Category: AIC’s Annual Meeting

AIC is continually striving to expand access to the stimulating and important content that is presented at our annual meeting. Last year, at the 2010 meeting, we initiated two new “firsts “:

we had members blogging about talks and workshops (click on the Annual Meeting category on this blog page’s left hand navigation menu

we hosted all available <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://(poster presentations )”>http://www.conservation-us.org…e.ViewPage&PageID=1204 online

We received a lot of feedback that this extra information was extremely useful to those who were unable to attend, as well as those who were there, but unable to see everything that they had hoped. We are planning on continuing these services again this year in Philadelphia but we need your help!

If you are attending the upcoming AIC annual meeting in Philadelphia I hope that you will volunteer to blog from the conference on AIC’s soon to be newly relaunched blog. You need not be an experienced blogger nor particularly tech savvy. The WordPress blog format is extremely easy to use and any necessary hand-holding will happily be provided to make you feel comfortable online. There also is no pressure to be particularly witty. Although active tense, first-person and personal style are all encouraged in blog posts (this is a chance to free yourself from the writing constraints of condition reports!), the writing is expected to be more like reporting and professional in tone overall. The goal is for readers to learn more about the talk than they would gain from the abstract. More guidelines and training will be provided for all volunteers.

I am looking for 2-4 people for each specialty group session and general session and 1-2 people per workshop. If you will be attending one of the conference tours we’d love to hear from you too.

Last year our blog saw a huge increase in traffic due to annual meeting posts. We know that many colleagues are looking forward to hearing more about the conference and hope that some of you will volunteer, share your thoughts from the meeting, and take the opportunity to become more comfortable with some of the social networking tools of our present and future! If you are interested in volunteering or hearing more, please contact the e-Editor.

Posters presented at the AIC 2010 Annual Meeting are now archived and available for viewing on AIC’s website. If you missed the 2010 conference or just didn’t have a chance to study the posters while you were there – check out the page, read the abstracts and view the posters online. Under the Milwaukee meeting click on show more info and then click on Posters, which will bring you to a list organized alphabetically by author last name. Clicking on a presentation will bring you to the abstract and, if the presentation is available, a link to the file. We are pleased to provide greater access to these interesting and useful projects.

Season Tse presented a talk entitled “Microfade testing: 19th century iron gall inks” on behalf of her co-authors Sherry Guild, Valeria Orlandini and Maria Trojan-Bedynski. Tse started with a summary of the use of microfade testers (MFT) at the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), which began in 2005, then discussed MDT analysis of the effects of typical aqueous treatments used to reduce iron gall ink light sensitivity. This work was conducted in collaboration with the University of Winnipeg, where hyperspectral imaging of each sample was completed.

This research was initiated by a request to conserve a handwritten dedication by Queen Victoria to the Library of Canada, dating to 1864. The dedication is preserved in a book currently in the collections of the Library of Canada. The dedication, made using iron gall ink, was analyzed using MDT instrumentation near the signature to measure the signature inks, other text inks and the paper substrate. Most inks, including the signature, are characterized as blue wool (BW) 2-3, or, have high sensitivity. Areas around the text do not show bad fading, and overall, the color shift of samples appears consistent. Distinct patterns in color shift associated with sampled inks were identified that may provide information regarding possible ink mixtures and application methods.

In an effort to test the efficacy of aqueous treatment effects (alkaline water wash, Ca-/Mg-bicarbonate, ethanol + simmering, ethanol + phytate) on iron gall inks, experimental samples were treated and analyzed with MFT instrumentation; then heat and light aged after treatment and analyzed again. Generally, bicarbonate and simmering treatments have similar fading patterns, while phytate treatments had the least light sensitivity and very little change in spectral curves.

Future work at CCI will include using portable MFT instrumentation with color monitoring for onsite use and correlating collected data with the CCI Light Damage Calculator. Developed by Stefan Michalski and soon to be included on the CCI website, this tool allows the user to input data to determine JND using a variety of criteria including the presence/absence of UV. The light damage calculator enables users to make informed decisions during exhibition and curation activities.

