Specialty Sessions – Page 14 – AIC Blog Archives: Conservators Converse

44th Annual Meeting, May 16, Research and Technical Studies, Visible-Induced Luminescence Imaging: Past, Current and Future Applications in Conservation Research, Dawn Kriss and Anna Serotta

I was excited to see the most recent update on VIL imaging as it is an accessible imaging technique that can be used to localize pigments with specific characteristics. It is useful for anyone interested in painted surfaces, and can be used in conjunction with other multispectral imaging, or as a standalone technique.
The basic idea is that you need a light source to produce visible light, a camera with its infrared filter removed, and a bandpass filter to limit the type of light that gets to the camera sensor, along with some standards to help process the images. The pigment particles on the object are excited in the visible range, and emit infrared radiation which is detected by the modified camera. This technique can be used to detect trace remains of pigments that are all but undetectable to the naked eye. The technique was developed by scientists from the British Museum and the Courtauld Institute (see Verri et al., 2009) [1].
In the case studies shown in Dawn and Anna’s presentation the focus was on Egyptian blue, which produces luminescence in the infrared (~910nm) when exposed to visible light. Optimizing the capture and processing protocols will mean better results and hopefully, a means of standardizing and sharing information between conservators working in different labs. While VIL is gaining popularity as more museums add it to their workflow (for example. as part of the APPEAR project spearheaded by the Getty), the technique is still being developed, with much more progress on the horizon. Dawn and Anna reported on results of a survey of VIL users to show where progress has been made and where we can still expect some improvements in the technique.

gif showing VIL and normal illumination images of Brooklyn Museum's portrait, Noblewoman, ca. 150 C.E. Encaustic on wood. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.226.1, image courtesy Brooklyn Museum — Click for larger image and to view transition! A gif showing VIL and normal illumination images of Brooklyn Museum’s portrait, Noblewoman, ca. 150 C.E. Encaustic on wood. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.226.1, image courtesy Brooklyn Museum

Capture: varying light sources

There are many options for lights used for excitation, so choosing a light source that is targeted to your research question is critical. As an example, the authors described work by my classmate Brian Castriota showing that red LEDs with an output centered at 630 nm caused greater luminescence of Egyptian blue compared to white LEDs. More research on the luminescence characteristics of other pigments will help users optimize their light sources to target specific pigments.

Processing: calibration, standards, and protocols

While many conservators using VIL use the CHARISMA protocols (developed by the British Museum), others are using Photoshop to process the images. Egyptian blue VIL images are usually shown in monochrome, but as the technique is expanded different overlays or crossfades will help communicate the results by registering the images with other photographs, as Dawn and Anna did for the images shown in their presentation. This is one of the greatest advantages of VIL: it’s very easy to understand the images that are generated and easy to communicate the results to the public. However, capturing good metadata and using appropriate standards are critical for the intercomparability of these data in the future. It will be crucial to develop a luminescence scale or target in order to compare images from institutions who may not be using the exact same capture or processing parameters.

What do we have to look forward to?

While its initial development as a tool for identifying Egyptian blue has led to its popularity among archaeological conservators, it seems like the technique is ripe for more widespread adoption for research into modern pigments, some of which also have unique luminescence properties.
Conservators can use a variety of wavelengths using targeted or tunable light sources (e.g. the CrimeScope, adapted from the forensics field) to survey visible-induced luminescent pigments (other examples of which include dragon’s blood, Indian yellow, Han blue, cadmium red and yellow). Dawn and Anna showed an example of imaging surveying cadmium pigments used in Stuart Davis’s Mellow Pad carried out by their Brooklyn colleague Jessica Ford. For more on the work from the team at the Brooklyn Museum, see their recent blog post here.

References.

[1] Verri, Giovanni, et al. “Assyrian Colours: Pigments on a Neo-Assyrian Relief of a Parade Horse.” The British Museum Technical Research Bulletin 3 (2009): 57–62.

44th Annual Meeting – Sustainability, May 16, "Sustainable Energy Reductions without Relaxed Environmental Criteria for a Hypothetical Museum in Montreal" by William Lull

Annoyingly, my computer thought it would be a great time to crap out, but luckily I come equipped with multiple electronic devices. So, as to not let my computer get the best of me, I snapped pictures of a number of his slides, so I would catch the gist of his talk. It also helps that Bill came to Yale to give a much more extensive version of this talk to collections and facilities staff.
Good news? The talk in its entirety is available as a paper on Bill’s web site: http://publications.garrisonlull.com
Bill set up a hypothetical building scenario (10,000 sf) using Montreal as its home. Montreal uses hydro power (so cool and GREEN) for its utilities so carbon footprint isn’t a concern here, so he doesn’t talk about emission reduction in this scenario.
Institutions want to save money, so naturally, their first thought is to cut back on HVAC settings. Same with energy savings: if we change our parameters, we’ll save money AND energy! But at what risk to our collections?
The scenarios that were hypothesized were the following:

Change lighting energy use – reduce by 1 w/sf
Change the T/RH to the relaxed AAMD (Association of Art Museum Directors) standards
Change the energy loads and other proposed criteria without changing the environment set points

