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Tuesday, May 12
 

9:00am EDT

(Workshop) Laser Cleaning of Surfaces: Artifacts and Architecture (Tuesday Only)
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
This 2-day pre-session combines lectures, demonstrations, discussions, and hands-on practice.  It is intended for a range of practitioners from specialties spanning architecture, objects, and paintings, from those with little or no experience to expert laser users.

On Tuesday, May 12 participants will learn about the various types of lasers available, safety, and how lasers have been used in the treatment of cultural property. Protocols for determining safe working parameters for different materials will be discussed, along with some of the most important current research on damage parameters.  Several lasers will be available for demonstrations.

On Wednesday, May 13 participants will divide into smaller groups for practical, hands-on demonstrations and experience. A field trip will also be offered for those interested in cleaning of exterior architectural surfaces.

 Choose to register for the One-Day Workshop (Tuesday only) or the Two-Day Workshop. Registration for this event is limited, so register now. 
Instructors
MA

Meg Abraham

Dr. Meg Abraham has BA degrees in History, Art History and Physics and a Masters in Archaeology from UCLA.  She received a Doctorate from the Materials Department at Oxford University after completing her research in the incorporation of laser ablation into a Proton Induced X-Ray... Read More →
avatar for John Asmus

John Asmus

Research Physicist, Physics Dept., University of California, San Diego
John F. Asmus is on the Research Faculty of the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego and is associated with the Center for Advanced Nanotechnology. He earned his PhD. From the California Institute of Technology and is the co-founder of the Center for Art/Science... Read More →
MC

Martin Cooper

Head of Conservation Division, Lynton Lasers Ltd
Dr Martin Cooper joined the conservation team at Lynton Lasers Ltd in 2013. He is well known in the laser conservation field, having completed a PhD in laser cleaning of stone sculpture in 1993 at Loughborough University in the UK. Dr Cooper spent twenty years working as a Conservation... Read More →
avatar for Prof. Adele de Cruz

Prof. Adele de Cruz

Associate Aj.Professor, Duke University
Painting conservator, Conservation scientist, Inventor of use of Er:YAG laser in fine arts conservation.
avatar for Matt Cushman

Matt Cushman

Conservator of Paintings & Affiliated Assistant Professor, Winterthur Museum/University of Delaware
Matt Cushman is the Conservator of Paintings at Winterthur Museum and Affiliated Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware. Previously, Matt was a project conservator at Yale's Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage and Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the Worcester... Read More →
avatar for Bartosz A. Dajnowski

Bartosz A. Dajnowski

Conservator, G.C. Laser Systems Inc.
Objects conservator Bartosz Dajnowski has an MS from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Masters Program in Art Conservation. He studied art, culture, and conservation at the Jagiellonian University in Poland, Studio Art Centers International in Florence, the Loyola Rome Center... Read More →
avatar for Pamela Hatchfield

Pamela Hatchfield

Conservator, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Pamela Hatchfield is the Robert P. and Carol T. Henderson Head of Objects Conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She received her Master’s degree in Art History and Certificate in Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, with an advanced level... Read More →
avatar for Holly Salmon

Holly Salmon

John L. and Susan K. Gardner Director of Conservation, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Holly Salmon is the John L. and Susan K. Gardner Director of Conservation at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum where she has worked for 15 years. She received her M.S. in Art Conservation from the Winterthur University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation in 2001. Her internships... Read More →
Tuesday May 12, 2015 9:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Workshop, Architecture, Objects

9:00am EDT

(Workshop) Airbrushing for Conservators
Limited Capacity seats available
This two day, hands-on workshop is specially designed to introduce and broaden the conservation professional’s exposure to the range of materials, technical skills, and processes available while using an airbrush. Practical conservation applications and materials use will be explored, along with details on airbrush set-up, usage, trouble shooting, accessories, and maintenance. Emphasis will be placed on proper tool handling techniques and form. The range of projects will progress from basic operation, skill drills, masking and frisket methods, and freehand spraying, before moving on to advanced airbrush techniques. The Iwata airbrushes will be available for optional purchase after the workshop at significantly discounted prices. This workshop was offered last year by WAG and sold out rapidly!
Instructors
TF

Tad Fallon

Principal, Fallon & Wilkinson, LLC
Tad Fallon grew up around art and antiques, working within the family business, Copake Auctions Inc., prior to college. In 1991, after beginning college as a studio art major, he entered the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Restoration program in New York City and studied... Read More →
AP

Alan Pastrana

Pastrana Unlimited Airbrush Studios
Tuesday May 12, 2015 9:00am - Wednesday May 13, 2015 5:00pm EDT
Johnson 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Workshop, Wooden Artifacts

9:00am EDT

(Workshop) Laser Cleaning of Surfaces: Artifacts and Architecture (Tues and Wed)
Limited Capacity seats available
This 2-day pre-session combines lectures, demonstrations, discussions, and hands-on practice.  It is intended for a range of practitioners from specialties spanning architecture, objects, and paintings, from those with little or no experience to expert laser users.

On Tuesday, May 12 participants will learn about the various types of lasers available, safety, and how lasers have been used in the treatment of cultural property. Protocols for determining safe working parameters for different materials will be discussed, along with some of the most important current research on damage parameters.  Several lasers will be available for demonstrations.

On Wednesday, May 13 participants will divide into smaller groups for practical, hands-on demonstrations and experience. A field trip will also be offered for those interested in cleaning of exterior architectural surfaces.

 Choose to register for the One-Day Workshop (Tuesday only) or the Two-Day Workshop. Registration for this event is limited, so register now. 
Instructors
MA

Meg Abraham

Dr. Meg Abraham has BA degrees in History, Art History and Physics and a Masters in Archaeology from UCLA.  She received a Doctorate from the Materials Department at Oxford University after completing her research in the incorporation of laser ablation into a Proton Induced X-Ray... Read More →
avatar for John Asmus

John Asmus

Research Physicist, Physics Dept., University of California, San Diego
John F. Asmus is on the Research Faculty of the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego and is associated with the Center for Advanced Nanotechnology. He earned his PhD. From the California Institute of Technology and is the co-founder of the Center for Art/Science... Read More →
MC

Martin Cooper

Head of Conservation Division, Lynton Lasers Ltd
Dr Martin Cooper joined the conservation team at Lynton Lasers Ltd in 2013. He is well known in the laser conservation field, having completed a PhD in laser cleaning of stone sculpture in 1993 at Loughborough University in the UK. Dr Cooper spent twenty years working as a Conservation... Read More →
avatar for Prof. Adele de Cruz

Prof. Adele de Cruz

Associate Aj.Professor, Duke University
Painting conservator, Conservation scientist, Inventor of use of Er:YAG laser in fine arts conservation.
avatar for Matt Cushman

Matt Cushman

Conservator of Paintings & Affiliated Assistant Professor, Winterthur Museum/University of Delaware
Matt Cushman is the Conservator of Paintings at Winterthur Museum and Affiliated Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware. Previously, Matt was a project conservator at Yale's Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage and Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the Worcester... Read More →
avatar for Bartosz A. Dajnowski

Bartosz A. Dajnowski

Conservator, G.C. Laser Systems Inc.
Objects conservator Bartosz Dajnowski has an MS from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Masters Program in Art Conservation. He studied art, culture, and conservation at the Jagiellonian University in Poland, Studio Art Centers International in Florence, the Loyola Rome Center... Read More →
avatar for Pamela Hatchfield

Pamela Hatchfield

Conservator, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Pamela Hatchfield is the Robert P. and Carol T. Henderson Head of Objects Conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She received her Master’s degree in Art History and Certificate in Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, with an advanced level... Read More →
avatar for Holly Salmon

Holly Salmon

John L. and Susan K. Gardner Director of Conservation, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Holly Salmon is the John L. and Susan K. Gardner Director of Conservation at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum where she has worked for 15 years. She received her M.S. in Art Conservation from the Winterthur University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation in 2001. Her internships... Read More →
Tuesday May 12, 2015 9:00am - Wednesday May 13, 2015 5:00pm EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Workshop, Architecture, Objects

1:00pm EDT

(Tour) Creative Contemporary – Behind the Scenes at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
PAAM serves one of the most diverse populations in one of the fastest growing regions in the country, where a unique confluence of Caribbean, North and South American cultures adds vibrancy and texture to the civic landscape. The city’s thriving community of artists, designers and collectors and its avid and growing art-engaged public are driving Miami’s demand for a world-class museum and dynamic center of visual arts education.

Join us for a behind the scenes tour focusing on the storage and conservation challenges facing contemporary arts. You will receive a special tour of the storage areas from Senior Registrar Naomi Patterson and a tour of the collection from the Chief Curator.

Tuesday May 12, 2015 1:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Objects, Paintings, Textiles, Wooden Artifacts

2:00pm EDT

(Tour) Downtown Miami Archeology and Architecture Walk
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
Join historian Dr. Paul George as we start the walk from the Hyatt Regency. Walk along the confluence of the Miami River and Biscayne Bay and learn about Miami’s history, from the Tequesta people to early pioneers and modern times. View the art and architecture along the walk to the Miami Circle archaeological site. Note – this tour is great paired with the Stilsville and Miami River Sunset Boat Tour, the areas covered will be different. See Miami by land and sea – register for both tours.
Speakers
DP

Dr. Paul George

Professor of History, Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus
A native Miamian, Dr. George is a Professor of History at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus and historian at HistoryMiami. For over twenty years, he has led the wildly popular city tours program which includes history tours of Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach Counties... Read More →


Tuesday May 12, 2015 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Architecture

4:30pm EDT

(Tour) Stiltsville and Miami River Sunset Cruise
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
Discover Miami history from its early residents, the Tequesta Indians to modern day as you float down the Miami river and out to Biscayne bay. Join historian Dr. Paul George on this relaxing and informative tour. We will cruise to Stiltsville where you will learn how this once vivacious community was transformed into the seven houses that remain amidst the turquoise waters of Biscayne Bay. Known in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s as a playground for wealthy and well-connected Miamians, Stiltsville was once home to the now infamous Crawfish Eddies and Bikini Club. Cruise past the Cape Florida Lighthouse, Cape Florida Lighthouse, where you may be able to catch a glimpse of dolphins, manatees and other sea life. Delight in this relaxing boat ride to one of Miami’s most hidden gems! A perfect start to a great Annual Meeting.

Tuesday May 12, 2015 4:30pm - 7:30pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Architecture
 
Wednesday, May 13
 

8:00am EDT

(Workshop) Professional Networking in the Americas
A diverse panel of experts will discuss the topic of professional networking in the field of conservation and preservation. Participants will then work together to discuss and establish actions and collaborations to improve professional networking and professional development in the field of heritage preservation in the Americas.

Presented in part through a grant from the Getty Foundation.
Moderators
avatar for Beatriz Haspo

Beatriz Haspo

Conservator, Library of Congress
Beatriz Haspo is a senior conservator specialized in logistics, space management, collections management, and disaster preparedness and response. She has certificates in book, paper and painting conservation from Brazil, United States and Japan. Her major education includes M.A. in... Read More →
MK

Magdalena Krebs

Dirección, La Dirección de Bibliotecas, Archivos y Museos, Dibam
avatar for Debbie Hess Norris-[Fellow]

Debbie Hess Norris-[Fellow]

Chair/Professor, Department of Art Conservation, University of Delaware
Debra Hess Norris is Chair of the Art Conservation Department at the University of Delaware, and Professor of Photograph Conservation. She graduated magna cum laude with an interdisciplinary BA degree in chemistry, art history, and studio art (1977) and MS in conservation (1980) from... Read More →
avatar for Hilda Abreu Utermohlen-[Fellow]

Hilda Abreu Utermohlen-[Fellow]

Executive Director, Hilab
Hilda is founder and Executive Director of Hilab, a private art conservation firm in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She has 28 years of experience working in the treatment of paintings and a wide range of art conservation services and consultations in her country and the Caribbean... Read More →

Wednesday May 13, 2015 8:00am - 1:00pm EDT
Hibiscus A 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Workshop

8:15am EDT

(Tour) Cubans, Collectors, and other Miami Cultural Game Changers
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
In mid-1960s, Miami began to transform from a sleepy tourist town to the economic and cultural capital of Latin America. In the past six decades, the city’s change has been spearheaded by visionaries who have in nearly all cases moved to the Magic City from someplace else. This tour will take AIC members to some of the venues that exemplify those changes. The tour will be led by AIC Fellow Rosa Lowinger, who grew up in Miami, serves as one of the lead investigators for the Marine Stadium conservation study and has a contemporary art and architectural conservation practice in the city.

Itinerary

8:15 AM Leave the hotel for a visit to the Miami Marine Stadium. Built in 1963 by Cuban American architect Hilario Candela, the stadium was the premier boat racing grandstand in the nation from 1963-1992. It also served as a concert venue, hosting such varied artists as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Steppenwolf, and Jimmy Buffett. In 1992 the city closed the stadium. It has since become the premier graffiti site in the city. The building is one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Treasures and the recipient of a conservation planning grant from the Getty Foundation.
9:30 AM Leave the stadium and drive by tour of other significant architectural venues, including the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College, the Bacardi Building—both sites that now house contemporary art venues or arts organizations.
10:30 AM Visit the Cisneros Fontanals Contemporary Latin American Art Collection. Meet curator Jesus Fuenmayor.
12:00 PM Visit Dimensions Variable a space run by Miami-based artists Leyden Rodriguez, Frances Trombly, and Adler Guerrier that produces and/ or sponsors cutting edge exhibits, events, and lectures.
1:00 PM Pick-up Cuban sandwiches or vegetarian alternatives at Enriqueta’s Cuban café. Walk one block to Rubell Collection.
1:30 PM Lunch in patio at the contemporary Rubell Family Collection. Tour of the museum and visit with curator Juan Vaselione Valdes.
2:45 PM Bus drop off in Design District, walk through contemporary public art exhibits recently installed by real estate developer Craig Robbins, including a Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye. Walk through district to the De la Cruz Collection.
3:30 - 4:30 PM Visit the contemporary collection of Carlos and Rosa De la Cruz.
5:00 PM Return to the Hyatt
Speakers
avatar for Rosa Lowinger-[Fellow]

Rosa Lowinger-[Fellow]

Managing Principal, RLA Conservation
Rosa Lowinger has been a conservator of outdoor sculpture and public art since 1984. A graduate of the Conservation Center at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts and a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation, she is the principal of Rosa Lowinger and Associates, a private sculpture... Read More →


Wednesday May 13, 2015 8:15am - 5:15pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Architecture

9:00am EDT

(Workshop) Influence for Impact: Leadership Strategies for Collections Care Professionals
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
Conservation and collection care professionals are often called on to lead projects without the organizational power to make decisions. Participants will learn influencing skills, situational leadership techniques, and how to use the art of diplomacy to make a personal difference in value for their organizations or clients. Bob Norris, a management consultant who is deeply familiar with conservation issues will be joined by a mid-career collections manager and an emerging conservator to foster discourse about situational leadership at different points in one’s career. Key concepts will be developed through multiple interactive exercises.
Instructors
avatar for Rebecca Fifield

Rebecca Fifield

Senior Manager, Collection Management (Head), The New York Public Library
Rebecca Fifield is Senior Manager, Collection Management, a new unit that enriches access through improved physical management and documentation. Fifield has 30 years experience and holds an M.A. Museum Studies from George Washington University.
avatar for Courtney Murray

Courtney Murray

Associate Objects Conservator, Midwest Art Conservation Center
Ms. Murray joined MACC in 2017, coming from the Denver Art Museum where she worked with an encyclopedic collection of three-dimensional objects. Prior, she completed a Samuel H. Kress Foundation post-graduate fellowship and graduate internship at the Denver Art Museum, and graduate... Read More →
BN

Bob Norris

Senior Client Partner, BMGi
Bob Norris has extensive experience in driving enterprise-wide change and improvement initiatives across a diverse range of service/transactional, manufacturing and government organizations. Bob has designed and deployed six enterprise-wide improvement programs and has facilitated... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2015 9:00am - 4:00pm EDT
Hibiscus B 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Workshop, Collection Care

9:00am EDT

(Workshop) Using Wikis to Collaborate, Share, and Advance Conservation
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
Wiki platforms are increasingly seen as important collaborative tools for developing and sharing professional content. Whether you are new to wikis or are looking to learn advanced functions, this workshop will provide guidance, examples, and the opportunity to immediately put into practice what you learn. Basic coding as well as tips for formatting, images, automation, and smoother workflows will be covered. Participants will have an opportunity to practice their new skills on AIC’s Knowledge Base wiki, the Museum of Fine Arts’ CAMEO, NCPTT’s Preservapedia, and SPNHC’s Best Practices wiki, as well as an open “hackathon” for organizing and generating new content. Participants should bring a laptop with wireless capability; plugging strips will be provided.
Instructors
avatar for Rachael Perkins Arenstein-[PA]

Rachael Perkins Arenstein-[PA]

Partner, AM Art Conservation LLC
Rachael Perkins Arenstein is a Professional Associate member of the American Institute for Conservation. She is a principal of A.M. Art Conservation, LLC, the private practice that she co-founded in 2009. She has worked at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, the Smithsonian's National... Read More →
avatar for Michele Derrick

Michele Derrick

Scientist/Researcher, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Michele R. Derrick is a chemist and conservation scientist with more than twenty years’ experience analyzing and characterizing materials. She worked at the University of Arizona Analytical Center and then for twelve years as a conservation scientist at the Getty Conservation Institute... Read More →
avatar for Suzanne Morgan

Suzanne Morgan

Conservator, Arizona State University Libraries
Suzy Morgan is a graduate of the conservation program at the University of Texas at Austin. She has had conservation internships at Northwestern University Libraries, Syracuse University Library, and has also worked as a conservator in private practice. Currently she is the Conservator... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2015 9:00am - 4:30pm EDT
Orchid B-C 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Workshop, Wikis

11:00am EDT

(Workshop) Private Practice CIPP Seminar/Workshop: Practical Solutions for Running a Successful Business
Add to Registration
Cost $39.00 for CIPP members $79.00 for non members; Includes Box Lunch

This workshop will focus on three main areas of running a successful private practice:
  1. Accurate estimating
  2. Streamlined documentation and billing.
  3. Outreach and marketing update.  
1. Accurate Estimating
Guest speakers will explain how they approach the estimating process and share their methodology and tools in short presentations. Topics covered will include estimating “normal” projects, “huge “ projects and government bids.   

2. Streamlined documentation and billing
Chris Stravroudis will unveil his business database, which combines accounting software, documentation and image management in one Filemaker database.  Participants will receive a download of the database prior to workshop.

3. Outreach and Marketing Update
Scott Haskins will build on his successful past marketing workshops with tips to “get found.” Also to be discussed will be the benefits of building partnerships with allied professionals, conservators, clients and other “aligned” organizations.  Scott will also include a section on producing videos and the use of blogs. What works and doesn’t work?

The workshop will include lots of time for questions and participation and it is intended for both established and emerging conservation professionals. All three subjects are planned for future CIPP webinars as follow up to enhance the learning process.
Instructors
avatar for Scott Haskins-[PA]

Scott Haskins-[PA]

President, FACL, Inc.
Scott M. Haskins graduated in 1978 from the Italian government Lombardy Region - ENAIP 3 year masters degree level painting conservation program run in conjunction with the Istituto Centrale del Restauro in Rome. Between 1978 and 1984 Mr. Haskins established the painting conservation... Read More →
CS

Chris Stavroudis

Conservator, Chris Stavroudis, Paintings Conservator
Chris Stavroudis is a private paintings conservator in West Hollywood, California. He developed the Modular Cleaning Program in 2002 as an off shoot of the work of Richard Wolbers and the Gels Cleaning Project at the Getty Conservation Institute.Chris obtained undergraduate degrees... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2015 11:00am - 3:00pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Pre-Conference Session, Private Practice |   Workshop, Private Practice

12:30pm EDT

(Tour) Wynwood Walk
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
Explore one of Miami’s trendiest and most dynamic neighborhoods, the Wynwood Art District with AIC’s own, Viviana Dominguez. Learn the story of how this textile warehouse and immigrant neighborhood, formerly known as “Little San Juan,” is quickly becoming the world’s largest outdoor art gallery.

On this tour you will hear about the history and conservation challenges facing Wynwood Street Art and Murals. You will also hear from a few local artists who will be available for an interview with the conservators on the tour, to discuss their perspectives and intentions with preservation of their art.

The tour will be mostly walking, however we may use the bus occasionally.

Wynwood Tour Itinerary (walking about 2nd avenue, starting around 30th street)

  1. Dabs&Myla: between 30th-29th street & 2nd ave

  2. Pun 18, Otto Schade: 29th & 2nd

  3. Evoca 1: 28th and 2nd ave

  4. Ahol Sniffs Glue: 27th & 2nd

  5. Kobra: 27th terrace and 2nd ave

  6. Bicicleta Sem Freio: 27th terrace & 2nd

  7. Wynwood Walls: 2nd ave & 26th street

  8. Space Invader, Kenny Scharf, Liqen, Retna, Ron English, Ryan McGuinness, Shepard Fairey, Selios Faitakis, Gaia, P.H.A.S.E. 2, Vhils, etc.

  9. Saner/Sego: 25th & 2nd

  10. David Walker: 26th street, between 2nd & 3rd

  11. Rone: between 24th & 23rd, east of 2nd

  12. Don Rimx/Trek 6, Txemy, Spear Torres 24th & 2nd

  13. Faith 47: 22nd & 2nd ave (end, turn back around)

  14. End – BakeHouse Art Complex


Wednesday May 13, 2015 12:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Architecture

12:30pm EDT

(Tour) Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: Behind the Scenes Tour/Symposium
Limited Capacity seats available
Described as the grandest house in America at the time of its completion, Vizcaya is a stunningly beautiful early 20th century villa in the heart of Miami. Join us for a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens to discuss ongoing conservation efforts with Lauren Hall, Vizcaya's conservator, and many of the site’s consulting conservators. Learn about the unique conservation challenges facing a European inspired villa in a sub-tropical zone.

The museum’s collections and curatorial staff will lead the tour through the estate and you will hear from conservators that have worked at Vizcaya discuss their various projects.

The following conservators will participate in the program:

  • Amelia Jensen will speak about the treatment of an 18th century suite of French caned furniture in the Reception Room.
  • Deborah Trupin will share details about treating a 15th century Spanish carpet in the Living Room and a Flemish tapestry in the Dining Room.
  • Bret Headley will discuss the assembly of a reusable anoxia system for treating pest-infested objects.
  • Susan Buck will share her findings regarding the original scheme of the Robert Winthrop Chanler ceiling mural in the swimming pool grotto.
  • Joe Sembrat of Conservation Solutions will talk about his firm's outdoor sculpture conservation campaign with particular focus paid to the treatment of the Italian Sutri Fountain in the formal gardens.

After the tour of the house, we will follow Vizcaya's elegant traditions with tea on patio. You will also have a chance to visit the gardens and continue the discussions with the consulting conservators. The day will culminate with a brief tour of Vizcaya's Village, which includes a collection of nine extant buildings that originally housed a variety of functions to support life at the estate. We will discuss plans for restoration and programming in the Village, aimed at coinciding with Vizcaya's 2016 centennial celebration.

Don't miss this rare opportunity.
Speakers
avatar for Susan L. Buck

Susan L. Buck

Conservator and Paint Analyst, Susan L Buck , Ph.D.
Ph.D. University of Delaware Ph.D. Program in Art Conservation Research MS. Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation MBA. Boston University BA. Williams College. Conservator in private practice and lecturer in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in... Read More →
BH

Bret Headley

Owner, Principal Conservator, Headley Conservation Services LLC
Bret Headley was a fifth generation cabinetmaker before entering the field of conservation. He Graduated from the Winterthur and University of Delaware Art Conservation Program in 2009 with a Masters of Science and a certificate in conservation. Since graduation he has been employed... Read More →
AB

Amelia Bagnall Jensen

Conservator of Painted Surfaces, Private Practice
avatar for Joseph Sembrat

Joseph Sembrat

Senior Conservator, Conservation Solutions, Inc
Joe is a Fellow of AIC and has been immersed in the conservation field for over 20 years providing conservation assessments, design, and implementation of conservation treatments and lecturing on relevant topics in the field. His extensive experience in the treatment of historic materials... Read More →
avatar for Deborah Trupin

Deborah Trupin

Textile Conservator, NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Deborah Trupin received an MA in art history and Diploma in Conservation from New York University's Institute of Fine Arts, Conservation Center. Since 1986, she has been Textile Conservator for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Bureau... Read More →


Wednesday May 13, 2015 12:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Architecture, Objects

1:00pm EDT

(Workshop) Getting It Paid For: Practical Philosophy and Practice in Preparing IMLS Grant Applications
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
This workshop will address preparing a competitive IMLS grant application from the distinct but practical perspectives of an applicant and a peer reviewer. We will deconstruct the application process by breaking it into logical, manageable units, beginning with conceptualizing a conservation project and ending with its successful submittal. Then, we will put participants on the other side of the table by replicating a peer review panel. The goal is to help participants develop a solid understanding of the process and what constitutes a competitive, fundable application, which should help in structuring their own proposals. Workshop participants will also be invited to schedule a time for a one-on-one consultation with the workshop leader on Thursday or Friday in the Exhibit Hall.
Instructors
avatar for Connie Bodner

Connie Bodner

Supervisory Grants Management Specialist, Institute of Museum and Library Services
Wednesday May 13, 2015 1:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Gautier 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Workshop, Fundraising

1:30pm EDT

(Workshop) Recovery Efforts after the Disaster is Over
Limited Capacity seats available
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AIC-CERT members recap the past year’s activities and discuss recovery efforts made after the immediate response is complete.  A panel discussion will follow.
Wednesday May 13, 2015 1:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Hibiscus A 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Workshop, Disaster Response and Recovery

2:00pm EDT

(Tour) Downtown Miami Archeology and Architecture Walk
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
Join historian Dr. Paul George as we start the walk from the Hyatt Regency. Walk along the confluence of the Miami River and Biscayne Bay and learn about Miami’s history, from the Tequesta people to early pioneers and modern times. View the art and architecture along the walk to the Miami Circle archaeological site. Note – this tour is great paired with the Stilsville and Miami River Sunset Boat Tour, the areas covered will be different. See Miami by land and sea – register for both tours.
Speakers
DP

Dr. Paul George

Professor of History, Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus
A native Miamian, Dr. George is a Professor of History at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus and historian at HistoryMiami. For over twenty years, he has led the wildly popular city tours program which includes history tours of Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach Counties... Read More →


Wednesday May 13, 2015 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Architecture

2:15pm EDT

(Tour) South Beach Art Deco Walk
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
Join us as we meet with representatives from the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) for an official tour of the Miami Beach Architectural Historic District. Prior to the tour we will have an opportunity to discuss preservation efforts with MDPL.

MDPL is a non-profit organization devoted to preserving, protecting, and promoting the cultural, social, economic, environmental and architectural integrity of the Miami Beach Architectural Historic District, where historic preservation is of concern.  MDPL is the private primary advocate for historic preservation in the City of Miami Beach.  

This walking tour provides an introduction to the Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Miami Modern (MiMo) styles found within the Miami Beach Architectural Historic District. Explore hotels, restaurants, and other commercial structures with a visit to a number of interiors. 

This tour pairs well with the South Beach Tasting and Walking Tour which will start at the MDPL offices where the Art Deco Walking Tour will end.  There is a special combo price for both tours of $110.

Wednesday May 13, 2015 2:15pm - 5:00pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Architecture

3:00pm EDT

(Workshop) Practical Considerations –The Importance of Insurance & Risk Management, Conservator Insurance Presentation
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
This session is appropriate for all levels of experience from beginner to expert as an introduction and review of insurance basics, insurance products available and how they are an integral part of risk management. Topics to be addressed include; what’s covered and what’s not under insurance policies how to determine, review and update policy limits, claims process & trends seen from a loss experience perspective; importance of proper documentation; contracts/agreements between conservator and client; loss prevention and control.

In this session we will cover:

  • Transfer of Risk-Insurance Policies: Review & Summary of insurance products available to conservators, Errors & Omissions/Professional Liability, Application process (on line capability for new conservators)
  • Who, What and Where Covered
  • Determining Policy Limits
  • Protect yourself and your business with written treatment proposals/contracts/agreements
  • Special Projects – what types of insurance are being required 
  • Time management – keep your insurance agent in the loop from the beginning of any special requests/projects
  • Claims
  • Loss/Disaster Prevention Tips & Planning
Instructors
avatar for Sameena Merchant

Sameena Merchant

Assistant Vice President, Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency, Inc.
Sameena provides business insurance service to museums, art galleries and historic properties.  Sameena has 27 years of experience in commercial insurance, including underwriting, reinsurance and brokerage.Sameena joined HTB’s Commercial Insurance Department in January 2008.  Prior... Read More →
avatar for Deborah Peak

Deborah Peak

Senior Vice President, Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency, Inc.
avatar for Ever Song

Ever Song

Account Executive, Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency, Inc.
Account Executive from Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency, Inc., maintains and underwrites specialized insurance program for art conservators.

Wednesday May 13, 2015 3:00pm - 4:15pm EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Pre-Conference Session, Private Practice |   Workshop, Private Practice

4:00pm EDT

(Pre-Conference Session) ECPN/CIPP Discussion Panel

Sponsored by both ECPN and CIPP, this joint event will feature a panel of speakers, both established and emerging conservators in private practice, who will discuss the benefits, challenges and fine points of establishing a private practice as an emerging conservator. After an initial set of moderated discussion topics, there will be time for an open discussion and questions from the audience. The discussion panel will be followed by our annual Happy Hour, allowing attendees to continue conversations and network in a less formal setting.

Moderators
avatar for Megan Salazar-Walsh

Megan Salazar-Walsh

Assistant Conservator, John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Megan Salazar-Walsh is an Assistant Conservator at The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, in Sarasota, FL. She earned her Master of Arts and Certificate of Advanced Study in Art Conservation from Buffalo State (SUNY). Prior to her employment at The Ringling, she held internships... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Lara Kaplan, [PA]

Lara Kaplan, [PA]

Objects Conservator, Lara Kaplan Objects Conservation, LLC
Lara Kaplan earned an M.S. from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC), specializing in objects conservation, and gained additional training and experience at the Walters Art Museum, the Arizona State Museum, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian... Read More →
avatar for Stephanie Hornbeck, [PA]

Stephanie Hornbeck, [PA]

Chief Conservator, The Field Museum
Stephanie Hornbeck is Chief Conservator at the Field Museum. From 2010-2017 she was Director of Conservation at Caryatid Conservation Services, her Miami-based private practice specializing in the professional care of three-dimensional objects. From 2010-2012,she served as Chief Conservator... Read More →
avatar for Ana Alba

Ana Alba

Conservator, Alba Art Conservation
Ana Alba is a painting conservator in private practice and specializes in the conservation of 19th Century, modern and contemporary works. She previously worked for Luca Bonetti Corp., and was the William R. Leisher Fellow in the Conservation and Research of Modern Paintings at the... Read More →
CK

Cynthia Kuniej Berry

Conservator, Kuniej Berry Associates
MA/CAS 1988 Cooperstown/ Degree from State University of New York, College at Buffalo - Painting ConservationBA 1982 Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana - Fine Art (Studio and Art History)BA 1982 Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana - Spanish
avatar for Emily MacDonald Korth

Emily MacDonald Korth

President and Chief Analyst, Longevity Art Preservation, LLC and Art Preservation Index/APIx, LLC
Emily MacDonald-Korth is an art preservation specialist working in art conservation and research, fine art and collections consulting, and historic paint analysis. MacDonald-Korth has worked on conservation and technical analysis projects across the United States, in China, and in... Read More →

Wednesday May 13, 2015 4:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Pre-Conference Session, Emerging Conservation Professionals, Private Practice

4:30pm EDT

(Pre-Conference Session) STASH Flash II
Safe storage for collections is one of the primary goals of preventive care for collecting institutions, and individuals charged with collections care and cultural institutions often face challenges in designing storage and support systems for individual items or collections. There are few tasks more concrete and practical than devising a storage mount that preserves an object while making efficient use of an institution's human, financial and material resources. Constructing a successful storage solution requires numerous choices regarding materials, techniques, time and skill. In May 2014, FAIC, with funding from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, launched STASH (Storage Techniques for Art, Science and History collections), a web-based resource to share well-designed storage solutions. The site contains the original entries from the printed text, Storage of Natural History Collections: Ideas and Practical Solutions, originally published by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), and has begun receiving new submissions, including storage projects that were presented last year at the first STASH Flash session as part of AIC's 42nd Annual Meeting. The website project is interdisciplinary and the site's editorial board is composed of representatives from a range of allied organizations The 2015 session will utilize a lightening round or "Tips" session format as well as guided, audience participatory discussion. Selected short presentations will be given in a format that closely aligns with web site entries, allowing presentations to be easily reformatted for online submission after the conference. Presentations will be followed by small group discussions where individuals from different specialties have the opportunity to talk about the presentations, modifications, materials choice as well as creative ways to carry out these projects. The focus of the 2014 presentations was sustainable projects. In 2015 it is hoped that projects will span the range of specialty groups within AIC and will focus on practical ways translate preservation theory into practice. 
Speakers
avatar for Rachael Perkins Arenstein-[PA]

Rachael Perkins Arenstein-[PA]

Partner, AM Art Conservation LLC
Rachael Perkins Arenstein is a Professional Associate member of the American Institute for Conservation. She is a principal of A.M. Art Conservation, LLC, the private practice that she co-founded in 2009. She has worked at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, the Smithsonian's National... Read More →
avatar for Lisa Goldberg

Lisa Goldberg

Conservator, Goldberg Preservation Services, LLC
Project leader for STASH, AIC News Editor and conservator in private practice. Lisa Goldberg is a private conservator with a focus on preventive care as well as health and safety issues. She is a member of SPNHC and AAM, and is a Professional Associate of AIC. As long time editor... Read More →

Wednesday May 13, 2015 4:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
Orchid B-C 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Pre-Conference Session, Collection Care

4:30pm EDT

(Pre-Conference Session) The Socratic Dialogue in Conservation Practice: Breaking Down Professional Boundaries
Conservation practice has long been fraught with debate and controversy about conservation ethics and treatment decisions. Should one remove an old varnish, how should one retouch a painting, can one replace equipment in an installation, how far can one go in digitalizing historic books? These questions have been the cause of often heated discussions among conservators, as well as between cultural heritage professionals in general. As conservation practice becomes increasingly professionalized, the question of certification and peer-reviewed status has also become a sensitive issue. What does it mean to be a professionally recognized conservator, what is quality in conservation, how does one measure that quality and who decides, what is the value of a professional conservator? Behind the ensuing debate lies a complex background of vested interests, pre-conceived notions, and just plain irritations between the participants. Over the years, boundaries*, as first described by Star and Griesemer (1989), are built up between participants and professions, not only making it more difficult for participants to listen to and understand each other, but to listen to and understand themselves. In 2011, the so-called Socratic method was successfully introduced in the Netherlands to help soften and break down these boundaries. Since then, Socratic dialogues have been conducted on various controversial issues in conservation for a number of museums and conservation groups in the Netherlands (RCE), at AIC annual meetings (2013 and 2014), and at the ICOM-CC triennial meeting in 2014. At this AIC conference 2015, you are invited again to participate in a Socratic dialogue looking at the issue of certification, value and quality in conservation. The Socratic dialogue is a structured form of dialogue in which all participants actively contribute. The purpose of the dialogue is not to solve the question at hand and convince each other that a particular solution is the best one. The objective of a Socratic dialogue is to investigate each other’s experience and opinions related to the issue, and to try to determine the essence behind it. What is it that conservators and other cultural heritage professionals are concerned about when they argue about issues of ethics, certification, value and quality? The Socratic dialogue helps participants understand what is behind these concepts, and why they and their discussion partners think the way they do. It helps to create free space and soften the boundaries for more fruitful discussion.  

* S.L. Star en J.R. Griesemer, “Institutional Ecology, 'Translations' and Boundary Objects: Amateurs and Professionals in Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, 1907-39”, Social Studies of Science 19 387-420 (1989).
Speakers
WW

William Wei

Senior Conservation Scientist, Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed
Dr. Wei (1955) is a senior conservation scientist in the Research Department of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE - Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed). He has a B.S.E. in mechanical engineering from Princeton University (1977) and a Ph.D. in materials science... Read More →

Wednesday May 13, 2015 4:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
Ibis
  Pre-Conference Session

4:30pm EDT

(Tour) Stiltsville and Miami River Sunset Boat Tour
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
Discover Miami history from its early residents, the Tequesta Indians to modern day as you float down the Miami river and out to Biscayne bay. Join historian Dr. Paul George on this relaxing and informative tour. We will cruise to Stiltsville where you will learn how this once vivacious community was transformed into the seven houses that remain amidst the turquoise waters of Biscayne Bay. Known in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s as a playground for wealthy and well-connected Miamians, Stiltsville was once home to the now infamous Crawfish Eddies and Bikini Club. Cruise past the Cape Florida Lighthouse, Cape Florida Lighthouse, where you may be able to catch a glimpse of dolphins, manatees and other sea life. Delight in this relaxing boat ride to one of Miami’s most hidden gems! A perfect start to a great Annual Meeting.

Wednesday May 13, 2015 4:30pm - 7:30pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Architecture

5:15pm EDT

(Tour) Savory South Beach Food Tour
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
Savor tasty treasures inside the beating heart of Miami Beach during a fun and engaging historical and walking tour of the Art Deco Historic District, with a culinary twist. 

Enjoy edible ethnic bites at Hole-in-the-wall and Mom & Pop type of restaurants. Taste the best of Miami Beach’s global cuisine(“melting pot”)with its predominate Latin, European, and American “comfort food” cuisine, uncovering the hidden hotspots for crunchy patacones, authentic empanadas, homemade Cuban dishes, Refajo drink and much more. You will sit and relax while savoring different bites, as well as stand and eat on the go as in aCosmopolitan city.  

Note this tour pairs well with the South Beach Art Deco Walking Tour, which will give you  a greater sense of the architecture of the area. * Note if you are taking this tour without the Art Deco Walking Tour, the bus will leave the Hyatt at 4:30 pm to get you to South Beach in time for the 5:15 Pm start time.  There is a special combo price for both tours of $110
Wednesday May 13, 2015 5:15pm - 7:45pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Architecture

6:00pm EDT

ECPN/CIPP Happy Hour
Sponsors
avatar for Tru Vue

Tru Vue

Museum and Conservation Liaison, Tru Vue, Inc.
With over 45 years of proven protection and preservation, Tru Vue fine art acrylic and glass solutions, including Optium® Acrylic Glazing and UltraVue® Laminated Glass, are trusted by conservation and fine art professionals to protect and display the most celebrated artworks in... Read More →

Wednesday May 13, 2015 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Riverwalk Terrace
  Networking Reception, Emerging Conservation Professionals, Private Practice

6:30pm EDT

(Workshop) Respirator Fit Testing Lecture
Add to Registration
Whether you are using hazardous chemicals or working with mold-infested artifacts after a disaster, you need to be sure you are protected by the right equipment. The lecture meets the annual training requirement mandated by OSHA, while the fit testing meets the annual testing requirement. The lecture Wednesday evening will be conducted by a Certified Safety Professional on the care and maintenance of respirators and general information on their proper use. Those wishing to schedule a fit testing appointment MUST attend the lecture. Fit testing appointments will be scheduled on Thursday in 20 minute intervals from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Registrants for fit testing appointments MUST bring or submit electronically prior to Fit-Testing, a completed and signed OSHA Medical Evaluation form with the signature of their health professional and the dates for which the evaluation is valid. The form and signature sheets are available on the AIC Health and Safety Guides and Publication Webpage at www.conservation-us.org/fittest. Registrants should bring their own respirators or select an appropriate style from AIC’s samples.
Instructors
JR

James Roy Smith

Safety Coordinator, Smithsonian Institution
James R. Smith Jr, “J.R.”, is an Occupational Safety and Health Manager with the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Safety, Health and Environmental Management.  He previously served as Safety Manager for the Smithsonian's Museum Support Center and Natural History Museum, and... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2015 6:30pm - 7:30pm EDT
Hibiscus A 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Workshop, Health and Safety

6:30pm EDT

(Tour) Vizcaya Moonlight Gardens
Limited Capacity seats available
Add to Registration
$39

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens will conduct an evening tour from 6:30 – 9:00 pm on Wednesday, May 13, 2015.  Experience the house and gardens transformed by moonlight!  Enjoy the decorated rooms in the Main House and stroll around the grounds, or take a guided tour through Vizcaya’s formal gardens.  