Bruce Ford, on behalf of his co-author Nicki Smith, discussed “Exhibition lighting decisions and micro-fading at the National Museum of Australia”, as they have been developed at this social history museum. Initially, the museum utilized light exposure guidelines as delineated by Victoria and Albert Museum publications. However, these guidelines became problematic and expensive to execute during typical museum practice. The V&A guidelines included little delineation between material groups and required that exhibition artifact rotate off-exhibit every two years. New light exposure guidelines were needed and critical, as artifact display frequency at the National Museum of Australia is related to both significance (aesthetic/artistic, historic, scientific, etc.) and expected future display history.

The authors purchased and modified a commercial instrument by adding an x/y stage to eliminate/minimize the effect of material expansion coefficients that can influence color changes. Based on MDT results, the authors developed a two-tier lighting framework that identified materials that fade quickly. All object materials were allocated to new fading rate categories to develop material specific lighting strategies. As a result, significant artifacts, previously thought to be too sensitive to be exhibited, are now on exhibit including Phar Lap’s heart, a famous racehorse that raced during the early 20th century. Furthermore, the authors were able to identify and select sensitive dye/pigment compositions.

Ford concluded that users must always be cautious during interpretation of MDT results and should always report measurement in terms of blue wool ranges. Conservation initiatives should not be motivated purely by financial considerations. The accuracy of data and interpretation is critical to maintain conservation authority, particularly since artifact significance is a matter of opinion and is time dependent.

Following the morning of MFT talks, all authors, who spoke during morning session, discussed the technique and answered audience questions. Issues of terminology and how various values are calculated were discussed, as well as MDT curve interpretation. Finally, authors discussed possible future research projects including the need to calibrate experimental results to the real world context of museum objects exhibited using gallery lighting. This research will only be achievable with longitudinal study (10 years).

The IIC has set up a discussion blog for ‘The Plus/Minus Dilemma: The Way Forward in Environmental Guidelines’ which was held in conjunction with programs at the American Institute for Conservation’s (AIC) 38th Annual Meeting, Conservation Contiuum: examining the past, envisioning the future, in Milwaukee, WI.

A transcript of the event will be posted on the IIC News blog once it is released and a video of the roundtable discussion will be posted on Art Babble in the next few weeks.

A highlighted summary is posted on the IIC News blog. We look forward to your contribution to the discussion.

2:30pm – 3:00pm

Evaluation of Cleaning Agents for Artists’ Acrylic Paints with the Aid of High Throughput (HTP) Testing / Alan Phenix and Thomas J.S. Lerner, Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, CA; Malinda H. Keefe, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI; Bronwyn Ormsby, Tate, London, UK –

The presentation was made by Melinda Keffe from The Dow Chemical Company. The material she presented was building on the development of the HTP test methods for measuring cleaning efficiency which was presented at the AIC’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. The study reported on the effectiveness of Dow specialty ethoxylate surfactants (biodegradable, nonionic), Ethylene oxide/butylenes oxide diblock copolymers (biodegradable, nonionic), and non-polar (i.e. aliphatic hydrocarbon) solvents on soiled acrylic paints. The aim of the research is to provide results for aqueous systems based on parameters such as: pH; conductivity; surfactant type and concentration; chelate type and concentration; and combinations of these variables using the HTP test methods for measuring cleaning efficiency. The test results indicated that the Dow cleaners were at the top of the list in most of the cleaning samples with mineral spirits solutions. However most of the highly effective solutions also had a high conductivity which could contribute to swelling and cleaning issues with acrylics. It was also noted that the acrylic painted surfaces were dirty but not sooty – and Ms. Keefe admitted it would be interesting to test the affects with soot. Analytical tests to post-cleaned surfaces will be posted in publications being made in scientific journals. They are trying to modify the solutions and test the systems further using volunteers. Ms. Keefe extended an informal invitation for those willing to participate as a volunteer for these tests. If you are interested, please contact authors.

