Because I am doing research on the history of the National Institute for Conservation/Heritage Preservation, I have been spending considerable time going through issues of the AIC’s newsletter beginning with volume 1 (1975). While doing this, I have had to force myself to stay focused on the research at hand and not get sidetracked by the wealth of information about people, meetings, exhibitions, publications, and disputes. I would recommend that anyone who is interested in knowing where the field came from and how it got to where it is today, spend some reading older issues of the AIC newsletter.
Category: Uncategorized
Workshop Review: Master Class Plastics: Indentification, Degradation and Conservation of Plastics. Amsterdam, October 20-23 2015
Course Leaders: Thea van Oosten, former senior conservation scientist at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) since 1989, currently retired and freelancing and Anna Laganà, lecturer at the University of Amsterdam and freelance conservator / researcher specialized in the conservation of plastics. Both were entertaining educators throughout the course.
This is a short review of the above plastics workshop which took place as a collaborative professional development program between the University of Amsterdam and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE). The four day course combined theory and practice, as well as input from the ten participants from seven countries regarding the challenges they are encountering with plastics materials.
An overview of the development of plastics from the 19th century to present day was reported including the chemical properties and manufacturing processes which create the various types of plastics materials. This was useful in determining what type of plastics you may be working with and how this influences degradation and therefore future preservation protocols. Understanding the difference between three main characteristics of thermoplastics, thermosets and elastomers and their polymeric makeup made sense when thinking about characteristics and deterioration patterns. The impact of additives, such as fillers, pigments and plasticizers used to manipulate the properties of plastics materials can have drastic effects on the aesthetic aspect, touch and life span of many plastic objects. These are considered the internal factors that gear the longevity of synthetic materials. External factors like oxygen, ozone, light and temperature cause oxidative degradation and hydrolysis of plastic objects initiating catalytic reactions and can accelerate deterioration. Scary stuff! But in the safe hands of Thea and Anna we motored on.
The five most vulnerable plastics: cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, poly (vinyl chloride), natural rubber and polyurethane were highlighted. These plastics are known to show significant deterioration patterns in short periods of time. Chemical breakdown, physical and mechanical damage and also, biological damage are often documented with these kinds of plastics. Theory sessions encompassed plenty of handling sessions using examples from reference collections donated to the RCE by Thea van Oosten. This exercise helped to familiarize participants with various plastics materials produced through history by feeling, smelling and listening to the sound plastics make when dropped. Density and color were other considerations. Film clips of manufacturing processes and artists using and manipulating plastic products to produce works of art were shown.
Ron Mueck – videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4tUoKVLJ8j6onJ2C5ytdGQ
Practical sessions included the impact of solvents on various plastics types. Deionized water and white spirit (organic clear solvent made with a mixture of hydrocarbons) seemed to have the least effect, whereas acetone showed significant physical change. Great fun was had examining residual strains in clear and translucent plastics using a strain viewer. This instrument provided a fabulous myriad of colors which enabled the examiner to measure the internal stress areas. Learning adhesive and consolidation methodologies provided good pragmatic solutions to repair and stabilize plastic objects that are physically or mechanically damaged. Understanding surface energy of plastic surfaces (low energy a water droplet will remain on the surface, high energy the water droplet will disperse evenly) was useful to know when thinking about adhesion levels and prevention of causing further internal stress and strain. There was dedicated sessions to the specific properties and consolidation of polyurethane foam as this material can degrade quickly depending on its polymeric make-up. Cleaning strategies were reviewed and practical sessions included the effects of dry cleaning methods, solvents and mild detergent solutions on various plastics materials.
Preventive guidelines were discussed; display parameters of 50- 150 lux (5-14 foot-candles), dark conditions preferred in storage, 50%RH, a temperature of 18-20 centigrade (64.4-68 Fahrenheit), good ventilation to prevent a build-up of gaseous degradation products from off-gassing plastics and maintaining a low temperature to help slow down the degradation process. Oxygen scavengers were mentioned as a useful product to help maintain a good environment. Encapsulating rubber objects was also demonstrated in order to slow down the deterioration of rubber being one of the most vulnerable plastics.