The scenarios were tried in a collections storage space and a gallery space in the proposed building.
Now, granted, the AAMD “standards” were proposed so that we’d be more lenient in our loaning practices, and not about energy savings or anything like that. Plus, I am not sure what “science” was used to determine these guidelines, since as far as I know, no conservators or conservation scientists were part of the conversation. But that’s a bone I can pick on a different blog post. 🙂 Anyway, Bill was just using it as an example of relaxed conditions.
One important element to examine are the alternative loads and how they might affect these numbers. Reducing these loads on a system will save energy and money:

Internal Loads
- e.g. humans, lights, computers
- turn off lights, change lamps, turn off computers not in use
Envelope Loads
- e.g. radiant heat from the sun, glass, insulation, vapor barrier (or lack thereof)
- seal up cracks, add insulation, vapor barrier
Outside Air Loads
- how much outside air is being let in?
- check and see how much outside air is being let in
- you need some due to ASHRAE and OSHA standards

Visual demonstrating the different types of energy loads on a collections space

Another visualization of loads that drive energy use

My favorite – and simplest – solution is to change the amount of air being pushed through your HVAC system. If you don’t have constant volume supply/ return fans, slow the fans down! You’ll maintain the environment you want, and save money and energy! Just make sure air is still being distributed evenly so your conditions stay constant. And BTW, supply and return fans are NOT the same as VAV fans. Those are smaller fans that are used the condition one room at a time based on how you set the thermostat in a single room.

Reducing air flow by reducing supply and return fan speeds = energy and money savings!

Math and Physics for reduced air flow :) — Math and Physics for reduced air flow 🙂

Other recommendations have been to shut down equipment during unoccupied times and then turn the equipment back on. Bill doesn’t recommend this for a variety of reasons:

Wear and tear on equipment (e.g. motor belts)
The conditions are less than ideal, especially in the summer (I’ve experienced this issue)

Conditions are not maintained as well if you just shut the equipment off overnight

Savings in the hypothetical gallery space — Savings in the hypothetical building’s gallery space

Bottom line? There are other ways to be smart with energy savings and STILL maintain the environmental conditions you want in your collections and exhibit spaces. So, don’t assume you need to relax your environmental standards to be a greener museum. Examine your overall building and systems with your facilities folks and see what you can find that might save you money in the long run without compromising your collections.
Super smart and super practical. This HVAC nerd gives this talk two thumbs up!

44th Annual Meeting – Research and Technical Studies, May 17, "Investigation of Fogging Glass Display Cases at the Royal Ontario Museum" by Helen Coxon et al

This was one of the sessions I tweeted (@taradkennedy), so this won’t be a long post, but I will give you a summary with lots of slide images!
So the problem: these brand-new exhibit cases were mysteriously fogging up for no apparent reason. And even better: once they were cleaned, the fog would roll right in; coming right back like a bad check. Some awesome examples of what was popping up on the inside AND the outside of the glass:

More fun hazing in brand-new cases.

Like stars in the heavens... or crystalline structures that screamed salts to me... — Like stars in the heavens… or crystalline structures that screamed salts to me…

This one has track marks of some sort... totally bizarre. — This one has track marks of some sort… totally bizarre.

So what was this mysterious fog? Turns out it is a mix of things (it always is): definitely free sodium from the glass along with lactic acid, plasticizers, aromatic hydrocarbons… the digital shots of the GC/MS results are mostly illegible unless you have the peak locations memorized, but I did get a shot of where all of this stuff came from:

So, everything from the air around the cases to the materials that they were cleaned with to the goo that they lubricated big, heavy machines with that moved the glass pieces around like this:

Images of glass during the manufacture process

So, now what? Luckily Stephen Koob, King of the Glass Conservators, had a nonionic formula that worked!
Here’s the recipe. I hope you can read it.

Stephen Koob's Magic Glass Cleaning Solution (tm) — Stephen Koob’s Magic Glass Cleaning Solution ™

Hilariously, the glass manufacturer felt bad and came up with this six-stage cleaning kit for the museum to use. The museum was like… um, thanks, but no thanks. Yeah, not even the fussiest of conservators wants to do that much cleaning.
This talk was one of my favorite talks of the conference: folks presenting a practical problem in an accessible way that was thoroughly researched with a practical (nonionic) solution… SOLUTION, get it???
OK, I’ll stop now.

44th Annual Meeting – Book & Paper Session, May 17, "Soft Matter: Gel development for conservation treatment," Mylène Leroux

Following Hughes and Sullivan’s talk, Mylène Laroux, Master 2 Student at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, reiterated the composition and advantages of gellan gum other rigid gel systems, highlighting the fact that they are simpler and safer for both the object and the conservator. She then compared these physical gel systems to the newly-developed Nanorestore® gel.
Nanorestore® gel was developed by the Nanoforart project, whose main objective, according to their website, is “the development and experimentation of new nano-materials and responsive systems for the conservation and preservation of movable and immovable artworks.” Nanorestore® is a chemical gel with high internal cohesion. It is available in pre-made sheets which are ready to use for aqueous treatment or they can be soaked in organic polar solvents for 12 hours and then used as a solvent gel. As with other gel systems, the Nanorestore® (soaked in ethanol) allowed Leroux to perform local adhesive stain removal without the formation of tidelines. Initial studies indicate that Nanorestore® has higher liquid retention rate than the polysaccaride gels. It’s also a sustainable option, since the gel can be placed back into solvent and reused multiple times.
At this time, Nanorestore® is not widely available and only comes in a few small sizes, so practical application in paper conservation labs is currently limited. However, it’s exciting to see new products being developed and tested, since we conservators are always looking to expand our toolboxes.