3:00pm – 3:30pm

A Question of Technique: Condition Issues Associated with Layering Structure in Richard Diebenkorn’s Ocean park Series / Ana Alba, Postgraduate Fellow and Susan Lake, Director of Collections Management and Chief Conservator, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution; Mel Wachowiak, Senior Conservator, Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution – Ana Alba presented the research. Richard Diebenkorn’s Ocean Park paintings began in 1967 and continued over 25 years. An artist applied, preparatory synthetic layer has been discovered in cross-sections from some of the paintings from this series. It was initially found as a dripped material along one of the tacking edges. Ms. Alba traveled to look at over a dozen other Ocean Park paintings from this series and discovered that those with this heavy, clear resinous layer beneath the paint have suffered condition issues (cracks and flaking paint), while those without it did not. The Hirshhorn’s Diebenkorn, No. 111, 1978 has a complex pattern of lifting cracks that extend over most of the painted surface. Analysis of materials was done at Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute (MCI). FTIR identified the ground as an acrylic gesso and the paint medium as oil. It also identified the clear layer as an ethyl- acrylate-methyl methacrylate polymer (possibly Rhoplex AC-33), noting that an aged Rhoplex is similar in spectra as aged acrylic. Many of the cracks correlate with the charcoal under-drawings and white preparatory layer. The artist’s manipulation contributed to the cracking, as the paintings with thick layers have cracked more. The Ocean Park paintings on commercially prepared canvas have fared better (these have no clear synthetic layers but the paint application is the same). It was surmised that the alkyd’s polyester backbone has a higher molecular weight; that it dried faster; became more brittle with age; and is now causing cracks. The alkyd layers are separating from both the oil layers and the acrylic gesso. Summary: brittle layers are failing over a flexible support – Rhoplex AC-33 may cross-link but remains flexible. Ms. Alba concluded with an appropriate quote from Diebenkorn, stating “if you get an image, try to destroy it.”

4:00pm – 4:30pm

Do Weave Matches Imply Canvas Roll Matches? Don H. Johnson, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Rice Univeristy; Ella Hendriks, Conservation Department, van Gogh Museum; Muriel Geldof, Netherlands Instiute for Cultural Heritage; C. Richard Johnson, Jr., School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Cornell University – Mr. Johnson’s presentation augments the 2009 presentation given by C. Richard Johnson at the AIC meeting in Los Angeles. Their findings are based on computational algorithms for measuring thread counts and angles in both warp and weft determined from scanned x-ray images that produce “maps” of these variables across an entire painting. Mr. Johnson’s background as an electrical engineer prompted him to look at the horizontal and vertical threads (warp/weft) as a ‘signaling’ or frequency; with some interference (he jokingly referred to the painting is the interference). The peaks of the weave are the signals – axes; where an angle measure can be taken. (I hope I got that right because I was trying to type it out as quickly as he was saying it) Anyhow, an estimated periodic structure in 2-D spectrum with wedged areas around the peaks can be determined. This produces the weave maps (similar to heat maps), where the weft signals are wavy and the warp are crisper. These maps are like fingerprints for the canvas (not the painting) and may tie it to a roll of woven canvas. It is Easier to identify warp direction alignment in these maps. Over 42 van Gogh paintings were lined up by the computer program and placed in a possible roll sequence. The warp matching indicated cusping at edges, and the warp angle identified the type of loom used to crate it. But there were inconsistencies and so off they went to Belgium to learn more about the preparation of the pre-primed canvas, from the loom to the hand-primed artist canvas (at a factory that still hand-prepares canvas today as it was in van Gogh’s time). They discovered that the canvas is shipped to priming factory in large bolts of woven fabric, then cut to 10 meter lengths and put on priming frames. The canvas is hand sewn to the priming frames using hook and lace tensioning, which is what causes the cusping that was found (as it is looped around nails). The cusping is weak along the top edge and more pronounced along the bottom. After observing this manufacturing technique, their findings were most consistent in the warp direction, which related the canvas more to the bolt production, not the roll. Therefore, weave match means a bolt match. (Phew)

Unfortunately the remaining presentations were missed by this blogger as she had to catch her shuttle bus to the airport.