All participants were provided with a folder with useful theory, a bibliography and documentation of the presentations that were given during the course. One of the most useful sections for me were the tables reflecting the solubility parameters and chemical resistance of plastics, these would certainly help when deciphering appropriate cleaning systems if appropriate at all. I would certainly consider the use of micro emulsions and gels as other applications which were not included in the workshop. Also, the data sheets referring to adhesive properties and their appropriateness to various plastic types would be a good reference point to selecting adhesive and consolidation treatments. All provided good starting points for investigation.
With many thanks to Thea and Anna, they were both marvelous!
Training Program: "Saving the Stones: Training Program in Practical Conservation" – International Conservation Center (Old Acre, Israel)
This is one painting that might be better seen and not heard
The Improbability of Love, a recently published novel by Hannah Rothschild, film director and trustee of several British museums, is a tale of plundered paintings, self important art experts, desperate art dealers, and greedy art collectors. One of the few noble characters is a conservator who works in the National Gallery’s lab. Through descriptions of her work, the reader learns about conservation procedures like test cleaning, sampling, and cross section analysis. This positive view of conservation is muddled by a Watteau painting that expresses its view of restoration (yes, the painting, a major character in the novel, speaks—although no one hears it): “Imagine my horror at the latest turn of events: the young man has found a restorer. The mere mention of the word sends shivers through my paintwork. The atrocities committed in the name of restoration; look no further than a certain Velazquez in London or Leonardo in Paris. I am so delicate that whole swathes of my composition could disintegrate in the wrong hands. Though my patina is smeared with layers of soot, candle smuts, human effluents, tobacco smoke and varnish, the prospect of a restorer let loose with bottles of noxious spirits fills me full of quaking, mind-blowing terror.” This is one painting that might be better seen and not heard.
C2CC Webinar 10/8/15: Insurance 101: Practical Considerations for Protecting Institutional Collections and Loans
Join us October 8, 2015, 2:00 PM Eastern for a Connecting to Collections Care webinar, “Insurance 101: Practical Considerations for Protecting Institutional Collections and Loans.” It’s free!
This session is appropriate for all levels of experience from beginner to expert and all types of cultural organizations as an introduction and review of collections insurance basics and how they are an integral part of collections care. We will examine loss prevention, loss control and how to protect the collection through good housekeeping, landscaping, managing patrons, and during transport of objects. In addition, examples of recent claims and outcomes to illustrate how insurance responds to loss and damage will be presented.
This session is sponsored by Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency, Inc. (an Aon Company) – specialty fine art brokers for over 50 years.
Sign up: http://www.connectingtocollections.org/insurance-101-practical-considerations-for-protecting-institutional-collections-and-loans/
Was the novelist prescient or had he heard about the opening of the conservation program?
For many years I have been compiling a bibliography of works of fiction which in some manner deal with conservation and restoration. Quite often these works are mysteries that feature conservators whose lives are quite removed from the reality of the conservators I know. The protagonist of Georges Perec’s “Portrait of a Man Known as Il Condottiere” is a conservator turned forger turned murderer whose life is likewise quite removed (I hope) from that of the average conservator. However, one detail in the description of his training in conservation stunned me: “Gaspard Winckler, trained at the Ecole du Louvre, holding a diploma in Painting Conservation from New York University and the Metropolitan Museum, New York,…”
While the novel was not published until 2012—decades after Perec’s death–it is believed that he wrote the final version in 1959 just before he left France for a job in Tunisia. In 1959, the NYU conservation program was just forming its first class of students. Unless Perec was prescient, the program must have been well advertised internationally.
Collaborative project at the University of Cape Town, South Africa
Posted on behalf of Sanchita Balachandran
Please participate in a collaborative project with students completing the “Honors in Curatorship” course at the University of Cape Town, South Africa!
This week, we are exploring various issues in the field of conservation, and are engaging with writings both from conservation journals and beyond. As a way to think through topics and questions that come up, we’ve been posting snippets, links, videos, images, etc. on a Tumblr site. The exciting thing about a Tumblr site in this case is that it can be brief and dynamic and hopefully more interactive with other people thinking about related issues. I’d be most grateful if you’d post some of your thoughts, comments, encouragements, etc.
