Electronic Media Group Session, Determining the Status and Replaceability of Technical Equipment in Electronic Art

Joanna Phillips’ fascinating presentation explored the different ways in which museums must look at objects that have moved from being purely functional to being inherent parts of an artwork: electronic display equipment.

From the 1960s onward, artists created moving-image and sound works that were dependent on current technology for their display in the museum. Once that technology becomes obsolete, however, conservators face a choice: maintain old equipment of often-dubious functionality, or migrate the work to new technology that may not have been available to the artist at the time of creation. Critical to this decision: determining whether equipment is merely an accessory to the artwork – something akin to a pedastal or a vitrine – or an essential component of the work.

Phillip, conservator for time-based art at the Guggenheim Museum laid out the ways in which playback equipment can change over time from accessory to essential component. The Guggenheim, like many museums, maintains a pool of video playback and display equipment that can be used for multiple works: one DLP projector, for example, could be suitable for any number of projected video works. But as equipment becomes obsolete, what was once common and easily available technology becomes rare and difficult to obtain. When this happens, equipment that is critical to maintaining an artist’s vision of a work may be assigned to a specific artwork to insure that it will be available for that work’s display in the future.

The most striking example given by Phillips is a video installation by Marina Abramovic, Cleaning the Mirror I (1995). The piece consists of five video channels played back on a stack five color cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors. When the piece was created, CRT monitors were common and plentiful. The artist did not require specific sizes or models for the monitors, only describing their approximate size and appearance. The technology was so commonplace that further specificity didn’t seem important.

Within the last few years, however, CRTs have become almost completely obsolete, and are increasingly difficult to obtain. New monitors using LCD or plasma technology have a completely different aspect ratio – 16:9 vs. 4:3 – that would change completely the appearance of the work (anyone who has suffered through an old movie that has been “stretched” to fill a 16:9 monitor understands the damage this change could cause to a video artwork.)

Phillips laid out the detective work necessary to find five monitors suitable for installing Cleaning the Mirror I, and the complex technical process required to bring them up to optimum performance. These five monitors will now be dedicated to the work, insuring that it can be displayed according to the artist’s specifications – for now. But as Phillips pointed out, these monitors can only be maintained for so long.

She also described an early work by Korean-American artist Nam June Paik – Random Access (1963/1999) which consists of strips of ¼” analog audiotape glued to a wall. Nearby is a modified audiotape playback deck with a detachable head. Philips also described an early work by Korean-American artist Nam June Paik – Random Access, (1963/1999) which consists of strips of ¼” analog audiotape glued to a wall. Nearby is a modified audiotape playback deck with a detachable had. Viewers can run the playback head over the tape to hear what’s on it. As with Abramovic’s CRT monitors, Paik’s analog audiotapes were extremely common technology when the work was created. Today, however, the equipment is extremely difficult to come by.

Complicating the conservation history of the work is the fact that the modified deck that the Guggenheim acquired with the work was actually modified by Paik’s studio (as opposed to Abramovic’s monitors, with which the artist had had no direct content.) Phillips explained the categories that the Guggenheim assigns to its equipment: “Artist-provided,” “Artist-approved,” or “artist-specified.” Paik’s audiotape deck falls into the first category. Phillips highlighted the peculiarities of the deck in question: it had been crudely modified by the artist or his studio – at one point, when electronic circuitry needed to be replaced, rather than unscrew and open the deck, someone knocked a hole in the back and hot-glued in the required capacitors. The clear hand of the artist and his collaborators marks this particular piece of equipment as an essential part of the work.

EMG Specialty Group Sessions, May 14: Adventures in digital archaeology

A pair of fascinating papers by Walter Forsberg and Elizabeth Seramur gave two views of just how much effort can be required to make sense of artist-created digital files – even files that are barely a decade old. The idea of “Digital Archaeology” – Seramur’s term – summed up the problem.

