to bring them with you and distribute them as much as you can. You will also be receiving a lot of business cards. Make sure you keep them all in a safe place that you will remember once you are home.

Don’t have business cards printed out? Make a digital business card! Simply fill out the information that you want on your business card and download the QR code to your phone (or print it out on a slip of paper). When you meet someone else with a smartphone, they can scan your QR code and automatically save your information to their phone. This ensures that they won’t lose your contact information and saves you the time and money of printing business cards.

*In order to scan QR codes you will need to download an app. For Android phones I recommend Barcode Scanner, and for iPhones I recommend QR Reader for iPhone.

Network with people
Though this may go without saying, the AIC meeting is a great place to meet new people. Instead of staying with the same group of people you know, network and make new contacts. Take the opportunity to ask others what they think about the conference, what they are hoping to learn there, and why they decided to attend this year.

When you meet someone and receive their business card, jot down some keywords about the person on the back of their card. Once you get home and are looking through the stack of business cards you have collected, you will remember exactly who they are and how you met them.

Visit the Exhibit Hall
The exhibitors are truly an integral part of any conference.  They bring their products and their staff for one reason – to meet us!  If you are still a student, spending time at the exhibits is a great learning opportunity you won’t want to miss.  For emerging and established conservators alike, this is a chance to see and try a wide range of products and learn about new ones.  The exhibitors’ financial commitment plays a major role in the success of the Annual Meeting, so remember to visit with them.

Take notes
Be sure to take notes during the sessions. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the conference will fly by and you don’t want to forget everything you’ve learned.

Ask questions
The conference is a great opportunity to talk to other conservators and learn more about the aspects of the field that interest you. Asking questions during or after a talk is a great way to learn about a topic and network with the presenter.

Have fun!
Don’t get too wrapped up with networking and going from one talk to another that you forget to enjoy the conference.

Here are some helpful links to other aspects of conference.

Attire
The conference attire is business casual, including the evening events. Our friends at the Emerging Museum Professionals had a great post about how to dress for conferences – check it out!

For those of you volunteering for the San Miguel Chapel’s Angels Project, don’t forget to pack work clothes, a hat, sunscreen, and a water bottle!

Albuquerque in May seems to have a range of temperatures – from 80’s during the day to 50’s at night. Dress in layers and always have a sweater handy for overly air-conditioned rooms.

First-time attending a conference?
If you’re nervous about meeting new people at such a large event, check out Lisa Petrelli’s Introvert’s Guide to Attending a Conference.

Do you have more questions about attending a conference or recommendations to share with others? Leave a comment below!

Paintings Specialty Group Reception at AIC’s 40th Annual Meeting

Attention all Paintings Specialty Group Student Members! PSG has raised funds for all of their student members presently registered for the AIC meeting in Albuquerque to attend the PSG reception on Thursday May 10.  PSG is working out a way to notify students who will be receiving a ticket for the reception in their registration packet.  Unfortunately, for those who are not yet registered, and for those who are not currently PSG Student Members, free tickets will not be provided this year.  Additionally, if there are any PSG Student Members who do not need a ticket to the reception (such as those who have found their own sponsors), please notify Katrina Bartlett (kbartlett [at] menil [dot] org) to help ensure that other Student Members who need/want tickets can get them.