The site is:
http://thinkingconservator.tumblr.com
If you’re new to Tumblr or don’t want to post with your own account, I’d be more than happy to post things on your behalf if you simply email them to me.
Many thanks for your encouragement and support of these young South African professionals,
Sanchita
Sanchita Balachandran
http://archaeologicalmuseum.jhu.edu
www.objectsconservationstudio.com
43rd Annual Meeting- Joint Session: Architecture and Wooden Artifacts, May 14, The Salon Doré from the Hôtel de La Trémoille: Conservation of the 18th Century gilded boiserie, by Natasa Morovic
Natasa Morovic, Conservator of Frames and Gilded Surfaces at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), addressed the conference theme Practical Philosophy, or Making Conservation Work in her presentation of the immense gilding project undertaken over 16 months in an 18th-century period room, the Salon Doré, at the Legion of Honor.
The Salon Doré was designed as a receiving room for guests in the Hôtel de La Trémoille (a family mansion) in Paris, but has since existed in six different locations and seven re-configurations. The Salon was donated to FAMSF in 1959 by the Richard Rheem family (of HVAC fame) and first displayed at the Legion of Honor in 1962. The room was reinstalled in 1996 as a ‘paneled environment’; that is, without its ceiling, window, doors, or floor. The original parquet floor was sold in the 1990s. Indeed, museum period rooms in this era often served as backdrops in which to display French objects and furniture not specifically related to the rooms’ histories. The re-presentation of the Salon Doré in 2012-2014 sought to revise this approach.
The Salon was returned from a rectangular to a square format based on original floor plans. A second 18th-century parquet floor, coved ceiling, windows, furniture, and new lighting were installed. Meanwhile, Natasa’s team was responsible for the conservation of the Salon’s gilt white oak paneling, or boiserie, including five dedo panels, four doors, four cornices with cast plaster ornaments, and high relief linden wood detailing.
Two hundred separate sections of gilt wood were deinstalled and relocated to an adjacent gallery turned temporary conservation lab, in view of the public. Visitors were thrilled to see the work in progress, remarking “you are our favorite exhibit!” iPad didactics introducing the conservation treatment steps and illustrating the Salon’s epic history were available in the galleries (see a preview here and don’t miss the French accent in the Kid’s Corner).
A dozen gilders, conservators, technicians, architects, electricians, and a master carver worked in the open lab daily. Accommodation of all the large paneling, work benches, and people within a tight space was challenging. All treatment steps had to be executed simultaneously due deadlines, with no running water and limited electrical. Gilding efforts were impacted by dust from the adjacent construction area, which quickly settled on the prepared surfaces, and drafts that caused the gold leaf to fly.
The condition of the Salon’s carving and gilding was extensively compromised by the room’s repeated moves, resulting in differing surface finishes as well as mold damage. Two gilding and inpainting campaigns were present: water gilding over orange-red bolle over gesso, water gilding over dark red bolle over new gesso, as well as brass powder and acrylic inpainting.
The treatment objective sought to preserve as much historic surface as possible. No aqueous solutions were used during surface cleaning so as not to interrupt the water gilding. Natasa received several questions after the talk on what materials were used. Here are the particulars: shellac coatings were removed with ethanol poultices, overpaint and soiling were removed with acetone:ethanol mixtures, and paint stripper was sparingly used in tenacious areas of oxidized brass powder paint. Flaking gesso was consolidated with <25% Paraloid B-72 in acetone:ethanol. Flügger was used for small fills, over which traditional gesso and gilding was applied.
Larger wood fills were freshly carved, based off of existing ornaments in the room, and water-gilded so as to replace ‘like with like’ (though it is acknowledged that oil-gilding would have sped up the process). The majority of fills were gilt before attachment; however, in situ re-gilding, or in-gilding, was done where necessary to match adjacent surface conditions.
In total, $22,000 of gold leaf (11,500 leaves) and 27 gallons of acetone were used during the campaign. The result is a glowing re-presentation of the Salon Doré’s opulence, reflecting – quite literally, due to the mirrors, rock-crystal chandeliers, and gleaming gilding- its importance as one of the premier examples of French Neoclassical interior architecture in the United States.