Vizcaya’s European-inspired gardens are among the most elaborate in the United States. Reminiscent of gardens created in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Italy and France, the overall landscape design is conceived as a series of rooms.

Wednesday May 13, 2015 6:30pm - 9:30pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Tour, Architecture

7:00pm EDT

APOYONLINE – Association for Heritage Preservation of the Americas - 25th Anniversary Celebration
Association for Heritage Preservation of the Americas Invites to you to celebrate 25 years of promoting communication, exchange and professional development in the field of heritage preservation in the Americas and in Portuguese and Spanish speaking countries. We have organized a wonderful Latin-American Fiesta on May 13th, 2015 at 7 PM in Miami.There will a shuttle available from the Hyatt Regency Hotel. (departure at 7 pm; return at 10 pm)We are asking for a $10 donation at the door.

Limited attendance. Please RSVP by May 5 to Beatriz Haspo : beatriz.haspo@apoyonline.org

APOYONLINE – Asociación para la Preservación del Patrimonio de las AméricasLo invitamos a celebrar con nosotros  25 años de promover la comunicación, intercambio y desarrollo profesional en el campo de la preservación patrimonial en las Américas y en los países hispano y luso parlantes.

Hemos organizado una estupenda  Fiesta latina el 13 de Mayo de 2015 a las 7 pm en Miami.Habrá servicio de transporte desde el Hotel  Hyatt Regency (salida 7 pm, retorno 10 pm)Pedimos una donación de US$ 10 en la puerta.

Cupos limitados. Por favor confirmar hasta el 5 de Mayo a Beatriz Haspo: beatriz.haspo@apoyonline.org
APOYOnline Party Invitation pdf
Wednesday May 13, 2015 7:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
TBA
  Networking Reception

8:30pm EDT

CIPP Business Meeting
Wednesday May 13, 2015 8:30pm - 10:00pm EDT
Japengo
  Business Meeting, Private Practice
 
Thursday, May 14
 

8:30am EDT

(Opening Session) Welcome and Awards
Thursday May 14, 2015 8:30am - 8:50am EDT
Regency Ballroom 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Opening Session

8:50am EDT

(Opening Session) The False Dichotomy of “Ideal” Versus “Practical” Conservation Treatments
Underlying the call for papers for the 2015 meeting is the premise that a conservation treatment choice necessarily involves regrettable compromises. It takes as a “given” the idea that there is a conflict between “ideal” treatments and practical ones, and concludes that issues such as limited resources, limited access and institutional politics may make it impossible to carry out an “ideal” treatment. This is a misunderstanding of our profession. Conservators make many decisions—both before and during conservation treatments. Those decisions are based on the chemical and physical state of the object, its predicted future, the stated or implied preferences of the custodian(s) and/or other stakeholders, and the conservator’s treatment philosophy. Sometimes there are inherent conflicts that need to be resolved. The flexibility and creativity required to resolve conflicting priorities are integral to the exercise of our professional skills, a facet of normal decision-making. A treatment that serves the interests of multiple parties at the same time is a better treatment than one that follows only the initial preferences of the conservator. There is, of course, no such thing as a single “ideal” treatment because there is no one ideal post-treatment state for any given object. A conservator deciding on treatment methods and materials tries to find measures with the highest likelihood of fulfilling the goals of the particular treatment; a successful treatment fulfills them. Reversibility ensures that if goals change in the future, a different treatment no less “ideal” than the first can be carried out to fulfill those goals. The notion that there can be an “ideal” treatment implies that there is a treatment “theory” that dictates what that treatment should be. Departing from that theory, so the argument would seem to go, can result in a post-treatment state that is less than ideal. But, again, the premise is faulty. There is no overarching theory of conservation treatment, any more than there is an overarching theory in the practice of medicine. What professionals in both fields have is a goal—the welfare of those entrusted to our care—as well as ethical codes that, among other things, tell us to “do no harm.” None of this negates the fact that conservation treatment has a substantial intellectual basis. It is essential for any conservator to have a comprehensive knowledge of the theories that explain the behavior of components of the things we work on and the materials we use in treating them. The presentation will address the steps that allow conservators to move ahead with confidence, without falling into dilemmas – situations where none of the options are acceptable.
Speakers
avatar for Barbara Appelbaum

Barbara Appelbaum

Conservator, Appelbaum & Himmelstein
Barbara Appelbaum received her MA and Certificate in Art Conservation from the Conservation Center of New York University and worked part-time at the Brooklyn Museum for about ten years. She started a private practice with Paul Himmelstein in 1972. Ms. Appelbaum published a book entitled... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Paul Himmelstein

Paul Himmelstein

Conservator, Appelbaum & Himmelstein
Paul Himmelstein has been a partner in the New York conservation firm of Appelbaum and Himmelstein since 1972. The firm carries out conservation treatments on paintings, painted textiles and objects, and consults for institutions and private collectors on matters related to collections... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 8:50am - 9:10am EDT
Regency Ballroom 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Opening Session

9:00am EDT

(Workshop) Respirator Fit Testing Appointments
Limited Capacity seats available
Whether you are using hazardous chemicals or working with mold-infested artifacts after a disaster, you need to be sure you are protected by the right equipment. The lecture meets the annual training requirement mandated by OSHA, while the fit testing meets the annual testing requirement. The lecture Wednesday evening will be conducted by a Certified Safety Professional on the care and maintenance of respirators and general information on their proper use. Those wishing to schedule a fit testing appointment MUST attend the lecture. Fit testing appointments will be scheduled on Thursday in 20 minute intervals from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Registrants for fit testing appointments MUST bring or submit electronically prior to Fit-Testing, a completed and signed OSHA Medical Evaluation form with the signature of their health professional and the dates for which the evaluation is valid. The form and signature sheets are available on the AIC Health and Safety Guides and Publication Webpage at www.conservation-us.org/fittest. Registrants should bring their own respirators or select an appropriate style from AIC’s samples.
Instructors
JR

James Roy Smith

Safety Coordinator, Smithsonian Institution
James R. Smith Jr, “J.R.”, is an Occupational Safety and Health Manager with the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Safety, Health and Environmental Management.  He previously served as Safety Manager for the Smithsonian's Museum Support Center and Natural History Museum, and... Read More →
Thursday May 14, 2015 9:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Pearson I 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Workshop, Health and Safety

9:10am EDT

(Opening Session) The Theory of Practice: Practical Philosophy, Cultures of Conservation and the Aesthetics of Change
In theory, practice is simple. [Trygre Reenskamp]
But is it simple to practice theory? [Alexandre Boily]

If we accept the past as a sort of historicity, and the present as materiality (Shanks 1998), it might be said that conservation decisions intrinsically shape the materiality of objects in the present. But while shaping the materiality of objects, how do we—as conservation professionals—know that we are making the right decision? This question elicits the aspect of conservation decisions that relate to both traditional heritage and more recent artistic production. More importantly, it refers to the principles that guide judgments in conservation and the set of rules that govern the cognitive processes that lie at their foundation. Here, against claims that elevate empiricism and hard facts about speculative theorization, the practice and theory of conservation ultimately coexist. As a largely practice-oriented activity (at least seen from a historical standpoint), conservation demands theory and builds knowledge through its systematic revisions. By doing so, it transcends the dichotomy of theory and practice.

In my paper, I will explore the reciprocal relationship between materials and meanings derived from the observation of the materiality of artworks, linked with archive, time and people, and to the same extent with their exhibition, curation and conservation cultures. Inspired by my engagement with the conservation of fine arts, in particular with contemporary art and media in museums and private collections, and enriched by theoretical contention with the perpetuation of artworks in general, I will explore the process of conservation’s decision-making as a social and cultural practice. I will do so by focusing on the cultural-historical referentiality of conservation’s decisions and on the set of orders that govern them. Special attention will be paid to artworks created since the 1960s, such as installation, performance and process-bound works. Due to the lack of a theoretical, normative framework, which generates rules that might govern the re-instantiation and documentation practices for these works, many conservation decisions are made on the basis of rational thinking, practical knowledge, preceding decisions and comparative studies of similar cases.

In order to elicit how conservation implements practical knowledge, I will introduce the term Phronesis—its beginning with Aristotle and most prominent continuation with Hannah Arendt—as a capability of rational considerations that delivers palpable effects. In conservation, phronesis concerns the ability to decide how to achieve a certain end and judge in a certain situation.
Speakers
avatar for Hanna Hölling

Hanna Hölling

Andrew W. Mellon Visiting Professor, Bard Graduate Center
Hanna is New York based theorist, educator and conservator, working on the intersections of conservation, art theory and history, and material culture studies. She obtained her Ph.D from the University of Amsterdam in 2013 with a thesis concerning the legacy of Nam June Paik. She... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 9:10am - 9:30am EDT
Regency Ballroom 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Opening Session

9:30am EDT

(Opening Session) Turning Philosophy into Practice; Documenting Process through White Papers
Historic New England, formerly the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, has a long history of both the philosophical and physical applications of conservation and preservation principles. The philosophy towards preservation that was established by our founder, William Sumner Appleton, has been a guiding principal over the last 104 years since our founding. The preservation philosophy, first committed to paper in the 1990s and last updated in 2008, is a broad reaching roadmap but it does not directly address many of the issues that face a project manager, conservator or craftsman on a day-to-day basis. Although many of the signature approaches that we use today have been passed along from one generation of staff to the next one can note a lack of consistency in the overall application of both the philosophy and the actual treatment protocols. Today, Historic New England’s Property Care Team is the keeper of the philosophy and the group responsible for the preservation and maintenance of the 36 historic house museum properties. Project managers plan out the work for implementation by our own carpentry crew or outside carpenters. In an effort to better articulate the philosophy and standardize our approaches, the team began in 2009 to create a series of best practices, or white papers, to guide the practical application of our work. Today, over 60 documents are posted on our website, free to the public, documenting a wide variety of topics ranging from basic building assessments to roof replacements to contracting out architectural paint research. The level of detail in each document varies widely as Historic New England thinks of the White Papers as living documents to be continually refined based on our practical experiences and so some may be a broad outline of steps while others can be quite detailed. These resources are being bolstered by including completion reports and case studies for signature projects in the different topic areas. This paper will discuss the challenges of translating philosophy and theory into a consistent, high quality approach. The development of the white papers will be discussed and how they are used to provide a level of clarity and make the project development process easier. But the reality of preservation and conservation is that there are often multiple ways to achieve the same goal and so the paper will discuss the challenges of balancing the desire for a consistent approach with the need to have flexibility in order to successfully solve complicated problems.
Speakers
avatar for Benjamin Haavik

Benjamin Haavik

Team Leader of Property Care for Historic New England, Historic New England
Benjamin Haavik, Team Leader of Property Care for Historic New England, is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of 37 historic house museums and landscapes open to the public. Ben manages fifteen full-time staff, including preservation carpenters, preservation managers... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 9:30am - 9:50am EDT
Regency Ballroom 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Opening Session

10:00am EDT

Exhibit Hall Break
Thursday May 14, 2015 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Riverfront Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Break

10:30am EDT

(Opening Session) Philosophical and Practical Considerations in the Installation, Re-treatment, and Storage of a Rubber Sculpture by Richard Serra
Untitled by Richard Serra, 1968, is an oversize sculpture consisting of three overlapping panels that were made from mixed latex rubber and Liquitex acrylic paint, cast from a corrugated metal door. It was acquired by the Saint Louis Art Museum in 1971, adding to the rich holdings of Serra work in Saint Louis. The sculpture received conservation treatment twice since acquisition, first in 2004 and next in 2014 by the author. Prior to the 2004 treatment, the rubber was very brittle, had numerous losses, and the form of the sculpture changed significantly from its original appearance. Museum staff interviewed the artist at this time to garner his input about the changed appearance of the sculpture and potential conservation treatment. Input from this conversation guided the treatment of the work, which involved applying patches of dyed cheesecloth to the top side of the panels with methylcellulose. After exhibition, the work was stored rolled on tubes and was not shown again until 2013, when it was requested for the opening exhibition in the museum’s building expansion. Given the size of the work (nearly 20 x 12 feet installed) and tight timeline for the reinstallation, it was not possible to examine the work prior to installation. None of the current curatorial, installation, or objects conservation staff had seen or installed the work before, so the installation was an intense period of learning about the condition of the work and the efficacy of the previous treatment. A significant amount of new breaks and losses occurred since 2004. The dyes of the cheesecloth patches appeared to have discolored and were no longer visually acceptable. Time constraints led to the decision not to attempt a treatment during installation, but instead to mask the new damage and discolored patches by swapping the arrangement of the panels at the artist’s suggestion and placing loose toned fabric under the visible areas of loss. Installation required balancing theoretical best practices for art handling and practical considerations for moving an oversize work through the building. Prior to the deinstallation of the work in 2014, the gallery was closed early and the sculpture was treated in situ. Working in close collaboration with installation staff, the panels were patched with undyed cheesecloth and methylcellulose on the back side using a modified technique and the 2004 patches were removed from the front. New flat storage was designed with custom crates, reducing the mechanical pressure exerted on the work from the previous rolled storage. The project enabled the opportunity to evaluate the aging properties of a novel treatment approach for rubber artworks and refine the treatment procedure. Although the time constraints during installation prevented interventive treatment at that time, delaying the treatment enabled staff to spend more time studying the work while it was on view and formulate a treatment plan. In this instance, an initial limitation made the eventual treatment more informed and thoughtful.
Speakers
avatar for Emily Hamilton-[PA]

Emily Hamilton-[PA]

Associate Objects Conservator, SF MoMa
Emily Hamilton holds an MA and Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Conservation from Buffalo State College and a BA in Art History from Reed College. She is currently the Associate Objects Conservator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Thursday May 14, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Regency Ballroom 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Opening Session

11:00am EDT

(Opening Session) Making Conservation Work Onsite: Practical Problem Solving at El Kurru, Sudan and Abydos, Egypt
This paper will describe recent multidisciplinary conservation work at two vast archaeological sites in North Africa: El Kurru in Sudan, and Abydos in Egypt. El Kurru is located along the Nile River in modern day North Sudan, and it was part of the ancient kingdom of Kush. As an early royal cemetery for the Kushite kings, it is famous as the burial place of many of the “Black Pharaohs,” who conquered Egypt and ruled as its 25th dynasty. The site includes pyramids and rock cut tombs, a funerary temple, and a monumental city wall. With funding from the Qatar-Sudan Archaeological project and the National Geographic Society, an international team of archaeologists, architects, and conservators have been investigating material culture at the site and working to preserve its architecture. Conservation challenges include processing painted ceramics, preserving ancient graffiti on the surfaces of the site’s poorly cemented sandstone, protecting architectural features without adversely affecting the ancient or modern cultural landscape, and providing better access and amenities for tourists. These challenges are exacerbated by intense international sanctions; Sudan is closed to international banking and trade, and international governments place strict restrictions on the materials and technology that foreign archaeological teams may bring into the country. Conservators must therefore be creative and constantly adaptive in their problem solving; working without technology like computers or smartphones, taking samples for study instead of importing scientific equipment, and using locally available materials to replace or produce needed conservation supplies. This talk will describe the challenges and opportunities inherent in work at El Kurru through examples of work from the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

The site of Abydos is located along the Nile River in a rural part of Upper Egypt. It is the burial place of Egypt’s earliest kings, who believed that the entrance to the underworld was there, in a large wadi leading into the high cliffs of the western desert. Recent conservation work at Abydos has focused on preserving beautifully decorated wood funerary artifacts and on exploring low-tech, non-destructive methods for technical study onsite. The projects described in this talk concentrate on artifacts from the Abydos Middle Cemetery (AMC), a part of the site that contains monumental tombs of elite officials from the mid-third millennium BCE.  Wood artifacts from the site are extremely fragile and often complex in construction and decoration; they typically retain gesso and pigment, as well as other decorative elements such as textiles and metal and stone inlays. The technical study needed to design appropriate conservation treatments is complicated, however, because Egypt rarely allows sampling and does not allow samples to leave the country. All technical study must therefore be conducted onsite, using nondestructive techniques. With funding from the American Research Center in Egypt and the United States Agency for International Development, a multidisciplinary research team led by conservators at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology visited the site in 2013 to investigate the AMC artifacts’ original materials; the factors involved in their deterioration; and develop best practices for their excavation, conservation, and restoration. This talk will present the team’s findings as well as describe ongoing work with wood artifacts at the site. It will also discuss the recent adoption of a new low-tech, non-destructive technique for examining painted artifacts onsite: multispectral imaging. Conservation at El Kurru and at Abydos illustrates the challenges, opportunities, and practical ingenuity that are spurred by onsite work in rural locations. 
Speakers
SD

Suzanne Davis

Conservator, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
Suzanne Davis is an associate curator and the head of conservation at the University of Michigan’s Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. Prior to joining the Museum in 2001, she was a conservator for the Underwater Archaeology Branch of the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C. She... Read More →

Co-Authors
AM

Ahmed M. Abdel-Azeem

Professor of Mycology, Mycosystematist, University of Suez Canal
Ahmed M. Abdel-Azeem is a Professor of mycology and a Mycosystematist in the Department of Botany and Microbiology at the University of Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt. Ahmed’s research focuses on the fungi of the Middle East and North Africa, and he has extensive experience investigating... Read More →
CR

Caroline Roberts

Conservator, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
Caroline Roberts is the Conservator at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and a field conservator for the El Kurru and Abydos projects. Her interests include the conservation of stone objects, architecture, and ancient paint surfaces. She was responsible for study and conservation of... Read More →
avatar for Claudia Chemello

Claudia Chemello

Co-founder/Senior Conservator, Terra Mare Conservation, LLC
Claudia Chemello is co-founder and senior conservator of Terra Mare Conservation, LLC, a firm specializing in the conservation of cultural heritage artifacts, particularly those from archaeological, industrial, fine art and architectural contexts. Prior to working in private practice... Read More →
avatar for Gregory D. Smith

Gregory D. Smith

Otto N. Frenzel III Senior Conservation Scientist, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Gregory Dale Smith received a B.S. degree from Centre College of Kentucky in anthropology/sociology and chemistry before pursuing graduate studies at Duke University as an NSF graduate fellow in time-domain vibrational spectroscopy and archaeological fieldwork. His postgraduate training... Read More →
HQ

Harriet "Rae" Beaubien

Principal, Beaubien Conservation
Beaubien Conservation - Principal Smithsonian Institution / Museum Conservation Institute - Research Associate; Head of Conservation and Senior Conservator (archaeomaterials) emerita
avatar for Pamela Hatchfield

Pamela Hatchfield

Conservator, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Pamela Hatchfield is the Robert P. and Carol T. Henderson Head of Objects Conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She received her Master’s degree in Art History and Certificate in Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, with an advanced level... Read More →
RA

Robert A. Blanchette

Professor of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota
Robert A. Blanchette is a Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota, where he also heads the Forest Pathology and Wood Microbiology Research Laboratory. Bob’s major research is in the area of forest pathology and wood microbiology, with a special... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Regency Ballroom 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Opening Session

11:20am EDT

(Opening Session) Concrete Conclusions: Surface Treatment Trials for Conserving the Miami Marine Stadium
This paper presents the results of a testing project, conducted for Friends of Miami Marine Stadium by RLA Conservation, John Fidler Preservation Technology, and Lynch & Ferraro Engineers, that aims to deliver a vital technical and practical component of conservation planning for the upcoming rehabilitation and long-term protection of Miami’s iconic Marine Stadium. A Modernist building designed in 1963 by Cuban-American architect Hilario Candela, this waterfront structure, unquestionably Miami’s most original building of the mid-twentieth century, has been closed to the public since 1992 and covered in graffiti. After decades of neglect, the iconic exposed concrete structure, with its 326-foot long cantilevered thin-shell concrete hyperbolic paraboloid roofline, is presently the focus of a concerted local/national campaign to be fully restored as a public park, sports arena, and concert venue. The campaign has received unprecedented levels of support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which named the Stadium to its National Treasures Program; the World Monuments Fund; DOCOMOMO; and the Getty Foundation, which has funded the research that is the subject of this paper as part of the first round of its newly launched Keeping It Modern Initiative. Closed since Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida in 1992, the stadium was slated for demolition by the City of Miami until a 1993 engineering study by Simpson Gumpertz and Heger (SGH) proved its stability and rejected the notion, put forth by the City, that the building had been irreparably damaged by the storm. The building has since been the subject of additional engineering studies that continue to deem it viable, subject to various structural and other repairs. Plans are now in place for its future use and associated development. The conservation testing program which is the subject of this paper aims to provide key practical guidelines for solving the materials conservation issues, including the repair and cleaning of its exposed concrete surfaces, a key appearance component to which the architect devoted considerable attention during the building’s design. Both field and laboratory investigations and trial treatments are being conducted to test materials and methodologies for graffiti management, surface cleaning, and most critically, matching patch repairs of structural concrete to complement and help refine current engineering plans. This paper will present the evaluation results, site mockups and model treatment methodologies conducted to date. The areas of study and experimentation have included: • Identification of graffiti that constitutes artwork and preliminary strategies for its conservation; • Analysis of other graffiti paint types: removal treatment trials and graffiti barrier mock-ups; • Concrete cleaning, stain removal and biological growth removal / deterrence; • Concrete spall repair strategies: including desalination; rebar treatment; corrosion inhibiters; cathodic protection; and structural patch repair mortars to match the existing concrete in color and texture. The paper will also discuss the ways in which the aforementioned methodologies are being adapted into guidelines that can be employed in the conservation of other mid-century modern concrete buildings and removal of graffiti on modern structures in general.

Primary Presenter:  John Fidler; Additional Presenter:  Rosa Lowinger; Non-Presenting Authors: Marjorie Lynch, Jorge Hernandez, Christopher Ferraro

 
Speakers
JA

John A. Fidler

President & Chief Technical Officer, John Fidler Preservation Technology Inc
British-licensed architect with two postgratuate degrees in building conservation and over 36 years award-winning experience specializing in the conservation of historic buildings, ancient monuments and archaeological sites. Professional Associate of AIC; Fellow of the RICS, Society... Read More →
avatar for Rosa Lowinger-[Fellow]

Rosa Lowinger-[Fellow]

Managing Principal, RLA Conservation
Rosa Lowinger has been a conservator of outdoor sculpture and public art since 1984. A graduate of the Conservation Center at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts and a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation, she is the principal of Rosa Lowinger and Associates, a private sculpture... Read More →

Co-Authors
CC
JH

Jorge Hernandez, AIA

Professor of Architecture and Historic Preservation, University of Miami
Jorge L. Hernandez, received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami in 1980 and a Master of Architecture from the University of Virginia in 1985. He then worked for Eisenman Roberton Architects and taught at The University of Virginia. In 1987 he joined the faculty... Read More →
MM

Marjorie M. Lynch

President, Lynch and Ferraro Engineering
Marjorie M. Lynch, PE President Marjorie M. Lynch, PE, is a professional engineer with thirty years of experience in the engineering and construction industries. She specializes in investigation and rehabilitation of building structures and infrastructure, particularly related to... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 11:20am - 11:40am EDT
Regency Ballroom 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Opening Session

11:40am EDT

(Opening Session) Open Discussion
Thursday May 14, 2015 11:40am - 12:00pm EDT
Regency Ballroom 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Opening Session

12:00pm EDT

(Private Practice + Health & Safety) Luncheon: Studio Design Challenges: Creating a Safe and Practical Space
Add to Registration
Conservators working within small to medium-sized organizations may not have the resources of larger institutions to design a conservation laboratory that serves those performing treatments and maintains the health and safety of the practitioners. The situation is more urgent for conservators in private practice who may have to consider the well-being of family members sharing in-home studio space. Led by architects and engineers from EwingCole, who specialize in designing cultural heritage facilities, this session will review priorities and set realistic goals for improving common, at-hand work spaces ranging from in-home studios to larger rented commercial spaces.

The panel will address strategies for achieving local exhaust ventilation, storing chemicals, and ensuring adequate electrical and fire safety infrastructure. The presentation will identify conditions and work habits that preclude safe work space, such as HVAC and plumbing systems cross-linked between work area and home or uncontrolled work with open flames or volatilizing solvents.

The session will include a review of case studies of real-world studios in a candid discussion that identifies what’s working well and what can be changed to improve safety and predictability. EwingCole will also address practices and/or situations that can (or should) never be done in certain locales.

Extended Question and Answer sessions, plus Meet the Expert stations, will allow attendees to actively participate in the discussion and seek advice.
Speakers
avatar for Jeffrey Hirsch

Jeffrey Hirsch

Architect/Engineer, EwingCole
Jeffrey Hirsch, AIA, LEED AP With over 25 years of experience as an architect, Jeff Hirsch serves as the Director of EwingCole’s Cultural practice. He oversees the design and development of all work and leads the planning of projects that involve large numbers of stakeholders and... Read More →

Co-Authors
DK

Daniel Klein

Architect, EwingCole
Mr. Klein has emerged as a strong planner for collections storage space within EwingCole’s Cultural practice. He has been worked with collections planning for natural history, history and art museums, and has a deep understanding of the issues of environmental conditions, accessibility... Read More →
avatar for Roger Rudy

Roger Rudy

Engineer/Principal, EwingCole
Mr. Rudy has more than 15 years of experience in fire protection engineering. He has a deep understanding of life safety building codes and building systems engineering. His experience includes a wide variety of facility types, including museums and other cultural facilities; specific... Read More →
avatar for William Jarema

William Jarema

Architect/Engineer, EwingCole
Mr. Jarema is a principal at EwingCole, in charge of managing the HVAC engineering and design staff for their Cultural, Higher Education and Government Practices. He has been the lead HVAC engineer for a variety of projects at Smithsonian's NMNH, NMAH, Museum Support Center, CHNDM... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Luncheon Session, Health & Safety, Private Practice

2:00pm EDT

(Architecture + Wooden Artifacts) Furniture/Interiors Conservation Training in China
This paper will focus on the Conservation Resources for Architectural Interiors/Furniture and Training (CRAFT) program at the Palace Museum/Forbidden City in Beijing, China sponsored by the World Monument Fund and Tsinghua University. The paper will draw on the experience of the author as the Conservator in Residence, the CRAFT program staff and International lecturers that have been involved with the program since its inception in 2010. Included in the paper will be discussion on what are the evolving educational goals of the CRAFT program, how the program serves collection needs and what the profession can gain from the CRAFT initiative.

Nonpresenting co-authors: Antoine Wilmering, Susan Buck, Meca Baumeister, Christine Thomson, Liu Chang, Henry Ng 
Speakers
GL

Gregory Landrey

Conservator, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
Gregory Landrey has worked at Winterthur for 35 years serving in the capacities of furniture conservator and administrator.  Landrey is an affiliated associate professor in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation.  Landrey served as the CRAFT conservator... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture, Wooden Artifacts

2:00pm EDT

(Book and Paper) The Brut Chronicle: Revived and Reconstructed
This talk will address the process of rebinding a medieval manuscript for twenty-first century use. How do we treat a fragile book so that it can continue to be used as a physical object? In this case, the treatment solution benefited from dialogue, experimentation and an open time frame for completion. In 2006, Dartmouth acquired from a private collection a copy of the Middle English Prose Brut, also known as “The Brut Chronicle” or the “Chronicles of England” (MS 003183). The Brut contains the standard account of English history in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. There are 181 extant manuscripts, making the Brut the second most popular Middle English prose text, second to the Wycliffe Bible. Dartmouth’s copy, long unrecorded, has a unique combination of textual features, an unusual historical binding, and many marginal notes, all enhancing its inherent interest and importance to the Library. The Brut arrived in a 16th century tacket binding, sometimes referred to as a stationer’s or account book binding. Without proper treatment, the binding was becoming its own worst enemy, mechanically self-destructing with every use. Although the pages would be scanned to make the contents accessible as part of Dartmouth’s digital library collection, the book was also intended for regular teaching instruction as a physical object. The treatment outcome therefore needed to be functional so the book could be used frequently. With the benefit of time to consider various treatment options and intended outcomes, I fabricated a facsimile to help illustrate the option of rebinding the text back into a new tacket binding. In 2011 at a symposium organized around the manuscript, I was invited to present the conservation work I had done up to that point. The Brut text was presented re-sewn on stout tawed skin supports as it had been originally in the tacket binding, but without any binding attached.  At the conclusion of the presentation, a philosophical discussion ensued on what should happen with the binding. Some scholars thought it best to bind it as it would have been originally, in wooden boards; others leaned toward binding the Brut in a new tacket binding. As the dialog continued a consensus developed that perhaps a completely different binding style would be best. As evidenced from the tacket binding (normally a binding for business records) I concluded that perhaps the Brut had been rebound by a merchant in the sixteenth century in a manner most familiar to him. Now in the 21st century, the book’s use is quite different. It was agreed that some sort of amalgamation would be appropriate for the binding, something that would suit our needs in the context of its use today yet maintain the binding’s historical provenance and identity. Keeping the original raised tawed skin supported sewing, slip on covers for the text were fabricated from handmade paper. The binding was then covered in an alum tawed chemise. This non-adhesive and easily removable solution evolved from the fabrication of a facsimile, and from open scholarly discussions about the Brut’s intended use. Collaboration produced what I believe is a very harmonious and satisfactory treatment.
Speakers
avatar for Deborah Howe

Deborah Howe

Collections Conservator, Dartmouth College Library
Deborah is the Collections Conservator at Dartmouth College Library, where she has been for over ten years. Previously, she directed the conservation lab at Northwestern University Library. She has taught book arts at Columbia Center for Paper and Book, the Newberry Library, the Paper... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

2:00pm EDT

(Collection Care) The Preservation Self-Assessment Program: A New Tool for Preservation and Conservation Prioritization
Building on the success of the Audiovisual Self-Assessment Program (AvSAP), the University of Illinois Library preservation and conservation program, with the generous support of the Institute of Museum & Library Services, is currently developing the Preservation Self-Assessment Program (PSAP): a web application designed to address the evaluation and prioritization of preservation and conservation needs among collection materials typically found in library special collections, archives, museums, and historical societies. This tool will consider the impact and prioritization of preservation not only by assessment of individual objects, but will also consider the impact of more global policies and care as well as the effects of storage and exhibit environments. I would like to present on the launch of this tool, which is anticipated for early spring 2015, and to promote its use to the conservation community, specifically those who do public outreach and assessment projects to smaller institutions who do not have preservation and conservation staff of their own. This tool can offer an excellent starting point to both educate non-specialists on basic preservation/conservation awareness, as well as help to prioritize materials so that limited consultant time can be better utilized and conservation grant funds better focused. The PSAP is a free, open source, standalone web application hosted by the University of Illinois. No installation necessary. No limit to the items and collections one may assess, analyze, save, and export (see: http://www.library.illinois.edu/prescons/projects_grants/grants/PSAP/). As the PSAP is an expansion and refinement of the AvSAP, the focus extends beyond audiovisual media to include paper, book/bound, and photographic materials. Through visual inspection of items and collections, as well as analysis of environments and institutional policies, PSAP users create profiles of their organization, facilities, and collections materials. Together these profiles will yield preservation assessment reports detailing the “health risks” posed to their collections, as well as direct actions that may be taken to extend the life of collections. Additionally, the program and its supplementary features include resources to advise on the myriad facets of collections care—including where to begin improving and how to do so incrementally and practically.
Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Hain Teper-[Fellow]

Jennifer Hain Teper-[Fellow]

Head of Preservation, University of Illinois Library
Jennifer Hain Teper serves as the Velde Preservation Librarian at the University of Illinois Libraries overseeing conservation, collections care, digital preservation, and digitization services throughout the library system. Before her current position began in 2009, she served as... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Collection Care

2:00pm EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) Artist Intentions and the Conservation of Contemporary Art
This presentation addresses challenges in articulating artist intentions for conserving new forms of contemporary art. The author draws from his work with artists, and builds on literature about intentionality and creativity to construct an understanding of artist relationships with their own work. The context for this research is the ongoing life of artworks in museums, where conservators, curators, and others strive to define authenticity during installation and conservation intervention. Are artists the best source for articulating their intentions? Some argue that the artist’s creative concept is inevitably different from their creative production. Therefore it is best to rely on curators, art historians, conservators, and others to identify the integral components of an artwork for reinstallation and conservation. Complicating this concern are problems of memory and shifting interest in artistic expression that complicate working with artists over time. Equally problematic are questions of authorship when production is distributed among collaborators, and new iterations are co-produced within the museum. A case is made in this presentation for collaborating closely with artists in the museum, while retaining a balance of interpretation from professionals and at times the public, who bring their own understanding to the work.
Speakers
avatar for Glenn Wharton

Glenn Wharton

Clinical Professor, Museum Studies, New York University
Glenn Wharton is a Clinical Professor in Museum Studies at New York University. From 2007-2013 he served as Media Conservator at the Museum of Modern Art, where he established the time-based media conservation program for video, performance, and software-based collections. In 2006... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

2:00pm EDT

(Paintings + Research and Technical Studies) A Hidden Blue Period Portrait by Pablo Picasso and the Alteration Mechanisms of Cadmium and Arsenic Sulfides: Synchrotron-Based Methods for the Interpretation and Preservation of Paintings
Despite extensive research into Pablo Picasso’s working methods and materials, as well as detailed analyses of a handful of his later paintings, comprehensive technical analysis of a work from his Blue Period has not been carried out. The Blue Room (1901, The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC) has been known since the 1990s to have another painting, a portrait, beneath its presentation surface. This presentation will describe results of a wide-ranging analysis of The Blue Room, including combined results from portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy x-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDS), and synchrotron-radiation (SR) based XRF mapping of the entire painting. The goals of these measurements were to determine the elemental distribution of the combined paintings, and the feasibility of distinguishing features of the presentation surface and the hidden work. Numerous features of the buried portrait are identifiable in the XRF maps, which, along with hyperspectral imaging, are assisting in the ongoing interpretation of this painting. Cadmium carbonate (CdCO3) has been identified in the altered cadmium yellow (CdS) paints found Impressionist, early modernist, and post-Impressionist paintings. When it is concentrated at the surface of the paint layer, CdCO3 appears to be the result of the photo-alteration of CdS. However, in other cases CdCO3 is distributed throughout the thickness of the paint layer. CdCO3 is highly insoluble (Ksp of 1.0 ×10-12) and would not be expected to migrate from the painting’s surface. Plahter et al. have recently proposed that CdCO3 is present in cadmium yellow paints as residue from the indirect wet process synthesis of CdS using CdCO3 and Na2S.[1] To determine the role of CdCO3, as well as cadmium oxalates and sulfates, microspectroscopy and microdiffraction of altered and unaltered cadmium yellow samples from Henri Matisse’s 1906 Flower Study (The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA) were carried out. X-ray fluorescence mode allowed precise mapping of elemental distribution, and Full Field X-ray Near-Edge Absorption Structure (FF-XANES) allowed mapping the chemical speciation of cadmium and sulfur. The XANES data support Plahter’s hypothesis for the 1906 still life. Yellow orpiment (As2S3) and red-orange realgar (As4S4) are arsenic sulfides that have been used as pigments since antiquity. Orpiment becomes paler and colourless upon exposure to light, while realgar turns bright yellow. A photo-oxidation process involves the conversion of orpiment to colorless arsenic trioxide (arsenolite, As2O3) and realgar is altered to pararealgar (As4S4, an isomer of realgar), and then eventually to arsenic trioxide. Here, we also report on this transformation and characterization of the reaction products, based on investigation of two very different works of art from early 18th century: Still life with five apricots by the Dutch master Adriaen Coorte (1704) (Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, The Netherlands) and an early American polychromed chest on stand attributed to Charles Guillam painted in Saybrook, Connecticut between 1710-1727 (Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, USA). The µXANES identification of further degradation products of realgar will be presented, in addition to their subsequent mobility in different paint systems. 1. Plahter, U. and B. Topalova-Casadiego. Cadmium Yellow in "The Scream" painted by Edward Munch. in The National Gallery Technical Bulletin 30th Anniversary Conference. 2011. London: Archetype.
Speakers
JM

Jennifer Mass

Senior Scientist, Winterthur Museum
Jennifer Mass is Senior Scientist at Winterthur’s Scientific Research and Analysis Laboratory as well as Adjunct Faculty in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. She recently co-authored the chapter “Quantitative non-destructive analysis of historic... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings, Research and Technical Studies
  • Tags 4

2:00pm EDT

(Photographic Materials) Organizing a Photograph Preservation Workshop in West Africa
There is a wealth of photographic heritage dating from the early nineteenth century to the present across Sub Saharan Africa. Here, many historically significant African photographic collections face serious environmental, economic, and security risks. Many of these collections are held privately or housed in regional museums and libraries where controlled environments are rare, electricity never guaranteed, and damage caused by flash floods, silverfish, termites, and mold extensive and daunting. Large negative and positive collections held in traditional photography studios also are among the vulnerable. The Centre de Recherche et de Documentation du Sénégal, a museum, library, and photograph archive in Saint-Louis, Senegal, has made a significant impact on photograph preservation practice throughout the region. The École du Patrimoine Africain (ÉPA) in Porto Novo, Benin, provides sound training and education in museum practice for 26 franco- and lusophone countries of West Africa. The scarcity of formally trained photograph conservation specialists in the region makes the need for informed and local preservation professionals essential. In response to these challenges, the École du Patrimoine Africain (EPA) partnered with Resolution Photo, the Department of Art Conservation at the University of Delaware, the Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation in Paris, and Photograph Conservation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, to identify important photographic repositories at risk, and to develop, organize, and administer a four-day Photograph Preservation Workshop held in April 2014. Imagined as the first phase of a much larger initiative called 3PA or Préservation du Patrimoine Photographique Africain, this workshop included 24 established curators, photographers, collection care professionals, and directors of contemporary art centers, museums and regional archives, all deeply committed to the preservation of African heritage in Africa. Well over 50% of the participants were talented artists and photographers who care for influential independent archives. Core lectures and hands-on demonstrations ranged from the identification of negative and print processes to cost-effective storage solutions, advocacy, public programming, and grant-writing. Exciting brainstorming sessions focused on finding sustainable local solution for preservation such as the use of traditional techniques or materials like clay and earthen architecture to provide passive cooling and ventilation, and the opportunity to connect preservation strategies for independent photographic archives across West Africa. While great strides have been made in the preservation of photography in Africa, the broadening of networks and further dissemination of information as a result of this workshop is a further step in connecting and empowering talented African archivists, artists, collection care professionals, directors and educators capable of advancing preservation practice and public programming. This paper will summarize workshop development, design, and implementation, including strategies for effective fund-raising, publicity, and participant selection. Immediate outcomes and opportunities for future photograph preservation initiatives in the region and beyond will be shared.
Speakers
avatar for Nora W. Kennedy

Nora W. Kennedy

Sherman Fairchild Conservator in Charge, Photograph Conservation, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph Conservation
Nora Kennedy is the Sherman Fairchild Conservator in Charge of Photograph Conservation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. During her tenure at the Met she has worked on over 100 photograph exhibitions and continues to expand the Museum's initiatives in education and... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Bertrand Lavedrine

Bertrand Lavedrine

Professor, Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation des Collections / MNHN
Bertrand Lavédrine received the doctoral degree from the Faculty of Humanities, University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, with the thesis in Art and Archeology, and got a Master degree in organic chemistry. In 1983, he was appointed to carry-out scientific researches on the preservation... Read More →
avatar for Debbie Hess Norris-[Fellow]

Debbie Hess Norris-[Fellow]

Chair/Professor, Department of Art Conservation, University of Delaware
Debra Hess Norris is Chair of the Art Conservation Department at the University of Delaware, and Professor of Photograph Conservation. She graduated magna cum laude with an interdisciplinary BA degree in chemistry, art history, and studio art (1977) and MS in conservation (1980) from... Read More →
FK

Franck Komlan Ogou

Interim Director, l’Ecole du Patrimoine Africain
Franck Komlan Ogou is an archivist, arts and culture mediator, and cultural heritage manager at l’Ecole du Patrimoine Africain-EPA. Since 2003 he has been conducting research on private photographic collections in Benin, with the aim of creating a research center dedicated to Beninese... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Photographic Materials

2:00pm EDT

(Textiles) The Effect of Light Emitting Diode Lamps (LEDs) on 19th century Dyed & Printed Cotton Fabrics
Selecting an LED (light emitting diode) lamp for exhibition lighting 19th century calico and chintz quilts as well as other furnishing fabrics and garments can be a complicated process. Because the lamps do not produce a true white light, color-rendering is a particular concern with LEDs. Different “white” LEDs can change the appearance of colors. For example, a purple might appear bluer and a red might appear browner. Even indigo blue can be skewed. Since a single cotton print can contain a variety of different colors, fabrics may be particularly challenging to light with such a lighting system. The “best” LED light would render all colors as accurately as possible with the least amount of change in appearance. In order to evaluate the likelihood of anomalous color shifts, reflectance curve readings were taken of dyed and printed samples found in William Crooke’s 1874 Practical Handbook of Dyeing and Calico-Printing. The samples in the Crooke’s book used mineral, natural, and synthetic dyes, so it included a broad range of popular colorants that would have been used to dye 19th century cotton textiles made on/before 1874 and used in a dress or quilt. Each sample in the text was labeled with the dye used, so the Crookes’ book serves as a valuable resource of known dyes, as what dyes were used in actual quilts is conjecture, unless the dyes are individually analyzed. In the future, it may be possible to translate reflectance data of actual textiles—and their repairs—so that the best lighting can be delivered for the visitors’ viewing pleasure and the curator’s satisfaction. In our case, the evaluation of a variety of LED lamp spectra was made using the aid of a digital simulator program created by color scientists at NIST and the reflectance values of the Crookes samples. Since NIST is located in suburban Maryland, actual visual evaluation was conducted of the samples in specially designed variable spectra color rooms also developed at NIST. We can confirm that CIE ∆Eab values incorporated into the digital simulator do provide an accurate assessment of the potential performance of 19th dyed and printed fabrics.
Speakers
avatar for Mary W. Ballard

Mary W. Ballard

Conservator, Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute
EducationB.A. Wellesley (1971)M.A. and Diploma in Conservation New York University Institute of Fine Arts (1979)Additional coursework: North Carolina State University, College of TextilesResearch Specialties and InterestsInterested in coloration of textiles and in the evidence of... Read More →

Co-Authors
CB

Courtney Bolin

Postgraduate Research Fellow, Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute
Courtney Bolin was a Postgraduate Research Fellow studying Textile Conservation, Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, Washington D.C. 20560-0534 bolinc@si.edu. She completed her B.S. and M.S. at North Carolina State University in the College of Textiles. She is now employed... Read More →
TM

Taylor McClean

MS Candidate, North Carolina State University, College of Textiles
Taylor McClean was a Summer Intern at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute. She completed her B.S. in Biology at Guilford College and is finishing her M.S. at North Carolina State University in the College of Textiles with a thesis on an 18th century knitted coat.