44th Annual Meeting – Collections Care, May 15, "Comprehensive Collection Risk Assessment at Museum Victoria" by Maryanne McCubbin and Robert Waller

This presentation focused on using the Cultural Property Risk Analysis Model (CPRAM) at the Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. If you scroll to the bottom of this web page you can obtain a free e-copy of CPRAM from Protect Heritage.
Museum Victoria, founded in 1854, specializes in a large range of materials and disciplinary types; natural sciences, indigenous cultures, history and technology. Less than 1% of collection is on exhibit at any given time. The museum complex has a wide range of facilities and each contain very different operational management and environments, and therefore different challenges:

Melbourne Museum – newest building – half of collections storage is in this space
Royal Exhibitions building – World Heritage listed building; paleontology and geology collection are stored in basement of this facility. They are being moved out of space currently because of the risks associated with storing them here (part of the CPRAM process)
Emigration museum – state registered building – just exhibits in this space
Off site collections storage – 50% spatially of our collections
Pumping stations – contains collection items
Science works – 3^rd of their exhibition facilities

Summary of Museum Victoria’s experience of working on the CPRAM:
There are a lot of different risks in Museum Victoria’s collections. Before doing the CPRAM, it is important to recognize boundaries between collections and divide collections into discrete units, with exhibits being its own discrete collections unit. In total, there were 38 collections assessment units, with the assessments about 2/3rds of the way completed; 1/4 was completed by September of 2014 (unsure about beginning date). The initiative utilize a lot of staff time, but the Museum considered it a “Redirection” of time spent by staff instead of an extraordinary demand. In other words, they made this work a priority.
Museum Victoria’s main interest in doing the CPRAM was to assess the loss in utility value of collections over time. Value of course is considered in the context of the Museum, including historical/technological; exhibition; scientific; and cultural values to the Museum.
The remaining information below is only somewhat valuable if you are not familiar with the CPRAM model. I recommend getting the CPRAM document from Protect Heritage to understand the context of some of the information below (I was typing information that was on the PowerPoint slides that Robert was showing, and I added some additional information):
Risk Model Enhancements Completed at Museum Victoria:

Comprehensiveness
- Source of risk + type of risk = generic risk – then broken down into specific risk – creating a quantitative sense of risk
Accountability
- Ratio of other elements – 0 – 1 scale
- Accountable for proving this is not the case?
Instrumental power
- 200 page emergency plan = symbolic of the amount of risk, but who is going to read a 200 page emergency plan? Especially in an emergency.
- Show risks that are within the control of the facility manager
- Customized information
Extensive external critical reviews
- Comprehensiveness
- Clarity
- Evidence
- Appropriate model
- Data sourcing
- Benchmarking
- Introduce to a range of benchmarks from other institutions
- Done own research
- External input is critical in adoption – to become self sufficient
Ongoing reporting
- Implementing and gaining support at an institution-wide level including the Board – this is the hardest part
- Reporting at all levels – templates that Robert provided
- Aggregate and detailed data
Integrated incident reports into museum facilities
- Redeveloped incident reporting
  - Online collection incident reporting
- We don’t report all incidents – not realistic
- Consistency of logic to encourage consistency of result, e.g. number scale, etc.
- Evidence of data – put effort toward that instead of assuming the problem

44th Annual Meeting – Sustainability, May 16, "Sustainable Preservation on a Small Island: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Passive and Mechanized Environments" by Jeremy Linden et al.

This talk’s subject matter was as advertised: a preservation environment project on a remote island off the coast of Maine: Monhegan, Maine.
Never heard of Monhegan? Join the club. The island is protected by legislation – it is considered a conservation zone, since the island is fragile and so are its resources. On this tiny island is the Monhegan Museum. They were looking to improve the environment in the museum while also being sustainable: the environment was the only issue that the museum had not addressed in the CAP Report that was completed for the museum a number of years ago. So the museum got a PAG grant, bought some PEM2 dataloggers to get environmental data, and then brought in the Image Permanence Institute (IPI) to help improve their environment.
By the way, if you ask Ron Harvey, the CAP grant is the gateway drug to grants! 🙂
The island sounds like a lovely place… in the summer. Its remote location creates challenges, especially in the winter. The water lines are above ground, so water freezes in the winter. No wonder the population on the island plummets in the winter: 800 in the summer to *50* in the winter. it doesn’t help that the only way on and off the island is by boat: the mail comes by boat, the artwork travels by boat… you get the idea.
Overall, the building had some HVAC elements, but it wasn’t consistent, mostly due to the additions of buildings gifted to the museum, like the Assistant Lightkeeper’s house, which was gifted to the museum in 1998, and turned into a collections vault. The vault has HVAC and the office has heat, but the gallery spaces were unheated, mostly because they only have exhibitions during the warmer months.
First order of business: monitor the environment and get data. Some alarming conditions popped up:

Rising damp was discovered in the building due to how water flowed, so luckily that was simple water mitigation: move the water away from building instead of letting it drain into the basement
Working with climate control in a passive manner: using things like foam doors to reduce moisture migration, for example
Extremes of environment in this space

So, what’s an island with significant collections to do?
Luckily, this is not IPI’s first rodeo in challenging environments. So what were some of the things they chose to do based on the limited services and accessibility?