(A quirky review of the Salon project with working images can be found here).
43rd Annual Meeting – Collection Care Session: Beyond ‘No Food or Drink Allowed in the Gallery:’ Best Practices for Food in Cultural Institutions by Rebecca Newberry, Fran Ritchie, and Bethany Palumbo
Does the thought of blue martinis, smelly hot dogs, and live penguins in your exhibition space make you gag? The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections has sponsored a survey and development of best practices to help mitigate the risks posed by food service (and inebriated guests) in collections storage and display areas. This presentation summarized the survey responses, and illustrated them with a number of entertaining and apt case studies. The best practices document will be posted on the NHPRC website in the next few months.
The survey was initiated by Cathy Hawkes in 2011. In addition to answering questions, the survey also solicited written food policies from the respondents to reflect current practice. The top result of the survey was concern about not having a written policy; and 40% of respondents reported pest-related activity related to food in the building.
The best practices that came out of the survey have been well-proven through the experience of the survey respondents and the authors, and are generally agreed upon. The key is to develop a written policy on food management and get buy-in from all stakeholders to enforce it (e.g. administration, vendors, facilities, café/store staff, curators and collections management staff, security). The policy should address preparation, consumption, and disposal of food. It should explain the housekeeping and integrated pest management implications of food in collections areas. Staff should be well-trained in how to interact with the public to enforce the policy. And risk mitigation should be part of contracts signed with vendors; the contract can also reflect a “This event never happened” clause (i.e. leave no trace).
Some specific tips discussed include:
- Clean up immediately after an event
- Put out extra tables for dirty dishes (so they don’t go on top of exhibit cases)
- Provide space for staff to eat with proper waste containers
- Make clear signage for where to eat and not; include a simple educational message like “Food attracts pests which can damage our collections.”
- Determine the path that food and waste will take in and out of the collections space.
- Menu should consist of food that is tidy when eaten: no popcorn, red wine, ice cream, or round things that roll under exhibit cases like grapes
- Ventilation and fire suppression need to be accounted for
Following these steps will help you to avoid getting ketchup on your dinosaur (yes, it really happened!).
SPNHC Food Survey Report 2014
Memorial Tea for Kathy Ludwig at Archives II on June 19 at 1 pm
Posted on behalf of the Conservation Division at the National Archives and Records Administration
It is with profound sadness that we tell you of Kathy Ludwig’s passing on Saturday, May 16, 2015 after a long struggle with cancer. Until her retirement in July 2014, Kathy had served as a Senior Conservator in the Conservation Laboratory at the National Archives for 17 years. Prior to joining the staff of the National Archives, Kathy was an Archives Conservator at the Minnesota Historical Society.
In preparation for her work in conservation, Kathy earned degrees in Art History and Studio Arts from the University of Minnesota, and completed one year of training in art conservation at the Rosary College Graduate School of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. Kathy was in the first class of conservators who graduated from Columbia University’s Conservation Education Program with a MS in Library Service with a Certificate of Advanced Study in Library and Archives Conservation.
Kathy was passionate about her work. She continued to study and learn throughout her career, taking workshops and seminars on subjects ranging from papermaking to disaster planning and response to the history and making of parchment. Kathy always generously shared the knowledge she gained, with others. She developed and taught numerous preservation classes over the years to National Archives staff and volunteers and also imparted her knowledge of materials and conservation techniques to interns and other conservators.
Kathy loved her work at the National Archives. She was a highly skilled conservator and over the years treated thousands of records, including such significant documents as the Monroe Doctrine and the Delaware Ratification of the Bill of Rights. A valued member of NARA’s conservator-on-call team, Kathy conducted independent research on drying methods, and assisted with the recovery of Orleans Parish records following Hurricane Katrina.
Most importantly, Kathy was a good friend and a valued colleague. She was a thoughtful and reliable presence who always made us smile. We will miss her.
Please join us as we celebrate and remember Kathy on June 19, 2015, from 1:00 to 3:00 in Lecture Rooms D and E at Archives II. If you have questions, please contact Preservation@nara.gov.
Archives II is located at 8601 Adelphi Road in College Park, MD 20740. Directions and information can be found at http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/#transp.