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Textiles

2:30pm EDT

(Architecture + Wooden Artifacts) Analyses of the architecture of wooden churches from Buzău county, Romania
Knowledge base culture history of the vernacular architecture monuments, represents an important tool that can act in the forming of a new cultural domain that will be transmitted to the future generation. In the past few years the concerns for the preservations of wooden architecture monuments has increased in intensity. Wooden Churches from Buzau presents regional features from three Romanian provinces, Transylvania, Moldova and the Romanian Country, which are connected by the conception unit, typological forms, constructive elements, motifs. The architecture description broadly, both the exterior and interior, makes the vision of the whole assembly to have a perspective on the painted surface, on which is carried a certain iconography plan. All these details of the style, technique, iconography are correlated and analyzed simultaneously to provide a general description of the wooden churches of Buzau and establish the conservation status. In the folk art, under the strong influence of the local tradition, is crystallized the aboriginal style, the popular one; processing and interpretation of tradition, innovation and influence are through a rigorous process of selection and adaptation, the resulting synthesis being the local spirit. Each achievement carries the mark of the anonymous craftsman who, based on their experience, innovates and enriches the repertoire of his art In the southern region of the Carpathian Mountains, in the territory of Buzău County, the art of wood work has been preserved through a vast series of historical religious buildings. These historical monuments, less popular in this region, are part of the invaluable religious heritage, counting 32 churches of which 3 monuments are of A class. The artistic variety of these wooden churches and the richness of surrounding landscapes, are altogether part of the true values of Romanian culture, and should be continuously preserved and promoted. A comparative analysis of the conservation status and deterioration forms, has been made possible through research of the official monuments charts, dating from the 1960s, in the possession of the National Heritage Institute, in the Archives department. Also, in situ investigations realized in the summer of 2013, helped to the completion of this study. All the information regarding the evolution of the deterioration forms, identified on a few of these churches, represent an important stack of data which can help restorers to establish the adequate conservation and restoration interventions. The care for these churches, extremely vulnerable through the constructive materials, should be of constant awareness to the local, regional and national authorities, responsible with their administration. Of great concern should also be the numerous inadequate preservation interventions, realized by the administrative staff of the monuments. For the support of these wooden churches, many of them abandoned, rehabilitation and conservation-restoration programs could be developed, in order to reveal the beauty of mural paintings and architecture of these religious ensembles, contributing to the salvation of the historical monuments.
Co-Authors
avatar for Necula Elena-Teodora

Necula Elena-Teodora

PhD student Elena-Teodora Necula, Valahia University, Targoviste
Necula Elena Teodora graduated from National University of Arts Bucharest, Faculty of History and Theory of Art, Department of Conservation and Restoration of The Work of Art, degree in 2008 and Master in 2010. During university studies carried stages of methodological practice sites... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture, Wooden Artifacts

2:30pm EDT

(Book and Paper) Understanding and Preserving the Print Culture of the Confederacy
The Civil War, America’s defining event of the 19th century, is exceptionally well documented in the collections of the Boston Athenæum. Of particular significance is the Confederate Imprints collection, broad in scope and rich in content, consisting of over four thousand books, documents, and prints that witness Southern experiences during the devastating war. This paper will consider three aspects of a recently completed two-year project to digitize the Confederate Imprints collection: preservation activities, particularly the leading role of the conservation staff in coordinating the imaging workflow; conservation treatment methodologies for a large collection with limited resources; and technical analysis of printed objects from this period. The Athenæum’s record of Confederate Imprints begins in December, 1860, with the bound journals of South Carolina’s Secession Convention, and ends in the spring of 1865, when Confederate armies surrendered. Print materials from every Southern state and territory in this time frame were included in this project, in any format except newspapers. The most common were pamphlets, bound volumes in leather, cloth, and paper, sheet music, broadsides, maps, periodicals, almanacs, oversized administrative records, and handbills. Some highlights of particular rarity that illustrate the variety of formats encountered in this project are an unbound printed draft of the Confederate Constitution, a hand-colored railroad map of the South, an illustrated manual of field surgery bound in cloth, a number of Army broadsides printed in the field, and the official voting record for secession in a district in Norfolk County, Virginia. A Project Conservator selected objects for inclusion in the digitization workflow, performed treatment as necessary, coordinated the object’s delivery to imaging technicians (communicating handling strategies as necessary), performed quality assurance checks after imaging, and coordinated the object’s return to its long-term storage environment. In this model, an object could be selected for preservation, conservation, and imaging in a single step, which proved successful in minimizing bottlenecks and maximizing efficiencies. Representative methods and techniques that were successfully used to stabilize and conserve the collection will be presented. These include variations on repairing torn text leaves, aqueous treatments, re-attachments of original wrappers to pamphlets and covers for pocket-sized cloth volumes, housings for folded maps in original covers, and book repairs for publisher’s and bespoke bindings. Technical aspects of printing and bookmaking in the Southern Confederacy will also be examined. Common paper fibers, sheet-formation quality, and some common watermarks will be described. Books bound in leather, particularly in Richmond, Virginia, will be compared by their structural and decorative differences. Patterns of bookmaking practices unique to certain large publishers will be discussed, such as wallpaper coverings from S.H. Goetzel in Alabama, and die-stamped covers re-purposed for military manuals by West & Johnston in Richmond.
Speakers
avatar for Evan Knight

Evan Knight

Associate Conservator, Boston Athenaeum
He has conserved bound and unbound special collections materials at the Northeast Document Conservation Center, the Library of Congress as the 2010 Harper-Inglis Fellow, the Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas, and the Municipal Archives of New York City. He... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

2:30pm EDT

(Collection Care) Pathways for Implementing a Successful Passive RH Microclimate
During the last decade, there has been an increasing interest in sustainability and allowing for a greater RH range within building structures housing collections. This has led to a greater interest in the use of microclimates to house artifacts requiring tighter or different RH ranges than those provided within the macroenvironment. The use of passive RH-controlled microclimates is not new, and, in theory, is relatively easy to achieve. In reality, implementation has proven to be expensive and difficult for many institutions. The purpose of this presentation is to provide a review of what needs to be taken into account, and best methods for how to create successful passive RH microenvironments, both for exhibition cases and storage units. The presentation will be broken down into three topics: 1. RH Control: The selection and utilization of passive RH buffering agents such as silica gel. Concerns such as the evaluation of silica gel performance will be discussed. 2. Case Leakage: Methods for testing and evaluating case leakage. A short description of the equipment and procedures for leak detection will be described. 3. Environmental Monitoring: Key criteria for selecting appropriate environmental monitoring equipment for microclimate units. The purpose is to describe the unique needs for microclimate monitoring versus general environmental monitoring. There are many other considerations that go into the creation of a successful microclimate, such as interior material selection, lighting, accessibility, etc. Since the focus is RH control, the presentation will concentrate on the three topics listed above, but will note the importance of other concerns that impact collection preservation. Because of the time limit for the presentation, the goal will be to provide the key points that must be taken into account in order to achieve a cost-effective RH microclimate. To supplement this presentation, a series of “white papers” will be prepared and posted on a freely available website by the author. These white papers will provide in-depth information on how to implement the technologies described in this presentation.
Speakers
avatar for Steven Weintraub

Steven Weintraub

Consultant, Art Preservation Services
Steven Weintraub founded Art Preservation Services in 1988. Steven holds an MA in Art History and an Advanced Certificate in Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU. From 1975 to 1986, he was an objects conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Among his many activities... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Collection Care

2:30pm EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) The Artists’ Dialogues series: exploring materiality, process, and conservation with artists from Los Angeles
As part of the broader dissemination strategy for Art in LA, a project that explores the materials and processes of post-1950s artists working in Los Angeles, the Getty Conservation Institute is producing a series of short videos entitled Artists’ Dialogues. Although based on lengthy interviews and conversations with the artists they feature, these short videos (averaging 10 minutes) aim to tell a highly condensed and edited story in the artist’s own words. They are not tied to a particular collection or conservation project, but seek to act as a broad introduction to each artist and to capture their overarching philosophy and attitudes towards materiality, process, concept, longevity, legacy and conservation.   The series has initially focused on artists that came to prominence in the 1960s and made use of industrial materials and processes in a way that at the time was highly innovative: Peter Alexander, Larry Bell, Helen Pashgian. Through these first three videos, the potential tensions between original appearance, artist’ intentions and ageing are explored. The video currently in production features Chris Burden, an artist whose work extends across a very wide variety of media: we are in fact still exploring whether it is even possible to capture the essence of Burden’s overall intention by highlighting just a small number of individual works of art.  Our overall goal is to produce a limited number of these videos each year, working with a relatively low budget, to start including a variety of LA-based artists working with different media and methods, as well as younger generations of artists. It is hoped that as the number of videos in the series increases, and as the range of different attitudes that artists might have towards their work broadens, the Artists’ Dialogues series can serve as a useful reference point to illustrate the complexities of conservation questions in contemporary art, and to discuss the pros and cons of engaging the artist in the conservation of their own work.   The paper will present the videos completed to date, and discuss the choice of this particular method of dissemination, including the methodology adopted and the considerations of cost. It will also reflect on the purpose and context of the series.
Speakers
avatar for Rachel Rivenc

Rachel Rivenc

Associate Scientist, Getty Conservation Institute
Rachel Rivenc has been working within the Modern and Contemporary Art Research Initiative at the GCI since 2006. She is currently an associate scientist. She studies the diverse materials and techniques used by contemporary artists, and their conservation. She is currently leading... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Thomas Learner

Thomas Learner

Scientist/Researcher, Getty Conservation Institute
Tom Learner is head of the Science Department at the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI); he oversees all of the Institute's scientific research, developing and implementing projects that advance conservation practice in the visual arts. As a GCI senior scientist from 2007 to 2013... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

2:30pm EDT

(Paintings + Research and Technical Studies) Franz Kline’s Paintings: Black and White?
The Museum of Fine Arts ,Houston’s collection of major New York School paintings includes iconic works by Franz Kline (1910-1962), one of the defining artistic personalities of Abstract Expressionism, who worked concurrently with his friend Willem de Kooning, and also Jackson Pollock, both key artists of Abstract Expressionism in New York. These artists rejected traditional materials and embraced modern, inexpensive alternatives (house paint, Ripolin, Proxylin, acrylics), simply because these materials were new, contemporary and free from the historical association of representative art with traditional artist’s oil paints. The challenge to tradition inherent in their images went hand in hand with abandoning concerns about traditional qualities in the materials they employed. The conservation community is uniquely poised at a moment in history when the physical materials that make up iconic Abstract Expressionist works are beginning to show failure. Never before has it been possible to study the physical realities of works of art at such a sophisticated level, and our investigations have identified mechanisms of failure, and informed the parameters of material integrity and treatment possibilities for our paintings by Franz Kline. Our project began with the urgent need to stabilize the badly flaking, fragile paint layers of Wotan, Kline’s watershed piece of 1950, painted originally on canvas, but early in its life mounted onto Masonite (140 x 202 cm). The material history of this work, including early damages and treatments, has been reconstructed, and formed the basis for determining treatment strategy. Although prior work on later Kline paintings suggested that zinc soap formation was a key degradation process, scientific analysis (FTIR, XRF, Raman, optical microscopy, x-radiography, infra-red reflectography, ultraviolet fluorescence) suggests that while zinc pigments are present and contribute to the ageing characteristics of the paint layers in Wotan, other processes are equally, if not more significant. The extreme fragility of Wotan led us to undertake technical examination and assess condition for two other paintings by Franz Kline: Orange and Black Wall, 1959 (170 x 367 cm) and Corinthian II, 1961 (202 x 272 cm). These paintings, both unlined and on canvas, are in very different states of stability. Orange and Black Wall, like Wotan, exhibits persistent cracking, interlayer cleavage and may no longer travel. In contrast, Corinthian II is stable and in very good condition. Analysis indicates that this difference in condition mainly arises from contrasting paint-layering techniques, resulting in subtle but critical structural differences. In combination with the studies on Wotan, we may conclude that Kline’s choice of materials and the method of their application both contribute significantly to the relative stability or fragility of his paintings. This paper provides a timely contribution to the on-going dialogue about technical study, treatment history and current treatment desiderata for modern paintings. Broader issues such as balancing the values of aesthetic and material preservation and re-treatability in the specific territory defined by artists like Kline and his contemporaries are also discussed.
Speakers
CE

Corina E. Rogge

Andrew W. Mellon Research Scientist, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Corina E. Rogge is the Andrew W. Mellon Research Scientist at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Menil Collection. She earned a B.A. in chemistry from Bryn Mawr College, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Yale University and held postdoctoral positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison... Read More →

Co-Authors
MM

Ms. Maite Leal-[PA]

Conservator, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Maite Leal is Painting Conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where she has worked since 1998. She is a graduate of Rice University and was a conservation intern for two terms, at the Center for Conservation of Art, Fort Worth, under Jay Krueger, Perry Huston and Helen Houp... Read More →
avatar for Zahira Bomford

Zahira Bomford

Senior Paintings Conservator, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Dr. Zahira Bomford came to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston in 2012 as head of Paintings Conservation, having worked as a conservator of paintings and polychrome sculpture in the United States (The Metropolitan Museum, The Smithsonian Institution, The Cleveland Museum of Art) and was... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings, Research and Technical Studies

2:30pm EDT

(Photographic Materials) Treatment of George Keyt's Stained Glass Mural Cartoons- Oversized Drawings and Photographs
This presentation will detail the treatment of a series of nine oversized sketches for glass panels on a waxed, coated canvas support and nine oversized silver gelatin prints. These objects came to West Lake Conservators for treatment as part of a larger collection housed in a local library. The drawings are original artist cartoons by renowned Sri Lankan modern painter George Keyt for a stained glass mural based on Keyt’s work on canvas ‘Lanka Matha’. The stained glass mural was originally exhibited at the Ceylon Pavilion of Expo 1967 in Montreal, Canada, and is presently on display in the foyer of the Bibliotheque Marie-Uguay in Montreal. Currently, the waxed canvas objects are soiled, contain multiple tears on each support, show severe planar deformation, and have been stored rolled. The material will be tested at Queen’s University using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which will help inform the decision making process regarding treatment. The material is very hydrophobic and repels water off of its surface, thus resisting attempts at flattening through humidification. The current anticipated treatment path is to clean with sponge erasers, attempt flattening on a suction table using gentle heat to relax the materials and mend tears using Beva film and Cerex. The silver gelatin prints are similarly soiled, with abrasions causing loss of image in some areas. Focusing on the practical aspects of treatment, this talk will outline the challenges in treating oversized materials, as well as how to make the best use of resources available to conservators working in private practice. This treatment is ongoing, and we anticipate changes to be made to our current treatment path as new details and information regarding the materials arise. Outcomes of the treatment, as well as challenges encountered will also be discussed.
Speakers
avatar for Luisa Casella

Luisa Casella

Photograph Conservator, West Lake Conservators
Luisa has a Masters in conservation from the Instituto Politénico de Tomar, in Portugal. She worked for eight years at Luis Pavão Limitada, serving museums, archives, and cultural institutions. In 2005 Luisa was awarded the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship of the Advanced Residency Program... Read More →
avatar for Moya Dumville

Moya Dumville

Paper Conservator, West Lake Conservators, Ltd.
Moya studied Art Conservation at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, specializing in paper objects. She has completed conservation internships at The Rooms Provincial Archives in St. John's, Newfoundland and the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Massachusetts... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Photographic Materials

2:30pm EDT

(Textiles) Lights, Camera, Archaeology: Documenting Archaeological Textile Impressions with Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI)
This paper investigates the feasibility, effectiveness, and overall value of Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) in documenting archaeological textile impressions. RTI is a computational imaging technique that relights an object from any direction and mathematically enhances surface detail. It is an excellent way to document textured surfaces. At present, archeological textile impressions are documented via digital photography. The ability to manipulate the light source and enhance surface attributes with RTI facilitates identification of important textile features from documentation of textile impressions. This is especially important for ephemeral material, like archaeological soil impressions; the original material is often destroyed during ongoing excavation, and documentation becomes the sole record of the object. Additionally, RTI is valuable from a preventive conservation perspective; the interactive RTI files provide an alternative way to study textile impressions that eliminates object handling during examination that is likely to cause damage. Primarily, this paper compares RTI and digital photography for documentation of ten varied textile impressions. Secondarily, it examines three RTI set-ups—a dome, an indoor highlight RTI (H-RTI), and an outdoor H-RTI setup. The findings in this paper are based on experimental work. RTI images of assorted textile impressions in a range of material were captured and then compared to digital photography based on standards for good documentation of archaeological textile impressions. The findings demonstrate that RTI is superior to digital photography for documentation of textile impressions. Particularly exciting is RTI’s ability to provide a lasting digital artifact of short-lived archaeological information for in situ archaeological textile impressions. Finally, this paper considers the implications of a shift from digital photography to RTI in conservation in terms of equipment, potential damage, image quality and size, image processing, archival protocols, digital media conservation, image backup, and ethics.
Speakers
avatar for Emily Frank

Emily Frank

PhD Candidate | Objects Conservator, Institute for Study of the Ancient World at NYU
Emily Frank is an objects conservator; a PhD Candidate at the Institute for Study of the Ancient World at NYU; and a recent graduate of the joint MS in Conservation of Artistic & Historic Works and MA in History of Art & Archaeology at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Textiles

3:00pm EDT

(Architecture + Wooden Artifacts) How to Salvage your Historic House Museum after a Car Crash; The Marrett House Emergency Preservation and Conservation Project
At approximately 6:30 PM Wednesday night April 4, 2012, a drunk driver, who had stolen a 2003 Subaru Legacy from Cape Elizabeth earlier in the day, crashed into the historic Marrett House in Standish, Maine. The impact tore a hole through the side of the building and into the parlor. The 1789 Marrett House is one of thirty-six historic house museums owned and preserved by Historic New England and this accident dramatically damaged a significant and intact historic building and interior that had not been altered since 1858. The accident required immediate disaster response to seal the building exterior, stabilize the structure and protect the objects in the parlor. Beyond the initial response, the project took more than a year to complete. Over the following 12 months, Historic New England worked closely with the insurance companies, outside contractors and our own carpentry and conservation staff to plan and implement a conservative conservation and preservation project with the goals to retain as much historic fabric as possible and present the interior much as we did before the accident. For the duration of the project, the collection objects from the parlor were moved to our collections facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts for safekeeping and treatment. Objects remaining in the intact sections of the Marrett House also required security as well as protection from dust and vibration during the construction phase of the project. Architectural work involved structural repairs to the timber frame, stabilization and conservation of the interior wood paneling, and stabilization and conservation of the plaster and lath with its wall paper still attached. This paper will be presented in two parts to discuss the project from the perspective and actions of both building and collections preservation beginning with the disaster response to the completion of the project and reinstallation of the parlor and it's furnishings from 1858.
Speakers
avatar for Benjamin Haavik

Benjamin Haavik

Team Leader of Property Care for Historic New England, Historic New England
Benjamin Haavik, Team Leader of Property Care for Historic New England, is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of 37 historic house museums and landscapes open to the public. Ben manages fifteen full-time staff, including preservation carpenters, preservation managers... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Alexander M. Carlisle

Alexander M. Carlisle

Supervising Conservator, Historic New England
Alexander M. Carlisle is currently Supervising Conservator at Historic New England following eight years in private practice as A.M. Carlisle Art Conservation. He was Program Chair in the Wooden Artifacts Group in 2010 and served as Chair 2011-2013.

Thursday May 14, 2015 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture, Wooden Artifacts

3:00pm EDT

(Book and Paper) The Book as Art: Conserving the Bible from Edward Kienholz's The Minister
Conservators and curators often have differing viewpoints regarding the conservation of an object, and finding common ground is essential to “making conservation work”. When the Albright-Knox Art Gallery contacted the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) with a project to conserve a bible that is part of a work by Edward Keinholz, collaboration and compromise between conservators and curators was key to developing an appropriate treatment. American artist Edward Kienholz (1927-1994) first began constructing large scale art assemblages in the late 1950’s while living and working in Los Angeles. He was involved in the avant-garde art scene and a pioneer in what would later be termed “installation art”. Kienholz used found objects in his complex sculptures and assemblages which served as harsh and sometimes disturbing commentary on the dark side of contemporary life. His sculpture The Minister is a relatively austere early assemblage created in 1961. Its main components include a wooden podium, a bible and a butcher’s scale. The bible is displayed open on the slanted surface of the podium and is watched over by the butcher’s scale “head” of the Minister. The bible came to NEDCC for conservation treatment because the text block was separated from its cover. Respect for the artist’s intent was critical to both the curator and the conservators. While the bible has many condition issues, including the loss of a significant amount of text and additions of packing tape, the book conservation staff at NEDCC initially proposed no physical alterations at all. Instead of conservation treatment the construction of fittings or a cradle to hold the text block in position within its semi-limp case on the podium would have stabilized the artwork. The primary concern for the Gallery, however, was reattachment of the case to the text block with no visible alterations or additions of material, however slight, to the viewer. Further discussions between the curator and conservators led to a conservation treatment that met the goal of stabilizing the piece while retaining Kienholz’s artistic intent and aesthetic. It is the combination of the curator’s and conservator’s point of view and expertise that makes conservation work.
Speakers
TP

Todd Pattison

Senior Book Conservator, Northeast Document Conservation Center

Thursday May 14, 2015 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

3:00pm EDT

(Collection Care) Continuing to Care: Transitioning Connecting to Collections to Connecting to Collection Care
As of January 2015 the management of the Connecting to Collections online community  www.connectingtocollections.org passed from Heritage Preservation to the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC) and the oversight of AIC’s Collection Care Network (CCN).  With this transition the resource has been renamed Connecting to Collections Care (C2CC). The site offers webinars, resource files and online discussions on a wide range of topics, free of charge. Since its inception C2CC has become a core resource for individuals and smaller cultural institutions seeking reliable information about caring for collections and FAIC is excited to continue this platform for connecting conservation, preservation and collections professionals. In shepherding the site forward, AIC seeks to incorporate the many voices that contribute to collection care, It is hoped that members of AIC and allied professional organizations will work together provide the expert guidance that has made C2CC a platform for trusted advice.  Join us for a project update and Q&A session and learn how you can get involved.
Speakers
avatar for Rachael Perkins Arenstein-[PA]

Rachael Perkins Arenstein-[PA]

Partner, AM Art Conservation LLC
Rachael Perkins Arenstein is a Professional Associate member of the American Institute for Conservation. She is a principal of A.M. Art Conservation, LLC, the private practice that she co-founded in 2009. She has worked at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, the Smithsonian's National... Read More →
avatar for Rebecca Fifield

Rebecca Fifield

Senior Manager, Collection Management (Head), The New York Public Library
Rebecca Fifield is Senior Manager, Collection Management, a new unit that enriches access through improved physical management and documentation. Fifield has 30 years experience and holds an M.A. Museum Studies from George Washington University.
avatar for Gretchen Guidess

Gretchen Guidess

Associate Conservator of Objects & Textiles, Williamstown Art Conservation Center
GRETCHEN GUIDESS is the Associate Conservator of Objects & Textiles at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center in Williamstown, MA. She graduated from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, completing a M.Sc. in textile conservation with a concentration... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Collection Care

3:00pm EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) From Theory to Practice: Instituting the Hirshhorn Artist Interview Program
It has become globally recognized that artist interviews are an essential component in the conservation of modern and contemporary artworks. Artists continue to push boundaries by exploring unconventional materials and fabrication techniques. Further complications have arisen with the advent of installation and conceptual art. Communication with the artist is often necessary to elucidate not just how a work was made, but also which components or qualities are central to its meaning, thus requiring preservation. In 2012, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden was awarded a Smithsonian Postgraduate Fellowship in Conservation for Steven O'Banion to develop an artist interview program for the institution. While primarily driven from a preservation perspective, the Artist Interview Program is a museum-wide initiative with the goal of generating systematic face-to-face dialogues with artists. This talk will explain the motivations behind the creation of the interview program, the challenges that arose during its development, and the future of the program as it becomes integrated into the daily workflows of the conservation lab and the museum as a whole. As a practical example of the ways in which artist interviews can play into treatment choices, the conservation of an installation by Ann Hamilton will be discussed. A two-year collaborative project, this case study illustrates the evolution of the artist's ideas as key conceptual components of the artwork came into focus. Ann Hamilton's input guided conservators through a decision-making process that resulted in treatment solutions that would not otherwise have been considered. The relationship built with the artist over time will allow for a continued dialog about the artwork in the future.
Speakers
avatar for Gwynne Ryan

Gwynne Ryan

Chief Conservator, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Gwynne Ryan is the Chief Conservator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington DC, where her responsibilities span the conservation of the outdoor sculpture garden and contemporary sculpture and installations. During her tenure at the Hirshhorn, Gwynne has been a... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Steven O'Banion

Steven O'Banion

Conservator, Glenstone
Steven O’Banion is the Director of Conservation at Glenstone, where he is responsible for comprehensively addressing the conservation needs of Glenstone’s collection. After completing pre-program internships at the Museum of Modern Art, the New York City Department of Parks... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

3:00pm EDT

(Paintings + Research and Technical Studies) Something rich and strange: The conservation and study of Jackson Pollock's Sea Change.
Jackson Pollock's Sea Change is one of very few paintings by this seminal figure in public collections in the Northwestern USA. Painted in 1947, Sea Change was one of a group of works marking Pollock's departure from brushwork and the colorful symbolic abstractions of 1946, in favor of a new method of painting. Francis O'Connor described this moment as Pollock's "first sustained exploration of the pouring technique”. One characteristic that makes Sea Change particularly fascinating is the fact that it contains evidence of Pollock's earlier style "submerged” beneath his newly embraced technique. Close examination of the painting reveals an extraordinary surface topography of colorful brushed patterns and forms that were later obscured by a dense web of scattered gravel and poured black and metallic paint. In the seven years leading up to Pollock's death, Peggy Guggenheim made a remarkable series of gifts of the artist's paintings to museums and colleges across America and around the world. Seattle was one the beneficiaries of Guggenheim's generosity, with Sea Change being pledged to the Seattle Art Museum in 1955 and formally entering the museum collection in 1958. By the 1970s, the inherent fragility of the painting had become apparent, with losses of gravel, and canvas distortions caused by the flimsy strainer and contracting, thick paint. Concerns about the deterioration led to conservation treatment in 1977, including attaching the painting to a honeycomb panel support and varnishing with an isobutyl methacrylate coating. The objective of the recent treatment of Sea Change was to remove the varnish to bring the surface closer to that which was crafted by Pollock. Varnish removal tests revealed that Pollock's colors from the first stage of painting are characterized by a rather lean, matte surface, whereas the overlying poured metallic and black paints were more medium-rich and glossy. Extensive tests for varnish removal were undertaken with conventional aromatic solvents and naphthalene depleted Exxon solvent ND150 and these tests will be described in the presentation. A small number of samples were taken as cross-sections from the tacking margins and the edges of gravel losses on the face of Sea Change. Samples were analyzed at the Getty Conservation Institute and the results enabled us to reconstruct Pollock's palette for both campaigns of painting. These samples also elucidated the layer structure and provided information on the painting's binding medium. The concurrent J. Paul Getty Museum/GCI treatment and studies of Pollock's Mural provided invaluable comparative material. The technical study considerably enhanced our understanding of the way Pollock produced Sea Change. In the past, our characterization of the way Pollock executed drip paintings may have been defined by notions of automatic process and a spontaneous gestural technique. Close study of this painting and recent studies of other Pollock paintings, however, advances our understanding of the degree to which he also incorporated less spontaneous approaches into his array of working methods. Here, Pollock re-worked an existing paint surface, revealing some earlier forms and obscuring others, intervening with a scattering of pebbles and poured color and then, finally, refining the composition with carefully positioned spots of artists' color applied straight from the tube. This collaborative treatment and research project resulted in the recovery of a more appropriate surface for Sea Change and the technical study enhanced understanding of this important moment in Pollock's career, as he took his canvas off the easel and onto the floor.
Speakers
ND

Nicholas Dorman

Chief Conservator, Seattle Art Museum
Nicholas Dorman studied conservation at the University of Northumbria, England, at the Doerner Institut in Munich and on an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He worked as a conservator at the Doerner Institut and at the Stichting Kollektief Restauratie... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Alan Phenix-[PA]

Alan Phenix-[PA]

Paintings Conservator; Scientist
Alan Phenix is a paintings conservator, conservation educator and conservation scientist. Recently retired, from November 2006 he was employed as ‘Scientist’ at the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), Los Angeles. In his first years at GCI he worked partly for the Museum Research... Read More →
WL

Wendy Lindsey

Graduate Student, University of Arizona
Wendy Lindsey is currently a graduate student at the University of Arizona, where she is pursuing a PhD in analytical chemistry. After completing her undergraduate studies in chemistry at Scripps College, she worked as a consultant for the Getty Conservation Institute before departing... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings, Research and Technical Studies

3:00pm EDT

(Photographic Materials) Conservation versus Historicity: a necessary reconciliation for the intervention in the photographic collection of Frida Kahlo
In 2004, at the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City the doors of two bathrooms were opened for the very first time, where a collection of personal items, graphics, documentary and photographic files were kept, which belonged to the famous couple of Mexican painters: Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. This finding resulted in a restoration project for the photographic collection’s intervention, which represents a wide source of information about the painters’ family, personal and work life, given that a substantial part of the collection dates back from the first half of the 20th Century. The state of conservation of the collection’s photos is a result of Frida Kahlo’s use of them during her lifetime, and also of the storage conditions they were kept under for fifty years after the painter’s death. The problems found during the collection’s conservation work are described in this paper, which were found during the efforts to restore the photographs and of preserving the material alterations, the evidence of use and other historicity demonstrations that in other contexts would have been treated as deterioration. Finally, the conservation measures carried out on the collection are summarized, and the specific case of adhesive tape removal from the photographic materials is mentioned for disucssion.
Speakers
KC

Karla Castillo Leyva

Teacher, National School of Conservation, Restoration and Museography
Karla Castillo was born in Mexico City on 1989. In 2013 she graduated from the National School of Conservation, Restoration and Museography (ENCRyM is the acronym in Spanish). In 2014 she worked on the third season of the restoration project of the photographic collection of Frida... Read More →
avatar for Elisa Carmona Vaillard

Elisa Carmona Vaillard

Conservator of Modern and Contemporary Works of Art, CENCROPAM (National center of conservation and register of artistic heritage)
Elisa Carmona graduated in 2013 from the National School of Conservation, Restoration and Museography (ENCRyM is the acronym in Spanish). In 2014 she worked on the third season of the restoration project of the photographic collection of Frida Kahlo’s Museum, under the coordination... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Photographic Materials

3:00pm EDT

(Textiles) Documentation, Restoration And Display Of A Xvii Century Copy Of The Holy Shroud, In Argentina
The image on the Holy Shroud of Turin has been copied many times by several artists as a religious icon and a sacred relic. More than 90 copies are kept in churches, convents and private collections in Europe United States and South America. The original Shroud is a linen twill textile of 4.32 meters long and 1.10 m, represented by a double frontal-dorsal image of the body of a nude man -- the body of Jesus Christ that was wrapped when he was taken down from the cross and then taken to the sepulchre.

 These copies were made as a tradition starting in the Middle Ages until the 19th century. Between the 16th and the 17th centuries several were ordered by the House of Savoy in Italy.  They were given as devotional and sacred textiles to European monarchs who sent them to religious convents or noble families to the new colonial settlements as a sacred relic. One of them is in a Convent in Santiago del Estero, the oldest city of Argentina founded in 1553, once part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata in South America.

 This work describes the conservation work done on this copy of the Shroud, which was brought to South America with the Jesuits.  After their expulsion in 1767 it passed into the hands of a noble religious family.  In the late 19th century it was donated to the Dominican priests Convent in Santiago del Estero where it was displayed for several decades.

 This fabric is the same size as the original Shroud and is made of a tabby cloth of a cellulosic fiber.   It was damaged in several areas, caused by inadequate previous exhibitions.  It had been placed between glass causing general deformations and wrinkles.  It had big brown stains and advanced moisture deterioration,  causing migration of the media used to represent the image and holes in the latin legend and written with iron gall ink.

 The treatment of this religious textile included an extensive scientific documentation to identify the textile fibers and media, determining whether they are consistent with the time of their alleged origin and authenticity.  These studies had never been carried out in part due to lack of knowledge and mistrust of the religious community. These tests allowed us to identify the linen fibers, gouache media and the presence of iron gall ink in the legend on one of the sides.