Period appropriate repairs to bring the keeper’s house closer to its original intended performance while remaining a passive building. Not every building needs an air handler, so let’s try to bring the building back to how it was supposed to behave in its original construction.
What about energy reduction and efficiency?
- Testing strategies (seasonal set points, controlled shutdowns) to allow the mechanized vaults to operate passively for portions of the year while improving preservation
- Improving energy generation on the island and recovering waste heat as a new source of energy
- Good construction to original building helps a lot
- Passive operations during parts of the year
- Ranges and guidelines safe for collections
- One of the HUGE challenges was electricity. The wiring needed repairs, but the museum was able to work with the power company and help from them to recover wasted heat for collections during the winter
Re-purposing appropriate structures to improve collections storage/ exhibit
- Ice House
  - Extended the collection storage to include both the upper and lower floors to accommodate the need for appropriate storage for the expanding art collections
- Gallery
  - CHECK THIS OUT: Solar thermal dehumidification to manage high summer RH! SO COOL (if you pardon the pun)
  - Addition of vapor and thermal barrier in the exposed dirt crawlspace to reduce vapor transfer into the building

To keep in mind: strategies and solutions that are appropriate to place – specifics may not be broadly applicable but the process certainly is! I thought it was an excellent example of collaboration while being considerate of an historic building – lots of places aren’t. This project demonstrated excellent teamwork and the awesomely amazing things an interdisciplinary team can do!
Some questions that came up after the talk:
How did you deal with the rising damp? The answer was downspouts and a French drain; also a plus that water loves to run downhill away from building, so the fact that the museum was set up high was to their advantage
What IS Solar-thermal Dehumidification anyway?: essentially they are running the desiccant system with the SUN only during the summer! The desiccant system is a Munters unit by the way. The vapor barrier is plastic sheeting over the top of the dirt layer in the crawlspaces to prevent rising damp.

Joint 44th AIC Annual Meeting and 42nd CAC-ACCR Conference – Objects Session, May 17, "Facing the Past for Action in the Future: Cultural Survival in Native America", by Kelly McHugh

The official theme of the joint 44^th AIC Annual Meeting and 42^nd CAC-ACCR Conference was “Emergency! Preparing for Disasters and Confronting the Unexpected in Conservation”, however, a series of talks diverged from the theme, discussing instead the role of the conservation profession in supporting social inequality and established colonial structures: Kelly McHugh’s was one such dark horse.
She began her talk with the disclaimer that her talk would contain much self-reflection. This proved a successful approach to a difficult topic, the marginalization of Native Americans within the United States of America (Canada’s crimes against First Nations groups were not addressed). By expressing her position within the framework of her own experiences, McHugh made her message approachable, sharing blame in the problems she brought to light. As McHugh noted, conversations on reconciliation can be difficult as they bring up paralyzing feelings of discomfort, anxiety, and guilt. She stressed that in addressing injustices, it may feel to Americans that the legitimacy of the origin myth of the USA as the Land of the Free is undermined – an idea expressed by Walter Echo-Hawk in his book, “In the Light of Justice”.

Chota Memorial. From National Geographic’s East Tennessee River Vallery Geotourism MapGuide

McHugh began by discussing Tellico Lake, TN where she and her family vacation. Until recently she was unaware that the lake, created as a result of the construction of the Tellico dam, covered two sacred Cherokee sites, Chota and Tanasi. The construction of the dam, which was delayed for years due to an endangered fish called the snail darter, was not hindered at all by the sacred status of the sites, which were later commemorated through the naming of golf courses and the creation of a lakeside memorial. Tying her talk into the overarching conference theme, McHugh pointed to the irony of those responsible memorializing destroyed sites lost through an intentional, man-made disaster. McHugh went on to emphasize the significance of her own ignorance of Chota and Tanasi as symptomatic of the societal blindness to aboriginal issues, which was particularly uncomfortable for her after 19 years of employment at the National Museum of the American Indian.

Tanasi Memorial, erected in 1989. From National Geographic’s East Tennessee River Valley Geotourism MapGuide.

She then directed the audience’s attention to other sacred Native sites harmed in the interest of industry and tourism. She addressed the inadequacies of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, even noting that the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 fails to give First Nations tribes the right to completely barre all disturbance of sacred sites. She highlighted one location successfully protected from development for an army training facility, Medicine Bluff, which was done so by culturally educating the judge in the case, by inviting him to the site and having him walk with a religious leader. She also cited current threats to Native American heritage, notably encroaching sea levels from climate, requiring the displacement of tribal villages.

The Inupiat village of Kivalina, Alaska, is threatened by coastal erosion and rising sea levels. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters.