Seramur’s paper (Developing a Digital Archaeology for the Warren Spector Collection: A Case Study) traced a project that took her back to the pre-historic days of personal computing – the early 1980s, when there was no such thing as standardization of file formats, interfaces, cabling, or operating systems. The project involved recovery of word processing documents created by game designer Warren Spector, whose papers are part of the Video Game Archive at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin. The media: 18 5.25 inch floppy discs – from the days when floppy discs really were floppy – containing files created on the Kaypro IV personal computer using WordStar or WordPerfect, and on an Apple IIc using Appleworks.

Key to her work was the discovery of Austin’s Goodwill Computer Museum, which was founded as an offshoot of Goodwill’s computer training program. Volunteers from the tech industries watched as a wide variety of early personal computers came into Goodwill as donations, and couldn’t bear to see these rare specimens recycled. The result was a collection holding nearly every model of early PC. The museum was able to provide a computer that could read the early files – though a great deal of trial and error was required. A lack of standardization meant incompatibility between ports, cables and drivers – even among PCs with the same make and model number. The smallest variation rendered files unreadable.

Walter Forsberg’s project had the advantage of both relatively recent files – the 1990s – and a living artist, Cory Arcangel, willing and able to consult. In this case, the subject of research was a collection of CD-Rs holding backup files made in the process of creating multiple computer works. The discs held more than 200 different file extensions, marking different file formats, many of which are tied to obscure, obsolete, or short-lived software. Frequently, the file names were obscure or meaningless, and Arcangel sometimes wasn’t able to tie the files to a project now more than a decade past. The takeaway: organize digital files and standardize file names!

Architecture Specialty Group Morning Session: Lime Grouts, Environmental Control and Site Management

The second group of presentations in the Architecture Specialty Group’s morning session covered a range of topics. Victoria Pingarron Alvarez of the University of Pennsylvania presented “Performance Analysis of Hydraulic Lime Grouts for Masonry Repair.” Ms. Alvarez described research carried out in 2005 and updated with current research to evaluate low-strength grouts used for adhesion. Moderately hydraulic lime grouts were formulated with different concentrations of El Rey Superior 200, an acrylic polymer emulsion, and subjected to tests of their mechanical and physical properties. A mix of 2 parts lime, 1 part fine mason’s sand, 1 part ceramic microsphere filler and 10% solution of acrylic emulsion in water yielded a grout with low shrinkage, moderate resistance to frost and compatible tensile and compressive strengths to historic masonry. Future research related to Ms. Alvarez’s work may address the suitability of test standards, as all of the test standards used in the evaluation of the lime grouts were modified in some way.

Ben Haavik and John Childs, both of Historic New England, gave the presentation “Revisiting Realty: A Changing Approach to Environmental Control in Historic House Museums at Historic New England.” Historic New England manages over 120 buildings and 1200 acres at 36 sites, and its collections include over 50,000 objects in its house museums as well as another 70,000 objects in storage. The introduction of environmental control systems at several Historic New England house museums in the 1990s quickly resulted in problems that are currently being addressed with a revised approach to environmental control. Two case studies were used to demonstrate Historic New England’s new approach to environmental control, which is a simplified approach applied incrementally. It includes a wider acceptable range of relative humidity, a monitoring program, humidistatic heating and simplification of equipment.

The final presentation of the morning by Avigail Charnov of Historic Resources Group was “A Review of 100 Years of Site Management.” The presentation, co-authored with Jake Barrow of Cornerstones Community Partnership and subtitled “Conservation of Earthen Sites in the American Southwest,” examined the creation of national monuments and parks in the southwest and the development of conservation efforts at these sites. While early conservation treatments were not well documented and were often undertaken in a trial and error fashion, a fundamental shift in conservation practices occurred in the 1970s. This shift incorporated laboratory material analysis, increased levels of documentation, monitoring of conditions, critical evaluation of treatments and a collaborative team approach.