 A strategy of gradual intervention was carried out in two stages over three months (May to July, 2014). In the first stage, surface cleaning, stain removal, alignment, consolidation of fragile areas and chromatic reintegration of the legend were carried out.  Finally, to ensure a proper display it was placed in a showcase, flat on a board using proper conservation materials, with environmental controls to prevent further deterioration.
Speakers
avatar for Patricia C. Lissa

Patricia C. Lissa

Textiles Conservator, Tex_cor
Feee lance Textiles Conservator  in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Professor of the Chair "Textiles Conservation" at the Degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage Universidad del Museo Social Argentino.Former Conservator in the Museum “Casa Fernández Blanco” since... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Marcela Lydia Cedrola

Marcela Lydia Cedrola

Bio-chemist/Conservation Scientist, National Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine National Congress
Marcela Cedrola Biochemist and Conservation Scientist. Head of the laboratory of scientific analysis applied to works of art at the laboratory of the Department of conservation and restoration of works of art of the National Chamber of Deputies, Buenos Aires, Argentina. University... Read More →
avatar for Maria Pia Tamborini

Maria Pia Tamborini

Conservator, Museum of the National Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Nation
Conservator of the Museum of the National Chamber of Deputies, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Degree in Art History (UBA), Conservator and restorer specialized in Textiles collections, in Florence, Italy. Professor in the area Textiles Conservation and Restoration, Postgraduate in Management... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Textiles

3:30pm EDT

Exhibit Hall Break
Thursday May 14, 2015 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Riverfront Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Break

4:00pm EDT

(Architecture + Wooden Artifacts) Complex Problems, Realistic Solutions: Devising a Treatment for the Sculpture of St. Paul on St. Paul’s Chapel, New York City
St. Paul’s Chapel in lower Manhattan was constructed in c.1766 and is one of the oldest surviving religious structures from the colonial era in New York City. The building has always been owned by Trinity Wall Street, an Episcopal parish that has been a part of New York City since 1697, and all work on the building is controlled by the Mission Properties division of the parish. The building has recently undergone several separate campaigns of restoration on portions of the exterior. The 2014 restoration included the primary, east elevation. A slightly larger than life-sized painted wood sculpture of St. Paul stands in a niche in the tympanum of the east portico. Through a combination of archival research and physical examination, it was determined that the sculpture was created and installed in c.1790, making it one of the earliest surviving American sculptures, and thus an enormously important historic and artistic artifact. This paper will focus on issues related to the conditions assessment and planned treatment of the sculpture. Trinity Wall Street was interested in keeping the sculpture in its historic location. Visual observation suggested that the finishes and the wood substrate of the sculpture were in extremely poor condition. Archival research indicated that an extensive treatment campaign in c.1930 had resulted in the removal of the original finish and application of a different, still extant finish. This treatment was of particular interest because it occurred at the same time as a significant alteration campaign on the building’s east façade, which resulted in a change in color scheme of exterior architectural elements, and because the decision was made during the 2014 restoration work to repaint exterior architectural elements to match their c.1930 colors. Given the significance of the sculpture and its seemingly poor condition and complex treatment history, it was critical to estimate the extent of intervention that would be needed to keep the sculpture in an uncontrolled and unprotected exterior environment. An investigation was conducted in order to develop viable options for treatment. The investigation included characterization of the existing finish and digital radiography to assess the condition of the wood. This paper will first describe the analytical techniques used and the reasons for their selection. Because of time constraints and logistical issues related to removing the figure from the building, the investigation was conducted in situ. The paper will then focus on issues related to development of treatment and exhibition options. Decisions involved important topics in preservation philosophy, including the concepts of whether to retain existing coatings or not; what date to interpret to for restoration if the piece was to be restored rather than preserved with its overpaints; whether the target date for the finish color of the sculpture needed to be the same as the date selected for painted exterior architectural elements; and whether to keep the work in its original location rather than providing more protection by relocating this important artifact of American history inside.
Speakers
avatar for Claudia Kavenagh

Claudia Kavenagh

Director, Building Conservation Associates, Inc.
Claudia Kavenagh manages technical staff operations and oversees quality control for all projects in the New York office of Building Conservation Associates, Inc. BCA is a historic preservation and conservation consulting firm that assists architects, building owners, developers... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Michele Marincola

Michele Marincola

Professor/Educator, NYU Institute of Fine Arts, Conservation Center

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture, Wooden Artifacts

4:00pm EDT

(Book and Paper) Cross-Disciplinary Uses for Gellan Gum in Conservation
Gellan gum, a high molecular weight polysaccharide, was first introduced to the North American conservation community by Italian conservators Iannuccelli and Sotgiu (Laboratorio de restauro del patrimonio librario ICPAL, Rome) at the Book and Paper Session of the AIC Meeting in 2010. Their search for an alternative method of wet- cleaning graphic art that would not alter topographical features like surface texture, platemarks and etched/engraved lines led to early experiments with gellan gum at ICPAL in 2003-2004. The product is used as a thickening or gelling agent in the food, pharmacology and personal care products industries. In conservation applications, the gel is typically prepared in 2-4% concentrations and heated in a microwave to over 100 degrees celsius in order to obtain a sufficiently rigid, transparent gel. The addition of calcium acetate increases the rigidity of the gel to improve working properties. Gellan gum gradually releases moisture into an adjacent substrate in a controlled way and leaves no residue. When used for cleaning or stain reduction, soluble deterioration components are transferred to the gel through osmosis. Iannuccelli and Sotgiu reported on various treatments carried out with gellan gum, from backing removals to enzyme delivery, deacidification and reductive bleaching. Inspired by their findings, conservators at Library and Archives Canada first attempted to incorporate the use of gellan gum as part of the protocol for the treatment of a large collection of Audubon prints on woodpulp backings. This talk will report on the results of experiments with gellan gum for backing removal, as well its use in a variety of treatments on objects ranging from books, a three-dimensional map and globe, to hand-coloured prints and a vintage paper dress.
Speakers
avatar for Anne Maheux

Anne Maheux

Conservator, AFM Art Conservation
Anne Maheux is former Head, Conservation of maps, manuscripts, and fine art on paper at Library and Archives Canada, and former paper conservator at the National Gallery of Canada. She holds a Masters in Art Conservation from Queen’s University (1981), and earned a certificate in... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

4:00pm EDT

(Collection Care) Conservation Case Building at Field Museum
The Field Museum has invested time, testing and research to solving the problem of affordable, easy to make, non-entropic cases. This process has evolved over the last ten years, and I have played a large role, with the help of others, in its development. We have effectively eliminated wood products from case interiors, created an excellent seal to reduce air exchange rates, and incorporated anti vibration measures, all using conventional equipment at a fraction of the cost of high end specialty cases. Furthermore any shop in any Museum can duplicate our methods. The implications are far reaching, and I have posted the information on The Field Museum's web site. http://www.fieldmuseum.org/science/blog/conservation-case-building What's exciting is that right now I am formulating the next generation of improvements. It focuses on better seal, cost efficiency, being more user friendly and using less materials, all appropriate to current thinking. Social media is also changing the perception of the average Museum visitor. It furthers understanding of this type of work, and ultimately, is creating a paradigm shift in the Museum industry.
Speakers
avatar for John Zehren

John Zehren

Exhibitions Production Shop Supervisor, Field Museum
John Zehren has been with the Field Museum in Chicago for seventeen years, where he runs the Production Shop for the Exhibitions Department. He has a Bachelors in Art, specializing in sculpture, with earlier studies in math and physics. In addition to his work at Field, he maintains... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Collection Care

4:00pm EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) Beyond the interview: working with artists in time-based media conservation
Communicating with artists and their assistants is an almost daily part of my practice as a time-based media conservator. The form of communication varies depending on the artist, the artwork, and whether this is a first encounter or part of an ongoing collaboration. In the context of a collecting institution the relationship often begins at the moment of acquisition, as it may be the conservator’s role to help shepherd and negotiate the artwork into the collection. For artworks with an intangible or ephemeral aspect, as is often the case with contemporary media, exactly what the museum physically receives "in the box" is an important consideration for both conservators and curators. This is often how it starts but there is a typical chain of events which prompts dialogue with the artist and his or her associates. Key moments include: when an artwork is first installed for exhibition, when it is loaned and when it is exhibited again, as the passage of time often requires that the technology for playback and display be adapted, treated or replaced. Usually it is the first institutional installation that triggers the more traditional ‘Artist’s Interview.' Once a relationship has been established between the artist and institution it can be extremely useful to revisit the artwork (and the initial interview) at later intervals. Re-installation in a different space at a different time affords an opportunity to reassess and 'retune' the work with the artist. These rarer moments can be useful as the artist may have changed his or her feelings towards certain aspects of the work. This paper intends to illustrate and reflect on this multi-faceted collaboration. It is as much about capturing and integrating the artist’s voice into the long-term preservation of an artwork, as it is about developing a flexible and mature approach to the conservation of an ever expanding field.
Speakers
avatar for Kate Lewis

Kate Lewis

Chief Conservator, Museum of Modern Art

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

4:00pm EDT

(Paintings + Research and Technical Studies) Investigating softening and dripping paints in oil paintings made between 1952 and 2007
Modern and contemporary art collections show an increasing number of paintings with softening oil paints and even drip formation. We have investigated paintings made in Paris during the 1950’s by J-P Riopelle and P. Soulages but paintings from their contemporaries like G. Matthieu and P. Borduas also show softening paints and large drips. We are also investigating more recent dripping paintings by Van Hemert (NL), Walls (Irl), Meese (D) and Tal R (DK). These latter paintings first seem to dry properly but after about 7 years some thicker applied paints begin to “melt” and form puddles and drips of exudate. We do not know when the paintings from the 1950’s painters began to show drips. One oil painting by Soulages from 1960 that was received as donation in 1965 by the Art Institute of Chicago, was seen in storage to have drips in 1992. Analysis together with the visual examination and experimental treatments of several case studies has increased the understanding of how many different physical changes in the paint are related to the softness of the medium. Even matt and cracking paint can be developing from the softness of the paint medium. There is ample evidence from a number of paints studied by mass spectrometry that the exudates are rich in polar fractions with triglycerides with moieties of mid-chain oxygen-functionalised stearic acids and azelaic acids. Remarkably they all have these specific chemical features in common. Paints where polar fractions are phase separated and depleted show an increase in saturated compounds. These observations led to the hypothesis that exudation is caused by a loss or absence of anchor sites for the acidic fractions that develop over time. The practice of using semi drying oils in the last decades is possibly another cause of poorly cross-linked fractions that may phase separate. In the paintings by Van Hemert, the cause of dripping of one kind of paint was linked to poor quality aluminium soaps used as additive. The polar exudate is strongly fluorescent, and we think that this phenomenon is often misinterpreted as pointing to a local varnish. By documentation and analysis showing the difference between a local varnish and polar exudates we hope that more cases of soft paint will be identified. Another striking feature of weeping paints is their complete solubility in polar solvents like ethanol and acetone. Binding weeping paints implies a repair on the molecular level of the superfluous polar fractions by addition of alkalinity in the form of metal ions with the potential of coordinating multiple acid groups. Traditionally this role was fulfilled by lead present as drier or in the form of lead containing pigments like lead white. We will be reporting on experimental treatments with lead II acetate and europium III acetate introduced from the surface using various methods on the pink dripping paint in a painting by Van Hemert and drip material from one Tal R painting. We report some success but a lot of fine-tuning of the methodology is required.
Speakers
IB

Ida Bronken

Touring exibtions coordinator, The National Museum, Norway
Ida Bronken graduated with a Candidata Magisterii in Fine art conservation in 2002 at the university of Oslo. She has worked as a paintings conservator on Folk, Mediaeval and Fine Art collections since 2003. From 2003 she worked at Sverresborg Folk museum. The main projects during... Read More →

Co-Authors
JJ

Jaap J. Boon

JAAP Enterprise for Art Scientific Studies
Jaap J. Boon (1947) was trained in Geology and Chemistry at the Universities of Amsterdam, Utrecht and Delft Technical University. The subject of his PhD thesis was Molecular Geochemistry of Lipids in Sedimentary Environments (Delft, 1978). Postdoctoral studies took place in marine... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings, Research and Technical Studies

4:00pm EDT

(Photographic Materials) The Long-Term Permanence Behavior of Photographs and Fine Art Prints Made with Large-Format Flatbed Printers Using UV-Curable Pigment Inks
Recent advances the last several years in the image quality of wide-format inkjet printers using high-stability UV-curable pigment inks made possible by smaller drop sizes; higher addressable DPI, use of dilute cyan, magenta, and gray (light black) inks in addition to standard full concentration CMYK inks; and the availability of white inks together with glossy and matte surface "clear inks” (some UV-curable printers now have up to nine separate ink channels), have now made it practical to utilize these printers for high-quality photography and fine art applications. Improvements in the printers have coincided with a trend toward ever-larger prints in the photography art market during the past ten years, and UV-curable technology is now poised to play a major role in this expanding market segment.

With silver-halide dye (chromogenic) color prints by a number of photographers including Andreas Gursky, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Jeff Wall, Richard Prince, Thomas Struth, Jeff Koons, Thomas Ruff, Peter Lik, and others are commanding very high prices – with a number of individual color prints sold at auction during the past several years selling for more than three million dollars each – there is significant concern about long-term permanence characteristics of these color prints with their dye-based images when exposed to light during display, and when stored in the dark. With UV-curable prints, there are special concerns due to limited field experience with the new technology; complicating the situation is the fact that there are a wide variety of pigment ink systems available from the large number of worldwide printer manufacturers and ink suppliers. In addition, UV-curable prints are being made on a wide range of substrates, many of which have not previously been used as supports for photographic prints.

This study reports results from the comprehensive suite of eight predictive print permanence tests developed by Wilhelm Imaging Research during the past 25 years. Based on these tests, WIR print permanence ratings obtained with representative UV-curable prints are compared with pigment inkjet, dye-based inkjet, color silver-halide, and other types of color prints.

A major advantage of UV-curable printers for the high-quality photography and fine art market is that UV-curable printers can be used with a very wide range of substrates: acrylic, aluminum, glass, wood, plywood, uncoated artists papers, traditional gesso-coated canvas, flexible and rigid vinyl, and more. In addition, very large format UV-curable flatbed printers are available up to 10x20 feet (3.2 x 6.4 meters). Roll-fed UV-curable printers are available up to 16 feet (4.9 meters) wide and can make prints of essentially any length.  With traditional inkjet printers using aqueous pigment and dye inks, latex inks, solvent inks, and sublimation inks, 64 inches (5.3 feet or 1.62 meters) generally is the maximum width available for high-quality RC-base photo base and fine art inkjet papers. Silver-halide dye color (chromogenic) papers are available in widths only up to 72 inches (6 feet or 1.83 meters). Thus, UV-curable printers offer the only available method for producing high-quality photographic and fine art prints on a single sheet in widths larger than 72 inches (6 feet or 1.83 meters).


Speakers
avatar for Henry Wilhelm

Henry Wilhelm

Director of Research, Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc.
Henry Wilhelm is Director of Research at Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. in Grinnell, Iowa, USA. Wilhelm has authored or co-authored more than 30 technical papers presented at conferences sponsored by the Society for Imaging Science and Technology (IS&T), the Imaging Society of Japan... Read More →

Co-Authors
BC
CB
KA

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Photographic Materials

4:00pm EDT

(Textiles) Breaking Canvas: A Case Study on a French Embroidery
In the fall of 2013 a major textile exhibit, titled Interwoven Globe, opened at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. During initial viewings by curators and conservators, a pair of embroidered bed curtains (53.32.1 and 53.32.2) was chosen to be included in the exhibition. The design of the embroidery fit the theme of international textile trade perfectly and they were observed to be in ready to display condition. They were lined, but it appeared that there was almost perfect color preservation to the face of the curtains. Because of this, it was assumed that all that needed to be done was to attach Velcro to the top edge to hang them. Upon entering the conservation lab, it was very quickly evident that this treatment was not going to be as straight forward as originally thought. The first issue was that the lining was too tight. The second, more complicated, issue is that the canvas the embroidery was executed on was breaking horizontally throughout both curtains. The function of these curtains was to hang from a canopy without additional support down the length of the curtain. Because of this original intended use it was necessary to figure out a way to consolidate the now-fragile canvas and support the stable heavy embroidery threads while still exhibiting the curtains vertically. A permanent mount was not considered in light of the curtains’ size and weight. An additional factor against permanent mounting was that it would remove the opportunity for researchers to study the reverse; where there is excellent color preservation and where the embroidery execution is clearly visible. It was decided that undertaking a consolidation treatment by attaching a support fabric to the reverse would be the best method. The support fabric was attached in three vertical strips with approximately 2” between the strips. Horizontal lines of stitching were introduced to help support the weight of the embroidery threads and stop it from pulling on and continuing to weaken the canvas. Splits in the canvas were consolidated to the support. Weak areas of canvas not covered by the support were consolidated to small patches. Attaching the support in strips rather than one piece allows for the future study of the reverse without having to remove the support and facilitates in rolling for storage. In the galleries, the curtains were displayed in a gallery installation mount covered with Plexiglas. They are currently rolled onto acid free cardboard tubes with Photo-Tex interleaving for storage. While these objects appeared to be in pristine condition, a closer examination revealed an inherent vice that took 3 months to conserve before display could be considered.
Speakers
avatar for Rebecca Beyth

Rebecca Beyth

Assistant Conservator, Textile Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Rebecca Beyth is an Assistant Conservator in the Department of Textile Conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She joined the museum in 2012 initially working exclusively on Interwoven Globe objects and is now working on a group of Safavid period Islamic carpets... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Textiles

4:30pm EDT

(Architecture + Wooden Artifacts) The Salon Doré from the Hôtel de la Trémoille: Conservation of the 18th Century gilded boiserie
In 2012 the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco undertook an ambitious project to restore its 18th Century French period room – the Salon Doré from the Hôtel de la Trémoille, designed by the architect Pierre-Auguste Delapoize (? - 1799). The Salon was installed in the de la Trémoille family mansion in Paris in 1781 and served as the salon de compagnie, or a formal room for receiving guests.  Changing hands several times, crossing the ocean and eventually the continent, it was donated to the museum in 1959 by the Richard Rheem family.

The ultimate objective of this multifaceted undertaking was to return the Salon back to its intended character, that is - to recreate, as closely as possible, the environment and the atmosphere of its original installation. This included changing the floor plan, installing an 18th Century parquet floor, replacing wall vitrines with French-doors, creating a new coved ceiling, installing ambient lighting, as well as furnishing the room with appropriate furniture arranged as it would have been at the time. A large part of the project was dedicated to the conservation of the exquisitely carved and gilded paneling, or boiserie, which will be the focus of this paper.  The boiserie was dismantled and moved to the adjacent gallery, where a conservation studio was set-up with a viewing window for the public. There, a group of up to twelve conservators, gilders, and technicians worked over a period of fourteen months to return the boiserie to its intended glory.

The paper will briefly outline the history of the room, and then discuss in more detail the scope of the boiserie conservation, which included cleaning, consolidation, and loss compensation of badly deteriorated water-gilded surfaces; loss compensation of carved elements; structural repairs of the paneling; complete re-gilding of select areas; and cleaning and stabilization of painted areas. Both traditional and non-traditional materials and treatment approaches were used.

The paper will also address the challenges encountered while working on this project.
Speakers
avatar for Natasa Morovic

Natasa Morovic

Conservator, de Young Museum
Natasa Morovic joined the conservation staff at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in early 1997. Her primary responsibility is the care, treatment, and study of picture frames in the collection, dating from 15th to mid-20th Century. Between November 2012 and February 2014 she... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture, Wooden Artifacts

4:30pm EDT

(Book and Paper) Confidence in the Bath
“I don’t know, I’ve just always done it this way,” is often the explanation of why water is prepared a certain way for aqueous treatment of paper. Water is the paper conservator’s most ubiquitous solvent; so why do we not know more about the specific quality of our solutions? Even conditioned with calcium, traditional wash water for paper conservation has low ionic strength (conductivity) and does not allow for accurate measurement of pH. This paper presents the practical considerations for preparing aqueous solutions for washing, including accurate measurement of pH, the relationship of pH and ionic strength, and the implications of ionic strength within solutions. Practical tutorials will show the use of affordable and accurate hand-held digital meters for measuring solution pH and conductivity. Finally, there will be a discussion of how the use of these meters can improve and refine wash water preparation. A mini-survey of wash water measurements collected before and after treatment by practicing conservators indicates the direction of future research and demonstrates the potential of these meters to improve our understanding and control of washing practices.
Speakers
avatar for Adam Novak

Adam Novak

Conservator, Daria K. Conservation, LLC
Adam Novak is a paper conservator in private practice at Daria K Conservation in New York City, specializing in the conservation of modern and contemporary art on paper. He was previously a paper conservator for Special Collections at the Harvard Library.

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

4:30pm EDT

(Collection Care) Beyond 'No Food or Drink Allowed in the Gallery:' Best Practices for Food in Cultural Institutions
Museums, people and food are closely tied together. From staff members’ brown bag lunches, to the cafeteria or a catered donor event, food service is a necessity in modern museums and institutions. At the most basic level, food vendors feed visitors and generate revenue. The focus on healthy, sustainable nutrition also fits well into the educational mission of the museum field. On the other hand, the presence of food in the museum presents a challenge to the long-term preservation of museum collections. Incorrect disposal of food waste and insufficient house-keeping both contribute to pest infestation while food and beverages carried through areas with collections can spill and soil objects, causing damage which may not be reversible. While balancing the necessity of food service and the needs of the collections is a challenging prospect, documented recommendations in regards to food management within museums are lacking. The Conservation Committee of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) has decided to address this dearth of information by creating the document Best Practices for Food in Museums. To prepare the document, members of the Conservation Committee reviewed existing resources and, in April 2014, presented an online survey about food use in museums and cultural institutions. 351 people from 21 countries participated in the online survey, which was publicized through 22 museum list serves and social media sites. Several participants also shared their own institutional food policies. The results of the survey guided the creation of a Best Practices for Food in Museums. The document will be published through the SPNHC website and will be reviewed periodically. This presentation will discuss the survey and case studies that helped inform the resulting guidelines that institutions can use to protect vulnerable collections while supporting food services.
Speakers
avatar for Rebecca Newberry

Rebecca Newberry

Conservator, Science Museum of Minnesota
Tell where to find the best Cuban sandwich!

Co-Authors
avatar for Bethany Palumbo

Bethany Palumbo

Conservator of Life Collections, Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Bethany Palumbo is Conservator for Life Collections at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, where she has held this role since 2012. She specializes in the conservation of natural history collections with emphasis in osteological and taxidermy collections as well as preventive... Read More →
avatar for Fran Ritchie

Fran Ritchie

Conservation Fellow, National Museum of the American Indian
Fran Ritchie is a 2013 graduate of the Buffalo State College program in Art Conservation. She is the current Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in objects conservation at the National Museum of the American Indian. Her past experiences working in natural history collections cultivated an interest... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Collection Care

4:30pm EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) Preserving what is right: learning the ethics and similarities of collaborating with a living artist and Buddhist monks.
In 2009, for my graduation project, the FRAC (Regional Fund for Contemporary Art) in Besançon, France, proposed to me to work on a piece entitled Mirida, made in 1993 by French artist Richard Fauguet. This installation is composed of three horse heads made of a translucent silicone rubber and covered with glass marbles. The piece could not be exhibited anymore since the silicone rubber was deteriorated. Owing to the moral rights that the artist still holds over his piece, and in order to gather information, this conservation project involved collaboration with Richard Fauguet. Exchanges were made by phone, by inviting him to see his piece, and by visiting him in his studio. Collaboration with the FRAC's staff was also necessary, as FRAC has rights over the piece as its owner and is also a public institution. Richard Fauguet's point of view about the condition and the conservation of Mirida was at first in disagreement with the conservation ethics that I had learned and put into practice for the first four years of my conservation studies, which was challenging for me as a not-yet-graduated conservator at the time. Exchanging information with Richard Fauguet's colleagues also brought out different, complementary, and sometimes contradictory points of view about the history of the piece. The experience showed how memory changes with time and that one must take a step back for a proper analysis of information gathered. This lecture will describe the evolution of the collaboration between the artist, the owner, and myself as the conservator, as well as our thought processes and the ensuing results of this one-year project.   Interestingly, the experience of working directly with both a living artist and an owner has prepared me to work in contexts where conservation ethics are not taken for granted. Thus I will draw a parallel between my collaboration with Richard Fauguet and my more recent collaboration with Buddhist monks in the Matho monastery in the Indian Himalayas. This latter project shows that the conservation of ethnographic objects and the conservation of contemporary art have interesting similarities. Indeed, I dealt with multiple living decision makers in both experiences. Moreover I will briefly touch on a further connection in the idea that preserving western contemporary art is an act of preserving part of contemporary Western culture, and preserving still-used Buddhist liturgical objects is an act of preserving part of contemporary Asian culture. In this way, I will show that the ethics of conservation of ethnographic objects can be a source for the ethics of conservation of contemporary art.

 

 
Speakers
CC

Celine Chretien

Object Conservator, Chretien Art Conservation
I am workin in private practice in France, since I am gratuated in 2010 from the French National Institute for Cultural Heritage.

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

4:30pm EDT

(Paintings + Research and Technical Studies) Overview of the CCI Lining Project: Do Linings Prevent Cracking and Cupping in Paintings?
The goal of the CCI Lining Project, undertaken in phases since 1983, has been to understand the balance between the stresses in a lining and the stresses in the oil painting it presumably supports, as well as to observe and understand the ability of the lining to reduce cupping and cracking. In the early 80’s, new materials and new techniques emerged to address the disadvantages of previous structural treatments. At this time, we asked ourselves “Are these materials doing what we think they are doing?” Can a fabric lining dominate stiffness in a lining/painting composite, can it prevent cracking during fast events such as shock, can it help during daily and seasonal RH and temperature changes, and will it continue to support the painting for many years? We have reported data and conclusions as they emerged since 1987. All results have been placed in the context of standard viscoelastic polymer mechanics. In the final phase of testing (2011-2014), a completely redesigned stress relaxation measuring apparatus was used, much more precise and automated than the first system. Samples included an unlined model oil painting and linings on linen, multifilament polyester and sailcloth, using a flocked Beva 371 nap-bond adhesive and an impregnating wax-resin adhesive. A small initial strain was applied to the samples and stress monitored over several days. Five climate conditions were tested: 21⁰C/50%RH, 21⁰C/10%RH, 5⁰C/50%RH, -10⁰C/50%RH, 35⁰C/50%RH. These data were combined with the earlier 16 year room temperature data to build master curves of the stress relaxation over a range from milliseconds (relevant to shock and vibration) to decades. Measurements were also made of the response of lined paintings to rapid RH changes of ±10%RH and ±20%RH, held for periods of 1 hour, 4 hours, and 12 hours. This paper will focus on the main conclusions from the conservator’s point of view and will discuss the data in terms of the implications for the effectiveness of linings, both past and future. Of the linings tested the sailcloth was the only one to provide significant support and it will maintain this support over many years. A sailcloth lining will prevent overstretching of the painting during initial stretching and provides support at cold temperatures and during shock and vibration. In periods of low RH, however, the sailcloth contributes proportionally less support to the painting. Wax-resin linings provide significant support during initial stretching and during shock and vibration, but the support does not continue over the long term. Wax-resin linings reduce the response of the painting to RH fluctuations. Single layers of linen or multifilament, woven polyester do not provide support to the painting as they are never as stiff as the paint and ground layers. The value of the data in building our understanding of the role of RH and temperature in the cracking of paintings in general will also be briefly summarized.
Speakers
avatar for Debra Daly Hartin

Debra Daly Hartin

Senior Conservator, Fine Arts, Canadian Conservation Institute
Debra graduated with an Honour’s Visual Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1976 followed by a Master’s in Art Conservation from Queen’s University in 1979.  After internships at the National Gallery of Canada and the Pacific Regional Centre of CCI in Vancouver... Read More →

Co-Authors
EH

Eric Hagan

Eric Hagan graduated from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario) with an MSc in mechanical engineering in 2002, and a Master of Art Conservation (science option) in 2004. He then earned a PhD in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London, while holding a doctoral fellowship... Read More →
MC

Mylene Choquette

Scientific Documentation Technologist, Conservation Science; Canadian Conservation InstituteMylène graduated from La Cité collégiale (a French-language college of applied arts and technology in Ottawa) in 1996 with a specialization in Photography. Since then, she has held positions... Read More →
avatar for Stefan Michalski

Stefan Michalski

Senior Conservation Scientist, Canadian Conservation Institute
STEFAN MICHALSKI Senior Conservation Scientist, Canadian Conservation Institute Hon. B.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics, Queen’s University, Canada, 1972 For 35 years, Stefan has researched and provided advice on both collection preservation and object treatments. He has published... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings, Research and Technical Studies

4:30pm EDT

(Photographic Materials) Object:Photo - A Presentation of Deep Data from the Thomas Walther Collection Project at The Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art's 4-year Thomas Walther Collection project was completed in December, 2014 with a symposium, print publication, website and exhibition. Launching on December 9, 2014, the website MoMA.org/objectphoto is an innovative initiative in the digital presentation of a fine arts collection and of photographs in particular, presenting information and data in forms that take full advantage of digital humanities tools and resources. The centerpiece of the site is a suite of digital visualizations that allow visitors to explore the pictures and artists for themselves, generating their own queries, discovering connections and intersecting moments of historical significance, and fueling the next generation of scholarship. Additionally, the site will provide scholars with access to an unprecedented amount of research and information about individual photographs by bringing together deep archival research on each picture within the collection, including high-resolution images of the front, back, and surface details; extended provenance; related historical publications and exhibitions; and results of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy of many photographs in the collection. The site presents the research protocols for each of these technical examinations so that they can be replicated on other photographs and within other collections, making future research fully commensurable to that of this project. The site also includes an anthology of over two dozen essays and case studies on works in the collection by leading photography scholars, many of whom specialize in the interwar avant-garde in Europe and America. Offering a host of diverse and sophisticated perspectives on the pictures, these studies place them in broader contexts—for example, within material parameters, historical events, period styles, the artists’ oeuvres, and the Museum’s collection. With this digital humanities initiative, MoMA enters a new era of collection publications. Accessible to the wide, online audience for the Museum, the site not only proffers original scholarship, deep, scientifically derived materials data, curatorial texts, and historical sources for conservation research online, but also, with its four visualizations producing multivariate results, it encourages the online audience to continue building the discourse, generating the next generation of scholarship on this critical era of modern art history. This presentation will focus on the challenges and rewards in the integration of materials-based data on photographic materials with art historical content through visualizations, object reference pages and raw data.
Speakers
avatar for Lee Ann Daffner

Lee Ann Daffner

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Conservator of Photographs, The Museum of Modern Art
Lee Ann Daffner is the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Conservator of Photographs at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1998 and is responsible for all aspects of the preservation, conservation and materials research for photographs in all the Museum’s collections... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Photographic Materials

4:30pm EDT

(Textiles) A Turkish Kilim: Analysis, Stabilization and Loss Compensation
Tribal kilims historically have been undervalued and underappreciated. Often the cost of conservation is higher than the perceived monetary value of the textile. A nineteenth-century Central Anatolian kilim with brown weft yarns in a state of autocatalytic decay with visually distracting voids, and exposed and broken warp yarns was offered to the Fashion Institute of Technology Graduate Studies program creating an opportunity for a textile conservation student to propose an appropriate method of treatment for its conservation. The challenge was to determine what would be most beneficial to the stability of the rug and realistic to address, given the finite amount of time and resources available for treatment. I accepted the challenge to work on an oversized flat textile.

The goal of treatment for this kilim was stabilization for safe handling and reintegration into the client’s home. Although no longer used as a floor covering, it would be draped as an interior accent, and not displayed in a flat and static position. Any stabilization treatment would be visible from both sides. Improved aesthetics were a consideration. Equally important concerns were not interfering with the integrity of the rug and its history, developing a treatment protocol in harmony with the AIC code of ethics, addressing the needs of the object, and the desires of the owner.

My approach included: exploring the history and weaving techniques of kilims; identifying the dyes where appropriate; testing for the presence of iron; cleaning with surface and aqueous techniques; acquiring and sampling materials to be used in loss compensation; repairing broken warps; building a tensioning frame to support the 6’ x 8’ rug; and reweaving using selective introduction of weft material for loss compensation. Treatment improved overall condition, restored visual continuity, improved structural integrity, and will inhibit future damage.

 
Speakers
avatar for Cathleen Zaret

Cathleen Zaret

Associate Conservator, GWU/Textile Museum Washington DC
Cathleen Zaret will begin work as an associate conservator at George Washington University / Textile Museum, Washington DC this June. She launched her private practice Zaret Textile & Costume Conservation LLC in November of 2015 conserving and mounting three-dimensional and flat textiles... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Textiles

5:00pm EDT

(Paintings + Research and Technical Studies) A Science/Conservation Collaboration: The Introduction of New, Low Molecular Weight Resins
In a 20-year collaboration the authors and René de la Rie (formerly Head of Scientific Research at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC) have been sharing information and techniques about the testing and uses of new low molecular weight resins for varnishing and retouching. Dr. de la Rie is invited to share his research all over the world and he realized many years ago that conservators were more likely to use new products if they were given a few days of discussion and hands-on experimentation with new materials. The workshops have been a fruitful collaboration and opportunity for learning and sharing in ten countries and three continents. The presentation will be an overview of the workshop curriculum and the difference it has made in our profession as the resins and solvents we use have become available or disappear through changes in manufacturing.
Speakers
avatar for Jill Whitten-[PA]

Jill Whitten-[PA]

Co-Director/Painting Conservator, Whitten & Proctor Fine Art Conservation
Jill Whitten received a BFA in Painting from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MA and Certificate of Conservation from Buffalo State College, New York, in 1992. Her work in the field of art conservation includes a collaboration with the National Gallery of Art and the J.Paul... Read More →

Co-Authors
RP

Robert Proctor

Director/Painting Conservator, Whitten & Proctor Fine Art Conservation
Robert G. Proctor Jr. is a painting conservator in Houston, Texas. He has worked on numerous public murals and has developed a variety of structural techniques for minimal intervention. He teaches about varnishes and thread-by-thread tear re-weaving at U.S. conservation programs and... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 5:00pm - 5:15pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings, Research and Technical Studies

5:00pm EDT

(Architecture + Wooden Artifacts) Use of astringent persimmon juice as an alternative wood preservation treatment
Since the 1952 isolation of plumbagin, a bioactive 1, 4-naphthoquinone in Diospyros hebecarpa , dozens of component chemicals and bioactive compounds have been identified and studied in the genus Diospyros . Many of these extractives are now known to be effective fungicides, termiticides, antiseptics, and free-radical reducing compounds. The genus Diospyros (syn. Persimmon, ebony) is widely distributed in most tropical areas of both hemispheres with over 300 species, and a long cultural and agricultural history on several continents .

The research presented will discuss the potential for an environmentally-friendly wood preservative that is effective against multiple agents, derived from the astringent persimmon fruit of Diospyros kaki . A review of current literature will cover both known traditional use as a preservative, patented experimental use, and known information on chemical components and derivatives of Diospyros . Laboratory testing of raw astringent persimmon juice and kakishibu—fermented astringent persimmon juice— are in compar ison to an uncoated control and a control coated with copper naphthenate comparable on seasoned, weathered, and historic wood s ubstrate. The samples are to be evaluated for effectiveness in short term exterior weathering, chroma change with age, soil block cultures for fungal testing, and leaching tests. While the fundamentals of these tests are defined by ASTM and AWPA standards for testing wood preservatives, their applicability to use with historic material requires the standards to be modified to fit application method.
Speakers
avatar for Kathryn Gardner

Kathryn Gardner

Masters Candidate, Columbia University
Kat Gardner is a Master’s candidate in Historic Preservation at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.  She is the 38th Questers Scholar of Historic Preservation at Columbia University and she graduated with honors from Drexel University... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 5:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture, Wooden Artifacts

5:00pm EDT

(Book and Paper) Foxing and Reverse Foxing: Condition Problems in Modern Paper and the Role of Inorganic Additives
An ideal treatment begins with a knowledge of materials and the chemical reactions that cause condition problems. Many works of art on modern papers are known for their conservation treatment challenges. Modern papers appear to age quickly and may not respond predictably to typical conservation treatment procedures. Stains and discoloration that have been successfully addressed will reappear, in some instances, almost immediately after treatment. Because of serious omissions in theory, paper conservators lack accurate information about the complexity of modern paper. The field of paper conservation has adopted terminology from the paper making and paper testing literature. Discoloration and stains that develop in works of art over time are not taken into account by the industry and its testing body, which assess brightness, paper folding strength and fiber tensile strength of un-aged samples, often using specially-prepared test papers. In general, paper condition is described in terms of cellulose. In this talk, an alternative interpretation of condition problems is proposed, based on systematic examination and treatment of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century works of art on paper. Beginning in the nineteenth century, and inherent to the science of paper making today, non-fibrous, inorganic additives were routinely and selectively added to fiber stock to increase opacity, modify texture and absorption, aid in ink retention, fill gaps, and determine paper tone. When selected for a work of art, these complex substrates undergo rigorous, unpredictable and uncontrolled processes. Over a long lifetime, many works of art on paper reside in unstable environments with fluctuating temperatures and humidity. Affixed to a wall, they may be exposed to acidic mats and unfiltered daylight for decades. These papers are also subject to intervention by restorers, framers and paper conservators. Over time, works of art on modern papers may develop “foxing” or “reverse foxing” stains, become “light stained” within a window mat, “time stained” at a sheet’s edges or “burned” by acids exposed at the bevelled edge of a poor-quality mat. Apart from the aluminum sulfate in alum-rosin sizing, the role that inorganic additives may play is not acknowledged in the paper conservation literature. Yet, the mineral and metal oxide pigment additives employed by the paper industry are not inert in the conditions that are known to cause damage to works of art. Present in trace amounts and most often evenly distributed throughout the fibrous cellulose web, additives are often overlooked by non-destructive, qualitative analysis. Based on treatment experience, close observation, analysis and study of reflectance and fluorescence under ultraviolet illumination, this talk will discuss the significant role that inorganic additives play in condition, conservation treatment and results.
Speakers
SB

Sarah Bertalan

Conservator and Consultant, Works on Paper
Sarah Bertalan has more than thirty years of curatorial and conservation experience, specializing in works of art on paper. She has been employed in conservation departments of major institutions. As a conservator in private practice, Sarah has specialized in the work of late nineteenth... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 5:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

5:00pm EDT

(Collection Care) Conservation: Social Good or Prevention of Harms?
Conservation, and perhaps especially preventive conservation, is widely accepted as being ‘good’. Indeed, it is reasonable to consider preventive conservation a ‘social good’. It contributes to retaining our material and cultural heritage which is an important form of social capital. The practice of preventive conservation should not, however, be misconstrued as directly generating a good. To be properly framed and conducted, preventive conservation must first be thought of as the prevention of specific harms and not as the generation of a general good. Although this may at first encounter seem an esoteric distinction, it is far from that. It is an essential difference for us to fully apprehend in order for preventive conservation to become pragmatic, or even to remain sustainable as a specialization. It is an essential practical philosophy for us to adopt. So what is the difference? Creating a good is open to all manner of approaches and to taking advantage of diverse opportunities. For example, educating the public, a general good, can be done through many channels, including exhibits, publications, social media, telecasts, co-marketing, and so, almost endlessly. In contrast, preventing a harm, such as theft of collection items, requires a careful analysis of pathways through which the harming agent can access the collection items and cause harm. In the creating good situation any one, or combination of a few, channels might lead to very successful outcomes. In contrast, in the harm prevention situation all pathways must be identified and removed or blocked. The creating good challenge can be met almost entirely through non-comprehensive, open thinking approaches. The preventing harm challenge requires both open thinking for comprehensive pathway identification and closed, analytical thinking for evaluating how pathways can be removed or blocked. Arguably, mistaking preventive conservation for a good creation activity has led to the difficulty in our field addressing the challenge of reducing energy costs, and hence collateral environmental damage, while continuing to preserve cultural property. A harm reduction approach requires careful identification and analysis of what departures from an ‘ideal environment’ might occur, with what frequencies or probabilities, and what consequences in terms of value loss to cultural property. Then realizing whether those consequences are significant relative to other, irreducible harms. Until we accept the need for that specific harm perspective, and commit to its adoption, many in our field may remain stuck in thinking that toleration of any departure from an ideal environment compromises their commitment to a ‘good’. This view does not argue against presenting preventive conservation as a good worthy of public involvement and support. It does argue that the approach to preventing harms to cultural property should be first and foremost understanding the nature of those harms and identifying most efficient means of reducing them. In some cases that may lead to directly promoting preventive conservation as a social good but in many cases it will lead to clearly focused, behind the scenes, interventions to eliminate specific problems.
Speakers
RW

Robert Waller

President and Senior Risk Analyst, Protect Heritage Corp.
Specializing in cultural property risk assessment and management. Strong background in natural sciences, preventive conservation, material science and conservation science. Accredited by Canadian Association of Professional Conservators.