8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Conservation of a Felt Sculpture

Erin Eslinger, Intern to Senior Textile Conservator Beth McLaughlin, Midwest Art Conservation Center, Minneapolis, MN

The treatment of Robert Morris’s 80″ x 142″ untitled minimalist sculpture, on display at the Walker Art Center was used as an example of an simple and successful interventive conservation treatment that still incorporates the artist’s intent. The artwork consists of 8 layers of cut and layered wool felt, hung from metal (brass) grommets at the top corners in a loose manner that creates a swag effect. Although the artist intends his work change over time, the weight of the hanging felt layers has cause tearing and distortions around the two metal grommets from which it hangs. After consultation with the artist, he agreed to the complete replacement of the metal grommets. The grommets were cut and pulled apart, revealing tears, holes and severely distorted felt around the grommet areas. The felt was locally humidified and flattened in these areas.

Needle-felting was chosen to add additional support to the grommet corners. As compared to adhesive, needle-felting is non-invasive and reversible. Erin explained that in chosen a support material, the higher the wool content, the better the bond. Also, it was essential that the color and width of the support material match the original as closely as possible, as the patches would be slightly visible. This material and attachment technique also allowed the original felt layers to still drape in a natural fashion.

I thought this talk was very clear and neatly presented, and was a good example of a conservation treatment that worked at stabilizing the object so that it could still be publicly displayed while still maintaining the desires and intent of the artist.

Click here for more on needle-felting

8:30-9:00 a.m. The Conservation of Three Hawaiian Ahu’ula

Beth Nunan, Assistant Conservator, American Museum of Natural History and Aimee-Ducey-Gessner, Object Conservator, Frankfurt, Germany

It’s a little strange blogging about my own talk, but at least I know I’ll get all of the details right for this one!

I presented a paper on the conservation of three ahu’ula or Hawaiian feather cloaks in the collection of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. An IMLS grant in the summer of 2007 brought Aimee and myself from our respective graduate programs to work with object conservator Valerie Free to research, stabilize, and prepare new mounts for three of the 12 cloaks in the museum’s collection. The three cloaks are labeled the Chapman cloak, the Joy cloak, and the second Joy cloak (after their collectors/donors). Originally worn by members of the ali’i or ruling chiefly class as battle garments, they later developed into symbols of status and prestige. It was the goal of the conservation department to stabilize the entire collection of 12 cloaks so that the exhibit can be rotated. That would allow the public to see the wide variety of cloaks in the collection while at the same time help to preserve the cloaks by exposing them to shorter periods of display.

The manufacturing technique for the cloaks are very similar. All three cloaks are comprised of sections of netting made from olona, a plant endemic to Hawaii and one of the strongest natural fibers in the world. The netting uses variations on a simple fisherman’s knot, with gauge sizes varying from section to section as well as within design areas. Larger feathers conceal more netting, allowing a larger gauge (and therefore less cordage) to be used.

The most common feathers used on the cloak are red and yellow, obtained from the o’o, mamo and i’iwi birds. The Hawaiian o’o feathers are wispy and lemony yellow in color, and are lonely located under the wings and rump of the birds. The mamo’s feathers are shorter and warmer in color, described as crocus yellow. The i’iwi feathers are read and are from all over the bird’s body, allowing more feathers to be collected per bird. Of the three, the i’iwi is the only bird of the three that is not extinct.

The cloaks were in varying states of condition, as a result of numerous travels, usage before entering the museum collection, and extended display periods as museum objects. The Chapman cloak had a number of undocumented losses that may have been a result of use as a battle cloak, or at some later point in its life. All three cloaks had numerous tears and previous repairs, many of which had resulted in uneven stress on the netting and distorted feather layers visible on the front. Unstable or unsightly previous repairs were reversed and redone, aligning the tear edges evenly to prevent feather distortion. Nylon netting was used to add strength to some areas, particularly on the Chapman cloak, where the netting was sewn to the upper 2/3rds of the cloak to provide strength.