Architecture Specialty Group Morning Session: Mortars

The first trio of papers presented during the Architecture Specialty Group’s morning session all covered research on mortars. Brad Shotwell and Joshua Freedland, both of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, asked the question “Evaluation of Historic Mortars: Is Petrography Ever Enough?” Mr. Shotwell presented a methodology for analysis of historic mortars beginning with petrographic examination. Petrography can be both qualitative and quantitative, incorporating techniques such as chemical spot tests to identify specific components and modal analysis to determine relative amounts of binder and aggregate. Several case studies were used to demonstrate the answer to the question posed in the paper’s title: it depends on the questions being asked and the goals of the project. Depending on the research goals and on the nature of the mortar being examined, ASTM C1324: “Standard Test Method for Examination and Analysis of Hardened Masonry Mortar,” which is weighted toward chemical analysis, may not be completely relevant. The approach to mortar analysis recommended by Mr. Shotwell is to begin with petrography and to supplement it with chemical analysis as needed.

John Walsh of Highbridge Materials Consulting presented “The Mortars and Concretes of Fort Jefferson: A Critical Examination of Effective Analytical Techniques for Unique Construction Materials.” The goal of the analysis was to identify the components of the mortar used at Fort Jefferson, constructed between 1846 and 1876. Mr. Walsh’s approach to mortar analysis, starting with qualitative petrographic examination and applying supplemental instrumental analysis, reinforced the first presentation of the day. As demonstrated by Mr. Walsh and Magdalena Malaj in the Fort Jefferson case study, petrography is also important to anticipate anomalies or interference that may arise during other analytical work.

In the third paper of the morning, chemical engineer Nora Perez presented her research on the mucilage additive to historic mortars in “The Application of Opuntia sp. Mucilage in the Pre-Hispanic Age, Today.” Polysaccharide extracts from the mucilage cactus has been used traditionally as an additive to Pre-Hispanic mortars to increase lime solubility, improve mechanical resistance and delay setting time. In a testing program conducted by Ms. Perez, the mechanical and physical properties of lime mortars prepared with different concentrations of mucilage additive were evaluated. Mucilage extract used as an additive to lime mortars does improve the physical properties of the mortars, makes injection mortars easier to apply and promotes the formation of a compact crystalline lattice. Biogrowth does not appear to be a concern with mortars having the mucilage additive, as the extract breaks down over time.

Architecture Specialty Group Afternoon Session: Paint Research, Lead Silhouette Windows and Water Repellents

Following the Architecture Specialty Group Business Meeting, the afternoon session of presentations began with a paper by Mary Jablonski and Stephanie Hoagland of Jablonski Building Conservation on “Picking, Peering, and Peeling: The Evolving Field of Architectural Paint Research.” The presentation focused on lessons learned from paint studies of interior architectural spaces. Key points raised in the presentation are that paint research involves more than color matching using cross section samples. It should encompass ultraviolet light microscopy and staining, exposure windows and research on paint knowledge and decorative techniques. The Colonial Building in St. John’s, Newfoundland was used as a case study to demonstrate the importance of exposure windows and reveals. Exposure windows can reveal finishes that may be easily missed in cross section examination.

The afternoon’s second paper by Neal Vogel of Restoric LLC and artisan Andrew Delarosa was entitled “In Search of Diana & Endymion (and Walking in Edgar, Hester & Jesus’ Shoes): Researching & Restoring Lead Silhouette Windows.” Lead silhouette windows were popular in the United States between the 1920s and mid-1930s. In one case study, the McKinney Coach House in Buffalo, NY from 1927 with lead silhouette windows by the D’Ascenzo Studio of Philadelphia, Mr. Vogel discussed the challenges of restoring the windows that have missing artwork. In another case study, Mr. Delarosa described the process of recreating lead silhouette windows for the Walter Guest Apartments in Chicago to replace the windows originally designed by Edgar Miller in 1932. The recreation process included trying to recapture the hand of the original artist.