Stressing the inherent connection between human rights and authority over cultural patrimony, McHugh showed the importance of generating awareness of these issues all the while not separating Native history from our own. McHugh called for true collaboration between museums and native communities, noting that NMAI was getting closer to such a relationship and highlighting other significant organizations like the School for Advanced Research and the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums. She suggested the use of listening sessions and the creation of collaborative collections care initiatives to allow for sharing in the responsibilities of problem-solving on equal ground.
Overall, the message McHugh delivered was an important one – that as conservators we need to do more to recognize and respect the essential connection between cultural heritage and community, that we cannot ignore the human element in favour of remaining a neutral observer to the struggle for recognition of human rights for First Nations peoples. There is no neutral position, inaction and ignorance only support the inequality founded on colonialism and racism. McHugh gave an important call to action: true collaboration or bust!

Joint 44th AIC Annual Meeting and 42nd CAC-ACCR Conference – Textile Session, May 16, "Vial Things: Preserving the Unexpected in the Occult Jewelry of Simon Costin", by Sarah Scaturro

To say Sarah Scaturro had me at “semen” is both entirely accurate and the oddest phrase I have ever put to virtual paper. To be precise, she had my interest at “Vials of evaporating semen…”, the jaw-dropping opener to her abstract, and she held it for her entire talk on the conservation of jewelry by Simon Costin contained within the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute collection.
The two necklaces of discussion were Memento Mori, made by Costin in 1986, and Incubus, made in 1987. Both presented unique preservation problems not frequently encountered by textile conservators. Faced with unfamiliar challenges, Scaturro sought first to better understand the mechanisms of degradation affecting the necklaces: this involved conducting artist interviews and consulting alternatives resources on taxidermy and liquid-preserved specimens.

Simon Costin, *Memento Mori*, 1986. Wood, metal, bone, claw, synthetic, jet, crystal, bone, hematite. Metropolitan Museum of Art (2006.354a–c).

In the case of Memento Mori, the turkey feet and rabbit skulls, incorporated into the necklace’s design, had begun to degrade due to insufficient preparation methods. The fats contained within the skin of the turkey feet had oxidized leading to a rancid odor – a smell all too familiar to me having recently completed the degreasing of beluga whale jawbones. The oxidized fats were also pooling at the surface of the feet, risking degradation of the neighboring necklace elements. The rabbit skulls, which retained some bits of flesh and hair, suffered from discoloration and mold, negatively impacting the artist’s intended aesthetics. Swabbing with ethanol proved to be the solution for both of Memento Mori’s problems – ethanol was used to degrease the surface of the turkey feet while it also acted as a biocide, killing the mold on the rabbit skulls, in addition to reducing the discoloration. Scaturro also employed preventive strategies which included the use of barriers to prevent transfer of the turkey fats to other parts of the necklace and anoxia to slow the oxidation of the fats.
The treatment of Incubus, the inspiration for the talk’s title and my grim interest, was still in progress at the time of Scaturro’s talk. The necklace, which resulted in a charge of indecency for the artist at the time of its unveiling, contains 5 vials of semen, one donation having been made by the artist himself. Over the past 30 years, the semen has discolored and partially evaporated – how best to address this issue, Scaturro was undecided. She raised two amusing points while discussing her research into the degradation mechanisms of Incubus: one, there is little information available on how semen degrades over thirty years; and two, it would be interesting to understand what elements of the five donations were responsible for the variations in color and evaporation rate.

Simon Costin, *Incubus*, 1987. Silver, copper, glass, baroque pearls and human sperm. Metropolitan Museum of Art (2006.364a, b).

Her first steps to the treatment of Incubus involved the creation of permanent upright storage for the necklace, thereby avoiding contact between the rubber stoppers on the vials and their contents. Scaturro made note that storage and display at a consistent temperature (as opposed to cold storage and room temperature display) was best practice for slowing the evaporation of the semen. She was also considering applying cyclododecane to improve the seal of the vials – the benefit of cyclododecane wax being its gradual sublimation at room temperature, making it possible to display the necklace without wax coatings affecting the aesthetics.
Scaturro concluded by noting that further interviews with Simon Costin were planned with the hopes that he might be able to offer direction as to the refilling or not of the vials of semen.
Overall, Scaturro handled the unusual topic with professionalism, inciting only minimal nervous giggling. The talk provided a window into the extremes of art and art conservation, and offered an example of how to approach the even the most macabre of objects.

44th Annual Meeting, Textile Session, May 15, "The Creation of a Digitally Printed Reproduction Sleeve for and Eighteenth-Century Painted Silk Dress", by Miriam Murphy and Alexandra Barlow

When I heard the title of this talk, I must admit images of laser scanners and super computers came to mind. And while the technology is doubtlessly impressive, I was relieved to learn that it is far more accessible (and much less sci-fi-esque!) than I had originally imagined.
The dress at the center of this talk was a silk taffeta Robe à la Polonaise, circa 1780, that had been donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1976, sans one proper left sleeve.

The dress on display in 2004's Dangerous Liaisons exhibit. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website. — The dress on display in 2004’s Dangerous Liaisons exhibit. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website.