A new mount was designed to provide a more cultural appropriate form for the cloaks. Previous mount techniques included attaching the cloaks flat to the exhibit wall, or attaching the cloaks directly to a felt covered foam form using Velcro. The flat display did not allow the design to be correctly ‘read’ as it should be viewed in a three-dimensional shape, where the later design added uneven stress the netting during mounting and removal. The foam forms were also very large and took up valuable storage space. The new mount uses collapsible arms (similar to an umbrella) to which hook-side Velcro tabs have been attached. Hook-side Velcro tabs were also sewn to the back of the cloaks, and the cloaks were each laid onto a thick polyester liner, which acts as the ‘soft’ Velcro attachment. The liner can then be stuck to the mount. This relieves stress to the cloak as the liner itself is pulled on and off the mount, while the cloak remains fully supported. The liner can be kept with the cloak in storage.

9:00 – 9:30 a.m. The New York State Battle Flag Preservation Project – 10 Years Later

Sarah Stevens, Associate Textile Conservator, Peebles Island Resource Center, New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Waterford, NY

In 1863, New York State sent a call for the return of battle flags with the promise that they would be cared for by the state. Over 2000 flags were collected, rolled up and stored at the capital in Albany.

In 1997, the Department of Military and Naval Affairs began working with conservators at the Peebles Island Resource Center to learn how to best care for these treasures, resulting in hiring textile conservator Sarah Stevens to begin documentation, stabilization, and accessible storage – a process that will involve using the same mount for both storage and exhibition.

Sarah presented a series of treatment examples to show the wide range of condition issues that she has been facing while she has been treating over 500 flags in the last 10 years. Additionally, she is able to use this opportunity to examine the affects of treatments conducted in the 1960s and how they have influenced modern day approaches.

The first treatment example consisted of a large 19th century silk and wool flag. She began humidification of the flag using a traditional table-top humidification chamber but found that she lost all humidity while trying to work on the textile, making the process time consuming and cumbersome. Creating a large humidification chamber from an outdoor car garage allowed her to work within the humidified space with less risk of continuous drastic ups and downs in RH. She did mention that it takes about 1 day for the chamber to reach optimal humidity (>90% RH).

Painted flags presented an opportunity to work with paintings conservators to determine treatment of ‘bloom’ on certain paint areas – they advised reduction of the bloom using vinyl eraser gently rubbed across the surface.

Stabiltex ‘band-aids’ as Sarah referred to them (Stabiltex backed with BEVA) allowed her to make mends on the flags, as the small, light, transparent patches spanned the breaks in painted areas. Painted flags with extensive structural damages were lined with Stabiltex/BEVA.

In the 1960s, a number of the flags were “preserved” by lamination – resulting in what is now a yellow, heavy film encapsulation. A first removal attempt with heat was tried, but solvent ended up work best. Acetone was applied and the film slowly peeled away.

Another 1960s treatment consisted of net encapsulation – approximately 650 flags were treated in this way between 1961-76. This treatment consisted of a machine stitched line spaced every 1 inch apart holding a scratchy net to the surface. The edges of the netting were also stitched. A sample section of the netting was removed, revealing disfiguring stitch holes and netting impression in the flag, making complete removal of the netting not worth the risk to the flag. In areas of painted silk, the netting was removed from the painted area to place ‘band-aids’ to stabilize the tears, and the netting was placed back over.

At this point, about 500 flags have been treated, leaving over 1500 to go. New York State has recently cut funding, so they are looking for grants to help fund the project’s completion.

3:00 – 3:30 p.m. Plaster, Pliacré®, and Paper

Mina Thompson and Conor McMahon, Associate Conservators, Museum Resources Division, Department of Cultural Affairs, New Mexico

Mina Thompson gave this talk about the history of conservation in the Museum of New Mexico System, focusing on archaeological ceramics and Spanish Colonial Santos as examples of artifacts who’s retreatment and reexamination have influenced choices made in recent years toward less toxic and more easily reversible treatments.

The Mimbres ceramics in the Museum’s collection had suffered under previous treatments which resulted in extensive staining and discoloration. These disfiguring stains prevented accurate reading of the ceramic vessel’s illustrations and designs. Research revealed the previous treatments included coating/consolidation with cellulose nitrate and Plaster of Paris fills. Joint masking was achieved through natural resins and polyvinyl acetate resin. Linseed oil-based overpaint had been used to tone the fills. The staining appeared to be a result of oil absorption into the ceramic body.