Patricia Miller’s presentation of “Identifying and Treating Aged Water Repellents on Historic Stone Structures” highlighted the point that treatments developed for specific conditions can be unsuccessful if those conditions are not well understood. Ms. Miller, of Conservation Solutions, Inc., discussed the development of film forming water repellents, primarily silicone resins, and penetrants, such as silanes and siloxanes. Two case studies, the World War I Memorial in Washington, DC and the Sutri Fountain at Vizcaya in Miami, FL were reviewed. In each case, previous water repellent treatments had to be considered when evaluating future treatments.

Architecture Specialty Group Afternoon Session: Metals

The final three papers of the Architecture Specialty Group session focused on the conservation of metals. Andrzej Dajnowski, of Conservation of Sculpture and Objects Studio, discussed “Removal of Clear Coat Lacquers with Lasers.” Mr. Dajnowski used the case study of the Tadeusz Kosciuszko Monument in Chicago to show the laser cleaning process. The presentation also presented the interesting possibility that the ablation process that occurs with laser cleaning may reduce copper and tin corrosion products to their metallic states. Laser cleaning can be an effective way to remove coatings from bronze sculpture, with almost no risk of damaging the surface if properly applied.

Tami Lasseter Clare of Portland State University presented “Understanding Performance Properties and Limitations of Coatings for Metals.” Ms. Clare discussed a research project whose goal was to develop a clear coating for exterior metal surfaces with a 50 plus year expected lifetime. After reviewing traditional coatings and desired properties of durable coatings, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was selected for testing and found to have promising durability performance. Durability of PVDF clear coatings can be further increased using a corrosion inhibitor such as benzotriazole (BTA) as a pretreatment and inorganic additives that reduce water permeability.

Bob Score of Harboe Architects gave the last presentation of the ASG session. His paper, “Historic Finish Analysis and Coatings Design,” presented the restoration of the cast iron storefront of the Sullivan Center, the former Carson Pirie Scott Building in Chicago. The finishes analysis was undertaken to identify the original color scheme on the cast iron storefront. A finish analysis from a previous restoration campaign was incorporated into the current study, as well as archival documentation. The challenges and considerations related to the painting work of the present restoration project included problems enforcing required curing and drying times, surpassing the 12-month maximum duration before recoating and routine quality testing conducted by the paint manufacturer to ensure coating thickness and adhesion.

Photographic Materials Group Talks on May 14, 2010 The Conservation Project of the Manila Daguerreotypes

The Conservation Project of the Manila Daguerreotypes

Caroline Barcella, Fifth Cycle Advanced Residency Program in Photograph Conservation

The second talk was equally engaging. This project was conducted during Caroline’s ARP study. These daguerreotypes were discovered at the Hispanic Society of America – 18 plates in passé-partout including 13 whole plates. This was a major discovery – very early for the Philippine Islands – images of Manila from a wharf to housing and water landscape. 2007-2009

Documentation and stabilization was goal. Many plates were loose. Result in greater understanding of their material housing and to develop documentation guidelines. English inscriptions on the reverse of housings. Owners were English speakers. American settlers who arrived in the islands. Plates are stunning. Passe partout housing presented for full understanding. Early 1840 paper mat – additional beveled mat added after 1840 (interesting time line on passé partout format presented) broadens our understanding of the dating of these related yet different formats.

Investigation to determine if plates were made at the same time by one photographer – comparative study of inscriptions indicated different hands and location. Probably that some plates are part of the same group owing to housing similarities. Demonstrates the clear value of analysis of housing using visual assessment and study or corrosion pattern to indicate past presentation. Front elements changed on some of these plates. Very nice example of in-depth analysis of collection using careful visual study.

Hallmarks were studied. They did vary. (15 hold the same stamp.) Plate holder marks on some but not all – different polishing systems used. Yellow fluorescence visible on some plates. Does this help with the assessment of processing? Whole plates appear to be processed the same way? All created in the same context. Possible conclusion. Documentation guidelines are important – method used can be secured from Caroline or final report on line.