Because the silk was hand painted, the best option for recreating it in the 1970s was to hand paint a new sleeve as well. However, after four decades, and three exhibits, the reproduction had become damaged. Before being featured in the 2015 show China: Through the Looking Glass, it was decided a new sleeve would have to be made. For the 2004 show, Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the Eighteenth Century, an entire reproduction petticoat had been digitally printed, so it was not a technology with which the Met was unfamiliar. Digital printing has also, in recent years, been used to create fabric for mounts, upholstery for chairs, and a dress for a historical interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg.
The first step in the process was to get a good digital image of the fabric, ideally through scanning. As luck would have it (or so they thought) a flat pattern piece of the same fabric was at the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Unfortunately, it was soon discovered that there were subtle but definite differences between the two. Because of the 3-D nature of the dress, scanning was not an option, so digital photography had to be used instead. The petticoat was selected for this process, rather than the present sleeve, because it offered a large, flat expanse, and the majority of the pattern repeat. The image was taken at the Met’s photography lab and sent to Dyenamix textile printing, for image manipulation. This proved more difficult than expected because the undulations of the petticoat, visible in the photograph, had to be removed, and the full pattern repeat stitched together. Another stumbling block was what part of the repeat to print? Should they go with a mirror image of the extant sleeve, or could it be assumed that such expensive fabric was used conservatively, without an attempt at symmetry? Ultimately, the former path was selected.
The next step was to find a suitable base fabric. Although the fabric texture can be printed, the best results are achieved when a close match is found, which was a challenge since 18^th century taffeta was finer than that available today. When a good approximation was sourced (from Manhattan’s Garment District), both white and ivory was purchased. Dyenamix first sent the fabric to Jacquard in California for pretreatment, to prepare it to accept the ink. When the fabric returned, it was ready for the printing process. The printer prints ¼” at a time, going over each section eight times.
It took many attempts and many weeks to get the colors exactly right. Most of the early attempts were too bright and saturated, qualities prized by industry clients, but not by conservators. Once the fabric was printed, a pattern was taken from measurements and multiple mock-ups were made before the final sleeve was constructed. All-in-all, the process took six weeks and $2,400 (not including the time of the Met staff) to complete. Interestingly, roughly half of that seems to have been because Dyenamix did the image manipulation, judging by a similar project done in the Met’s upholstery department.

The subject of the talk, center, on exhibit in China: Through the Looking Glass. From QMIN magazine.

Dyenamix had claimed that their inks were archival and because the dress needed to be ready for exhibition, no further tests were performed beforehand. However, after the exhibition closed, the fabric was given the Oddy test, which it failed. In response, the sleeve was removed from the dress and stored separately.
I would be interested to know what caused the sleeve to fail the Oddy test: was it the pretreatment done by Jacquard to ready the silk for the ink, or the ink itself? This process is a great tool for any conservator to have and (as always!) more research is desired!

STASH Flash III Storage Tips Session – May 14, 2016

The 2016 STASH Flash storage tips session at the Montreal annual meeting will have three themes:

Building on the conference theme the first group of presentations offer solutions for emergency or disaster situations like flooding or earthquakes.
Building on a topic that came out of the 2015 STASH Flash discussion session and the TSG Tips session, the second proposed theme focuses on multi-function supports, with functions serving more than one purpose, such as storage, storage, travel and/or exhibition purposes.
Additional innovative storage solutions for individual or collections will be presented in the third grouping.

Presentations will be posted on the STASH site after the meeting.

1. EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS

Name: Rustin Levenson, Veronica Romero, Oliver Watkiss, and Kelly O’Neill
Institution: ArtCare, Miami
Object/collection type: Paintings
Abstract: When we moved into our new space, we designed an art storage rack that we felt would offer the best protection for works in our care if we faced a hurricane. The shell of the rack is plywood. The interior is divided into slots by reinforced PVC piping, which allows air to circulate freely. Clear vinyl flooring on the bottom of each slot protects paintings from the wood and provides safe access. The rack is on large wheels, which would allow us to move to the driest area in the studio if the roof is compromised and lock when the rack is in place. A sail maker designed a waterproof, zipping cover for the rack. The cover has extra material, which allows room for a dehumidifier, which could be powered by a generator.
Name(s): Nichole Doub, Head Conservator
Institution: Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
Collection Type: Waterlogged wood
Abstract: When a runaway barge collided with navigation markers on the Nanticoke River last spring, the Coast Guard called the resulting debris a hazard to the commercial waterway and ordered Maryland State Highways Association to remove the timbers. When the divers started to haul up the timbers, it was a surprise to find a 30 foot section of a ship’s keel. Suddenly, it was a rush to salvage as many timbers before the disturbed wreck site was washed out to the Chesapeake Bay. With no plans for funding, staff, excavation, curation, conservation, viability surveys etc., an above ground pool with a custom made bubbler system became a very quick, inexpensive, and effective temporary storage solution.
Name: T. Ashley McGrew
Institution: Cantor Art Center at Stanford University
Collection Type: Dimensional Art /seismic restraints
Abstract: Working in a seismic zone, we have to take steps to keep a potential geological event from becoming a disaster for our collection. Presented are two systems we use for restraining 3D objects on shelving in collection storage. In both applications the designs focus on ease of use to help insure compliance with established storage protocols. We utilized 1” nylon webbing for strength in both small and large object storage solutions. Small object storage pairs the webbing with ¼” polyethylene netting which is secured using plastic snap buckles. In large object storage the webbing is sewn together to make “cargo netting” which is secured with carbineers, either to the uprights of pallet racking, or to custom-made removable metal brackets designed for use on heavy-duty cantilever shelving.