Thursday May 14, 2015 5:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Collection Care

5:00pm EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) Discussion moderated by Jill Sterrett
Moderators
avatar for Jill Sterrett

Jill Sterrett

Head of Conservation and Collections, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Jill Sterrett has been the Director of Collections at the San Francisco Museum of Modern since 2001. In this role, she oversees five allied departments in a museum structure that is designed to foster working sites of collaboration serving the museum’s programs and its collection... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 5:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

5:00pm EDT

(Photographic Materials) Photography-painted. Problems and solutions in handling, display and storage.
Of all the possible ways of understanding the photographic heritage and how this should be retained, is the binomial photography-painted. An example, is the recent series of pictures painted with acrylic from the mexican artist Luis Felipe Ortega, who like the German artist Gerhard Richter, uses photography as a support for his paintings. Richter us well known to have developed this technique in the 1970's. The work of Felipe Ortega converges three different ways of looking. First, the lens that captures a scene with the intention of recording a creative process for other purposes. The second moment or look, comes with the intervention on the photographic medium through pictorial means, and the third and final look, is the point of view for the observer. Three perspectives, two different creative processes with contrasting materials and techniques from the point of view of preservation. This visual set while material, offers several questions in terms of conservation: How to preserve both the photograph and the painting at the same time? What criteria should determine how the work will be received, installed and exhibited? While a montage highlighting the pictorial qualities that adhere to photography should be a priority, on the other hand is the photograph part of the artistic vision or should it be considered part of the mounting and display? The series of photographs of Luis Felipe Ortega, is a clear example of how one can oppose the theory and conservation practice.
Speakers
avatar for Diana Noemí Velázquez Padilla

Diana Noemí Velázquez Padilla

Head of Conservation, Arte Restauro/Libélula
Diana Noemí Velázquez Padilla is a conservator specialized in photographic materials. She received a Bacheor’s degree from the National School of Conservation, Restoration and Museography in Mexico City in 2004.  Before attending the National School, Diana worked at the Donceles... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 5:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Photographic Materials

5:00pm EDT

(Textiles) SEEING THE LIGHT: CONSERVATION AND EXHIBITION OF A 1980S DAY-GLO PAINTED LEATHER JACKET
The year 2015 has been declared the International Year of Light by UNESCO. With this in mind, this presentation will explore how visible and ultraviolet radiation impacts the treatment, interpretation, and display of a Stephen Sprouse Moto jacket. Sprouse was the fashion designer for edgy street culture and early MTV rock stars. His sophomore collection, launched in the summer of 1984, featured a line of leather Moto jackets, some of which would soon receive a face-lift. Famous faces including Marlon Brando, Michael Jackson, Darth Vader, and the Mona Lisa were painted on the backs of some of these coats by artist Stefano Castronovo. In the mid-1980s Castronovo was best known for his monumental and at times controversial street-art murals in New York City, including a bloody-eyed Mona Lisa. Concurrently, he was a master at painting jackets, which he termed Mobile Pop Art. Almost 30 years later the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) acquired one of these leather Moto jackets depicting the unmistakable -- albeit fluorescent green -- face of the Mona Lisa and a red Stefano signature. Intended for display in an upcoming exhibition, the jacket presents a unique conservation problem. Designed as club-wear, the garment’s full visual effect is primarily achieved under the black lights found in nightclubs. Allowing the jacket to be exhibited under UV with all of its concomitant degradation concerns was ethically conflicting. With additional conservation issues indicative of a neglected past, including peeling paint, losses and considerable mold, the treatment was further complicated by the jacket’s potential display in both the visible and ultraviolet spectrum. Scientific analysis was conducted at the IMA of both the jacket and conservation materials including the retouching medium to investigate solutions for display under both lighting conditions. This presentation provides insight into the approach taken by an interdisciplinary team of conservators to stabilize a Day-Glo painted leather jacket, while taking into account unique ethical considerations surrounding its interpretation and display.
Speakers
AH

Amanda Holden

Conservator of Textiles, Indianapolis Museum of Art
AMANDA HOLDEN is the Conservator of Textiles at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. She has served on the TSG board and contributed to the TSG Postprints as an editor for seven years. She holds an M.A. in the History of Art and Archaeology with an Advanced Certificate in Conservation... Read More →

Co-Authors
FB

Fiona Beckett

Clowes Paintings Conservator (IMA), Indianapolis Museum of Art
FIONA BECKETT has a Master’s degree in Conservation with a specialization in paintings from Queen’s University and an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Ottawa. She has previous experience and internships at the Royal Ontario Museum, Atelier Anita Henry, the... Read More →
avatar for Gregory D. Smith

Gregory D. Smith

Otto N. Frenzel III Senior Conservation Scientist, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Gregory Dale Smith received a B.S. degree from Centre College of Kentucky in anthropology/sociology and chemistry before pursuing graduate studies at Duke University as an NSF graduate fellow in time-domain vibrational spectroscopy and archaeological fieldwork. His postgraduate training... Read More →
MM

Mallory Marty

Conservation Technician I, Indianapolis Museum of Art
MALLORY MARTY received her Bachelor of Arts degrees from Purdue University in Fine Arts and Art History. At Purdue, she studied studio art concentrating on painting, printmaking and chemistry. She has experience at the Indiana State Archives as well as the Indiana Historical Society... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 5:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Textiles

5:15pm EDT

(Paintings + Research and Technical Studies) Educating Handheld XRF Users in Cultural Heritage: XRF Bootcamp for Conservators
The ability to employ non-invasive and non-destructive analytical methods that can be used in situ is essential in the study of works of art and other cultural heritage materials, as the removal of samples for analysis is generally severely limited, or in many cases forbidden. As such, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy has arguably become the most widely employed analytical technique in the scientific examination of works of art. While only a few museums could afford the open-architecture units first available in the 1980s, the subsequent proliferation of relatively inexpensive and easy-to-use handheld spectrometers has enabled this technique to be acquired by a much larger number of institutions and operated by a wider range of users. In many of these institutions, the responsibility for operating the instrument – and interpreting the data – falls to conservation professionals, who may or may not have sufficient scientific background to correctly apply the technique or accurately interpret the results. In 2013, the Getty Conservation Institute, in collaboration with Yale University, organized the first of a planned series of focused workshops on the fundamentals of XRF and data interpretation for art conservators – XRF Bootcamp for Conservators. The selected participants were conservators from institutions without a conservation scientist on staff or with only limited access to one. Twenty participants from around the world, including Singapore, Qatar, Japan, Norway, Ireland as well as the United States, spent four intensive days of lectures, lab practicals and group projects using objects from the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Peabody Museum to gain a strong foundation on the scientific theory of XRF and practical, hands-on experience in its application to works of art and cultural heritage objects. This presentation will discuss how the specific needs and special circumstances frequently encountered in the analysis of cultural heritage materials can be effectively incorporated into a training and education experience to enable users to develop a deeper understanding of the technique and transitioning from being merely a user to critical thinkers.
Speakers
LL

Lynn Lee

Assistant Scientist, Getty Conservation Institute
Lynn Lee received her PhD in physical chemistry from the University of California Berkeley. Her current areas of research include the study of traditional—especially those used in antiquities—and modern artist materials and techniques using non- or minimally invasive analytical... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Aniko Bezur-[PA]

Aniko Bezur-[PA]

Professional Associate, Wallace S. Wilson Director of Scientific Research
Anikó Bezur received a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Arizona. As a doctoral candidate, she completed internships at the Arizona State Museum's Conservation Laboratory, the Smithsonian Institution's Museum Conservation Institute, and the Getty Conservation... Read More →
avatar for Karen Trentelman

Karen Trentelman

Senior Scientist, Getty Conservation Institute
Karen Trentelman is head of Technical Studies research, which focuses on the scientific study of works of art to further the understanding and preservation of these works in collaboration with conservators and curators. Current areas of interest include: revealing hidden layers in paintings and manuscripts using noninvasive spectro... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 5:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings, Research and Technical Studies

5:30pm EDT

(Book and Paper) BPG Wiki Hack
The Wiki Coordinators of the Book and Paper Group Publications Committee are hosting a session where participants will work in small groups to “hack” the Wiki.  Groups will be quickly organized at the start of the session, and then will be invited to work on their own to update any aspects of the BPG Wiki within 45 minutes.  AIC members with significant Wiki experience will be on hand to work with each group and answer any questions that come up.  At the end of the session, each group will present their “hacks” to the other groups.  This event is specifically for BPG Wiki pages but all will be welcome, and attendance by members with limited or no Wikiexperience is encouraged.   Bring a laptop if you can, as well as your Wiki login information if you’re already signed up.  Maybe you have tips, ideas, or photos you’d like to share on the Paper or Book Conservation Catalogs?  Or you’d like to help update something you’ve noticed that’s out of date?  Now is the perfect time to do so!  Come join us for this fun collaborative event.
Speakers
avatar for Evan Knight

Evan Knight

Associate Conservator, Boston Athenaeum
He has conserved bound and unbound special collections materials at the Northeast Document Conservation Center, the Library of Congress as the 2010 Harper-Inglis Fellow, the Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas, and the Municipal Archives of New York City. He... Read More →
avatar for Denise Stockman

Denise Stockman

Associate Conservator of Paper, New York Public Library
Prior to coming to NYPL, Denise was a fellow at the Morgan Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She interned at a variety of institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Barnes Foundation, and the National Galleries of Scotland; and was a technician... Read More →

Thursday May 14, 2015 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper, Wikis

7:00pm EDT

Opening Reception
Join us for a fun-filled evening at History Miami for the legendary AIC Opening Reception on May 14 from 7-10 pm. Enjoy food and drink as you relax with old friends on the plaza and revel in the Spanish colonial architecture of old Miami. Meet new friends as you explore the special exhibition Birds of America – The Complete Audubon. One Opening Reception ticket is included in all full meeting registrations.

Generours in-kind support provided by HIstory Miami. 
Sponsors
HM
HT

Thursday May 14, 2015 7:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
History Miami 101 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33130
  Networking Reception
 
Friday, May 15
 

7:15am EDT

(Paintings) Business Meeting Breakfast
Sponsors
GA

Friday May 15, 2015 7:15am - 8:15am EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Business Meeting, Paintings |   Specialty Session, Paintings

7:15am EDT

(Book and Paper) Business Meeting Breakfast
Friday May 15, 2015 7:15am - 8:30am EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Business Meeting, Book and Paper

7:30am EDT

(Electronic Media) Business Meeting
Friday May 15, 2015 7:30am - 8:30am EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Business Meeting, Electronic Media

8:00am EDT

(Textiles) Business Meeting Breakfast
Friday May 15, 2015 8:00am - 9:00am EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Business Meeting, Textiles

8:30am EDT

(Architecture) Lightbox on Lenox Avenue: Illuminating Harlem Hospital's WPA Murals
Soaring 65 feet high over Lenox Avenue, iconic scenes from Vertis Hayes’ 1937 mural “Pursuit of Happiness,” on the migration story of African Americans to the Harlem Renaissance, grab the attention of passersby at Harlem Hospital Center. Behind a 12,000 square-foot glass façade mural is a permanent art gallery visible from the street, into which a remarkable collection of murals created for the WPA's Federal Art Project were installed in 2012 as construction of a new pavilion neared completion.

Harlem Hospital's murals were created by African-American artists Charles Alston, Vertis Hayes and Georgette Seabrooke, and the Italian-American fresco artist Alfred Crimi, from 1936-39.  The political controversies at their commissioning and the relationship of each artwork to the hospital's history underscore their significance.

HOK Architects designed the pavilion to bring the murals front and center. The façade is made of 429 individually printed panes of glass using digital ceramic ink technology, on laminated glass layers with solar control, low-emissivity glass on the interior.  “Because the digital copies of the murals are backlit, the façade becomes a lightbox,” said Kenneth Drucker of HOK.  Evenly diffused indirect lighting in the atrium gallery provides optimal viewing conditions, so that the murals can easily be seen by the public, in contrast to their previous locations.  Descendants of the artists were consulted by the hospital in the design process and enriched the understanding of the artists' aspirations.

Behind the scenes, starting in 2005, EverGreene Architectural Arts, with Chief Conservator Gillian Randell, planned and carried out the conservation, removal, storage, and reinstallation of the twelve murals from three functionally obsolete buildings slated for demolition.  The New York City Public Design Commission’s Conservation Advisory Group played an important role in the dialogue with stakeholders. 

Charles Alston's "Magic in Medicine" and "Modern Medicine," were abraded, brittle and warped from their decades over a steam radiator. These two canvases were mounted on portable aluminum panels for support and reinstallation. Alfred Crimi's "Modern Surgery and Anesthesia," a 10-foot-high fresco, was faced with cyclododecane, and supported with a framework so that the eggshell-like panel would survive lifting with a crane.

Vertis Hayes' murals painted on plaster walls of a corridor posed the challenge of extracting multiple wall sections on hollow clay tile block, working around active plumbing stacks and egress doors, and salvaging architectural woodwork. Steel armatures were custom-fabricated for rolling units into trucks and storage, and for rapid installation bolted to steel beams in the new gallery.

Georgette Seabrooke's "Recreation in Harlem" called for the most politically sensitive presentation in the eyes of the hospital client. Over the years the mural had been damaged by fire, painted over, and covered with sheetrock. Conservators carefully removed post-historic layers and discovered vignettes flanked by large areas of loss. Painted on plaster on hollow clay tile block, the mural was salvaged in five sections that would fit into a tiny elevator.  After installation in the new atrium, the project team elected to recreate figures in severelydamaged areas to unify the composition, relying on an archival photograph.  

In this monumental design-build project, undertaken over seven years, collaboration between disciplines – conservators, architects, engineers, art movers, public agency clients, and construction managers--contributed to solutions that can inform future projects with similar challenges.
Speakers
avatar for Kim Lovejoy

Kim Lovejoy

Vice President, EverGreene Architectural Arts, Inc.
Kim Lovejoy, Vice President of EverGreene Architectural Arts, has 35 years experience in historic preservation in the private public and not-for-profit sectors.  She combines experience leading conservation and construction teams with background as an architectural historian, preservation... Read More →

Co-Authors
GR

Gillian Randell

Chief Conservator, New York Fine Art Conservation, Inc.
Gillian Randell specializes in the conservation of  American murals, painted decoration, plaster and mosaics, of the 19th and 20th centuries nationally through her affiliation with EverGreene Architectural Arts.  She  was Chief Conservator for the Harlem Hospital Murals, the Roosevelt... Read More →
RS

Richard Saravay AIA

Partner, HOK
Richard Saravay , AIA, is a Partner at HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm with headquarters in New York. He was the principal-in-charge for HOK for the Harlem Hospital Cente's new Mural Pavilion, and has led teams for several new regional medical facilities... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture

8:30am EDT

(Book and Paper) 16-17th Century Italian Chiaroscuro Woodcuts: Instrumental Analysis, Degradation and Conservation
Italian chiaroscuro woodcuts are among the most innovative of Renaissance prints because they are printed in color. A woodcut print is made from a wooden plank that is carved in relief, inked, and impressed in paper. Chiaroscuro woodcut prints ─ named from the Italian term for contrasting light and dark tones ─ involve printing an image from two or more woodblocks, with each block printed in a different color, thus creating transitional passages of shading. With two to five superimposed layers of colored, oil-based inks printed onto a paper support, the chiaroscuro woodcut is an object of complex stratigraphy. Several centuries of aging and deterioration of both the inks and paper can cause visual changes that affect a print’s legibility, thereby distorting the historical and aesthetic interpretation of the work. Inappropriate conservation treatment also can obscure the qualities imparted by the chiaroscuro woodcut technique. A correct assessment of the physical characteristics of the printing process and the colored inks deployed, as well as the condition of the woodcut, is therefore fundamental not only to the art historical evaluation of prints, but equally to the application of appropriate preservation and conservation measures. A technical survey of over 2000 Italian chiaroscuro woodcuts of the 16th and 17th centuries examined in international collections revealed trends in deterioration of colored inks such as discoloration, fading, blanching and micro-fissures. 72 prints from the Library of Congress, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts were examined further using instrumental analysis. The prints analyzed met the following criteria. To the extent that the holdings of the three collections allowed, the prints selected represent six major practitioners of the Italian chiaroscuro woodcut and a chronological cross-section of the period in which the technique flourished. The prints chosen are either in an excellent state of preservation or exhibit a range of condition problems. The results of this joint study demonstrate the use of unstable colorants such as lead white, verdigris, vermilion, orpiment and organic pigments. Based on the documented behavior of unstable colorants in oil paint, it is possible to infer how the visual appearance of prints containing such colorants is likely to have changed. The combined evidence is here analyzed in order to establish recommendations for conservation treatment, storage and parameters for display and equally inform art historical interpretation. 
Speakers
LS

Linda Stiber Morenus

Speaker, Library of Congress
Linda Stiber Morenus is a PhD candidate with the Staatliche Akademie Der Bildenden Künste, Stuttgart, Germany.  Her dissertation is titled: Chiaroscuro Woodcut Printing In 16th-17th Century Italy: Technique in Relation to Artistic Style. She received a MA and CAS in 1986 from the... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Charlotte Eng

Charlotte Eng

Conservation Scientist, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Charlotte Eng has a PhD in materials science and engineering from Stony Brook University, NY. She is a Conservation Scientist at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), where she has worked for the past eight years. She uses mainly noninvasive methods to examine diverse works... Read More →
DR

Diana Rambaldi

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Diana Rambaldi received her PhD in Analytical Chemistry in 2010 from the University of Bologna (Italy). Her doctoral studies focused on the development of semi-chromatographic systems for the characterization of nanomaterials. In 2011, she was awarded an Andrew W. Mellon postdoctoral... Read More →
NT

Naoko Takahatake

Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Naoko Takahatake is Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  Previously, she was an Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow in the Department of Old Master Prints at the National Gallery of Art and a Research Associate at the Center for Advanced... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

8:30am EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawings: Conservation of an Ephemeral Art Practice
Sol LeWitt contacted Jock Reynolds, Henry J. Heinz II Director of the Yale University Art Gallery, in 2004 with concerns related to his Wall Drawings that would need to be understood and standards for the execution of the work maintained. The result of their collaboration was Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective; it would present an historical overview of the forty plus years of over one hundred Wall Drawings for a 25-year term to provide a reference to the nature of the work. A commitment by the artist to give a substantial number of his Wall Drawings to the Yale University Art Gallery, which already owned an extensive array of LeWitt’s art, along with funds raised to support further collaboration among the Yale University Art Gallery, MassMoCa, and Williams College, created the Sol LeWitt exhibition at MassMoCa in 2008, a year after the artist’s death in 2007, as well as the endowed position of Installations Director and Archivist at the Yale University Art Gallery. The function of the Wall Drawings in context creates an entirely new point of departure in the creative processes of idea, visualization, variants, realization, immutable repeatability, and intellectual implications for artists. LeWitt’s drawings are not physically artist generated and are non-artifact oriented. When the artist’s intellectual intent and production is intended to be of a temporary but repeatable nature, how are the standards explained and maintained long term? What are the implications related to conservation, connoisseurship, and technical art history when dealing with practitioners of ephemerally based arts - reinstallation versus repair, disappearance of original materials, repeatability, human participation in realization, concepts of non-cultural rarity, maintaining artistic integrity, cultural historical context, avoiding making an “Identical Copy” but respecting the parameters of the “Idea”? Utilizing as a working example Sol LeWitt’s 1300 plus Wall Drawings created between 1969 and 2007, this paper will explain what is required to maintain contemporary exhibitions and installation of the work as intended by the artist. The role of the archivist of historical and current installations working with conservators at Yale utilizing their expertise to inform realizations of the Wall Drawings far into the future will be described. Training future “draftspersons” in the materiality, scale, process, and nature of a democratic hand is a critical component. How to respect LeWitt’s conceptual process, maintain his standards, and create a discourse with Yale students in the academic arena of the Wall Drawings from a historical perspective as they reference a broad based theoretical approach, multi-disciplinary origins and realization possibilities, breaking from traditional art process and individual artist’s hand will be presented.
Speakers
avatar for John Hogan

John Hogan

Mary Jo And Ted Shen Installations Director and Archivist Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings, Yale University Art Gallery
MFA School of the Art Institute of Chicago Assistant to Sol LeWitt 1982 to 2007 Sol LeWitt Studio Director 2009 current Yale University Art Gallery Mary Jo And Ted Shen Installations Director and Archivist Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings 2012 current

Co-Authors
avatar for Carol E. Snow

Carol E. Snow

Conservator, Yale University Art Gallery
Carol Snow is a graduate of Skidmore College and the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. She worked at the Walters Art Museum, on archaeological projects around the Mediterranean, including a Fulbright Scholarship to work in Turkey, and then as a private... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

8:30am EDT

(Paintings) The Treatment of 'Dr. William Hartigan' by Gilbert Stuart or the Treatment of Gilbert Stuart by Dr. William Hartigan
The fairly complicated treatment of a portrait by Gilbert Stuart will be discussed. During the treatment, copies of the painting, its history, and scientific analysis were used to inform treatment decisions in an effort to follow the artist’s original intent. The painting has an interesting history, beginning with its creation. According to legend, Stuart painted the sitter, Dr. William Hartigan, as a token of thanks because he saved Stuart’s right arm after it was badly injured in a stagecoach accident and the doctors wanted to amputate it. According to Henry T. Tuckerman in his work, "Book of the Artists; American artist life comprising biographical and critical sketches of American artists: preceded by an historical account of the rise and progress of art in America", the portrait has been owned by at least two artists, possibly more. At least three copies are known and one of these copies was made by the artist Charles Loring Elliot when he owned the original. Supposedly, Elliot fooled his creditors by giving them the copy and keeping the original for himself. Over the years, the painting’s condition has been severely compromised. According to Tuckerman, Charles Loring Eliot learned to paint from this “excellent original by one of the best of our artists…” However, by the time the painting entered the collection at the National Gallery of Art, very little of the once impressive painting remained visible. At some point it was cut into an oval and subsequently returned to a rectangular format. The background was abraded and overpainted during these format changes. When the overpaint was removed during this treatment, a shadowy shape that looked like a large apothecary jar became evident in the background. The copies and the painting’s history, in conjunction with scientific analysis, helped inform treatment decisions, such as whether the format should be oval or rectangular, and whether the jar in the background was meant to be visible or if Stuart had painted it out himself. In the end, despite these resources, the treatment decisions remained educated guesses, as is so often the case in conservation treatments.
Speakers
avatar for Joanna R. Dunn

Joanna R. Dunn

Conservator, National Gallery of Art
Joanna Dunn has been a painting conservator at the National Gallery of Art since 2003.  She recived an MS in art conservation from Winterthur / University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation in 2003 and a BA in Studio Art and Art History from University of Mary Washington in... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings

8:30am EDT

(Research and Technical Studies) Polymer Coating Removal Nanosytems for Finely Controlled Cleaning of Cultural Heritage
Works of art and artifacts that constitute our cultural heritage are subject to deterioration. Their surfaces interacting with the environment are the most prone to aging and decay; accordingly, soiling is a prime factor in the degradation of surfaces, chemical and mechanical degradation are often associated to soiling and lead to the disfigurement of a piece of art. The effects of these processes are usually strongly amplified in the presence of protective coatings (mainly acrylic and vinyl polymers), applied in previous restoration treatments. In the past years we pioneered the synthesis and the application of several advanced systems for the consolidation and the cleaning of works of art, as hydroxides nanoparticles, microemulsions and chemical/physical gels. In this talk examples from self assembled systems for the cleaning or the removal of coatings from pictorial surfaces will be highlighted. Micellar solutions and microemulsions constitute very efficient systems for the removal of acrylic, vinyl and alkyd polymers or grime/dust. These systems (as well as neat solvents used in "traditional" conservation) can be confined into chemical and physical gels having proper nano-domains for the upload or the delivery of compounds from/to the work of art. For example, a fine control of the cleaning procedure can be obtained even for challenging cleanings as water sensitive works of art, where the cleaning can be achieved by using water confined into gels, and leaving no residues on the works of art.
Speakers
avatar for Piero Baglioni

Piero Baglioni

Baglioni, Department of Chemistry and CSGI, University of Florence
Piero Baglioni is the chair of Physical Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Florence and MIT affiliate. He was appointed as Visiting Scientist/Professor by the Department of Chemistry of the University of Houston, the Weizmann Institute, the Collège de France... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Research and Technical Studies

8:30am EDT

(Wooden Artifacts) “A Type Completely Different” A Closer Look at Roentgen’s Techniques through the Lens of an Oval Writing Table
The furniture of David Roentgen is considered to be among the most exceptional produced in Eighteenth-century Europe. His pictorial marquetry images, often featuring classical themes and architecture, in particular are regarded as the very best. These scenes have been referred to as “painting in wood” since the time they were made, an expression that reflects their exquisite detail and striking realism. The sole piece of marquetry furniture by the Roentgen shop in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is a diminutive oval writing table with a scene of Aeneas fleeing the burning of Troy on its top. When this piece came into the collection in 1986 it was in need of a significant amount of conservation primarily to address losses in the marquetry image. Research into the treatment and Roentgen’s methods had begun very early, but it was the request for loan to the exhibition “Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York last year that ultimately provided the opportunity to move forward and address the table’s issues. It was necessary to take an in depth look at the marquetry techniques employed to create the table top in order to compensate for more than ninety square centimeters of loss within the marquetry image. An examination of the physical evidence through x-ray and low power magnification alluded to a technique that appears to be much more freehand than previously thought. New marquetry had to be created to fill the loss. The method used to produce the fill was based on the evidence derived from the veneered table top and the area of exposed substrate. The exercise of creating a portion of the marquetry image provided a deeper understanding of how the tools and materials react, and possibly new insights into how the Roentgen shop approached the work. The opportunity was also taken to characterize the dye materials used by the Roentgen shop to create their striking scenes. Initially a non-invasive UV/Vis Spectrometry Analysis was performed by Dr. Heinrich Piening of the Bavarian National Museum. The results of this analysis contributes the growing body of knowledge of Roentgen’s wood dying processes, and made it possible digitally reconstruct the vividly colored image in order to give the public a sense of what this table would have looked like new. In 1779 Claude Pahin de La Blancherie, a prominent figure in the Parisian art world, described Roentgen’s his marquetry as “of a type completely different from that in use until now”1. The information gleaned from this treatment reinforces the assertion that his approach was completely different. It also begs the question; does the description “painting in wood” just apply to the impression of the finished product or to the process as well? 1 Remington, Preston. 1941. An XVIII Century German Desk Showing Chinese Influence. Bulletin of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Vol. XXXVI No.6. New York. June 1941, pg. 132,133
Speakers
BH

Bret Headley

Owner, Principal Conservator, Headley Conservation Services LLC
Bret Headley was a fifth generation cabinetmaker before entering the field of conservation. He Graduated from the Winterthur and University of Delaware Art Conservation Program in 2009 with a Masters of Science and a certificate in conservation. Since graduation he has been employed... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Wooden Artifacts

9:00am EDT

(Architecture) The Pool Grotto Puzzle: Robert Winthrop Chanler’s Outdoor Ceiling Mural at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
In 1916, Vizcaya’s patron, agricultural industrialist James Deering, commissioned New York artist Robert Winthrop Chanler to create a fantastical vaulted ceiling over the south end of the swimming pool at his grand estate on Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida.  The ceiling mural depicts a wild scene of shells, marine plants, and sea life swirling in a watery vortex executed in high and low relief cast and molded plaster with thinly applied, modified distemper paints, delicate layered glazes, and metallic leaf highlights.  As Vizcaya approaches its centenary, staff and stewards contemplate the condition and conservation of the ceiling, as well as the unlikely possibility that either Deering or Chanler imagined the technology and expertise required to research, document, and debate how best to preserve it.  Perhaps neither of them expected this architectural artwork to have a long life, given its exposed location, its vulnerability to hurricanes and storm surges, and its sensitivity to soluble salts and high humidity.

Investigation of the construction and deterioration of the gypsum and lime plaster ceiling has helped to identify areas most threatened by climatic conditions and structural changes to the building resulting from differential settlement and corrosion of structural steel members.  Environmental monitoring is underway: data regarding temperature, relative humidity, light, and surface moisture levels are periodically collected and reviewed.  Non-destructive testing and visualization techniques such as rectified photography and multispectral imaging are being considered and pursued, and will graphically depict the most intact areas and areas in most need of stabilization.  Correspondence only two years after its creation suggests the painted ceiling had already begun to deteriorate, and photographs from 1934 indicate localized paint losses.  The ceiling is now actively flaking and unsightly, with historic photographs suggesting at least four campaigns of substantial restorations with noticeable changes in palettes.  Recent investigations have sought to resolve the extent of Chanler’s original paints remaining buried below thick accumulations of opaque overpaints and darkened aluminum paints.  Cross-section microscopy analysis with reflected visible and ultraviolet light helped identify and characterize the original paints, as well and the nature and number of overpaints.  Microscopy findings informed selective overpaint removal testing.  Exposure windows have revealed broad areas of intact original paint in the most protected areas.  These studies have contributed to a better understanding of the causes of deterioration as well as Chanler’s colors and working methods.   

This paper will present the results of the investigative work conducted to date, as well as plans for future research to establish the most feasible and appropriate visual replication methods for presenting the ceiling as it was created.  Possible treatment and interpretive options will be discussed and may include establishing microclimates, light projection to evoke original designs and palette, replication of selected lost elements, plaster passivation, overpaint removal and paint consolidation.  This systematic approach will clarify the complex cause-effect relationship between environmental factors, material vulnerabilities, and deterioration mechanisms, and will make it possible to more effectively preserve Chanler’s work and vision at Vizcaya. 
Speakers
avatar for Susan L. Buck

Susan L. Buck

Conservator and Paint Analyst, Susan L Buck , Ph.D.
Ph.D. University of Delaware Ph.D. Program in Art Conservation Research MS. Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation MBA. Boston University BA. Williams College. Conservator in private practice and lecturer in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in... Read More →
LR

Lauren Reynolds Hall

Conservator, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Lauren Hall is the Conservator at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami, Florida. She holds an MS in Historic Preservation with a Certificate in Architectural Conservation and Site Management from the University of Pennsylvania. As a Samuel H. Kress Foundation Fellow, she developed... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:00am - 9:30am EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture

9:00am EDT

(Book and Paper) To Do or Not To Do: Two Examples of Decision Making of Digital In-filling for Asian Works of Art
In the conservation of Japanese or Chinese art works, the mounting parts can sometimes be replaced with new ones with the same or similar patterns/colors after the discussion between conservator and curator. The discussion might include physical condition, authentic and aesthetic issues to the mounting. In some cases, however, the mountings should be treated as works of art and kept because their existence presents the style, movement, or historic meaning related to the art works. In these cases, digital reproduction on an appropriate support (digital in-filling) could be an efficient technique to compensate losses to the mounting. The folding screens, The Deities of the Tanni-sho, by Munakata Shiko (Japanese, 1903-1975) and a hanging scroll, Standing Courtesan, by Keisai Eisen (Japanese, 1790-1848) from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s collections are Japanese prints with Asian format mountings. In the case of Munakata’s folding screens, the decorative papers at the back are typical Folk Art Movement (Mingei) style fold-dyed papers. The artist, Munakata Shiko, dedicated these screens to the founder of the Mingei movement, Yanagi Soetsu, with an inscription on the labels at the back of the screens. Therefore, the decorative papers should be treated as works of art and put back into place on the screens. Eisen’s print, Standing Courtesan was mounted as a hanging scroll with decorative Japanese papers, decorative strips (ichimonji and suji), a single backing and thin bamboo dowels. Few prints have survived like this print relative to the quantity printed, and of those, even fewer have survived with their decorative mounts intact. In order to conserve this print with its proper historical format intact, a treatment had to be designed to improve both the aesthetic and condition of the print and its mount. In these two cases, losses are seen on both mountings. Taking into account the historic background, condition and character of the decorative papers, this paper presents the decision making process when considering digital versus traditional hand colored in-filling. These two different approaches were used to achieve satisfactory results for compensating the losses in these two cases. Hopefully, this paper will be useful for the conservation of other Asian works of art and their mounting in the future.
Speakers
avatar for Hsin-Chen Tsai

Hsin-Chen Tsai

Conservator, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Hsin-Chen Tsai is currently an Associate Conservator in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s Asian Conservation Studio. In 2008, she received an M.A. in Conservation from Tainan National University of Arts (TNNUA) in Taiwan, where she specialized in Asian paintings. Her previous experience... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:00am - 9:30am EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

9:00am EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) The Abandonment of Art: The Abandonment of Conservation A Lygia Clark Retrospective at MoMA
Lygia Clark (1920–1988) was a leading abstract artist at the forefront of the Neo-Concretist movement in Brazil, fostering the active participation of spectators through her works.  She has become a major reference for contemporary artists dealing with the limits of conventional forms of art.  The Museum of Modern Art’s retrospective Lygia Clark: The Abandonment of Art, May 10–August 24, 2014 the first comprehensive exhibition in North America of her work, comprised nearly 300 works made between the late 1940s and her death in 1988.  The survey was organized around three themes: abstraction, Neo-Concretism, and the “abandonment” of art.  Twenty months prior to the exhibition several hundred original objects and propositions, replica objects, and works on paper arrived on early loan from the Lygia Clark family in Brazil.  Upon arrival all of these works were carefully documented and treated.  Clark’s late conceptual and tangible artworks comprised a series of therapeutic propositions or sensorial works grounded in art.  Historically her subjects - now the audience - were to participate in the activation of these works along with a trained facilitator or group of facilitators, thus making performance an integral part of the presentation.  

 Curatorial vision and conceptual preservation necessitated studying and recreating a set of these reference objects and propositions.  What began as a conversation about making new exhibition copies resulted in multi-layered dialogue involving many departments within the museum, external conservation companies, and many representatives from the artist’s estate.  Memory, past history, provenance, and conjecture played a significant role in the labyrinth of decision making processes during the creation and approval of the exhibition copies. A myriad of individuals, were consulted including Clark’s former facilitators, past re-fabricators, immediate family members, outside conservators, and curators. During the fabrication process, conservators acted as participants engaging all of their own senses while making the replicas.  On multiple occasions those senses did not match to those of the family, or the earlier activators and curators.  Conservators struggled to use a set of tools that lay both inside and outside of the standard tool-roll for this process: documentation, process of fabrication, material technical analysis, sensory awareness and deprivation, recorded artist interviews, and oral history from the artist’s estate.  The conservation team embraced the challenge and recognized the effectiveness of working collaboratively both internally and externally, as the role of the conservator was shifted to that of co-collaborator, artist assistant, and art maker.
Speakers
avatar for Cynthia M. Albertson

Cynthia M. Albertson

Conservator, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Cindy Albertson is conservator the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Previously, she was at the at the Museum of Modern Art, as well as a conservator in private practice at Albertson & Nunan, Inc. She presently serves as project manager for Alliance for Response New York City, a local volunteer... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Eric Meier

Eric Meier

Partner, Whryta Contemporary Art Conservation
Eric Meier is a partner at Whryta Contemporary Art Conservation and specialises in digital fabrication and brings his wide knowledge of materials and fabrication techniques to the field of Contemporary Art Conservation. Eric received a MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield... Read More →
avatar for Margo Delidow

Margo Delidow

Sculpture Conservator, Whitney Museum of American Art
Margo Delidow is a Partner at Whryta Contemporary Art Conservation. After completing a Masters of Arts and Certificate of Advanced Study in Conservation from The Art Conservation Program at the State University College in Buffalo, Margo joined the Sculpture Conservation Department... Read More →
avatar for Roger Griffith

Roger Griffith

Associate Conservator, Museum of Modern Art
Roger Griffith is an Associate Sculpture Conservator at The Museum of Modern Art since 1998. He received his MA from the Royal College of Art/ Victoria & Albert Museum London England in 1997. Prior to MoMA he was an inter/fellow at the Sherman Fairchild Center for Objects Conservation... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:00am - 9:30am EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

9:00am EDT

(Paintings) Rediscovering Renoir: Materials and technique in the paintings of Pierre-Auguste Renoir at the Art Institute of Chicago
Recent technical examinations of the Art Institute’s 15 Renoir paintings for the Online Scholarly Catalogue Initiative (OSCI) volume Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Paintings and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, released in August 2014, provided the opportunity to study the artist’s technique and materials over much of his career, concentrating on the 1870s and 80s. Each painting underwent an in-depth technical examination and imaging that included X-radiography, infrared reflectography, transmitted light and transmitted infrared photography, ultraviolet photography and photomicrography. In addition, the materials (primarily the paint and grounds) were analyzed using a variety of techniques including X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), polarized light microscopy (PLM) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Technical images were systemized in their capture and fully registered to provide multi-layer overlays for more precise comparison and detection of compositional changes. The X-rays were processed using Thread Count Automation Project (TCAP) software to determine individual thread counts, and allow for possible identification of count and weave-pattern matches. One of the most interesting insights into Renoir’s technique revealed through these examinations is the variety of materials and methods of execution exemplified in these 15 works: canvas stamps from four different suppliers were found, in addition to two artist-applied preparations; underdrawing in various media, at times more than one type in a single painting, was also discovered; and the paint handling varies from textured, opaque strokes in mixed tones to washes and glazes of almost pure color. At the same time, Renoir appeared to have some consistency in his choice of pigments, and mixed most hues on the surface rather than on the palette. These findings will be illustrated and placed within the context of previous studies for a fuller understanding of Renoir’s artistic practice.
Speakers
avatar for Kelly Keegan-[PA]

Kelly Keegan-[PA]

Associate Paintings Conservator, Art Institute of Chicago
Kelly Keegan is currently Assistant Paintings Conservator at the Art Institute of Chicago. She received a BA in Art History from Rutgers University, and an M.A. in Art History and an Advanced Certificate in Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. Prior... Read More →

Co-Authors
IF

Inge Fiedler, [Fellow]

Associate Research Microscopist, Art Institute of Chicago
Inge Fiedler is the Associate Research Microscopist at the Art Institute of Chicago. She began her apprenticeship training in painting conservation and microanalytical techniques in the conservation department at the Art Institute in 1973. Her training was supplemented with specialized... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:00am - 9:30am EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings

9:00am EDT

(Research and Technical Studies) NEW INORGANIC CONSOLIDANTS FOR THE RESTORATION MARKET: RESULTS FROM NANOMATCH EU PROJECT
The problem of deterioration of heritage materials has become increasingly urgent due to: i) the increase of natural weathering caused by climate change and atmospheric pollution; ii) the current use of inappropriate commercial products and their fast deterioration; iii) the need of a more sustainable management of the built heritage. Therefore, there is the demand to improve the actual products and conservation methodologies or to develop new valid alternatives. The NANOMATCH project (“Nano-systems for the conservation of immoveable and moveable polymaterial Cultural Heritage in a changing environment”, Grant Agreement no. 283182 of European funding FP7) addressed these issues combining the most recent advances in the fields of nanotechnologies and conservation science.

The starting idea was that alkaline earth and semimetal alkoxides are suitable molecular precursors of consolidants since they create a nano-structured coating adherent to pore walls (stone, stone-like and wood) or to the internal cracks (glass). Particularly calcium alkoxide can be considered as strengthener for stone and as alkaline supply for wood. Concerning glass materials, a molecularly dispersed aluminum alkoxide complex penetrates in the smallest capillaries of corroded glass thanks to its very low viscosity and it behaves as glass-in-glass consolidant.

Workability, efficacy, compatibility and durability were assessed in comparison with commercial products both in laboratory and through exposure of treated model samples (sound and artificially weathered) and degraded historical surfaces in four sites: Cologne Cathedral (Germany), Santa Croce Basilica in Florence (Italy), Oviedo Cathedral (Spain), Stavropoleos Monastery in Bucharest (Romania).

Results showed good penetration and microcrystalline crystallization of the consolidant within porous stones without significant aesthetic effects. Thanks to the fast alkoxide reaction time, a good surface cohesive effect was rapidly achieved and after exposure it further increased in the deeper layers. In stone-like materials the treatment performances were quite similar but strictly related to the type of binder and pigment. In wood samples, an effect of preservation against fungal attack and pH acidification was attained in combination with a biocide. The product developed for the glass ensured high transparency even after long-term exposure outdoors and stability under medium relative humidity conditions indoors.

Finally, risk assessment of nanoparticles exposure was performed. Measurements successfully demonstrated that any nano-particles release took place neither in their manipulation nor after treatment.

These new advanced products offer a variety of possible applications starting from the same class of compounds then tailored in relation to the specific conservation needs. Hence, they mark a new generation of restoring inorganic products, compatible with the original materials, easy applicable to indoor and outdoor Cultural Heritage and low cost.