Photographic Materials Group Talks on May 14, 2010 An Early Daguerreotype by Henry Fitz. JR.

An Early Daguerreotype by Henry Fitz. JR.

Hanako Murata, Assistant Conservator of Photographs, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hanako’s excellent, well illustrated, and comprehensive presentation addressed her work funded by the IMLS and the discoveries she made relating to the history and analysis of a Fitz daguerreotype – dated to 1840. Interesting points included:

The copper support of the plate was split which is quite unusual and rarely seen.

Uncertain how the plate was made. Investigation of the corrosion products required to further assess cause. There were breaks in the plates and UV examination in long and short wave undertaken. Plate may have been previously cleaned.

Owing to physical deformation a modified Z-tray designed for storage. Primary package was much deeper which required a replica case to be prepared with deeper tray. Fitz famous for his self portrait in NMAH Smithsonian. (This plate could not be analyzed because it was framed but it too may be on a brass support and certainly requires further study.) NMAH hold another 22 plates. Plus his workshop materials (including tools that demonstrate his frugal ways) which offer wonderful opportunities for learning and teaching. His studio established in Baltimore in 1840 – he continued taking images until 1842. In 1845 he moved to NYC. He made a telescope designed for astrophotography. His plates were roll welded.

Analysis included XRF at the Metropolitan which demonstrated only copper and zinc with traces of lead – 90% CU/10% ZN. Not gilded. Made on brass and not copper… questions relating to how unique this substrate was and why Fitz used brass and did he make this on his own? XRD on corrosion products in interlayer cleavage of the plate suggested that the plate may have been exposed to a pickling bath prior to joining. Clad welding may have been used in the manufacture which explains the lower Zn%. His background as telescope maker is important here but correlation between the metals used in scopes were not clear.

!9th century brass buttons were analyzed with XRF but there was not a strong link to the plate %.

Fitz plates – 22 at NMAH could be analyzed with portable XRF. Nine were made on brass! Zn% varied. These plates vary and visual differentiation based on color was not possible. Perhaps these were experiments? Brass only used for 1/9th plates. Deterioration did not vary considerably from brass or copper plates. Records of cleaning from NMAH do not exist. Additional delamination of plates observed where multiple layers are visible. Brass susceptible to stress cracking especially when in contact with ammonia.

These plates by Fitz are only known images on brass. May have been experimentation. Others may exist. Many discussions on who took the first image of a leading figure in the US. His self portrait is dated 1839… and it may be one of the earliest known self portraits. This is very significant. During the discussion Dr. Susan Barger notes that this may be roll clad plates that have failed. See her dissertation for more details on manufacture process. Correspondence about how to use materials – and debate about earliest plates. Cornelius made his own plates but that was his business.

Wednesday: Textile Group Meeting Update–An Afternoon of New Materials, Practice, and Place

Wednesday’s afternoon talks began with Gretchen Guidess who lectured on Finding Support: Reassessing & Developing a New Support System for Original Upholstery. The talk focused on a recent conservation treatment of a slip seat with surviving original under upholstery. Gretchen conserved the slip seat during her second year at the Winterthur/University of Delware Program in Art Conservation. The upholstery dates between 1780-1789, and resided in the Gardiner Mansion on Gardiner’s Island. Due to the original stitching along the under upholstery, the show cover and under layers were conserved for future study. Damages from the removal of previous repairs caused deformation of the under upholstery and tears along the back rail that needed support. Gretchen decided she needed a supportive, transparent material in order to show the under upholstery layers of the seat. She chose Vivak, a co-polyester sheeting, that is cold/heat formable, comes in a variety of thicknesses, can be cut with scissors/saw, and can be shaped with a hair dryer. Please see the following link for more details: null. A user guide can be found in pdf form at www.curbellplastics.com/petg-fabrication-vivak.pdf. Vivak could be shaped using heat to form to all the concave areas of the under upholstery, and the edges of the material were turned down to prevent tearing. The needlework was supported using dyed bobbinet. The support was held in place using c-clips attached to fabric covered Vivak supports. Vivak has also been used to produce clear costume mannequins in Santa Fe. Any further questions about Vivak and the product can be directed to gretchen.guidess@gmail.com.