An ammonium bicarbonate poultice applied over a mulberry tissue interleaf was used to reduce the staining. Removal of the stains and coatings revealed paint polish strokes, use-wear marks, and in some cases previously filled kill holes in the base of the vessel. Other plaster fills were left in, as they provided structural support; they were toned with acrylic paints. Where additional structural fills were needed, Pliacré® epoxy was used.

The second collection type examined were Spanish Colonial Santos. In 1952 the Museum hired Elizabeth Boyd, an artist/restorer, as the Curator of Spanish Colonial Art. It was E. Boyd who contacted Gettens in the 50s for help with Spanish pigment identification. The carved and painted Santos that Boyd focused her research exhibit numerous areas of wear and paint loss, some of which is quite distracting. Losses were masked by creating mulberry tissue fills toned with acrylic and tacked at the edges of the loss using methylcellulose. This covered the exposed gesso with a completely removable fill. [blogger’s note: post-talk comments revealed that this technique has been written/presented by P. Hatchfield and M. Maricolo and is available in previous AIC post-prints (year uncertain) – successful tissue fills have been made on stone, wood sculptures, and ceramics]

The Museum of New Mexico’s continuing goals for conservation are to make knowledge about treatments available for shared collections, so that other institutions with similar collections/problems can benefit from their knowledge. They are also very interested in the idea of a database of early conservators with archival documents and images.

Up in Smoke, Treatment of Fire Damaged Paintings

The final talk of the morning session was from Rustin Levenson Art Conservation Associates in Miami Florida. Rustin Levenson along with Conservator Veronica Romero, and Assistant Conservator Kelly O’Neill all delivered a talk about 178 paintings that suffered smoke and fire damage at the Harold Golen Gallery in Miami, Florida. They explained that during Art Basel week a promotional balloon on top of the gallery became tangled in electrical wires and caused the gallery to go up in flames. The contents of the gallery, valued at half a million dollars, were a range of oil and acrylics both varnished and unvarnished that were less than 15 years old. The Lowbrow works, depicting scenes of punk music, hot-rod street scenes, and other sub cultures, were mostly owned by the artist’s themselves. Golen, the gallery owner was able to provide rudimentary documents about the works.

The conservators had to set up a site for the salvage operation with an emergency storage room. They were able to take advantage of the dry season in Florida and work outside on occasion. They ultimately treated 85 paintings, 61 acrylic and 24 oil. The talk then began to focus on the issues associated with the cleaning of the acrylic paintings.

They vacuumed the fronts and versos with a hepa filtered vacuum. Early on they discovered that the rubber soot sponge was not going to be of great use to them. It was actually driving soot into canvas fibers. They had more success with the PVOH sponge (specifically the Super brand) with chelating agents. They utilized naphtha emulsions on both the oils and acrylics and rinsed with VM & P Naphtha with 1% ammonium citrate. One VM & P Naphtha Emulsion with mineral spirits trimethylpentane was rinsed with VM & P Naphtha. Another recipe was a 10% xylene emulsion with 7% trimethylpentane, which was rinsed with DI water.

Levenson then stated that with the artist’s permission they “went out on a conservation limb with a saw” with some experimental cleaning. When some of the more traditional formulas, such as EDTA chelating agents or Vulpex failed, they began to gather other cleaning agents from local home hardware stores (Home Depot). For example JC100 was tested and rinsed with DI water, as well as Gonzo stain remover, a water based surfactant solution. They found the best solution for them to be an ethylene glycol monobutyl ether with Vulpex 3-10% or in a VM & P Naphtha emulsion. De-Greaser #88 or Formula 88’s slogan reads, “get rid of the mess with the best.” They rinsed with DI water and/or VM & P Naphtha.

Microscopic images of test areas showed a clean and intact surface. Extremely damaged works were donated to the Getty for their continued research on the cleaning of acrylic surfaces.

The talk was extremely well delivered and presented a practical case study of the problems associated with cleaning acrylics, along with successful results.