  Lead Speaker: Adriana Bernardi
Speakers
FB

Francesca Becherini

Researcher, National Research Council
Dr. Francesca Becherini is a researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR). She took her degree in Physics at the University of Padua and she got her PhD in Science for Conservation of Cultural Heritage from... Read More →
avatar for Adriana Bernardi

Adriana Bernardi

Head of Unit UOS, CNR - ISAC
Dr. Bernardi is a Doctor in Physics at the Padua University, senior researcher at CNR-ISAC(Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate of the National Research Council of Italy) and head of the ISAC Unit of Padua. Since 1980 she has worked in the field of climatology, microclimatology... Read More →
AV

Arianna Vivarelli

Dr., CNR ISAC
Dr. Arianna Vivarelli has a M.Sc. in Conservation and Diagnostic of Cultural Heritage at the University of Ferrara in 2010. Since 3 years she is research fellower at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISAC), where she collaborated... Read More →

Co-Authors
AB
AG
BL
BV
BM
EB

Elsa Bourguignon

Conservation scientist, Laboratoire de Recherche des Monuments Historiques
Elsa Bourguignon trained both as an architectural conservator and a conservation scientist. She received an M.Sc. in Historic Preservation with a concentration in building and material conservation from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Ecole... Read More →
GP

Gabrielle Poulet

Dr., Cercle des partenaires du patrimoine – Laboratoire de recherché des monuments historiques (CPP-LRMH)
N/A
GS
IS
IN
ID
LP

Luc Pockelé

Managing director, R.E.D. S.r.l.
MP
MD
ML
MC

Matteo Chiurato

Dr., National Research Council of Italy (CNR) - Institute for Energy and Interphases (IENI)
N/A
MF

Monica Favaro

Dr., National Research Council of Italy (CNR) - Institute for Energy and Interphases (IENI)
N/A
OG
PT

Patrizia Tomasin

Dr., National Research Council of Italy (CNR) - Institute for Energy and Interphases (IENI)
N/A
RV
SD
TN
UB
VJ
VD

Vincent Detalle

Research Engineer, Ministère de la culture et de la communication. laboratoire de recherche des monuments historiques
Vincent Detalle, LRMH. PhD in Physics. MCC Research Engineer. Head of the mural paintings and Patrimex department of LRMH, in charge of research coordination of LRMH. Physico‐chemist, specialist in laser spectroscopy, he is working on the study of the conservation of mural painting... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:00am - 9:30am EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Research and Technical Studies

9:00am EDT

(Textiles) Making Conservation work Down Under: Dealing with the Unexpected.
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) has a vast and varied collection which matches it’s vast and varied landscape and climate. The NGA has a rich loan, travelling and permanent collection change over program which has grown and developed since the NGA’s physical inception in 1982. With over 30 years of practice in regards to display, storage and conservation treatments in the lab things don’t always go to plan for the NGA Conservation Department and adaptations, clever resourcefulness and sometimes down-right bloody-mindedness are the only ways a textile conservator can survive in the land Down Under. This paper will cover a number of textile conservation case studies including loans, travelling exhibitions and conservation treatments from the National Gallery of Australia’s Textile Conservation department where external influences such as environment and climate, artists’ intervention and misinterpretation have thrown a spanner in the works of the textile conservators plans. Sometimes positive and sometimes, not so positive; the NGA conservation staff overcome these hiccups with fast thinking savvy solutions. Welcome to the ever changing world of textile conservation at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
Speakers
avatar for Hannah Barrett

Hannah Barrett

Textile Conservator, National Gallery of Australia
Hannah Barrett has been a Textile Conservator at the National Gallery of Australia since 2009 after graduating with an MA in Textile Conservation from the Textile Conservation Centre (TCC) then situated at the Winchester school of Art campus of the University of Southampton. Prior... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:00am - 9:30am EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Textiles

9:00am EDT

(Wooden Artifacts) The re-discovery of a pair of Commodes attributed to André-Charles Boulle
In the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art since 1986 is a pair of commodes (chest-of-drawers) in premier- and contre-partie Boulle marquetry with rounded cylindrical ends and three drawers in its main carcass. Given the importance of André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732) as one of the major ébénistes working in the late seventeenth-early-eighteenth centuries—he was named King’s Cabinetmaker, Chaser, Gilder, and Engraver in 1672—the two commodes and their history have long been a source of interest. Based on visual observation, it has been suggested that the commodes in Philadelphia underwent major changes and alterations, although the dates of these restorations were unknown. This paper presents the comprehensive examination beginning in 2013 that was undertaken to clarify questions regarding the date, history, and condition of the commodes. Commodes that correspond to the Museum’s model, described as ‘in two cylindrical sections,’ are mentioned for the first time in an inventory of Boulle’s property taken in 1715 as part of an act of renunciation drawn up for the benefit of his sons. The pair of commodes included in the inventory, which are described as having two drawers, were said to have been commissioned by François de la Croix. Contemporary designs that relate to the commodes with rounded ends include two undated chalk drawings attributed to Boulle which are now in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (ca.1690) and the Hermitage Museum in Saint-Petersburg (ca. 1725), and a plate in Nouveaux Deisseins de meubles et ouvrages de bronze et de marqueterie inventés et gravés par André Charles Boulle (c. 1725-30). To date, the only eighteenth-century mention of commodes of this description aside from that in the Boulle inventory is a pair sold at auction in Paris on March 27, 1787 to the dealer Jean-Baptiste Lebrun. This is likely the same pair that in the nineteenth century was in the collection of Alexander Hamilton Douglas, 10th Duke of Hamilton, and which possibly were purchased for Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild through the agent C. Mellier and Co. in 1882. Of particular interest to the comparative study of the Museum’s commodes was the stunning similarity of a pair of commodes in premiere-partie at the Wallace Collection in London, which are believed to have been made in the nineteenth century. Together with art historical research, an in-depth technical study and analysis of the carcass, marquetry, and ormolu mounts was carried out. A coherent picture of the commodes condition as well as evidence of later alterations and treatments was drawn up and compared with pieces of clear attribution. This interdisciplinary research allowed the dating of these commodes within the first half of the 18th century.
Speakers
avatar for Jan Dorscheid

Jan Dorscheid

Junior Conservator of Furniture, Rijksmuseum
Jan Dorscheid has been the Junior Conservator of Furniture at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam since October 2015. Jan studied Conservation and Restoration of Wooden Artefacts at the University of Applied Science in Potsdam, Germany, after a three-year apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker... Read More →

Co-Authors
DC

Donna Corbin

Louis C. Madeira IV Associate Curator, Department of European Decorative Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Donna Corbin is the Louis C. Madeira IV Associate Curator in the Department of European Decorative Arts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a position she has held since 2004. At the Museum she has curated numerous exhibitions including in 1991 the major touring exhibition, Louis I... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:00am - 9:30am EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Wooden Artifacts

9:30am EDT

(Architecture) The Power of Light! Using the Newest Laser Technology to Clean New York's Oldest Outdoor Monument: The Obelisk of Pharaoh Thutmose III.
The nearly 3,500-year-old 220-ton obelisk that stands behind the Metropolitan Museum in Central Park has had a long and intriguing history. The obelisk that was originally commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmose III is the oldest outdoor monument in New York and is often referred to as "Cleopatra's Needle”. Exposure to the New York environment since its installation in 1881 resulted in an accumulation of soiling and atmospheric pollutant deposits on the surface, which obscured the legibility of the hieroglyphs. As part of a comprehensive conservation treatment directed by the Central Park Conservancy, after testing various methods, it was determined that laser ablation cleaning was the safest and most effective technique for cleaning the historic and fragile granite surface. The Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Inc. used multiple lasers to clean the obelisk as well as the bronze crabs surrounding the base. An entirely new laser cleaning system was custom designed and built just for this project. Laser cleaning successfully removed the soiling without damaging the surface of this unique and massive Egyptian relic. For a monument that itself was an ancient tribute to the sun, it is rather fitting that light was used to revive its appearance.
Speakers
avatar for Bartosz A. Dajnowski

Bartosz A. Dajnowski

Conservator, G.C. Laser Systems Inc.
Objects conservator Bartosz Dajnowski has an MS from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Masters Program in Art Conservation. He studied art, culture, and conservation at the Jagiellonian University in Poland, Studio Art Centers International in Florence, the Loyola Rome Center... Read More →
avatar for Matt Reiley

Matt Reiley

Associate Director of Conservation/Lead Conservator, Central Park Conservancy
Matt Reiley of New York City is Associate Director of Conservation/Senior Conservator for the Central Park Conservancy, where he and his team are responsible for the stewardship of the Park’s historic built environment. Since 2003, Reiley has played a key role in projects including... Read More →

Co-Authors
AD

Andrezj Dajanowski

Director, Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Inc.
Dr. Andrzej Dajnowski started his conservation education in 1973 at the National Lyceum of Fine Arts, in Poland. Then he studied Sculpture at the National School of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Poland. After he came to the USA in 1985 he completed two years of post graduate studies at the... Read More →
avatar for George Wheeler, [Fellow]

George Wheeler, [Fellow]

Director of Conservation, Columbia University's Program in Historic Preservation
George Wheeler is the Director of Conservation in the Historic Preservation Program at Columbia University and Senior Research Scholar in the Department of Scientific Research at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is a leading expert in stone conservation and has published extensively... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:30am - 10:00am EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture

9:30am EDT

(Book and Paper) Preserving the Spirit Within: Bringing Twenty-Five Tibetan Initiation Cards into the 21st Century
In 2000, the Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired a complete set of twenty-five early 14th-century Tibetan Initiation cards in various states of disrepair.  The form and function of the cards is complex and multifarious; each card is instrumental in building a mandala, a spiritual and ritual symbol representing the Universe.  Comprised of the four directional guardian deities along with major divinities and Bodhisattvas, the set represents a comprehensive brilliant constellation reflective of the multidimensional Buddhist pantheon. Well-worn and undoubtedly used and handled throughout numerous rituals and housed in environmental conditions of high humidity, the pieces exhibited overall surface abrasion, unstable paint layers, and evidence of both mold and insect damage upon acquisition. In addition, several, but not all, of the pieces had undergone previous campaigns of substantial restoration before entering the museum’s collection. In discussions with the curator and under the guidance of a senior conservator, the twenty-five cards were dispersed among both authors and a third conservator for treatment. All aspects of the treatment had to be thoroughly explored, discussed, and practically applied with similar principles and methodologies to ensure visual consistency for the debut exhibition of all twenty-five cards within the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  In addition to treatment, the cards underwent thorough examination and documentation, utilizing multi-spectral imaging equipment, some of which was specifically modified for the project.  Throughout the course of treatment and after treatment had been completed, all three conservators as well as the curator created web-based material to convey specific aspects of the project to the public via the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website, including their history and conservation treatments. These blog posts, web videos, and short online articles provided opportunities for everyone involved to engage with the public, developing and tailoring audience-appropriate material that conveyed the challenges and joys of twenty-five complex treatments.

This paper will discuss: the history and rarity of the twenty-five cards; their methods of manufacture, as supported by their in-depth multi-spectral analysis; the development and implementation of a complex treatment plan incorporating sensitivities towards the objects’ sacred function, addressing inappropriate prior restoration campaigns, achieving aesthetic coherence between three conservators treating twenty-five cards; and the advantages and disadvantages of using a web-based forum to convey a multifaceted decision-making process to the public.
Speakers
avatar for Angela Campbell

Angela Campbell

Conservator, NPS Historic Architecture, Conservation and Engineering Center
Angela Campbell is the Paper Conservator at the Historic Architecture, Conservation and Engineering Center (HACE) of the National Park Service. Angela was previously an Assistant Conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she spent seven years working in the Sherman Fairchild... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Yana van Dyke, [PA]

Yana van Dyke, [PA]

Conservator, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Yana van Dyke is a Conservator in the Sherman Fairchild Center for Works on Paper and Photograph Conservation. She joined the museum in 1999 as a Conservation Intern and earned her Masters of Science in Art Conservation from The Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:30am - 10:00am EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

9:30am EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) Conserving Anthony McCall’s Solid Light Films
In 2013, the New Art Trust undertook a major initiative to acquire and conserve, as a unified archive, the seminal 1970s 16mm “solid light” film installations of Anthony McCall, including Partial Cone, Conical Solid, Cone of Variable Volume, Long Film for Four Projectors, and Four Projected Movements. In addition to creating new film master materials for all works, a process which was carried out by Bill Brand of BB Optics, we also worked closely with McCall to document each film’s history, both technically and conceptually. Moreover, through a series of formal interviews and informal conversations, we explored in depth with McCall the implications of his creating digital “remakes” of these films—e,g., his Line Describing a Cone 2.0 (2010)—as well as the films’ exhibition future at at time when 16mm processing and projection are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive. The paper will detail not only the technical aspects of the work, but also the ways in which the New Art Trust’s collaboration with McCall proved to be essential to this project, and how this experience will help shape the Trust’s future conservation endeavors.
Speakers
avatar for Jeff Martin

Jeff Martin

Archival Moving Image Consulting
Martin has worked as a conservator of time-based artworks since 2007. In addition to conference presentations of case studies covering complex time-based artworks, he has held numerous day-long workshops on media preservation over the past decade, and has taught a semester-long course... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:30am - 10:00am EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

9:30am EDT

(Paintings) The Other Woman: the nature of a copy after Paul Gauguin
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s oil on canvas Breton Girl depicts a figure very similar to one in a larger composition by Paul Gauguin, Human Misery, 1888, now in the Ordrupgaard Collection, Copenhagen. It was brought to the conservation studio to research the painting’s materials and history in order to shed light on whom its author may be, and also to address several condition issues.  Both the research and treatment will be discussed. 

 

Until 1991, the attribution of the San Francisco painting was to Paul Gauguin. It was reproduced in John Rewald’s Gauguin, 1938, but has not been published since. Technical analyses performed included X-radiography, infrared reflectography, ultraviolet illumination, stain testing, and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). The canvas weave was analyzed using high-resolution digitized x-radiographs by the Thread Count Automation Project (TCAP). While the materials and method of execution match those of Gauguin’s very closely, close visual examination supports the 1991 deattribution, suggesting the painting is a copy of Gauguin’s original Human Misery created with painstaking exactitude. 

 

Art historical research into the provenance of the two pictures and correspondence between Gauguin and other artists point to a likely author of the copy, a fellow painter and friend of Gauguin’s, Claude-Emile Schuffenecker. While Schuffenecker is sometimes seen as an easy candidate for the attribution of such copies, details uncovered during the course of treatment support this claim. This treatment included varnish removal and a lining reversal. A novel method of humidification using gellan gum in the form of a rigid gel was used to achieve the latter.

 

Ideas about innovation and the avant garde at this time are complex. The question of who painted Breton Girl and why pertains to a topic of recent research on the notion of copies, versions, and repetitions produced by artists of this circle, including Van Gogh, Emile Bernard, and Gauguin. 
Speakers
CB

Caitlin Breare

Assistant Conservator, Paintings, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Caitlin Breare completed a Masters in Art History and Advanced Certificate in Conservation at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University in 2014. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne, with majors in art history and behavioral... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:30am - 10:00am EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings

9:30am EDT

(Research and Technical Studies) Back to natural processes: controlled carbonatation for recalcifying malacological artifacts
Mesoamerican archaeological burials and offerings often contain numerous artifacts made of seashells, with a number ranging from one or two to hundreds. Marine mollusks’ shells structure is formed by different crystalline arrangements of calcium carbonate. Seashells were used in Pre-Hispanic Mexico as musical instruments, jewelry, decoration for textiles and money to name just a few examples. Therefore, they contain valuable historical information about the traditions and technology of these cultures. Since the seashell artifacts were buried for hundreds of years they suffered severe degradation processes. Main degradation mechanism consists in solubilization of the large amounts of proteins that lie between the crystals of calcium carbonates in humid environments. As a consequence, archaeological malacological objects are frequently highly unstable and prone to delaminate. Their extraction, storage and consolidation are challenging due both to their number and severe degradation. Although some methodologies have been tested for their stabilization, such as the use of caseinate, lactose, quitin and acrylic polymers, none of them has been, to date, entirely reliable in the long term. The novel methodology we propose consists in slowly growing calcium carbonate crystals within the pores of the artifact. The method was firstly tested on artificially degraded artifacts, followed by tests on archaeological material donated for this research. Our method starts with a humidity stabilization stage, followed by water substitution by a calcium hydroxide solution. The last stage consists of a controlled calcification period in a chamber engineered to have a controlled carbon dioxide atmosphere. Ultimately, we are not only stabilizing the tested malacological material with a highly compatible compound but also consolidating it in the long term.
Speakers
avatar for Edgar Casanova-González

Edgar Casanova-González

National Coordination for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia
CODICE - Laboratorio de Conservación, Diagnóstico y Caracterización Espectroscópica de Materiales
avatar for Dr. Jocelyn Alcantara Garcia

Dr. Jocelyn Alcantara Garcia

Assistant Professor, Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation
Jocelyn Alcántara-García joined the WUDPAC program in the fall of 2014 after working for about five years in interdisciplinary projects (predominantly in Mexico, where she was born). All projects were conducted in close collaboration with conservators and scientists, and included... Read More →

Co-Authors
NP

Nora Perez

Escuela de Conservación y Restauración de Occidente

Friday May 15, 2015 9:30am - 10:00am EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Research and Technical Studies

9:30am EDT

(Textiles) Off the Wall and Into the Round: Preparation and Installation of Grau-Garriga's Tapis Pobre
Josep Grau-Garriga (1929-2011) was a Catalan weaver who revolutionized contemporary tapestry by using nontraditional materials and creating works with highly sculptural qualities. His work Tapis Pobre from 1972 is one of the earliest examples of his three-dimensional weaving technique. Measuring nearly ten feet high and thirteen feet long, it is woven of several different wool yarns of natural color. It has been in the collection of the Denver Art Museum since 1991. This large and weighty tapestry has a very uneven surface, many slits, and partially attached components inherent in its construction. These factors all combine to create significant challenges for safe handling, assessment, documentation, and storage. These challenges were exponentially increased for installation, as a hanging system would need to provide support for several months of open display. The curator decided to showcase this work in the round to emphasize its sculptural qualities, requiring a hanging system which would safely suspend the artwork, loose components and all, from the gallery ceiling in an aesthetically pleasing manner. This presentation will include time lapse footage of the entire process of preparation and installation: techniques developed to handle the tapestry during examination and documentation, test hanging with the new support system, and final installation in the gallery. Much of this work occurred in PreView, a space adjacent to the Textile Art Gallery where visitors are invited to watch conservators and other museum staff working with the collection.
Speakers
avatar for Allison McCloskey

Allison McCloskey

Conservator, Denver Art Museum
As Associate Conservator of Textiles at the Denver Art Museum since 2012, Allison McCloskey specializes in the treatment and preventive conservation of historic and artistic textiles and prepares objects for the museum's rich exhibit schedule. She is particularly intrigued by the... Read More →

Co-Authors
JB

Julie Benner

Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Textile Conservation, Denver Art Museum
Julie Benner is currently an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow in Textile Conservation at the Denver Art Museum. She completed her Master's at the University of Glasgow Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History. She has previously worked as Assistant Conservator of... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 9:30am - 10:00am EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Textiles

9:30am EDT

(Wooden Artifacts) Bending over Backwards: Treatment of Four Chinese Export Bamboo and Rattan Chairs
As part of a large refurnishing plan at the Josiah Quincy house in Quincy, MA, Four chairs and a settee were selected from Historic New England's permanent collection to be installed in the house. The new Quincy furnishing plan was based on detailed documentary photos taken in the 1870's by Eliza Quincy, granddaughter of Revolutionary War hero Josiah Quincy about whom the house was originally interpreted. The images included a set of nearly identical bamboo and rattan furniture that had disappeared from the family collections long ago. After America entered the China Trade, bamboo and rattan garden furniture became popular in the eastern United States. The chairs in this treatment were made in China around 1800 and were given to Historic New England in 1940. The structural elements of the chairs area composed of several lengths of bent bamboo pinned together. The backs and sides of the chairs consist of "windows” of narrower bamboo filled with decorative rattan elements. The four chairs were structurally sound but many of the "windows” were missing several, if not all of their decorative, bent rattan elements. Several decorative bamboo elements were also missing. In addition, the surfaces of the chairs were quite dirty and weathered, and an original coating was present but fragile, disfigured and deteriorated. Treatment involved replacement of large areas of the decoratively shaped rattan, surface cleaning and protection of the original coating.
Speakers
avatar for Michaela Neiro

Michaela Neiro

Objects Conservator, Historic New England
Objects, Mellon Fellowships, Third year internships, Decorative Arts, Historic Houses, Wooden Artifacts, Ice Hockey

Friday May 15, 2015 9:30am - 10:00am EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Wooden Artifacts

10:00am EDT

Exhibit Hall Break
Friday May 15, 2015 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Riverfront Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Break, Opening Session

10:30am EDT

(Architecture) Concrete Actions to Extreme Risks. Conservation of wood and metal structures in Saltpeter Works Humberstone and Santa Laura. Iquique, Chile. World heritage site in danger
Iquique’s Saltpewter sites were declared World Heritage Sites in 2005 for its unique features; in addition to the state of physical decay they were simultaneously included in the list of endangered heritage. Humberstone and Santa Laura´s camps are located on the “pampa” several kilometers away from the port of Iquique. Its manufacturing facilities are surrounded by a cultural landscape formed due to the accumulation of by-products of this industry. They also retain much of the urban structure, with its “plaza”, church, school, housing, mining camps and administration. I was called to participate in this project as a metal conservation specialist; metal is one of the major components of the site. How is it possible to plan concrete actions for the restoration of a material, without defining a philosophical framework first? To organize the analysis, the problem was divided into three frameworks: conservation of urban sites; museum conservation; and preservation of industrial heritage. From the conservation of urban sites point of view, the occupation is required. Therefore it includes rehabilitation, recycling, controlled use, the reoccupation of the territory and fundamentally commercial activity to make it a self-sustaining project. From the conservation of industrial heritage point of view, technical actions are needed, such as anastilosis consolidation, repair, and re-use of certain machines or installations. Today the two camps are site museums, with a theme, exhibition, interpretation, study, and dissemination of information. It is a very interesting characteristic for the urban structures to be included in a museum site; this makes the challenge of conservation even greater. Regarding conservation conditions, the metal and timber constructions are exposed to an extreme weather, where sun light, radiation, wind, high thermal amplitude and wet-dry cycles are literally disintegrating them. The structures are also exposed to salt and chemicals from the same manufacturing process, which are part of the history of the site and cannot be eliminated. This extreme environment has led the structures to different decay conditions, some of them with real risk of collapsing. The technical complexity leads us to conclude that it is not possible to give a unique solution on a temporary basis; preservation will depend on a succession of sustainable actions over time, beginning immediately. Proposal to design a sustainable plan We need to give salt pewter sites meaning to life today, not only as witnesses of the past, but as a precedent for future development projects. We can use negative characteristics like decay, monumental scale and extreme weather conditions in a positive sense, in order to create a continuous conservation laboratory with regional coverage. The key is to find a joint point between the need for conservation and the interest in training people and testing materials, as the site offers a unique situation. Engaging local and regional actors, business ventures, institutions, technical professionals and students will ensure sustainable actions for medium- and long-term conservation.
Speakers
AF

Alicia Fernandez Boan

Chief Conservator, CONSEDIL SRL
I was born in Buenos Aires City, I studied from elementary to college in public schools and am graduated in Architecture from the public National University of Buenos Aires. Being interested in history and science at the same time led me to the conservation field. Moreover, as a very... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture

10:30am EDT

(Book and Paper) Superstorm Sandy: Response, Salvage, and Treatment of Rare Pamphlets from New York University’s Ehrman Medical Library
This paper will present a case study in the recovery of a small collection of rare pamphlets in the aftermath of a major disaster, covering the both the immediate and long-term salvage operation and lessons learned. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall near New York City, bringing a 14-foot storm surge that inundated lower Manhattan and the East Side with billions of gallons of water, causing power outages, flooding, infrastructure damage, and transportation disruptions. New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center, situated near the East River, took a direct hit from the surge. Patients were evacuated as power failures and flooding at the medical center caused damage to clinical and research facilities including the Frederick L. Ehrman Medical Library, which serves the Langone Medical Center and NYU School of Medicine. The library’s lower level was entirely submerged by the surge and its ground floor level was flooded with approximately one foot of water. As the storm subsided and work got underway restoring power and services to the medical center, NYU Health Sciences Libraries staff focused their immediate efforts on restoring basic library functions, then turned to the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Department of NYU Libraries for help with the recovery of their rare print materials. Three days after landfall, conservators from the Barbara Goldsmith Book and Paper Conservation Laboratory arrived at the medical center; while library staff and disaster recovery contractor Belfor set to work on the large-scale recovery effort, the conservators turned their attention to the most vulnerable of the flooded materials: two record carton boxes of rare medical pamphlets - approximately 200 items - that had been submerged. Mold growth was already evident on some materials and there was no immediate prospect of finding a working freezer or freezer truck, so the decision was made to transport the pamphlets to the Preservation Department freezer some 30 blocks away at the NYU’s Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, one of the few facilities in lower Manhattan that had power due to its connection to NYU’s cogeneration power plant. Nearly two years later, the recovery and treatment of the pamphlets is nearing completion at the Conservation Lab. Conservators thaw and wash the pamphlets in water, disbinding at the same time, then carefully dry, surface clean, and mend the pages as needed. No rebinding is done at this time because staff at the Ehrman Library plan to digitize some or all of the titles, and leaving the pamphlets disbound will facilitate this process. This unexpected “perk” of the salvage process, as well as the necessary removal of many non-contemporary, ill-suited, acidic, or otherwise harmful housings and bindings from the collection, proved to be silver linings in the pamphlet recovery. However, the significant investment of resources that the pamphlet salvage has demanded has greatly impacted Conservation Lab operations, leading conservators to reconsider how they might approach a similar situation in the future, specifically, carefully weighing the benefits and impacts of handling a salvage project in-house versus employing a vendor.
Speakers
avatar for Angela Andres-[PA]

Angela Andres-[PA]

Special Collections Conservator, University of Kansas Libraries
Angela Andres is special collections conservator at the University of Kansas Libraries. Prior to coming to KU she worked as a conservator at New York University Libraries, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Angela received her BFA in Printmaking... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

10:30am EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) The Butterfly Effect: A Case Study on the Value of Artist Collaboration in the Conservation of Ephemeral Material
A recent acquisition by the New Mexico Museum of Art provided conservators at the Museums of New Mexico with the unique opportunity to collaborate with artist Tasha Ostrander in the preservation of her artwork Seventy-three in a Moment. Consisting of 26,645 Xeroxed paper butterflies glued to masonite, the 10-foot diameter mandala presented conservators with the challenge of preserving the concept of the piece while faced with the transient nature of ephemeral materials. The conservation of this artwork is discussed as a case study of the challenges presented by such a treatment. Meeting these challenges often requires a slight shift in conventional conservation practice. Collaborations with other conservators, scientists, and specialists in allied fields are becoming more frequent and can allow for new insights into traditional approaches and techniques. However, one of the most significant changes in conservation practices in the past few decades has been the integration of the artist’s voice and opinion into preservation strategy. Interviewing the artist provides valuable insight into their materials, techniques, and goals for the piece. From the standpoint of the conservator, this aligns with our ethical mandate that all actions must be governed by an informed respect for the cultural property, its unique character and significance, and the people or person who created it (AIC Code of Ethics, Principle II). Full collaboration often takes this a step further and invites the artist to participate in the conservation process. This collaboration sometimes leads to treatments that may feel more (or less) interventive than a conservator is comfortable with and requires a thorough consideration by the conservator as to the merits and disadvantages of the desired outcomes. It also requires an open dialogue between conservator and artist to ensure that concerns and goals are sufficiently addressed. For this case study, conservators Mina Thompson and Crista Pack discuss these issues in relation to their experiences with the treatment and artist collaboration of Seventy-three in a Moment. Additionally, artist Tasha Ostrander provides a meaningful look at the conservation process from the artist’s perspective. The goal of this paper to emphasize the value of artist collaboration through a look at a specific treatment project involving ephemeral materials.
Speakers
avatar for Crista Pack

Crista Pack

Objects Conservator, Missouri History Museum
Crista Pack received her M.S. in Art Conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation and an M.A. in Art History from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her major area of study has been in the care and conservation of ethnographic objects, with a... Read More →

Co-Authors
MT

Mina Thompson

Associate Conservator, Museums of New Mexico
Mina Thompson has been the Associate Conservator of Objects at the Museums of New Mexico since 1999. She received her Masters of Arts and Advanced Certificate in Conservation at Buffalo State College in 1998, with additional training at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Brooklyn... Read More →
TO

Tasha Ostrander

Artist, Tasha Ostrander
Tasha Ostrander has been working as a professional artist for the past 22 years. She began her art studies as an apprentice for photographers Walter Chappell and Willard Van Dyke. In her twenties, she completed a one year residency at the Maine Photographic Workshops and received... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

10:30am EDT

(Paintings) Fracture or Facture: Interpreting intent during the treatment and analysis of Georges Braque's Ajax
Georges Braque's late painting Ajax (1948-1953) is a unique example of the artist's lifelong interest in exploring and manipulating artists' materials to achieve new surface effects. The painting, made with mixed media on paper attached to two stretched canvases, was recently examined and treated at the Art Institute of Chicago. It depicts a striding mythological figure outlined in black and white that harks back to Braque's graphic work on paper of the 1930s, but the experimental palette and the use of brushed and splattered paints with contrasting surface characteristics recall Braque's late paintings on canvas. Braque repainted the composition several times between 1948 and 1953, even as the surface showed signs of paint flaking and loss, as evidenced by contemporary photographs. He incorporated select areas of paint loss in the final work yet covered other losses in the later painting campaigns. Braque applied a thick glossy varnish to some areas of the finished composition, and then inscribed a stern warning on the reverse of the canvas in bold letters: "NE PAS VERNIR,” presumably to admonish future owners (or conservators) against altering his carefully modulated surface. Braque's complex technique, unusual combination of materials, and the condition history of the artwork raised questions about its intended surface appearance and the appropriate level of intervention during treatment of the fragile painting. This paper will discuss the technical examination and treatment of Ajax. Analysis of the paints shed light on the artist's late materials and revealed his 1940s palette to be unexpectedly diverse. Accounts of the artist's working methods and photographs of the painting in the artist's studio were particularly useful guides for the consolidation, cleaning and retouching.
Speakers
AL

Allison Langley

Paintings Conservator, Art Institute of Chicago

Co-Authors
avatar for Francesca Casadio

Francesca Casadio

Andrew W. Mellon Senior Conservation Scientist and Co-director NU-ACCESS, The Art Institute of Chicago and Northwestern University
Francesca Casadio joined the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003 to establish and direct a state of the art conservation science laboratory. In January 2018, she will assume the post of Executive Director of Conservation and Science in the same institution. Dr. Casadio has also established... Read More →
KS

Ken Sutherland

Conservation Scientist, Art Institute of Chicago
Ken Sutherland is a scientist in the Department of Conservation and Science at the Art Institute of Chicago. He held previous positions as scientist in the Conservation Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Research Fellow in the Scientific Research Department of the National... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings

10:30am EDT

(Research and Technical Studies) The deacidification of contemporary drawings: a safe method based on nanotechnology
The conservation of cellulose-based works of art is threatened by the presence of acidity inside the substrates, developed upon ageing or native, i.e., due to the papermaking process. The depolymerization of cellulose due to acidic compounds eventually leads to the complete loss of mechanical properties of the artworks. Many strategies for hampering the acid-catalyzed degradation of cellulosic substrates have been developed, many of them based on mild alkaline compounds dispersed in polar or low polar solvents. Unfortunately, few are the available treatments that can be safely used on contemporary drawings or contemporary art on paper. As a matter of fact, during the 20th century, the notion of drawing underwent great change. The use of paper started to change in the middle of 20th century changing from a simple support for studies or sketches to form the basis for an autonomous work, at time torn, burnt, folded, perforated, twisted or scraped. At the same time the world of art has seen the arrival of a large number of new media, such as acrylic and vinyl resins, pressure sensitive adhesives, ballpoint and felt-tip pens and markers. All of these media are rarely compatible with traditional restorative procedures. This makes the conservation and restoration of the wide field of contemporary drawings unexplored. In the present communication, a method for the pH-control of cellulose-based works of art, completely compatible with ballpoint and felt-tips pens drawings, but also respecting the folded or creased topography of the paper, will be presented. A multidisciplinary team, composed by material and colloids scientists and paper conservators, has conducted this research, with the aim of tailoring an innovative deacidification methodology for an unresolved conservative issue. In recent years, alkaline earth metal hydroxide nanoparticles dispersions have demonstrated to be efficient for the preservation of cellulose-based artifacts, providing a stable neutral environment and, if in excess, turning into mild alkaline species. New formulations have been recently obtained via a solvothermal reaction, starting from bulk metal and short chain alcohols. The most interesting feature of these nanoparticles is their dispersibility in cyclohexane. Cyclohexane is a colorless, volatile, nonpolar liquid. Due to its high volatility, the spraying of the solvent guarantees a fast and simple application, respectful of the original artist’s technique. Due to its nonpolar character, cellulose fibers are not affected by cyclohexane. Therefore, even in the case of creased or folded paper, such as Simon Schubert, Kiki Smith or Stefano Arienti artworks, the treatment will not cause any changes in the original visual aspect of the object. In order to evaluate the efficacy of calcium hydroxide nanoparticles dispersions in cyclohexane, mockups were prepared on acid paper by using ballpoint pens and felt-tips. The compatibility between the deacidifying formulation and the samples were tested upon ageing, by pH and colorimetric measurements. The promising results obtained on these preliminary tests led to the application of this innovative formulation on contemporary drawings from a private collection, potentially paving the way for the treatment of such an important field of contemporary arts.
Speakers
avatar for Giovanna Poggi

Giovanna Poggi

PostDoc, CSGI & Chemistry Department of the University of Florence
Giovanna Poggi holds a Ph.D. in science for cultural heritage conservation from the University of Florence (Advisor: Prof. Piero Baglioni), and obtained a Master’s in technology for the conservation of cultural heritage in 2007. She is currently working as a postdoctoral fellow... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Antonio Mirabile

Antonio Mirabile

Private Paper Conservator
Antonio Mirabile is a paper conservator and a consultant in preventive conservation. He studied Book and Paper conservation in Florence where he graduated in 1990. After working briefly in different privates conservation studios he went in France, where he currently lives, to pursue... Read More →
avatar for Piero Baglioni

Piero Baglioni

Baglioni, Department of Chemistry and CSGI, University of Florence
Piero Baglioni is the chair of Physical Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Florence and MIT affiliate. He was appointed as Visiting Scientist/Professor by the Department of Chemistry of the University of Houston, the Weizmann Institute, the Collège de France... Read More →
avatar for Rodorico Giorgi

Rodorico Giorgi

Professor, CSGI & Chemistry Department of the University of Florence
Rodorico Giorgi received his degree in Chemistry (physical-chemistry curriculum) in 1996, at the University of Florence, where in 2000 got his PhD in Science for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, with Prof. Piero Baglioni as Advisor. He is currently research fellow at the Department... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Research and Technical Studies

10:30am EDT

(Wooden Artifacts) Two Chairs…+1: Interactive presentation examining the relationship between two well-documented Pre-Raphaelite chairs and a mysterious third chair
In 1997 the Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington Delaware USA acquired two similar, if not matching, chairs that are documented to the group of Pre-Raphaelite artists, William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Rossetti who commissioned them for their residence in Red Lion Court. The design is attributed to Morris and the painted decoration to Rossetti. http://articles.philly.com/1998-01-23/living/25747926_1_chairs-small-museum-regional-museum Not long after this acquisition and attendant publications and symposia highlighted them, a third, undocumented chair surfaced in Bruxelles via a circuitous route, which included a disappearing owner who abandoned the chair with a restorer. A painted scene on the back panel, similar in conception to Rossetti’s paintings on the DAM chairs was quickly determined to be a modern enhancement, but after it was removed by a Belgian conservator, what remained was painted decoration on the legs, of much older execution, similar to the design on one of the DAM chairs. The Third Chair is of the same unique and idiosyncratic design and construction as the other two, but also diverges in significant ways, such as materials and construction decisions that make it an intriguing puzzle to the historian. Easily dismissed as a “fake” (like the paint on the back panel), more considered analysis forces a reconsideration of this dismissal. In fact, an argument can reasonably be made that it may actually precede the other two and was at least fundamentally tied to them in the period. This presentation offers points of analysis, deduction and conclusions and invites participation from attendees to affirm or reject the overall conclusion that the three chairs are closely related.
Speakers
avatar for Mike Podmaniczky

Mike Podmaniczky

Conservator, Mike Podmaniczky
MA graduate of Smithsonian Furniture Conservation Program 1989 Furniture Conservator Winterthur Museum, 21 years Head of Furniture Conservation, West Dean College, UK, 3 years

Friday May 15, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Wooden Artifacts

10:30am EDT

(Textiles) Tips Session on Mount Making: Materials and Methods for Exhibition and Display
Please join us for a practical session on mount making tips for textiles. This session will focus on mounting solutions for exhibition and display of textiles and costume. Topics to be covered include mannequin arm attachments, mounting hats on bald mannequins, mounting a paper backed sampler, reusable slant board mounts, flexible mounts for pre-Columbian Wari tunics, and tips for mounting textiles with magnets. The 10 minute tips presentations will be followed by a question and answer session and hands-on time for presenters to share materials and suppliers lists.
Speakers
JG

Joy Gardiner

Assistant Director of Conservation, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
avatar for Robin Hanson-[Fellow]

Robin Hanson-[Fellow]

Associate Conservator of Textiles, Cleveland Museum of Art
Robin Hanson has managed the textile conservation lab at the Cleveland Museum of Art for the past 17 years. In 1997 she completed graduate training in conservation, with a specialization in textiles, at the Winterthur / University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. She is a... Read More →
SC

Susan C. Heald

Textile Conservator, National Museum of the American Indian
Susan Heald has been the National Museum of the American Indian’s textile conservator since 1994, where she has supervised many pre-program interns and post-graduate fellows. Prior to NMAI, she served as the Minnesota Historical Society’s textile conservator, and was a Smithsonian... Read More →
avatar for Denise Krieger Migdail

Denise Krieger Migdail

Conservator, Asian Art Museum
Denise Migdail has held the title of textile conservator at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco since March 2006. Working in a multidisciplinary lab, the work is largely exhibition driven: preparing textiles for display and travel. Prior to her employment at the museum, Denise worked... Read More →
avatar for Laura Mina-[PA]

Laura Mina-[PA]

Head of Textile Conservation, Winterthur Museum/University of Delaware
Laura Mina received her MA in fashion and textile studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and her BS in performance studies from Northwestern University.
avatar for Shelly Uhlir

Shelly Uhlir

Exhibits Specialist, Mountmaker, National Museum of the American Indian
Shelly Uhlir works in the conservation department at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC where she has been staff mount and mannequin maker since 2001. She has collaborated with conservators for over 30 years and has been a TSG and OSG member... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Textiles

11:00am EDT

(Book and Paper) Heat-Set Tissue: Finding a Practical Solution of Adhesives
For years the Document Conservation Laboratory at the National Archives & Records Administration has been using heat-set tissue. Use of the material has increased as more of NARA’s holding are digitized, since prior to scanning, torn records come to the lab for stabilization. Heat-set tissue is the preferred method for mending as the mends enhance the documents appearance and stability without compromising the legibility of the text. Staff at the Library of Congress first developed the technique of applying a low-viscosity acrylic emulsion polymer to Japanese tissue. Rhoplex AC 234 and AC 73 were the most commonly used emulsions until Rohm & Hass discontinued their production. Thus conservators have been forced to explore the use of other available resources. This paper will discuss the process of finding a replacement resin with acceptable working properties, adhesion, and appearance that also meets NARA’s conservation requirements. This was a collaborative effort between conservation and conservation science staff, who evaluated many factors, including various combinations of adhesives and methods of adhesive application (spray vs. brushing out) on various types and weights of paper. Accelerated aging experiments with reversibility studies, as well as Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, were run to further characterize the adhesives. Once the materials and methods of making heat-set tissue with Avanse 100 and Plextol 500 were perfected, treatment protocols for use of the prepared tissue were refined.

Non-presenting co-author: Kathy Ludwig 
Speakers
JK

Jennifer K. Herrmann

Senior Conservation Scientist, National Archives and Records Administration
Jennifer K. Herrmann has been a senior conservation scientist at the National Archives and Records Administration for over 10 years. She enjoys working with conservators to answer questions about the records they treat as well as investigating conservation techniques and tools to... Read More →
LM

Lauren M. Varga

Lead Conservator, National Archives & Records Administration
Lauren Varga is a Lead Conservator in the Document Conservation Laboratory at the National Archives & Records Administration. She received a Master of Arts degree and a Certificate of Advanced Study in paper conservation from the Art Conservation Program, Buffalo State College in... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

11:00am EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) Neutralizing the Nuclear Option
Los Angeles artist Chris Burden's anti-war diorama "A Tale of Two Cities" was originally assembled 32 years ago - a collection of five thousand models and toys glued to slabs of cardboard. “Two Cities” was designed to be exhibited on a panoramic landscape of 26 tons of sculpted sand, with 2.4 tons of rocks and 60 potted plants. Over the course of multiple exhibitions, the exhibit’s cardboard substrate had become warped, delaminated and encrusted with mold. By 2013, the installation had become sufficiently dilapidated that Burden eliminated this seminal piece from his up-coming exhibition “Chris Burden: Extreme Measures” at the New Museum in New York in the fall of 2013. Burden also publicly expressed the intent to exercise his contractual right to alter the work via the "nuclear option" of blowing it up - a logical conclusion to this broad depiction of futuristic feudal warring states. "The work would still exist," said the artist, "but as rubble." In response to reviews of treatment mockups at the WAC studio, however, Burden agreed instead to consider the alternative option of an extensive conservation campaign. Over the course of several months, the toys and model components were cleaned, repaired, and re-fabricated or replaced, and remounted on lightweight, interlocking sheets of honey-comb aluminum panel. Following conservation, Burden made the decision to include "A Tale of Two Cities" in the New York exhibition. The artwork was loaded into 16 custom-made crates, fabricated for both travel and storage, and shipped across the country, where it occupied a major place in the artist's one-man survey show at the New Museum.
Speakers
DW

Donna Williams

President, Williams Art Conservation, Inc.
Donna Williams is the principal of her firm Williams Art Conservation, Inc., (incorporated in1998) performing consulting services and hands-on treatment of sculpture and architectural materials for private and public organizations.  She specializes in the design and implementation... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

11:00am EDT

(Paintings) A Wealth of Optical Expression: László Moholy-Nagy's works in the collection of the Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s unrivalled collection of works by László Moholy-Nagy spans nearly the artist’s entire career, ranging from works on paper, to paintings on canvas and metal, to innovative works on plastic supports. In preparation for a major retrospective on Moholy-Nagy, co-organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (SRGM), the Art Institute of Chicago, and LACMA, a systematic study of the Guggenheim’s collection of Moholy-Nagy has been carried out through a combination of microscopic observation of the surfaces, non-invasive and micro-invasive analysis, technical imaging, and replication of the artist’s techniques. This is the first time that such an in-depth treatment has been given to the material aspects of the oeuvre of this influential artist. This talk will focus on painted works on canvas, plastic and metallic supports.

Moholy wrote extensively about his pursuit of a “new kinetic form of creative work” that would allow him to “paint with light.” He consistently sought ways to expand and eclipse the traditional lexicon of painting by embracing novel materials, technology and science. Creating complex space and dynamic, light-filled volumes in ways that transcended the picture plane, he hoped to supersede the traditional painting format using “flowing, oscillating, prismatic light in lieu of pigments.” Close examination of the SRGM’s painted works has shown that he continued to explore these concepts, even as he conceded that he could not forsake painting. 

This talk will focus on the artist’s incorporation of his teachings and prolific writings from the Bauhaus, the New Bauhaus and the Chicago Institute of Design periods into his own work. In particular, his explorations of light, shadow and transparency using a dazzling variety of paint application on unconventional supports will be discussed. While focusing on the SRGM works, the talk will be informed by archival research and by comparative viewings of non-Guggenheim works. There will be some discussion of how the research has influenced treatment, storage, and presentation of his works. 