Ann Frisina, Textile Conservator at the Mennesota Historical Society, gave the second lecture entitled: Not Much Left: Digitally Printing Replacement Upholstery as a Group Effort. Ann focused on the intricacies related to interpreting and representing a piece of upholstery from the James J. Hill House in St. Paul Minnesota. Two wingback chairs were sent to the conservation lab with several layers of secondary upholstery. There was little physical evidence of the original upholstery remaining. The tracking edge of the first chair was analyzed to reveal a late 19th century Jacquard woven cotton warp and wool weft. The second chair had no visible repeat, and was only depicted in an old photograph of the room that was hard to decipher. Consultations with upholstery designers specializing in historical furniture came up with a line rendering of the design that could be repeated in Adobe Photoshop. The image was first depicted in gray scale, and then a limited color palate was added to represent the original upholstery. In order to represent the original upholstery, a digitally printed fabric was produced as a replica fabric for the two wingback chairs. The replica upholstery was printed at L.T.S. in New York on various smooth to textured cotton samples at 7-8 yrd. legnths. In order for the colors to be manipulated for printing, they must be indexed in Adobe Photoshop. Therefore, each color can be manipulated separately. Identification, analysis, and replica reproduction for the original upholstery of these wingback chairs involved a collaboration between many artisans.

The third lecture of the afternoon was given by Catalina Hernandez, Private Practice Conservator in Bogata Columbia, entitled: The Uses of Nonwoven Fabrics in Conservation. Catalina began her investigations of nonwoven materials as part of her dissertation at The Textile Conservation Center in the UK. During an archaeological materials conservation project at the Gold Museum in Bogata, Columia, she continued to investigate alternatives to Tyvek and Acid Free tissue, due to such a limited budget for the project. While Tyvek and Acid Free tissue are commonly used in the U.S. and Europe, they are very expensive and hard to order in Columbia and other Latin American Countries. Catalina compared four readily available, cost-effective, nonwoven fabrics available in Bogata. Two nonwoven fabrics, generally used as car covers, were Kimberly-Clark Block-It 380 and Dustop Soft as Flannel car Cover. The other two nonwoven fabrics were Bonlam 90B4 all purpose fabric and Bonlam all purpose fabric available from Polymer Group International. All fabrics were very light, but the Bonlam nonwovens were breathable with a high tensile stragnth. Bonlam 90B4 proved to be the best alternative to Gore-Tex. It could be used in humdification, solvent, and adhesive application treatments. During the chemical resistance testing, the pH of the fibers in Bonlam 90B4 is not affected by exposure to chemicals. The car cover fabrics were too light, let liquid water in, grabby, and shrank during the lint production test. While all the fabrics were too light for some conservation treatments, Bonlam 90B4 all purpose fabric proved to be a successful alternative to Tyvek and Gore-Tex as a breathable nonwoven material.

After the afternoon coffee break, Allison McCloskey, Assistant Conservator at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, gave a lecture entitled: Revisiting Treatment of 12th Century Mongolian Deels. Allison assessed the conservation treatment of three 12th c. deels (traditional Mongolian cloaks) that were unearthed in an archaeological dig by the Center for Cultural Heritage of Mongolia. Allison, and fellow conservator Cynthia Luk traveled to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar as part of a bilateral exchange funded by a Trust for Mutual Understanding. The Deels were originally treated an isopropyl alcohol bath of 70% ethanol and 30% distilled water to address the soling and microbial activity. After the initial immersion, an aqueous cleaning was carried out with Johnson’s Baby Shampoo to separate the Deels. They were dried under glass weights to prevent distortion and creasing. Once dry, the Deels were stitched to a padded board support. Narrow fabric wrapped piping was inserted between any areas of folded edge to prevent creasing. Nylon net was stitched over the surface for additional support. The conservators analyzed the deterioration of the sericin coating on the Talas hair silk fibers by using SEM and FTIR on the Deels. Mass Spectrometry and Gas Chromatography were used to detect detergent residue remaining after the previous wet cleaning treatment. After analysis, it was decided thatno harmful residue remained after wet cleaning that would require further cleaning treatments on the Mongolian Deels.