2. MULTI-PURPOSE SOLUTIONS

Name: Jennifer Torres, Kate Gallagher & Sanchita Balachandran
Institution: Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum
Object/collection type: Small archaeological objects
Abstract: The Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum is a teaching museum that encourages the use of the collection for teaching, study, and research by faculty and students. Accessibility and visibility are both important factors in rehousing objects to serve these purposes. The collection contains thousands of small archaeological objects and limited storage space. A “file” storage system was developed to house these objects and to save space. This storage design is best suited for robust objects, particularly Egyptian faience amulets and small Greco-Roman metal objects that would be difficult to access and would consume too much storage space with traditional rehousing methods. Objects are placed in polyethylene zip bags lined with Volara and tied to a piece of corrugated blue board of standard size using twill tape. Each object/board is then “filed” into a custom-made box that fits in our storage drawers. The backside of each board is lined with thin Ethafoam to mitigate damage to the object behind it. This storage method allows for maximum visibility and accessibility, and minimizes the unnecessary handling of the object and disturbance of other objects that are not pertinent to the study or research at hand.
Name: Emily Wroczynski
Institution/Affiliation/Title: Shelburne Museum
Object/Collection Type: Wooden artifacts, Bird Decoys
Abstract: The Dorset House at the Shelburne Museum is currently undergoing renovations funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The historic structure has been the exhibition space for the Museum’s expansive bird decoy collection. The conservation department is taking this opportunity to examine the decoy collection and perform needed treatment before it returns to display. The installation within the renovated Dorset House has not been finalized, and the decoys will continue to be housed in storage for about another year. A versatile mount (similar to a sink mat) was designed in discussion with the curator, which would function in storage and could easily transition for exhibition in Dorset. The exciting challenge of this project was to create a footprint that did not greatly alter the aesthetic profile of the object, while at the same time provided ample support. The curator’s input was instrumental in choosing a method of covering the mount that made it polished without a complex technique or expensive materials.
Name(s): Emily Eifert Brown
Institution: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Collection Type: shells, travel/storage mount
Abstract: A complex storage housing was built for an oyster shell presented in a delicate gold and silver gilt mount, which is in the collection of the Walters Art Museum. The housing served three important functions: the ability to safely hand-carry the object from Winterthur, Delaware to Baltimore, Maryland; the ability to safely and efficiently store the object while disassembled in multiple parts; and the ability to scavenge for airborne pollutants, thus preventing tarnishing of the delicate and difficult to clean metal components. The streamlined design took into account storage space restrictions and materials specifications required by the Walters Art Museum. Design features of the housing include a shelf within the main box, blue board inserts upholstered in Pacific Silvercloth, and buried rare earth magnet closures.
Name(s): Kesha Talbert, Pam Young and Lauren Gottschlich
Institution: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Collection Type: Handheld Fans
Abstract: Conservators and interns at Colonial Williamsburg have been creating dual purpose storage and display mounts for folding handheld fans which are part of the costume and textile collections. The fans are composite objects of wood, ivory, paper, textiles and/or metal with unique risk factors for study or display due to their function of folding and unfolding. In an effort to decrease handling and the associated friction and movement of components supportive mounts have been created to house the fans in storage which are also acceptable for display. The mounts are custom made for each fan to provide adequate support for both leaf and sticks. Archival products including Alpharag matboard, folderstock, ethafoam and sueded polyethylene were used in the creation of the mounts. A step-by-step guide was created to allow future interns to easily replicate the process.
Name(s): Stephanie Gowler, Graham Patten, Carlynne Robinson and Susan Russick
Institution: Northwestern University Library Preservation and Conservation Work Group
Collection Type: Archival
Abstract: Project Description: The Charlotte Moorman collection at Northwestern University Libraries is the core of a major exhibit at Northwestern’s Block Museum, soon to travel to NYU’s Grey Art Gallery and on to the Museum der Moderne, Salzburg. Because much of this unwieldy archive of Avant Garde art from the 1960s had never been fully processed, we wanted to develop an exhibit mount that could also be used for travel and storage. One solution that worked for several objects was sewing the objects onto padded boards. Boards were constructed of Tycore, Volara and cloth. Objects were sewn on using a variety of threads – a delicate process that could require 3 conservators. Mounts allowed for easy handling and installation as well as security for the multi-part objects at each venue. Ethafoam®, corrugated blue board, and Hollytex® quilts were used to pad and clamp the boards inside of boxes for travel. Many of the objects will eventually be stored, mounted, in their travel boxes.
Contributor(s): William Bennett
Institution: Smithsonian Institution Archives
Collection Type: Photographs
Abstract: The Archives recently received an early gelatin print which is mounted on a friable, acidic board. The brittle ensemble has cracked completely in half, with small pieces flaking away from the breakage point. There is also damage evident on the lower portion of the photograph, possibly from blocking. The top and bottom edges of the photograph and support are also curling upward due to differences in expansion and contraction of the two materials. A custom housing was designed and created, and is composed of three elements—a base in which the photograph sits, a magnetic over-mat that gently restrains the curling edges of the image, and a protective cover mat. The base is also composed of three layers, divided into two pieces that fit together like puzzle pieces with tongue-and-groove joints. This solution provided adequate support to the broken photograph; facilitated easy removal of the image from its housing without abrading the edges, by sliding the pieces of the base apart; and restrained the curling edges of the support. The cover mat may also be folded completely behind the base and is thus suitable for display.
Name: Liz Peirce
Institution/Affiliation/Title: Winterthur Museum and Garden, Kress Conservation Fellow
Object/Collection Type: Hough’s American Woods – 14 Volume set, 1888 edition
Abstract: Hough’s American Woods is a rare collection of thin sliced wood samples suspended in heavy cardstock pages. These pages are currently stored as a loose block within a three-quarter wrap cover slid into a slipcover held closed with a decorative clasp. The loose pages make removal for study difficult, cumbersome, and potentially damaging to the delicate samples. To remove the block, the pages must be grasped and compressed to slide out of the case. Damage to the pages has already been noted; several samples within each volume suffer from cracks and losses due to improper handling and storage. Rehousing for this collection (starting in February 2016) will provide stability and support for the samples. It will include a four-flap wrapper with both a warning to researchers about the unbound nature of the samples as well as handling instructions to prevent further damage. Once wrapped, the volumes will be stored in individual clamshell boxes which will support the block on all sides and prevent shifting. The original wrap and slipcase will be preserved and all relevant information on the book plates will be scanned, copied, and kept with the new rehousing. Rehousing will make the collection easier to access for research as well as display within the library should exhibition be desired.