 
Speakers
JB

Julie Barten

Senior Conservator, Collections and Exhibitions, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Julie Barten is Senior Conservator, Collections and Exhibitions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. She received a BA in art history from Yale University and an MA in Art History and Certificate in Conservation from New York University, Institute of Fine Arts. Prior to joining the... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Carol Stringari

Carol Stringari

Deputy Director and Chief Conservator of the Guggenheim Foundation, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Carol Stringari is Deputy Director and Chief Conservator of the Guggenheim Foundation. Stringari joined the Guggenheim staff in 1992. She is responsible for assessing and developing policy and procedures for the care and treatment of the collection. Working closely with the conservation... Read More →
avatar for Federica Pozzi

Federica Pozzi

Conservation Scientist, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Federica Pozzi earned her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Milan, Italy, where she also completed her Ph.D. in 2012 with a thesis on the development of innovative analytical procedures for the characterization of historical organic colorants. As part of her Ph.D... Read More →
avatar for Francesca Casadio

Francesca Casadio

Andrew W. Mellon Senior Conservation Scientist and Co-director NU-ACCESS, The Art Institute of Chicago and Northwestern University
Francesca Casadio joined the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003 to establish and direct a state of the art conservation science laboratory. In January 2018, she will assume the post of Executive Director of Conservation and Science in the same institution. Dr. Casadio has also established... Read More →
avatar for Johanna Salvant

Johanna Salvant

Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University / Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts (NU-ACCESS)
Johanna Salvant studied Chemistry and Materials Science at Chimie-ParisTech in Paris, France, and obtained her M.Sc. in the analysis of archeological materials at the University College London, UK. Johanna completed her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry performing analyses of chemical... Read More →
KS

Ken Sutherland

Conservation Scientist, Art Institute of Chicago
Ken Sutherland is a scientist in the Department of Conservation and Science at the Art Institute of Chicago. He held previous positions as scientist in the Conservation Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Research Fellow in the Scientific Research Department of the National... Read More →
avatar for Marc Sebastian Walton

Marc Sebastian Walton

Co-Director, Research Professor, Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts
Marc Walton joined the Northwestern University / Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts in 2013 as its inaugural Senior Scientist and as a Research Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. In January of 2018, he was appointed... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings

11:00am EDT

(Research and Technical Studies) BronzeShield™: a durable and selectively-removable clear-coat for the protection of outdoors Bronze statues
Bronze is especially susceptible to deterioration caused by atmospheric corrosion and, delaying corrosion is one of the most important aspects of surface preservation. To do that, barrier coatings are often used. BronzeShield™ was formulated to protect outdoor sculptures with durability and easy removability as key properties. The development of a selectively removable coating for the protection of bronze has been a focus of research at North Dakota State University’s Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials since 1999 and has resulted in the invention of a new polymer. Elinor Specialty Coatings licensed this technology and further developed the polymer to produce BronzeShield™. Through this research, Elinor developed a modified polyester-urethane clear coat that is both protective and selectively removable. A zero-VOC non-toxic remover was also formulated to selectively remove the clear BronzeShield™ without damaging the bronze surface or patina. This combination coating-remover eliminates the need for harmful solvents (e.g. Toluene or Xylenes) or aggressive physical/mechanical means (e.g. sandblasting or wire brushing). BronzeShield was recently tested on flat bronze panels both outdoors for 2 years in Fargo, ND and in accelerated weathering for 1000 hours. In addition, it was field-tested on an outdoor monument in collaboration with McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory, Inc. The accelerated weathering confirmed that BronzeShield™ outperforms its commercial benchmark and maintains a better exterior appearance. The outdoors exposure confirmed the coating durability and BronzeShield maintained its full removability after each of the exposure studied. The field test on the outdoor statue showed that the coating saturates the weathered surface in a manner similar to wax, it is easy to apply, it is fully removable and conforms to the current conservator’s practices.
Speakers
avatar for Dante Battocchi

Dante Battocchi

Exhibitor, Dante Battocchi
Dante Battocchi, received a doctor degree in materials engineering from the University of Trento in Trento, Italy, a master’s degree in polymers and coatings ad a PhD in Materials and nanotechnology from NDSU, Fargo ND. He is the co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of Elinor... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Research and Technical Studies

11:00am EDT

(Wooden Artifacts) Business Meeting
Instructors
TF

Tad Fallon

Principal, Fallon & Wilkinson, LLC
Tad Fallon grew up around art and antiques, working within the family business, Copake Auctions Inc., prior to college. In 1991, after beginning college as a studio art major, he entered the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Restoration program in New York City and studied... Read More →
Friday May 15, 2015 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Business Meeting, Wooden Artifacts

11:00am EDT

(Architecture) Student Session
This one and a half hour session will include shorter papers from a small group of graduate students and recent graduates from the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, University of Texas, and Savannah College of Art and Design.  The papers focus on a variety of architectural conservation topics.  The students will present in their papers in the order listed below.

"Restoring Historic Finishes” will be presented by Izabella Dennis.  The Battle Hall Architecture and Planning Library at the University of Texas at Austin was designed by architect Cass Gilbert in 1911, setting the stylistic tone for future academic architecture and shaping the distinguished Texas university campus.   In preparation for a preservation and improvement campaign of the University of Texas’ first architectural masterpiece and its later extension, West Mall Building, a Facilities Condition Report was produced by an outside consultant in 2011 to identify measures to restore the building.  The study involved archival research of the original construction documents and subsequent renovations of Battle Hall, on-site condition assessments and sample collection, and both laboratory and on-site testing.

“An assessment and evaluation on the effects of acidic cleaning methods on unglazed terra cotta using accelerated weathering test protocols” will be presented by Irene Matteini.  This investigation continues previous studies (Matero et. al. 1996) where findings showed that by using a 7% hydrofluoric acid-based commercial cleaning system, an increased porosity of unglazed terra cotta resulted.  By examining physical changes and their response to accelerated weathering across two typical terra cotta clay bodies, it is hoped that better cleaning methods will be considered in practice and parameters to measure potential damage as well as cleaning efficacy become established.

“Sheet Scaling in Mohegan Granite: Intrinsic & Extrinsic Factors” will be presented by Karen Stone.  In this research, various structures composed of Mohegan granite in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York were studied for their sheet scaling conditions, while core samples were acquired from a select number of sites, including the original quarry. Thin section petrography, x-­‐ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy were utilized to research whether particular variables could be identified as contributing factors to the observed sheet scaling.  Once the agent for this mode of deterioration is more clearly defined, better strategies for slowing, halting, or preventing this condition can be sought by the preservation community.

“Patination: It's Impact on Architectural Metals and Preservation” will be presented by Joshua Jones.  This paper focuses  focusing primarily on copper and steel elements and the historical and contemporary uses of metal. The majority of the deterioration is primarily in regards to the exterior patina finish that protects the metal. Not only is it important to understand the material, the methods of fabrication, and the techniques used in finishing the metal, but it is also important to understand what methods are currently being employed for the conservation and preservation of the material.  
Friday May 15, 2015 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture

11:30am EDT

(Book and Paper) Subject and Object: Exploring the Conservator's Changing Relationship with Collection Material
Conservation departments in cultural institutions have traditionally established their priorities based on the use, value, and conservation needs of the collections. Within this framework, conservators’ roles have been fairly well-defined: a balance between treatments that are high priority, due to condition and/or value, with exhibit-driven workflows (for museums), and research/access-driven workflows (for libraries and archival repositories).

In recent years, conservators and allied professionals have seen a significant shift in the type of work that they do. Increasingly, the field is guided by digitization-driven workflows. The rapid growth in digitization priorities has coincided with budget cuts and staff reductions in many cultural institutions.  As a result, new approaches have been developed to deal with the imbalance created by increased work and reduced resources, such as ”stabilization” or “fit for purpose”.

What compromises are inherent in these shifting priorities and changing roles for conservators?  Are we becoming generalists, and if so are we losing specialized skills? What is the value of accrued knowledge of complex treatment? How do we retain our skills and expertise while expanding our roles to serve new institutional goals? By meeting the ever-growing demand for digital/public access, are we preserving collections in cultural institutions optimally?

The presenters will explore the conservator’s relationship to the object in light of shifting and expanding institutional goals.
Speakers
avatar for Julie Biggs

Julie Biggs

Conservator, Library of Congress
Julie Biggs is a Senior Paper Conservator at the Library of Congress, where she has focused on treatment of manuscripts and works on paper, led iron-gall ink treatment research, and managed large-scale collection stabilization and re-housing projects. She previously worked as a senior... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Yasmeen Khan

Yasmeen Khan

Head of Paper Conservation, Library of Congress
Yasmeen Khan is Head of Paper Conservation at the Library of Congress. She has a BA in Middle Eastern Studies from Barnard College, and an MLIS from the University of Texas with an Advanced Certificate in Conservation. In 1996 she began working for the Library of Congress, initially... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

11:30am EDT

(Electronic Media + Objects) Discussion moderated by Glenn Wharton
Speakers
avatar for Glenn Wharton

Glenn Wharton

Clinical Professor, Museum Studies, New York University
Glenn Wharton is a Clinical Professor in Museum Studies at New York University. From 2007-2013 he served as Media Conservator at the Museum of Modern Art, where he established the time-based media conservation program for video, performance, and software-based collections. In 2006... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media, Objects

11:30am EDT

(Paintings) Response and Interplay Between Artist and Materials in the Late Paintings of Barnett Newman
The work of artist Barnett Newman (1905-1970) has come to define the spiritual aspirations and material innovations of American painting in the mid-twentieth century. Large and bold vertical planes of color, with thin upright lines that came to be known as "zips,” characterize Newman's vocabulary of form. In contrast to the horizontal compositions that define the landscape tradition in Western art, Newman's work reflects the upright posture of the human body. For the artist, this reorientation was deeply political. He felt it could free painting from the past and allow an entirely new awareness for the viewer through the ineffable experience of standing in front of his work. Having come to a career as an artist later in life, Newman's produced a relatively small body of work. In 1970, when he passed at the age of 65, he left a group of work in his studio that included unfinished paintings. In an arrested state of development, the unfinished works offer a rare opportunity to study the late work in relationship to Newman's broader production. Because the artist did not make preparatory studies, these works, as paintings in process, reveal the remarkable material and technical innovations and transformations, including his shift from oil to acrylic paint, in his work from 1965-1970. In dialogue with his early work from the late 1940s and early 1950s, they also provide a way of understanding the formal evolution of his painting process throughout his oeuvre. An upcoming exhibition planned for the spring of 2015 offered an opportunity for in-depth analyses of Newman's late works, focused around the core collection of eight paintings held by the Menil Collection. Visual examination of the works in conjunction with mock-up studies using historic Bocour Aquatec acrylic paints and media suggest that during this time Newman developed new methods of paint and roller application and may have modified his paints with the addition of acrylic media and varnish to create gloss differences as he worked. In contrast, comparative pigment analysis suggests that Newman was choosing not to utilize studio mixtures of paint, rather he purchased or had made to order the colors desired. The presentation will focus on recent research into the paintings Newman created between 1965 and his death in 1970, with a focus on his almost exclusive use of acrylic emulsion paints during this period. The extent to which this new paint and roller application techniques allowed Newman to achieve large works of increasing visual subtlety will be discussed along with the ongoing comparative research into the pigment differences between similar colors found in different paintings and evidence for Newman utilizing unmodified commercial mixtures of paint. Central to the research was the use of a hand-held X-ray fluorescence spectrometer in a novel ‘scanning' manner in conjunction with X-radiography and cross sectional analysis to reveal the color and design of previous states for two of the paintings. These results offer an unique insight into the evolution of Newman's method and aptly illustrate how his seemingly simple works are anything but.
Speakers
avatar for Bradford Epley

Bradford Epley

Conservator, The Menil Collection
Brad Epley joined the Menil Collection in 1999 as assistant paintings conservator and was appointed Chief Conservator in 2006, overseeing the museum’s conservation activities and co-directing the Artists Documentation Program. Epley received his undergraduate degree in chemistry... Read More →

Co-Authors
CE

Corina E. Rogge

Andrew W. Mellon Research Scientist, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Corina E. Rogge is the Andrew W. Mellon Research Scientist at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Menil Collection. She earned a B.A. in chemistry from Bryn Mawr College, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Yale University and held postdoctoral positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings

11:30am EDT

(Research and Technical Studies) Parylene Treatment for Paper/Book Strengthening
Parylene (a class of polymers with the base monomer para-xylylene), deposited via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), has been used as a practical treatment to strengthen cultural heritage papers. The deposited monomers polymerize in situ, forming a thin, conformal coating that strengthens paper. Other unique properties of this technology are its mold resistance and its ability to treat multiple pages at once. In the 1990s, Parylene treatment for cultural heritage paper strengthening was studied by several investigators including Don Etherington, David Grattan, and Bruce Humphrey, who demonstrated a significant increase in the strength of treated versus untreated papers. In the last 20 years, however, this treatment has received limited recognition within the conservation community and no further study. Stated concerns include the uncertainty about the permanence and durability of the imparted properties and the lack of reversibility. There are now several reasons, however, to revisit Parylene as a conservation treatment for cultural heritage papers. First, certain important assessments of the efficacy of Parylene treatment were not performed in the previous work. These include the optimization of the Parylene layer thickness for conservation needs, the aging of treated papers rather than the films by themselves, and the ability to conduct subsequent conservation treatments following deposition. Second, recent technological developments may now make Parylene more useful to conservation: There are now (1) CVD deposition chambers that are cheaper and more compact, (2) new analytical techniques to characterize the coating, and (3) new Parylene materials, including soluble Parylene, which addresses the concern over reversibility. Beginning summer 2012, Heritage Science for Conservation at Johns Hopkins University convened two roundtables of scientists, conservators, and industry representatives to discuss paper strengthening and Parylene technology. We reviewed both published and unpublished reports, examined numerous artifacts treated in the 1990s at CCI and Etherington Conservation, and interviewed the scientists who performed the research. After duplicating previous strengthening results, we optimized the Parylene layer thickness to maximize the strengthening effect while minimizing side effects such as stiffening using conservators' feedback. We will present the results of mechanical testing and the behavior of Parylene coated paper in conventional paper conservation treatments to show the degree to which Parylene coating improves the durability of brittle papers on its own, or in conjunction with other conservation treatment. Our results show that groundwood pulp book papers from 1951 with a ~ 400nm Parylene coating retain many of the characteristics of new wood pulp papers in terms of rattle, turn radius, and general tactile experience. The treated paper has a > 30% improvement in tear resistance and more than three times higher folding endurance. Additionally, Parylene treated paper is receptive to, and can even improve upon, conventional paper and book conservation treatments such as tear mending, guarding, washing and resizing, and book and case binding. An acknowledged limitation of Parylene treatment is that there appears to be little improvement on the folding endurance of very brittle, low porosity papers. In conclusion, Parylene treatment imparts mechanical strength, especially tear resistance, to uncoated papers, but is especially promising for groundwood pulp papers, where it also imparts folding endurance.

Non-Presenting Authors: Mark Pollei, Sonja Jordan Mowery

Speakers
avatar for John Baty

John Baty

Assistant Research Professor and Heritage Science for Conservation (HSC) Scientist, Johns Hopkins University
John Baty holds a joint appointment at Johns Hopkins University as Assistant Research Professor and Heritage Science for Conservation (HSC) Scientist in the Departments of Conservation and Preservation--Sheridan Libraries and University Museums, and Materials Science and Engineering--Whiting... Read More →

Co-Authors
LP

Lei Pei

Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Heritage Science for Conservation (HSC)
Lei Pei is an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Heritage Science for Conservation (HSC) program in the Department of Conservation and Preservation, Sheridan Libraries and University Museums, the Johns Hopkins University. He holds a Ph.D. degree in analytical chemistry from... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Hibiscus 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Research and Technical Studies

12:00pm EDT

(Collection Care) Heritage Health Information Survey Results Revealed and the Past and Future of Conservation Funding Luncheon and Panel Discussion
Add to Registration

Be among the first to hear the results of the Heritage Health Information Survey, HHI 2014, from Heritage Preservation’s Acting President Thomas Clareson. 

Then, in line with the “Practical” theme of the meeting, officers from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Kress Foundation, and Getty Foundation will speak from the “30,000 foot view” about the development and support of the conservation profession over time and their respective Foundation’s roles as long-term, committed supporters of various dimensions of conservation training and practice. 

Talks will explore the history and trajectories of these foundation’s investments in building a professional pipeline, addressing conservation capacity issues within institutional frameworks, and supporting areas of specific need or threatened expertise. They will also signal where they see areas of interest and gaps in the field going forward. These talks will reflect on the impact of sustained funding over time, offer insight into how and why funders choose to support to conservation, and illuminate how grant dollars are often at work in quiet and unseen ways. 

Please note, the speakers respectfully request that this session not be seen as an opportunity to approach these foundations about seeking support, but they are happy to engage in discussion about the content of their presentations.

This session is sponsored by AIC.
Speakers
TC

Tom Clareson

Project Director, Performing Arts Readiness/LYRASIS
Tom Clareson is Project Director of the Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) project, which helps performing arts organizations nationwide learn how to protect their assets, sustain operations, and be prepared for emergencies. He serves as Senior Consultant for Digital & Preservation Services... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 12:00pm - 2:15pm EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Luncheon Session, Collection Care

1:00pm EDT

(Archaeological Discussion Group) Business Meeting
The ADG Business Meeting is open to all Annual Meeting attendees with an interest in archaeological conservation. Topics that will be discussed at the meeting include the progress of the ADG's goals and future activities. 
Moderators
avatar for LeeAnn Barnes Gordon

LeeAnn Barnes Gordon

Assistant Conservator, Harvard Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
LeeAnn is currently an objects conservator at the Harvard Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and is also a Consultant for ASOR’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives. She earned her graduate degree from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, and has... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Pearson 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Business Meeting, Archaeology

2:00pm EDT

(Practical Philosophy) Welcome and Introductions
Friday May 15, 2015 2:00pm - 2:10pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Practical Philosophy

2:00pm EDT

(Sustainability) Welcome and Introductions
Friday May 15, 2015 2:00pm - 2:10pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Sustainability

2:00pm EDT

(Year of Light) Welcome and Introductions
Friday May 15, 2015 2:00pm - 2:10pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Year of Light

2:10pm EDT

(Practical Philosophy) Lacunae: a reflection on their values and meanings
This paper will focus on losses, their values and their meanings. Do losses provide a negative interference in a work of art? If not, are we assigning to losses a historical and aesthetic value and physical qualities that coexist with the intrinsic quality in a work of art? Lacunae are visual memories linked to the object. But if we perceive damages as negative interference, how can we objectively evaluate the amount of integration we should undertake on a work of art in order to respect its identity and history? As the work of art survives throughout the centuries it will be subjected to the physical superimposition of historical moments that conservation treatments will attempt to eliminate, reduce or enhance. The size, location, and number of losses or abrasions determine the type and level of intervention. Damages may also allow for a recovered reading of a work of art or they can become meaningful memories that provide a different understanding and a different level of art experience. The approaches to loss compensation have been widely discussed over the past decades offering a wide range of aesthetic and practical solutions. When discussing the treatment of lacunae, Italian theories have emphasized the historical and aesthetic values of a work of art to which the fundamental principles of visible inpainting techniques, developed in the XX century, are linked. Though the reasoning behind visible inpainting is to respect the historical and aesthetic identities of a work of art, it also allows for a discrete remembrance of the lacunae by not concealing them completely. While the fundamental principles that guide the integration of losses have been defined, the level of integration, which may or may not be directly proportionate to the conservation state of the work of art, is driven by subjective decisions. Though a clear definition of the different types of losses can help define the framework, the final appearance of an art object, even when following basic theoretical and practical rules, is a projection of the aesthetic taste of both conservator and curator, of the practical ability of a conservator, and more in general of the institution that owns the work. This paper will engage and discuss these queries with an emphasis on paintings, though works of various natures will also be considered.
Speakers
avatar for Irma Passeri

Irma Passeri

Senior Conservator of Paintings, Yale University Art Gallery
Irma Passeri is Senior Paintings Conservator at the Yale University Art Gallery. She received her degree in the Conservation of Easel Paintings from the Conservation School of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, in Florence in 1998. Prior to working for the Yale Art Gallery, she worked... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 2:10pm - 2:30pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Practical Philosophy

2:10pm EDT

(Sustainability) The Relevance of Traditional Materials in Modern Conservation
This paper is written from the perspective of two conservation professionals, in two different fields, and at two different points in their careers, who have both come to the same conclusion regarding some current trends in the Conservation profession.   

In recent years, there has been an increasingly heavy emphasis on the adoption of new materials, science, and technology in conservation. While the concepts, principles, and methods of science are crucial to bettering the conservator's understanding of cultural properties, historically the integration of new or synthesized materials in conservation in many cases has proven to be more retroactive than progressive, due to unforeseen and undesirable properties that develop as time passes. Many wonder products of the last few decades have now proven to have insignificant benefits or sometimes harmful effects on the items they were designed to preserve, and many attempts to simulate the aging of new conservation materials have proved to be unreliable.    

In light of the described conundrum of integrating new materials, this paper is an appeal to the relevance of traditional, or tried and true historic materials and their implications for current conservation practices. It seems more worthwhile to seek out more elegant and non-traditional uses or applications of materials that have proven to be reliable through their survival over the centuries and millennia.   

To illustrate, the authors will present case studies in their respective fields to demonstrate both how in the past the eager adoption of wonder products or technologies can cause future issues and harm the artifact, and also how traditional materials may be used in a non-intuitive way to successfully and elegantly treat and preserve the damaged item. Frances will be discussing cements and grouts and the damage it has inflicted on various works of stone in her field, where as Brien will cover how traditional  Japanese paper has been successfully used for leather hinge repair on books for two and a half decades

Furthermore, many of the tests and techniques being developed in various institutions seem to be very limited in relevance in that they employ advanced and oftentimes very expensive technologies or hazardous materials that are not readily accessible to many practitioners in a regular field setting. What makes conservation such a unique field is that it inherently has a practical goal: the preservation of cultural property for the future. It is not a science for science's sake; its principles and methods are necessarily applied to further the conservator's understanding of the artifact so that they may make a more informed decision regarding the treatment or storage of it. This is not to say that these are not worthwhile endeavors, just that perhaps there should be a heavier emphasis on practical and affordable "field-friendly” means of testing and conserving historic materials that would better equip a larger group of practitioners with the means to successfully and safely preserve our cultural property.

 


Speakers
avatar for Brien Beidler

Brien Beidler

Director of the Bindery and Conservation Space, Charleston Library Society
Since August 2012, Brien has been serving as the Director of the Bindery and Conservation Space at the Charleston Library Society, where he oversees the conservation of their collection and various other binding projects. After meeting Jim Croft in 2012 , he has been interested in... Read More →
FF

Frances Ford

Conservator, Clemson/College of Charleston Graduate Program in Historic Preservation
Frances Ford has both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Historic Preservation (College of Charleston, 2003; University of Pennsylvania, 2006). She has had a long-standing interest in materials conservation, and in graduate school concentrated in that area, particularly the field... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 2:10pm - 2:30pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Sustainability

2:10pm EDT

(Year of Light) High-resolution Scanning for Recording Spectral Snapshots to Calculate Fading of Colorants　from Light Exposure
The challenge of exhibiting light sensitive materials of cultural heritage is that the same energy that allows visitors to see museum collections -- is the same energy that fades colorants.  Once the color in an artwork fades, that color is gone forever.  Museums respond to this preservation challenge by limiting visual access through the reduction in light levels and limiting the amount of time light sensitive collections are on view to the public.   These measures implemented by museums can extend the vibrancy of colored objects of cultural significance, but, despite museums best efforts, some collection items will fade while they are on view. Unfortunately, the situation is exacerbated because there are few records showing exactly what colors are lost over time as a result of exposure to different environments. Museums would like to be able to have increased capacity to take “spectral snapshots” that document the state of their collections. However, existing technologies use spectro-radiometers that document only small areas of the objects.  Obtaining an accurate record of color and spectral information is extremely labor intensive.

Advances in scientific computing and high resolution scanning have ushered new ways of using images beyond visualization.  It is now possible to use high resolution scanning to take spectral snapshots to extract analytical information including colorimetric data, spectral reflectance and CIE spatial coordinates.  Scanning would allow museums to more quickly and easily capture spectral information before light induced damage has occurred creating a permanent record of the museum object in a more pristine state.  In addition, high resolution scanning may allow for the comparison of spectral information before and after exhibitions.  This would allow conservators and collections managers the information they need to determine if artworks are fading faster or slower than the expected rate. 

This study will test the effectiveness of high resolution scanning to determine the rate of light- induced fading of common colorants found in Japanese cultural heritage collections. A mockup of colored samples will be prepared and then measured using a spectro-radiometer and an ultrahigh resolution (1200-2000dpi) scanner.  Colored samples will then be exposed to light of a specific spectrum and large enough dose to cause noticeable fading. The faded samples will be measured by using a spectro-radiometer and a high resolution (1200-2000dpi) scanner and the results compared and analyzed.

The imaging system was designed and developed at Kyoto University. Its main features include high-color fidelity, minimal light exposure, non-contact and noninvasive. It has already been applied on various sites in the USA, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Philippines, Malaysia and Egypt for the cases of the world’s most important cultural assets. In this study, we will also show how this technology has been used to digitize more than 8000 large objects, in more than 60 different projects in 5 continents.
Speakers
JA

Jay Arre Toque

Director, Sabia, Inc.
Jay Arre Toque is the Chief Technical Officer of Sabia Inc. and Chief Researcher at ADS Corp. He has doctoral degree from the Graduate School of Engineering at Kyoto University, specializing in developing high-resolution analytical imaging technology. He was a JSPS postdoctoral fellow... Read More →

Co-Authors
AI

Ari Ide-Ektessabi

Advanced Imaging Technology Laboratory, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University
HG

Hideki Goto

Technical Advisor, ADS Corp
Advance Digital Solution Corp.
KO

Koji Okumura

Sabia Inc.
MT
MT

Masahiro Toiya

Director, Sabia Inc
To follow
MN
avatar for Scott Rosenfeld

Scott Rosenfeld

Lighting Designer, Smithsonian American Art Museum
For the past 19 years Scott Rosenfeld has designed lighting for museums of fine art; since 1997 as resident lighting designer at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery. (Washington D.C.) In 2006 he completed a complete renovation of the historic Old Patent Office... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 2:10pm - 2:30pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Year of Light

2:30pm EDT

(Practical Philosophy) After the Fall: The Treatment of Tullio Lombardo's Adam
In October of 2002, the Renaissance sculpture Adam by Tullio Lombardo fell to the floor in The Metropolitan Museum of Art when the pedestal beneath it collapsed. The impact of the fall caused the marble sculpture to break into 28 large pieces and hundreds of small fragments. Dated 1490-95, Adam is considered the most important monumental Renaissance sculpture in North America, and, prior to the accident, was in nearly pristine condition.

The Museum’s conservators and curators agreed that the importance of the sculpture warranted a multidisciplinary collaboration to investigate new approaches to large scale sculpture treatment. A team of conservators, conservation scientists, materials scientists, and engineers was brought together to determine the most effective, reversible, and least invasive treatment for the large marble sculpture. Initial investigations began in 2003, starting with 3D laser scans of the major fragments. The laser scans led to a variety of research avenues including finite element analysis, which informed the team about the stresses and strains resident in the sculpture as well as the nature of the breaks. Several additional studies were carried out to determine the best adhesives and pinning materials for the treatment.

Adam’s fresh breaks posed several challenges to the conservators and required them to diverge from traditional sculpture conservation techniques. An innovative external armature was developed that was sufficiently substantial to support the assembled sculpture without adhesive. The armature not only supported the sculpture but also served as the method of clamping the fragments once adhesive was applied, resulting in very tight joints. This treatment is notable for its use of mock-ups and empirical studies carried out in an effort to minimize handling of the fragile break surfaces on the sculpture.

The finite element analysis, adhesive, and pinning testing carried out for this project might be characterized in the language of science as fundamental studies. In moving from theory to practice (from what is most desirable to what is doable) these fundamental studies provided background for further empirical studies—trials of interventions based on the former studies. These empirical studies both confirmed information from the fundamental studies and provided new information. Many lessons were learned from the project, but perhaps the greatest lesson was establishing an arc from virtual reality to material reality and finding and valuing the contributions of each participant in the successful completion of that arc.
Speakers
avatar for Carolyn Riccardelli

Carolyn Riccardelli

Conservator, Objects Conservation, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Department of Objects Conservatio
Carolyn Riccardelli is a conservator in the Department of Objects Conservation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art where she is responsible for structural issues related to large-scale objects. From 2005-2014 her primary project was Tullio Lombardo’s Adam for which she was the principal... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for George Wheeler, [Fellow]

George Wheeler, [Fellow]

Director of Conservation, Columbia University's Program in Historic Preservation
George Wheeler is the Director of Conservation in the Historic Preservation Program at Columbia University and Senior Research Scholar in the Department of Scientific Research at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is a leading expert in stone conservation and has published extensively... Read More →
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LB
MM
RS

Friday May 15, 2015 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Practical Philosophy

2:30pm EDT

(Sustainability) Conscientious Conservation: The Application of Green Chemistry Principles to Sustainable Conservation Practice
Our tangible heritage is exposed to an increasing number of climate and pollution-related risks, which threatens its integrity and values. A primary means of mitigating against this involves subscribing to the concept of sustainability, which has its concerns rooted in the balance of relationships between society and the environment. There is still much work to be done in incorporating environmentally sustainable practices within the conservation field. Nevertheless, there do exist parallel streams of research which may serve as a guiding foundation to achieve successful implementation. In light of this, this study has attempted to apply one such stream, green chemistry, to conservation laboratory practice, with an emphasis on the safe  use of chemicals. In doing so, it proposes an adapted set of green chemistry principles to be applied in the conservation laboratory, that may be summarised by the proposed mnemonic, TO CONSERVE.

The talk shall introduce the mnemonic and its underlying principles and further demonstrate that a green chemistry approach to conservation is viable due to a great overlap of common interests and working environments. It is also beneficial in reducing waste generation, exposure to chemical hazards, and  impact on the environment. A survey was launched to qualitatively assess how ingrained such environmentally sustainable practices are across three professional sectors, i.e. heritage institutions, private practice, and university laboratories. Results, which shall be presented, indicate that, despite several obstacles (namely, cost concerns, lack of time, and lack of resources), conservators possess an overall marked awareness of the consequences of chemical use on environmental sustainability. Ultimately, further improvements will require stronger communication of sustainability principles and a cohesive change in attitude and habits.

 
Speakers
avatar for Jan Cutajar

Jan Cutajar

UCL Research Assitant, UCL
Jan Cutajar has recently finished his conservation programme at UCL in September 2016, reading for an MSc in Conservation for Archaeology and Museums. He also holds an MA in Principles of Conservation from the same institution as well as a BSc (Hons.) (Melit.) in Chemistry from the... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Sustainability

2:30pm EDT

(Year of Light) Spectral Imaging and Illumination to Detect and Monitor Changes Due to Treatments and Environment
The impact of treatments and environment on heritage materials is an important and major area of preservation and conservation research. Being able to detect changes before they are apparent in the visible region, assists in the understanding of degradation mechanisms. This is especially important in relation to interactions between treatment compounds that may have an impact on substrate and media of historic and modern heritage materials. The use of non-invasive illumination and spectral imaging techniques in transmitted, reflected and raking modes is an effective way to map the spectral response of substrates and media on historic materials, and detect and track changes due to specific treatments, or the impact of natural and accelerated aging and environmental parameters. Over the past seven years the Preservation Research and Testing Division (PRTD) has actively engaged with the Conservation Division (CD) at the Library of Congress to assess the impact of proposed treatments. The ongoing collaboration between PRTD and CD for the stabilization of some of the hand-colored maps in the Ptolemy 1513 Geographia is one example of using spectral imaging to assess methods of reducing the transfer (offset) of verdigris to adjacent pages and tracking changes between various stages of the stabilization treatment. Increasing the understanding of degradation and the interaction between substrate and media, and environmental parameters has also been critical in the examination of fugitive media on twentieth century materials as part of the long-term Herblock Collection assessment. Periodic (6 monthly) repeat spectral imaging of drawings and reference samples in ambient (light and dark) and cold storage conditions has been used to track and better assess degradation mechanisms, and the detection of those inks most at risk to color change (and fading). Spectral curves are specific to the chemical composition of the ink or object substrate, and are modified due to treatments and environment, so developing a spectral reference library has been a critical component of the non-invasive identification and characterization of aged and deteriorated materials, linking this information to a better understanding of degradation mechanisms. Another area of interest for conservation is tracking changes of objects containing light sensitive materials especially as part of the need for more data to be collected for items placed on long-term exhibit. One example of this is the Abel Buell Map of America (1783) where spectral imaging indicated the potential for fading due to a slight change apparent after only six weeks of exhibit. This information was not apparent in the visible region to the unaided eye. In addition to detecting and assessing treatments, spectral imaging illumination is critical for revealing information obscured due to previous treatments, such as lamination of historic documents, and recovering original information from historic manuscripts and music scores. The use of spectral imaging and specific illumination techniques greatly enhances our ability to non-invasively assess treatments, and better protect our historic heritage collections.
Speakers
avatar for Fenella France

Fenella France

Library of Congress

Friday May 15, 2015 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Year of Light

2:50pm EDT

(Practical Philosophy) The Best Laid Plans: Investigation, Application and Failure of the Finishes on the Sherman Monument
Dedicated in 1903, the Sherman Monument is the centerpiece of Grand Army Plaza in New York’s Central Park and is widely regarded as Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ finest work. The artist labored over the massive sculpture for more than ten years, working and re-working every detail. When it came to the overall appearance, Saint-Gaudens was no less demanding, experimenting with various gilding and toning treatments until he was satisfied with the final result. Although none of the original finishes remain on his exterior works today, one can surmise Saint-Gaudens strived to achieve the same warm tones and highlights on his exterior gilded work as found on his gilded pieces which have spent their lives indoors, protected from the elements. Unfortunately, none of the toning methods explored by Saint-Gaudens lend themselves well to the longevity of any exterior gilding system. The combinations of paints, acids and other concoctions he used, have a deleterious effect on any exterior gilded surface and will cause premature failure of the system due to several different mechanisms, not the least of which was continuing infestation by the urban pigeon population in NY City. Saint-Gaudens actually had two separate layers of gold (some say three) applied to the Sherman Monument at his expense, hoping to extend the life of the coating. Unfortunately, the finish began to seriously deteriorate within 10 years and was completely re-gilded in 1934. During the 1960’s the sculpture was cleaned down to the bronze and waxed. Two decades later a private donor contributed the funds to repair and gild the sculpture again. This work was completed in 1989. The new gilding was “toned” with an un-tinted layer of paste wax, but most agreed this did not begin to approximate what was thought to have been the original appearance. Shortly after completion, the 1989 gilding began to show signs of failure. In the intervening years the finish system decayed to the point of losing it’s physical and visual integrity. In 2005, the Central Park Conservancy began researching how best to conserve the Sherman Monument. The overarching principle was to gild and tone the sculpture to reflect the artist’s original intent. At the same time the coating system had to be rigorous enough to stand up to the pigeon infestation. This talk will cover the research, development, testing and application of the new gilding and toning system, which was installed in 2013 and failed shortly thereafter. In spite of all the research and rigorous testing, both in the lab and in situ, the system broke down and required complete removal and re-gilding in the space of a year. Exactly what happened and how the decisions were made to use the failed system will be explored as well as the remediation of the failure with the development and application of a new gilding and toning system.
Speakers
avatar for Michael Kramer

Michael Kramer

President, The Gilders' Studio, Inc.
Michael Kramer is the founder and president of The Gilders’ Studio, Inc., an award winning firm with prestigious projects across the United States and overseas.  Formed in 1985, the studio works on monumental sculpture, state capitols, government and commercial buildings as well... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 2:50pm - 3:10pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Practical Philosophy

2:50pm EDT

(Sustainability) The How and Why for Reusing Rare Earth Magnets
The use of rare earth magnets has grown in popularity among art conservators, particularly for mounting. The small size-to-strength ratio of magnets has allowed them to be adapted to solve many formerly challenging tasks. Rare earth magnets, Samarium and Neodymium are the latest two to be developed.

However, in the last decade the neodymium rare earth magnet, the most commonly used in the conservation field, has gone from an inexpensive material to one that has become more expensive. In addition, some environmental issues have come to light in the last few years. Compared to the electronics and automotive industry, conservators are minor consumer of these magnets, however we as a community need to understand their impact in our world.

This talk will briefly discuss the environmental issues of mining of the rare earths, as well as the effect of China’s monopoly on trade. This will serve as an introduction to the need in the field to create / develop mounting systems that reuse magnets. The talk will give a few examples of basic magnet systems to be used for mounting, display, or storage. More complex systems can be developed from this basic knowledge.

The importance of proper care of rare earth magnets will also be discussed in order to ensure their long life.

It is hoped that this talk will inspire others to develop magnetic systems where magnets are used in systematic and reusable methods, as that we have reached a point in the field to using magnets beyond just the “magic”.
Speakers
avatar for Gwen Spicer-[Fellow]

Gwen Spicer-[Fellow]

Conservator, Spicer Art Conservation, LLC
Gwen Spicer is a Textile, Upholstery, Paper, and Objects Conservator, and full-time principal of Spicer Art Conservation, LLC, conveniently located in upstate New York. She received her Master’s degree from the Art Conservation Program at Buffalo State College, State University... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 2:50pm - 3:10pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Sustainability

2:50pm EDT

(Year of Light) Mark Rothko’s Harvard Murals: An Image for a Public Space
A series of five paintings known as Mark Rothko’s Harvard Murals were painted in 1962 and installed in the Holyoke Center, Harvard University, in January 1964. The paintings changed color due to the presence of Lithol red, a fugitive red pigment, and excessive exposure to natural light in a room with large windows. They were removed from display to dark storage in 1979 and rarely displayed. Traditional painting restoration would have resulted in a non-reversible treatment due to the matte and unvarnished nature of paint surfaces thus considerably limiting treatment possibilities. An innovative treatment using projected light to compensate for the lost color on a pixel-by-pixel basis was recently developed. The original color of the works was determined by the digital restoration of Kodak Ektachrome photographs taken in 1964, and also with comparison to unfaded passages of a sixth mural. With a camera-projector system, a compensation image was calculated – in effect a map of the lost color over 2.07 million pixels. The compensation image was then aligned and projected onto the original canvas resulting in a restored color appearance. This was repeated for each of the five paintings. As a result the original color appearance was created without physically altering the painting and is therefore completely reversible. In fact, one can easily compare the unrestored and color corrected object by switching the projector on or off. The group of murals now works together in a way that has not been possible for many decades. This approach of inpainting with light is compared with considerations of cleaning and inpainting in conventional conservation treatments. Overall lighting and architecture play a key role in the treatment of the Mural cycle as an environment. In addition, a detailed examination of Rothko’s materials and methods for these paintings was carried out to understand how the murals were made, and why they have aged differently. To our knowledge, this novel approach has not been used for the display of paintings before. Microfading tests ensured that the paintings will not alter as a result of this treatment. As a result, Mark Rothko’s Harvard Murals, which had fallen out of step with each other, can now be viewed as a single harmonious installation. The murals form the basis of first exhibition, Mark Rothko’s Harvard Murals, in the renovated Harvard Art Museums opening in November 2014 and will be on display until August 2015. The AIC presentation will take place during the exhibition and will include a discussion of critical feedback, and also bring the exhibition to the attention of the audience who may wish to experience this unique exhibition first hand.

Primary Presenter: Narayan Khandekar; Non-Presenting Authors: Jens Stenger, Carol Mancusi-Ungaro, Christina Rosenberger, Mary Schneider Enriquez.