The final talk of the afternoon was given by Patricia Ewer entitled: Cultural Exchange Programs: Sharing Conservation Information in Azerbaijan. Patricia, a Textile Objects Conservator in Mound, Minnesota, discussed the details of her trip to Azerbaijan to visit their museum and conservation department. The trip was funded by the Fund for Arts & Culture, with an emphasis to share ideas and practices. An initial objective for her trip was to meet find an individual to offer an museum conservation internship in the U.S. While preparing for her trip she researched travel to Azerbaijan, and was presented with very limited literature. Patricia also reviewed literature and communicated with other conservators such as Mika Takami, Julia Brennan, and Frances Lennard, who have all traveled to foreign countries to carry out conservation lectures. Once arriving in Azerbaijan, and meeting the individual museum workers, she realized the intense desire, craftsmanship, and interest among the community to preserve their cultural history. They had a team for textile analysis and fabric re-weavers carrying out treatments on a variety of carpets. After her visit, Patricia proposed an alternative to picking one individual from Azerbaijan returning for an internship in the U.S. She suggested a team of conservators for the U.S. travel back to Azerbaijan and collaborate with the museum workers for a longer period of time.

This concluded the textile group lectures on Wednesday afternoon. The textile group business meeting was carried out after the talks.

A somewhat late report on the talks at the Wednesday morning General Sessions

[I apologize that the reports on the individual General Session talks are not longer and in greater depth. At the Wednesday morning sessions I had the dual role of blogger and time keeper for the speakers so my attention was split. I am delighted that another blogger has posted detailed reports on the talks by George Wheeler and Steven Weintraub. ]

George Wheeler opened the meeting with his talk, “Identity Crisis– Critical Identity: The Future of Conservation and the Role of AIC in its Development”. Wheeler’s premise was that conservation is an act of criticism and interpretation. Conservators must think about how they think and must make a connection between thought and action. He suggested that conservators look to other fields like literary criticism for models on how to do this. He spoke about four books and one journal that have helped him advance his theoretical thinking. The books are Cesare Brandi’s “Theory of Restoration (Enligh trans, 2005), Salvador Munoz-Vinas’ “Contemporary Conservation Theory” (2005), Paul Eggert’s “Securing the Past” (2009), and Alison Richmond and Alison Bracker’s “Conservation Principles, Dilemmas and Uncomfortable Truths” (2010), and the journal is “Future Anterior”.

Shelly Smith, the second speaker of the morning followed Wheeler with a very animated talk, “With Patience and Fortitude: Keeping Conservation Relevant in a Changing Institution”. Smith is Head of Conservation at the New York Public Library, an institution with a permanent collection comprised of enormous numbers of objects housed in multiple branches. In 2008, the Library changed its mission statement dropping conservation from its mission at the same time that it made plans to move its conservation department to a new, much larger custom designed laboratory offsite, and that it transferred the department from its technical services division (where it was sometimes looked at as a high end book repair shop) to the collection strategy department where the curatorial department resides. Confused by the mixed messages it had been given about its importance to the institution, the conservation department decided to become proactive rather than wait to be told what it should be in the new scheme of things. It has encouraged the Library think about the transportation of collection materials now that all items must be moved offsite for treatment. It is working to show how stewardship of the collection serves the Library’s new mission “to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge and strengthen communities”. One of its the first initiatives in that regard was the production of a five minute video, geared to school children, on the treatment of library materials which was incorporated into a recent Library exhibition.