3. MISCELLANEOUS SOLUTIONS

Name(s): Alicia Ghadban
Institution: Re-ORG, former CCI and ICCROM Intern
Collection Type: Various
Abstract: The RE-ORG methodology was developed by ICCROM with the support of UNESCO to assist smaller museums (under 10,000 objects) who do not have access to external expertise and whose collections are at serious risk due to overcrowding and poor storage conditions. In September 2015, ICCROM held an international RE-ORG workshop in partnership with the Chinese State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) and the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage (CACH). The workshop was hosted by the Wuhou Shrine Museum (Chengdu, China) and allowed participants to gain practical experience implementing a RE-ORG project. The host museum presented an ideal case study for the RE-ORG project as objects could be found directly on the floor, collection and non-collection items were stored in the same rooms, sub-collections were displaced in various rooms, and part of the ceramic collection had been stored on unsecured wooden shelves though the museum was located in an earthquake prone region. This presentation will outline the solutions devised and accepted by staff members of the Wuhou Shrine Museum as they lowered the risk to collections and provided improved working conditions for museum staff members. The solutions included the following: adaptation of metal shelving units, reuse of existing furniture, relocating and grouping sub-collections, removing non-collection items from the storage, and ensuring no objects were on the floor by utilizing platforms on wheels.

Name(s): Gretchen Anderson, Linsly Church, Amy Henrici
Institution: Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Collection Type: Oversize collections, Vertebrate Paleontology
Abstract: Keeping dust off of specimens in open storage is always a challenge, particularly in an old building in an urban environment. In 2014 the Carnegie Museum of Natural History received a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services to improve storage conditions for type specimens in the vertebrate paleontology collection. Some of these specimens are large slabs embedded in plaster with wood frames. These are very heavy and difficult for scientists to access. In the past the specimens were covered with plastic sheeting in a wood frame to protect them from water drips and dust. Through time the deteriorating, opaque plastic made the specimens impossible to view without removing the cover. Our new method uses a polyester film window in a rigid box lid, to improve visibility of even the largest and heaviest blocks. With a slight modification, the method is easily adapted for three dimensional models or objects.
Name(s): Gretchen Anderson, Deborah Harding, Lesley Haines
Institution: Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Collection Type: Oversize collections, large items
Abstract: Protecting large and irregularly shaped objects from dust, water and other environmental conditions that put them at risk is a challenge. Large and awkward objects are often stuck in corners or on top of cabinets and draped with plastic sheeting. The sheeting is often in direct contact with the object. As the sheeting ages, it deteriorates, becoming brittle and chemically unstable, causing additional damage to the object. At the Science Museum of Minnesota Anderson and Newberry developed an inexpensive and easy to construct a support for dust covers using PVC pipe, corrugated plastic sheet. The support prevents the dust cover from touching the object, allows for airflow and reduces other risks. New materials such as Tyvek™ can be is used to replace plastic. Anderson continues to adapt the system at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History where the Anthropology Department is using it for large objects.
Name: Erika Range
Institution/Affiliation/Title: Conservation Student (previous CMN Intern)
Object/collection type: Natural History Labeling
Abstract: Choosing the right substrate, attachment method, inks and printing technologies are critical to ensuring that the information remains intact and associated with an artifact or specimen. In natural history collections, labels often contain original data not found elsewhere, so their preservation is as important as the specimens. The Canadian Museum of Nature houses over 10 million specimens requiring a vast variety of labeling methods. A recent survey at the Canadian Museum of Nature revealed three types of labels typically used in natural history collections, and also attempted to adapt standards to help clarify to collections staff what to buy and how to use it, as they adopt new technologies for labeling. Three ‘Decision Trees’ were created to guide collections and conservation staff and volunteers with choosing the right tool for the right job, and highlights standards and best practices for materials in archives and some simple tests for quality control.