Patricia Silence, speaking on behalf of the AIC Green Task Force (GTF) presented the last paper before the coffee break– “Challenges of Sustainable Conservation in the 21st Century”. The information she presented will be available in greater depth on the AIC website. Silence stated that the GTF’s aim is provide a methodology for reducing the individual conservator’s impact on the environment. It does not presume to tell anyone how he or she must work. Among the areas Silence spoke about were solvents, water purification systems, treatment options requiring less water, the use of reusable rather than disposable materials, recycling of materials, and travel. She discussed how the AIC itself is working to be more environmentally conscious including choosing meeting tote bags that were made from recycled materials. The GTF is collecting ideas on how to make conservation practice more sustainable. Silence asked that ideas and tips be sent to green@conservation-us.org

The first presentation in the second of the Wednesday morning sessions was Steven Weintruab’s “The Evolution of Environmental Standards: The Struggle to Quantify and Simplify Risk in a Complex World”. Weintraub dedicated his talk to Carolyn Rose and Toby Raphael. Weintraub’s premise was that environmental control is a complex issue and there is a danger when it is simplified to a list of specificiations. He noted that when Garry Thomson first published “The Museum Environment” he did not include a list of environmental specifications. Rather he gave explanations for why certain numbers or ranges of numbers made sense. Weintraub also noted that today conservation is one of a number of fields– the construction industry being another– that are tring to establish performance guidelines rather than prescriptive guidelines. Weintraub said that environmental control can be seen as a matter of risk and cost benefit analysis–i.e., what is the level of risk that an institution will tolerate and what will it cost to prevent a certain amount of damage. Weintraub spoke at length about lighting. He noted that in the old days lighting was simple– one used just enough light to see the object and no more– but that lighting has become more complex as we have come to understand that 50 lux of light directed at an object 8 hours a day for 90 days has a very different effect than 150 lux directed at an object 8 hours a day for 30 days. Weintraub ended his presentation with the reminder that we should be thinking about problem solving rather than about applying standards.

The next presentation, “p3: Pen, Preservation, Political– Establishing a Longitudinal Study for the Exhibition and Storage of Herblock Drawings”, was divided between Holly Huston Krueger and Fenella G. France, with Krueger providing background ablut the collection and France describing the longitudinal study of seven drawings from the collection. Krueger noted that when Herbert Block, the Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Herblock, died in 2001, he left his entire archive of 14,460 finished drawings and 50,000 rough sketches to the Library of Congress with the stipulation that some part of the collection be on display at all times. While Herblock was fairly consistent in his choice of materials throughout his career (1941- 2001)– graphite and India ink– in the 1960s, he did begin to try a variety of other materials of varying stabilities. The Library of Congress’s curators were concerned about how exhibition and storage conditions would affect the works, so Krueger and France developed a study that used selected drawings to provide baseline data on this. The works chosen for study were examined with hyperspectral imaging before, during, and after they went on display and will be studied while in storage. In addition, sample sheets were made using drawing materials taken from Herblock’s studio. They will be used in natural and accelerated aging tests.

Frank Matero presented the final paper of Wednesday’s General Sessions, “Conservation as Revitalization of Cairo’s al Darb al Ahmar”. Matero

began his talk by proposing that conservation is creative, progressive, and subversive– the last because it goes against the trend to replace anything old with something new. The conservation plan for the Darb al Ahmar district of Cairo, a district that was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1983, gave that socially and environmentally fragile area a means of revitalizing itself and its economy. The restoration of the crumbling district wall, parts of which were buried under rubble, took what had been a dangerous structure and turned it into a unifying element of the district. So much material was required for the repair of the wall that quarries were reopened to fill the need. Local workmen were hired and taught historic construction techniques providing meaningful employment. The revitalized district has seen an influx of visitors who provide an additional boost to the local economy.