 
Speakers
NK

Narayan Khandekar

Director, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museums/Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies
Narayan Khandekar leads the Straus Center’s conservation and research activities, as well as those for the Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art. Specializing in the scientific analysis of paintings and painted surfaces, he has published extensively on the subject. His laboratory... Read More →

Co-Authors
CM

Carol Mancusi-Ungaro

Director of the Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art, Harvard Art Museums
Carol Mancusi-Ungaro serves as Associate Director for Conservation and Research at the Whitney Museum of American Art and Director of the Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art at the Harvard Art Museum. For nineteen years she served as Chief Conservator of The Menil Collection... Read More →
CR

Christina Rosenberger

Research Coordinator at the Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art, Harvard Art Museums
Christina Rosenberger is the Research Coordinator at the Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art at the Harvard University Art Museums, where she studies the materials and techniques of modern and contemporary artists. Her work bridges the disciplines of art history, conservation... Read More →
JS

Jens Stenger

Associate Conservation Scientist, Yale University
Jens Stenger studied physics at the Universities of Konstanz, Göttingen, SUNY Stony Brook, and the Humboldt University of Berlin where he received a PhD in 2002. After a two-year post-doctoral research appointment in the Chemistry Department at the University of California, Berkeley... Read More →
MS

Mary Schneider Enriquez

Houghton Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Harvard Art Museums
Mary Schneider Enriquez is the Houghton Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Harvard Art Museums. She is Curator of the 2014-15 exhibition Mark Rothko’s Harvard Murals as well as Curator of the Modern and Contemporary galleries in the soon to re-open Harvard Art... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 2:50pm - 3:10pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Year of Light

3:10pm EDT

(Practical Philosophy) Open Discussion
Friday May 15, 2015 3:10pm - 3:30pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Practical Philosophy

3:10pm EDT

(Sustainability) Open Discussion
Friday May 15, 2015 3:10pm - 3:30pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Sustainability

3:10pm EDT

(Year of Light) Open Discussion
Friday May 15, 2015 3:10pm - 3:30pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Year of Light

3:30pm EDT

Exhibit Hall Break
Friday May 15, 2015 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Riverfront Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Break

4:00pm EDT

(Practical Philosophy) Miami Vice: Serving a Public Collection of African Textiles for the Justice Building
When Miami-Dade County requested a conservation assessment of their collection of African textiles in 2013, the works had already been subject to decades of non-ideal storage and display conditions. After acquisition, the works were prepared for display by stretching over wooden strainers with the overhanging edges both stapled and taped in position. When taken off display, this mounting was preserved while in storage, which enabling stacking and leaning of the pieces. Throughout this time, both while on view and in storage, they were also subject to multiple insect infestations and excessive exposure to full-spectrum light. Recognizing the seriousness of the collection's condition, Miami-Dade County decided to have the works conserved in preparation for reinstallation. However future plans will continue to present challenges to their long-term stability. The textiles will be displayed at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, the county's main courthouse, for a general audience. Proposed locations for the works include narrow hallways and large waiting rooms, all with fluorescent lighting. Given the gravity of the building's primary function, maintaining ideal conditions for the display of even very sensitive artworks will necessarily be an afterthought, not a priority. In light of the collection's history, current condition and future plans, what is a reasonable objective for its conservation and preservation? What is the conservato's obligation to the collection, considering its purpose and role, its various values and the current standard of care to which it is accustomed? Rosa Lowinger & Associates has been working with Material Culture Conservation and Miami-Dade County to answer such questions, in order to develop and execute a realistic conservation plan for the collection. This talk will outline the process of setting conservation priorities and working to meet them when operating with limited influence over the daily care of a collection. This project addresses not only treatment of each textile, including stabilization, cleaning and restoration, but also designing a display plan for long-term exhibition in the conditions described above, mounting the textiles and providing guidelines for storage and long-term care.
Speakers
KA

Kristen Adsit

Assistant Conservator, Rosa Lowinger & Associates
Kristen Adsit is the Assistant Conservator in the Miami office of Rosa Lowinger & Associates, Conservation of Art + Architecture. In this position, she helps care for diverse public and private collections including The Wolfsonian–FIU, the Lowe Art Museum, the Bass Museum of... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Kathleen Kiefer-[PA]

Kathleen Kiefer-[PA]

Conservator of Textiles, Art Institute of Chicago
Kathleen Kiefer is the owner and principal conservator for Material Culture Conservation, LLC, a private practice specializing in comprehensive care and conservation of textiles, costume and fiber-based artifacts; Oddy testing and exhibit preparation services are also provided. Prior... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Practical Philosophy

4:00pm EDT

(Sustainability) An investigation and implementation of the use of sustainable and reusable materials to replace traditional wood crates
Modern materials that are made from recycled or re-purposed materials, and are recyclable or are reusable in the construction of archival quality crating systems for the museum industry have been sought after for some time. At the same time, the use of these materials would need to possess an improvement over the standard construction techniques in performance and pricing in order to be embraced by the museum industry.

The traditional method of construction for such crating systems has generally been made from wood and built to be object specific. These crates have settled into a standard construction style and performance. The object specific size of the crates reduces the ability to reuse the crate as objects are varied in size and the construction technique of the traditional wood crates does not allow for the crates to be easily modified to accommodate these different sized objects. While there have been attempts to store used crates and re-purpose them, they are generally destroyed after their purpose is complete as storage can be problematic. This short lifespan creates an economic situation where features in the crate design that would improve the performance and ease of handling become cost prohibitive for single use applications.

Yale University began an investigation to integrate a crating system within their institution that would be a modular and reusable system that would overcome the problems of traditional crate designs. The use of sustainable materials in the construction of the crates would be a priority as well as increasing a crate's performance. These features as well as decreasing the costs of the crates were the goals of this investigation.

The investigation led to variations of types of materials used in crate construction and testing of materials to evaluate performance based on established criteria of the museum industry and found a crating system that would achieve these goals. There were many factors to take into account to obtain an acceptable system. Availability and price of materials, construction techniques, compatibility of materials, and the unique archival material requirements the museum industry requires are some of the features of the crating system that had to work together to produce a crate design. The fabrication and creation of the parts within the design would need to be obtainable either by utilizing their own facility in making the parts or having the parts being able to be made locally. This system would need to be easily put together utilizing as many common parts as possible and thus reducing the size and complexity of the system.

The purpose of this presentation and documentation will provide the details of the investigation of material use, design considerations, and quantitative analysis of the performance of this crating system that were discovered during this investigative process. The results will show that a superior crating system can be made from recyclable and reusable materials that perform better that traditional methods and reduce costs. 
Speakers
avatar for Kevin Gallup

Kevin Gallup

Owner, Studio 3D
Old Dominion University, BFA, MET, MFA  Formally adjunct faculty Old Dominion University, Sculpture, Engineering.  Presentations : SCAN, SME, Computer Graphic and Descriptive Geometry Conference   Ongoing projects with Yale University to develop 3D computer scanning and crating... Read More →

Co-Authors
BH

Burrus Harlow

Director of Collections, Yale University Art Gallery

Friday May 15, 2015 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Sustainability

4:00pm EDT

(Year of Light) Lighten Up: Enhancing Visitor Experiences
The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum (NPM) has over 6 million objects in its collection and the vast majority is paper based – fragile, light sensitive and small. The biggest complaint we received from our loyal fan base, stamp collectors, is that so much of the collection is inaccessible to them on exhibition. From the day we opened in 1993, collectors have asked for more philatelic* related artifacts to be displayed and the general public asks to see the famous 1918 Inverted Jenny stamp. As a conservator I want to protect the collection from light damage. As a visitor I want to be able to enjoy these rare objects in a space that enhances the museum experience. With this in mind, beginning with the design of the new William H. Gross Stamp Gallery (which opened in September 2013), NPM focused on how to create a magical space for visitors to engage in a topic, show our most valuable artifacts and protect them for future generations. NPM addressed some of these concerns by approaching the problem in 3 distinct areas: • Museum envelope improvements • Gallery specific solutions • Object level protection In the effort to control light damage, we have developed four specific tactics based on exhibit and case furniture design and new technological developments within the lighting industry. The strategies include: limiting light exposure through historic windows by embedding images on an interior glass framework; designing and creating vertical pullout display furniture; utilizing lift up door cases and using of SmartGlass™ technology. For UNESCO’s Year of Light I would like to present the decision making process that created the various solutions, conservation concerns addressed during the entire process and the visitor perspective on the results that were devised. Rather than being afraid of light, it is time to explore other options. I feel that NPM has created inventive and cost effective solutions to meet this demand and sharing our experience will benefit the entire community. *Philatelic adj. (Philately n.) The study & collection of postage, stamps and imprinted stamps and covers.
Speakers
avatar for Linda S. Edquist, [PA]

Linda S. Edquist, [PA]

Conservator, National Postal Museum
Conservation is my second career, my first was creating and manufacturing wearable art for galleries, boutiques, and individuals. My love of history and costume made costume conservation a natural fit. Once the First Ladies Exhibition opened at NMAH, NPM was preparing to move and... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Sarah Stauderman

Sarah Stauderman

Director of Collections, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Sarah Stauderman is the director of the department of collections care at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. She co-edited the publication "Proceedings of the Smithsonian Institution Summit of the Museum Preservation Environment" in 2016 available for download at opensi.si.edu... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Year of Light

4:30pm EDT

(Practical Philosophy) Suspended Rules for Suspended Worlds: Conserving Historic Stage Scenery
Fifteen years ago, the conservation team at Curtains Without Borders set out to conserve a small number of 100-year old painted theater curtains. There was no precedent for working on-site with clients that ranged from municipalities to opera houses to very small, volunteer-run community centers. We knew we would be working under conditions that ranged from clean and well-managed to dirty and neglected. The primary challenge for our collaborative of conservators (with specialties in painting, textiles, paper and preventive conservation) was to produce methodologies that were cost-effective and flexible. We presented our approach to AIC during the early days of working in Vermont, but since then, we have found ways to improve and simplify virtually every component of every stage of conservation from de-installation to re-installation, so that we now work much more quickly and efficiently. The level of treatment ranges from preparation for safe storage to stabilization for on-stage use. Both the handling of the “artifacts” by local citizens and their use or storage in unsupervised and environmentally uncontrolled locations runs counter to traditional conservation standards. However, our approach has been shaped by realism and compromise in order to best treat a large number of stage curtains in so many locations with limited personnel and financial resources. We have now conserved over 250 historic theater curtains in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and northern New York. We constantly revisit installations of a decade ago to make improvements and to refresh local owners' knowledge about care and handling. After all, these theater curtains are public art: in some cases they are still used for plays and variety shows. In other cases, they serve as backdrops for town meetings and social events. Even those in storage need to be monitored as buildings are modified or, sadly, sometimes fall into neglect. Our mission to locate, document, and conserve historic stage scenery is expanding through a nation-wide inventory of historic stage scenery. We are working on ways to share our adaptive, flexible, and low-cost approach to conservation so that historic painted theater curtains can remain in the public eye for another 100 years of use and display. The challenge is to keep an open mind because no two curtains are the same. This presentation will discuss the challenges of adaptation: working on-site, the incorporation of volunteers, and compromises we make to insure the long-term preservation of these public works of art.
Speakers
avatar for MJ Davis

MJ Davis

Paper Conservator, WASHI
Mary Jo (MJ) Davis graduated from the State University College at Buffalo in 1994 with a Masters in Art Conservation and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Paper Conservation. From November of 1995 to March of 2004, Ms. Davis worked part-time for the Vermont Museum and Gallery Alliance... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 4:30pm - 4:50pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Practical Philosophy

4:30pm EDT

(Sustainability) Sustaining Georgia’s Historical Records: NEH Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Implementation Grant at the Georgia Archives
Who knew that state budget cuts and scheduled system shutdowns in our building would lead us to the AIC Annual Meeting?  In 2011, the Georgia Archives was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant to expand the energy saving measures initiated during the previous two years. The Archives proposed to update and further automate the heating ventilation air conditioning system (HVAC), upgrade lighting in the exhibit gallery, research library, and original document reading area, as well as recommission the building HVAC system. The fundamental goals of the project were to continue to maintain a preservation environment that provides the best possible conditions for the permanent storage of the state historical records with the least possible consumption of energy, and continue to gather data that would inform other cultural organizations undertaking similar projects.   

With NEH grant support, the project has been a collaborative effort of the Archives facilities, preservation, and administrative teams, placing the institution in a unique position to serve as a model for other organizations striving for sustainable stewardship while balancing pressures to reduce energy usage in their facilities. Through social media, articles, and public presentations, the Archives agreed to disseminate widely the results of this project, both locally and nationally, helping others create sustainable environments for their collections.  

Georgia is one of the original thirteen colonies, and the Georgia Archives holds a rich collection of colonial and state records, the majority of which are unpublished, original source materials in their original format. Preservation of the permanent records of Georgia’s government is integral to the mission of the Georgia Archives, and dates back to the 1940’s. Today, the Archives preservation staff participates in state, regional, and national preservation initiatives, regularly working with emergency management and responding to disasters that may affect state records.   

In 2003, the Georgia Archives opened its doors to the public in what is the fourth facility of the organization since its inception in 1918. The building is located about twenty miles south of Atlanta, neighboring the southeastern branch of the National Archives and adjacent to Clayton State University. The highest priority of the new building design required it to be an archival facility that met current standards, providing a high level of security and environmental protection for the state records.    

The mechanical system of the Archives building is a complex, multi-zoned, constant air and variable volume HVAC system. It includes eight air-handlers, two chillers, and desiccant dehumidification systems to combat the high humidity prevalent in the Southeast. With collection preservation as the top design priority of the new building, specifications required environmental conditions that could be constantly monitored to meet these heavy demands. Given this, it became difficult to economize the function of this system, resulting in substantial and often unnecessary energy consumption, excessive costs both monetarily and environmentally. Because dehumidification and constant volume were the principal design objectives of the HVAC system, sustainability was not the primary concern during the building construction.    

Georgia Archives staff anticipated that the early energy saving measures would continue to increase as plans outlined in the NEH grant proposal were implemented. These savings were documented through environmental monitoring of the conditions as well as the tracking of electric and natural gas usage. It was well-understood that many other institutions may be facing similar circumstances, forced to balance the conflicting signals of reducing operational costs while striving to protect collections. Believing that others would benefit from the Georgia Archives grant project and ability to demonstrate such measures with this outlined systematic approach, the ongoing collection of empirical evidence would help justify implementation of similar strategies for other organizations.
Speakers
avatar for Kim Norman

Kim Norman

Preservation Manager and Conservator, Georgia Archives
Kim Norman is the Preservation Manager and Conservator at the Georgia Archives. Kim has been co-chair of the AIC Emergency Committee, program co-chair of the Alliance for Response network in Atlanta (HERA), as well as vice-president and president of the Southeastern Regional Conservation... Read More →
AP

Adam Parnell

Assistant Director of Operations, Georgia Archives
Adam Parnell is the Assistant Director of Operations at the Georgia Archives. He joined the staff in 2006 after many years in facilities management with Emory University. Adam oversees all building operations of the Archives and was one of four co-authors of this NEH grant proposal... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 4:30pm - 4:50pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Sustainability

4:30pm EDT

(Year of Light) Shedding Light on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Lighting Project
In January of 2012, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum completed a seven-year, $1.65 million initiative to upgrade lighting throughout its historic building. Opened in 1903, the building interior was designed to look like a 15th century Venetian palace. Three floors of galleries surround a glass roofed central courtyard and house installations of fine and decorative arts that Gardner collected over forty years. Since her death in 1924, the Museum has maintained the stipulation in Gardner’s will that the arrangement of objects remain unchanged and the collection held in trust, “as a Museum for the education and enjoyment of the public forever.” Although the Museum always had electricity, Gardner relied on natural light to illuminate her galleries. She also understood the harmful effects of light and would keep the galleries dark when not in use. Following her death, many attempts were made to both reduce harmful sunlight and add more artificial light to the galleries; however, a comprehensive approach was not carried out until this lighting project. The Museum designated a team made up of an independent lighting consultant and members of the operations, conservation and curatorial staffs to design and execute this project. The team established four project goals: 1. Maintain an appropriate atmosphere for the Museum. 2. Stay true to Mrs. Gardner’s intent for the use of light. 3. Protect the collection from the harmful effects of light. 4. Improve the visitor viewing experience. Early in the project, the team researched existing conditions, location of light-sensitive objects, and the potential demands of visitors, events, security and life-safety, and facility constraints. After assembling this information, the team carefully reviewed design proposals for each space, evaluated mock-ups of options, and explored the impact of implementing new lighting systems. Several gallery-wide initiatives were established to introduce a baseline level of consistency. All windows were approached in the same way with existing treatments stripped away, UV protection applied and a two-shade system installed for flexibility. Where possible, historic and discreet modern fixtures were employed to improve ambient light levels. And, a control system was selected, which allowed for different light levels depending on the time of day or working needs. Meeting each of the specified goals was a seemingly impossible task. The challenges faced during the project included finding neutral solutions for individually unique galleries, installation of all new wiring and fixtures while the museum remained open to the public, and satisfying the competing nature of the goals. The solutions in each gallery varied from simple to complex, in some cases adding only one fixture to a gallery, in others complete gallery de-installation for new wiring, installation of multiple fixtures and ceiling repair. Recognizing that, in the future, preferences for lighting and standards for energy efficiency will change, many choices were made with reversibility in mind. As with other preservation projects, the team also learned that sometimes the best solution is simply to maintain what already exists. The Gardner Museum staff continues to evaluate and adjust the lighting systems as both technologies and perceptions change.
Speakers
avatar for Holly Salmon

Holly Salmon

John L. and Susan K. Gardner Director of Conservation, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Holly Salmon is the John L. and Susan K. Gardner Director of Conservation at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum where she has worked for 15 years. She received her M.S. in Art Conservation from the Winterthur University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation in 2001. Her internships... Read More →

Co-Authors
JL

James Labeck

Owner, TEND, LLC
Jim Labeck founded TEND llc in 2013 as a vehicle to work with organizations to manage change with thoughtful planning and strategic vision. While serving as the Director of Operations for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Jim managed the museum’s $114 million, Renzo Piano extension... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 4:30pm - 4:50pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Year of Light

4:50pm EDT

(Practical Philosophy) The Canales Preservation and Restoration at Tumacácori National Historical Park
The canales at Tumacácori National Historical Park (TUMA) have traditionally shed water away from the roof of the Spanish Colonial-era adobe mission church during and after rain events. Rendered with lime then smooth-finished with brick powder embedded, the technical aspect of canales design and construction was critical in the water control and management of water in the arid Southwest by the Spanish missionaries repeated elsewhere in water-related built structures. In 2014, two different approaches to preserving the canales were implemented based on material integrity and conditions, current use, aesthetics, and repair history of respective canales. The critical step in the decision to intervene differently was meeting the practical limits imposed on the preservation workings of TUMA, set by compliance needs, fiscal year restrictions, and the seasonal environmental conditions that all combine to dictate the timing and the extent of the preservation project. The work on the canales illustrates how conservation theory plays out within the real world and the challenges are brought to light during the project planning and implementation. The presentation also explores further opportunities for research and investigation into repair materials and cyclical maintenance techniques.
Speakers
avatar for Alex B. Lim

Alex B. Lim

Conservator, Tumacacori National Historical Park
Alex B. Lim is an architectural conservator for the National Park Service at Tumacácori National Historical Park, AZ, where he serves as a preservation specialist in conserving three Colonial Spanish adobe mission churches and associated cultural landscapes. His main interest is... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 4:50pm - 5:10pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Practical Philosophy

4:50pm EDT

(Sustainability) Achieving Competing Goals: Energy Efficient Cold-Storage
Current industry standards indicate that audio-visual film materials should be stored in a range of 36°F to 70°F and 20-50% relative humidity (International Standards Organization); however, these ranges are often unattainable and not sustainable in the long-term for organizations.  These ranges do not take into consideration the climate of the storage area (e.g. outdoor conditions) or the costs to maintain these conditions in the long-term.   

This study, conducted by the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) and funded by a NEH Sustaining Cultural Heritage Planning Grant, wished to understand and balance the issues of long-term preservation for film materials.  These issues include preservation metrics, potential energy use, cost for maintenance, as well as investment cost for any recommended system or building upgrades.  To examine these factors and help MNHS develop a strategy for energy-efficient, long-term film storage, an interdisciplinary team was brought together in a series of collaborative workshops.  The team included staff from collections, conservation, facilities, risk management, and sustainability, and brought in experts in museum sustainability, archival architecture, film preservation, and building mechanical systems.  To facilitate and manage the broad collaboration of participants, specific tools and processes were utilized throughout the study.   

Through this collaboration, many different passive and active strategies initially brought forth were reduced to a cohesive set of recommendations that included building improvements and specific upgrades of equipment.  In all, the bundle of strategies will help MNHS increase the film collections Preservation Index (PI), Image Permanence Institute’s measure of the “decay rate of vulnerable organic materials” in different temperature and relative humidity conditions, while also decreasing energy use and operating costs.  Specifically, MNHS hopes to increase the PI by 2-4 times from 100 years to a range of 200 - 400 years allowing for seasonal fluctuation.  Further, a subset of critical film material will increase its PI from 100 years to 900 years. In addition to improving the long-range preservation for film collections, there is also an anticipated savings of $16,600 in energy costs per year as compared to baseline adaptations of the existing system.   

While the study focused on the Minnesota Historical Society’s collections storage, these findings have significance for many organizations.  The range of strategies examined included low capital investment cost options, such as reconfiguration of the collections by material type and the impact of passive mechanical interventions. The cost-benefit analysis of these options will provide a start for organizations to find their own path in developing energy-efficient collections storage.  Further, the interdisciplinary processes utilized by the study were essential in arriving at the final recommended bundle of strategies.  As such, this proposal hopes participants will understand the issues that must be considered in designing cold storage for collections, as well as the collaborative processes that help balance these issues towards achieving the best possible storage environment within existing facilities and budget constraints.

Lead speaker: Shengyin Xu; co-presenters: Tom Braun and Jeremy Linden.
Speakers
avatar for Shengyin Xu

Shengyin Xu

Manager, Sustainability & Capital Projects, Minnesota Historical Society
Shengyin Xu, LEED AP BD+C, is the Sustainability & Capital Projects Manager at the Minnesota Historical Society. In her role, Shengyin leads the sustainability program in strategic and operational planning. The program uses a metrics-based approach to identify sustainability initiatives... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Jeremy Linden

Jeremy Linden

Principal/Owner, Linden Preservation Services, Inc.
Jeremy Linden has been the Principal/Owner of Linden Preservation Services, Inc., since 2017.He is an active educator and consultant with more than two decades of experience in culturalheritage, the last decade of which have been focused on enhancing preservation environmentsand sustainability... Read More →
avatar for Thomas J. Braun

Thomas J. Braun

Head of Conservation and Senior Objects Conservator, Minnesota Historical Society
Thomas J. Braun is the Head of Conservation and the Senior Objects Conservator at the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS). Tom holds a BA in Art History from the University of Minnesota, an MA in Art History from Tufts University, and an MS in Art Conservation from the Winterthur/University... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 4:50pm - 5:10pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Sustainability

4:50pm EDT

(Year of Light) Current and Future Potential of Wireless Lighting Controls for Museums
Over the last three years almost 1,200 individuals, including conservators, registrars, preparators, curators, museum directors, facilities managers, lighting designers, manufacturers, consultants, and students, requested a copy of the “Guidelines for Assessing Solid-State Lighting for Museums” by Druzik and Michalski (2011). The guidelines are a working document keeping pace with evolving SSL technology and recognize the process of selecting SSL products for museums can be intimidating. In June 2014, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), and the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), collaborated to investigate the use of the guidelines. A finding of particular note is that a majority (over 65%) of the questionnaire responders would use lighting controls if they worked with their existing lamp-based infrastructure and afforded lamp-by-lamp control of light output—and chromaticity, if possible. There are many motivations for considering and installing SSL products, specifically LEDs, in museums, and many of them are derived from concerns about sustainability. To the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), sustainable lighting design “meets the qualitative needs of the visual environment with the least impact on the natural environment.” All lighting can be damaging to art objects, so museum lighting designers and conservation experts often design gallery lighting based on an acceptable rate of change. The best design manages the presentation of daylight and electric lighting. Historically, lighting in museums has been managed by controlling the spatial (beam shape, spill light) and spectral (UV, visible, IR) distribution of light, primarily through lamp selection. A variety of tools have been adopted for manipulating the output of installed lamps, including various forms of lenses, filters, diffusers, and baffles. As LEDs are transforming the lighting market, their inherently electronic nature is opening the door for the use of lighting control in new applications. The integration of wireless capabilities into lamps or modules, in particular, poses an interesting opportunity to better address the lighting-conservation paradox. Lighting controls enable the lighting designer to specify lighting exposure (illuminance, spectrum, time) and attempt to minimize damage while providing optimal viewing conditions for the visitor. Different exposure conditions can be scheduled, or enacted automatically in response to changing time of day, daylight levels, and even the presence of observers. Wireless lighting control holds the promise of integrating more easily with existing lamp-based infrastructure. Networked lighting control systems can communicate or log cumulative light exposure (lux-hours) per object, thereby increasing conservator knowledge of light exposure effects in the long term. A growing and more sophisticated set of controllable LED light sources and complimentary control technologies are becoming available in the market. This paper will present the opportunities afforded by commercially available wireless lighting controls for preventive conservation and hopefully convince the other 35%—the questionnaire responders who didn’t find a need to wireless lighting controls—that simple light switches and optical devices are no longer their only answer.
Speakers
avatar for Michael Poplawski

Michael Poplawski

Electrical Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Michael joined PNNL in 2009 as a Senior Engineer following twelve years in the commercial semiconductor industry, where his work experience included device engineering and reliability, circuit design, application support, and technical marketing. His current research efforts, supported... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for James Druzik

James Druzik

Senior Scientist, Getty Conservation Institute
James Druzik is a Senior Scientist at The Getty Conservation Institute since 1985. His research interests have focused on preventive conservation including the origin and fate of anthropogenic oxidant air pollutants and particulates in museum environments and their control technologies... Read More →
avatar for Tess Perrin

Tess Perrin

Lighting Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Lab
Tess joined the Advanced Lighting Team at PNNL as a Post-Masters Research Associate in 2013 following her completion of a Masters in the Conservation of Wall Painting (The Courtauld Institute of Art). Prior to joining PNNL, Tess was introduced to both the potential and challenge of... Read More →

Friday May 15, 2015 4:50pm - 5:10pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Year of Light

5:10pm EDT

(Practical Philosophy) Open Discussion
Friday May 15, 2015 5:10pm - 5:30pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Practical Philosophy

5:10pm EDT

(Sustainability) Open Discussion
Friday May 15, 2015 5:10pm - 5:30pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Sustainability

5:10pm EDT

(Year of Light) Open Discussion
Friday May 15, 2015 5:10pm - 5:30pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  General Session, Year of Light

6:30pm EDT

(Reception) Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz Collection
Add to Registration
Join your OSG and EMG colleagues for a cutting edge Miami experience. The de la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space is privately funded by Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz. The primary purpose of this museum is to provide education in the visual arts by showcasing their collection of contemporary art. Since its inception the de la Cruz Collection has organized multiple exhibitions, provided artist residencies and collaborated with other institutions.

Experience some of modern Miami as you mingle catch-up with old friends and discover new ones. In addition to top-notch art, enjoy amazing food and an open-beer and wine bar.

In-kind support for this reception has generously been provided by the de la Cruz Collection.
The reception cost includes: bus transportation and open beer and wine base in addition to amazing food and setting.
Friday May 15, 2015 6:30pm - 9:30pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Networking Reception, Electronic Media, Objects

6:30pm EDT

(Reception) Rubell Family Collection
Add to Registration
This year PSG and RATS will host a joint reception at one of Miami's most impressive and exciting contemporary art centers.

The Rubell Family Collection features works by both emerging artists and internationally established names such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker and Andy Warhol. The active acquisitions and exhibitions programs at the RFC maintain a finger on the pulse of contemporary art practice.

Enjoy an evening of Miami-cool, catching up with friends and colleagues over a glass of wine before viewing the galleries. The reception fee includes bus transportation to and from the venue, open beer and wine bar, catered dinner and access to the collection. Hope to see you there!

In-kind support for this reception has generously been provided by The Rubell Family Collection.
Friday May 15, 2015 6:30pm - 9:30pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Networking Reception, Paintings, Research and Technical Studies

7:00pm EDT

(Reception) Bakehouse Art Complex
Add to Registration
Join your Book and Paper colleagues for a reception at Miami’s largest art incubator—The Bakehouse Art Complex—where artistic creativity flourishes in what was once an industrial bakery. Currently comprised of 60 individual artist studios and two galleries, the Bakehouse provides space for emerging and mid-career artists to create and exhibit their work.

At the reception, attendees will be able to view the works on exhibition in the galleries as well as meet Resident Artists and tour their studios. Catch up with old friends, meet new acquaintances, and enjoy delectable food and an open bar (serving beer and wine).

In-kind support for this reception has generously been provided by The Bakehouse Art Complex.
The reception cost includes: bus transportation, studio tours, and refreshments in an indoor/outdoor setting.
Sponsors
avatar for Hollinger Metal Edge Inc.

Hollinger Metal Edge Inc.

Hollinger Metal Edge Inc.
Hollinger Metal Edge, Inc. has been the leading supplier of archival storage products for Conservators, Museums, Government and Institutional Archives, Historical Societies, Libraries, Universities, Galleries and Private Collectors for over 65 years. Famous for The Hollinger Box... Read More →
PT

Friday May 15, 2015 7:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Networking Reception, Book and Paper

7:00pm EDT

(Reception) Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Add to Registration
Experience Vizcaya museum and gardens as your private oasis this evening as you reconnect with colleagues and meet new friends. AIC’s Architectural Specialty Group (ASG), Textile Specialty Group (TSG), and Wooden Artifacts Group (WAG) have teamed up to bring you a magical night of great food, one of a kind historic interiors, and breathtaking beautiful gardens.

Built between 1914 and 1922 in the Coconut Grove area of Miami, Vizcaya today is an oasis of silence and green, miraculously preserved just south of Miami’s modern skyline. Vizcaya was conceived as a modern and subtropical interpretation of an eighteenth-century Italian villa, in particular the country estates of the Veneto region of northern Italy. Its designers adapted traditional Mediterranean architectural elements to the subtropical climate with a remarkable sensibility for environmental issues. The heart and main living area of the house is the Courtyard, which was originally open to the sky. Vizcaya’s European-inspired gardens are among the most elaborate in the United States. Reminiscent of gardens created in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Italy and France, the overall landscape design is conceived as a series of rooms.

The modest reception cost includes: bus transportation and open beer and wine base in addition to amazing food and setting.

In-kind support for this reception has generously been provided by Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.
Friday May 15, 2015 7:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
Hyatt Front Entrance Meet buses and/or guides at the Front Entrance
  Networking Reception, Architecture, Textiles, Wooden Artifacts

8:00pm EDT

Graduate Program Reunions
Friday May 15, 2015 8:00pm - 11:00pm EDT
Riverwalk Terrace/Upper and Lower Promenade
 
Saturday, May 16
 

7:30am EDT

(Business Meeting) AIC Membership
TBA
Saturday May 16, 2015 7:30am - 9:45am EDT
Riverfront North 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Business Meeting

10:00am EDT

(Architecture) Moisture Vapor Transmission Rates of Layered Architectural Materials Used as a Tool for Aqueous Coating Development.
Outdoor heritage sites, such as buildings on the National Register, modern public murals, and public art installations are at risk for damage caused by human interaction and environmental exposure. Steps to mitigate or minimize damage can include security measures, establishment of best practices for creation and preservation, as well as the use of protective coatings. Ongoing research into environmentally friendly protective coatings for exterior heritage materials has led to the development of a clear, stable, and reversible acrylic coating that can be applied and reversed under wholly aqueous conditions. Our goal was to produce not only a serviceable coating, but one that met the fundamental requirements of compatibility with the types of paints most commonly employed, as well, the building or substrate materials that are likely to support these kinds of artistic media. To this end, a highly salient feature of the coating is its moisture vapor transmission rate (MTVR). The ability to allow moisture vapor through coating materials is essential on building substrates that develop or maintain a moisture gradient through the building envelope materials with seasonal or environmental changes. MVTR was measured according to a standard protocol (ASTM E96), as an initial evaluative measure, but testing included various multi-layer composites of likely building substrate materials along with artist paints, in addition to the coating by itself. For many murals, the layered system can often include a variety of materials including not only the primary building envelope materials (e.g. brick, mortar, stone, wood, metal) but any prior architectural priming paints, signage, top coats, repair materials, and protective coatings applied prior to the mural paints themselves. Generally, the moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of composites like these as a cohesive unit are much lower than the MVTR of each individual layer, and the decrease in moisture transmission is a significant contributor to the enhanced failure of the works of art that applied over this kind of build-up of materials. The coating blends both a film forming acrylic co-polymer with a poly acrylic acid moiety; the combination of these two materials imparts the water reversibility, pH sensitivity and ‘gating' (gel-forming) aspect that allows the coating to remain fully reversible and act as an effective barrier to soiling and other surface occluding effects on porous materials.
Speakers
avatar for Dr. Amanda J. Norbutus

Dr. Amanda J. Norbutus

Visiting Assistant Professor, Rollins College
Amanda J. Norbutus, Ph.D., is a visiting assistant professor of chemistry at Rollins College (Winter Park, FL) where she works with the Cornell Fine Arts Museum and the Rollins College Archives with objects such as Mr. Rogers’ iconic sweater and shoes. She is a lecturer in the science... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture

10:00am EDT

(Book and Paper) Multitasking on a Shoestring: Storage and Display Mounts for Oversized Maps at the Library of Virginia
The Virginia State Library and Archives, now called the Library of Virginia, was established in 1823 in Richmond, the state capital. Its holdings are vast, dating from the early 1600's to today. As a state government agency, it is mandated to make its collections accessible to the public, but is often challenged in the logistics of this endeavor. The Library of Virginia is a repository for a number of stunning, rare, early maps of the state and the mid-Atlantic region which are quite large, but the institution does not have the staff or the budget to realize either permanent or rotating exhibitions to display the maps. Furthermore, the manner in which they are stored does not allow the maps to easily be brought out for examination by researchers. The study of early cartography of the Virginia region has always been of particular interest to map scholars. It is one of the earliest territories of North America to be explored and charted by European explorers, and the tales of the exploits of personages such as Captain John Smith, as well as his iconic map of the Chesapeake Bay, are integral to the study of Virginia’s history. That is why it has been so important to this institution to solve the problem of how to make this collection more accessible. Recently, the staff of the archives has come up with some practical solutions to solve some of these problems. Firstly, they have committed to mounting one day exhibitions of treasures from the map collection to occur at least once a year. Secondly, the paper conservator has devised a way to combine storage housings with display mounts in order to both save funding, and to easily enable display at any time it is needed. This presentation will discuss how these exhibits are organized and executed, as well as detail how the storage/display mounts are constructed. It will be of particular interest to any institution tasked with the problem of how to display over-sized paper materials when there is no budget or staff dedicated to exhibition.
Speakers
avatar for Leslie Courtois, [PA]

Leslie Courtois, [PA]

Conservator, Library of Virginia
Leslie Courtois is a paper conservator with the Library of Virginia. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Studio Art Centers International (SACI) in Florence, Italy, Parsons School of Design in Paris, France and Virginia Commonwealth University where she received... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

10:00am EDT

(Electronic Media) The Fragile Surface: Preserving the CD-DA
For many archives, museums, and artists, the invention of the recordable Compact Disc (CD-R) in 1988 promised a convenient way to store large amounts of digital data in a durable and versatile format. It allowed for virtual random access of images, data, audio, video, multimedia, and executable data. Later, warnings from specialized publications collided with manufacturer claims of 100-year shelf life “guarantees,” but nevertheless many archives and digital users worldwide rushed to save their data onto CD-R. Radio station WNYC was no exception: over the years nearly 30,000 CD-Rs have been “burned” by producers, reporters and others to safeguard audio. Most of those discs (many with irreplaceable content) have ended in the climate-controlled vaults of the New York Public Radio Archives, where they have begun to show alarming symptoms, from occasional glitches to catastrophic failure. Consequently, and ironically, one of the most recent formats in the New York Public Radio (NYPR) Archives presents some of the most pressing preservation issues. The NYPR Archives embarked a project to mass-transfer the content of its CD-Rs into the organization’s asset management system. To do so, the archives uses a suite of both commercial tools and custom software to create automated workflows that both preserve the integrity of our data and provide accessibility both in-house and on-line to our listening audiences. This presentation will discuss how the archives was able to implement an automated, cost-effective workflow that enabled the creation of thousands of digital preservation masters. The presentation will also talk about bit rot, digital decay, the lifespan of optical media, file integrity, and access issues around the audio transferred during the course of this project.
Speakers
JP

John Passmore

Archives Manager, New York Public Radio
John Passmore is an archivist and conservator living in Brooklyn, NY. He is currently the Archives Manager at New York Public Radio. Prior to NYPR, John worked on the preservation, restoration, and exhibition of a number of archival audiovisual collections for the Museum of Modern... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media

10:00am EDT

(Objects) Beloved Treasures: Assessing the Effects of Long-Term Display on Models Containing Wax
Artworks made of dissimilar materials pose a conservation challenge that requires a multi-faceted approach to treatment and long-term care. The Toledo Museum of Art's collection of 78 historical costume figures exemplifies this challenge. The 24” tall figures were dressed by prominent Parisian couturier, Jacques Doucet, on models fabricated by artisans at the Limoges and Sevres porcelain factories in 1915. They are attired in elaborate costumes and exhibit the same attention to detail as Doucet's full-scale garments. As such the models are complex creations made from a variety of materials including flesh fabricated from wax lined with plaster, human hair wigs, and clothing embellished with feathers, glass, early plastic, metal, leather, fur, paper and paint. They are three-dimensional representations of figures depicted in prints, paintings, fashion journals, and theatre actresses popular in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. Purchased by the Toledo Museum of Art founder, Edward Drummond Libbey, the figures were nicknamed the "Libbey Dolls” and became an immediate patron favorite. As beloved objects, the "Libbey Dolls” were continuously displayed from their acquisition in 1917 until the late 1970's. The objects were adversely affected by the damaging environmental effects from light, early casework design, mounts, and fluctuating environmental conditions common to museums in the early to mid 20th century. Light damage in particular has resulted in fading, embrittlement, and fracturing of the wax flesh, textiles, and accoutrements. A conservation assessment indicated the wax features were particularly problematic due to discoloration, cracking, fracturing, loss and old restorations that were visually distracting. As wax is inherently a difficult material to treat, it was considered to be the greatest conservation challenge. This paper focuses on the treatment of the wax elements and their relationship to the other materials comprising the dolls. The wax will be characterized for composition with an aid to understanding deterioration mechanisms as well as methods of fabrication. Treatment options will be explored for removal of surface grime, consolidation, repair, reintegration and replacement of missing wax components. Further recommendations for storage, stabilization and display will be reviewed including implications of how this research will benefit other particularly problematic artworks made of similar materials in the museum collection.
Speakers
avatar for Suzanne Hargrove

Suzanne Hargrove

Head of Conservation, Toledo Museum of Art
Suzanne Hargrove is the Head of Conservation at the Toledo Museum of Art with a Master of Arts Degree in Conservation from the State University College at Buffalo specializing in objects conservation. She has extensive experience in care and treatment of art collections for the Toledo... Read More →
avatar for Marissa Stevenson

Marissa Stevenson

Intern, Toledo Museum of Art
Marissa Stevenson is currently employed as a Conservation Intern at the Toledo Museum of Art. She has a broad range of experience in conservation of collections including books and book binding at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan with Master Bookbinder... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Objects

10:00am EDT

(Paintings) Testing the limits: the theoretical development and practical reality of a large-scale agarose gel treatment for a discolored Morris Louis
The raw canvas paintings of Morris Louis and similar color field works, with their extreme vulnerability to staining and structural damage, present a challenge for safe and successful treatment design, often testing the bounds of our abilities as conservators while providing avenues to expand our range of treatment options. These paintings are physically akin to textiles, though their functional value lies almost exclusively in their aesthetic impact. Treatments focus primarily on restoring the work to the appearance intended by the artist, a goal outside the normal parameters of textile conservation, where signs of use and natural degradation are often considered historically important and aesthetically acceptable. Straddling this bridge between specialized textile and painting conservation techniques, and understanding their long-term implications and impact on aesthetic perception, becomes an essential skill for the conservator. A large 1960 Morris Louis, Untitled (Floral), in the study collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston provided an ideal example to explore the intersection minimally-interventive treatments with the need for aesthetic perfection. The moribund painting, coated at some point in the 1970s with poly(vinyl acetate) that became extremely discolored and layered with grime, was deemed irretrievably damaged, and has been held by the museum outside of the permanent collection for research purposes since its 2004 donation. While the chosen treatment, an innovative application of a rigid gel cleaning system, was ultimately successful, many issues were encountered in the shift from theory to practice. This research explores the challenges related to the realistic treatment of large works, scaling up from small cleaning tests to full-scale treatments, and the ethical aspects of treating works that function as "conservation cadavers.” The practical knowledge gained from the treatment including many observations on the mechanics of agarose gel, and new methods of application relevant to paintings, textile, and paper treatments, will also be described.
Speakers
SS

Samantha Skelton-[PA]

Associate Conservator, Associate Conservator
Samantha is a paintings conservation fellow in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Carolina in 2011, with an Honors BA in Art History and minors in Chemistry and Studio Art. She has previously... Read More →

Co-Authors
CE

Corina E. Rogge

Andrew W. Mellon Research Scientist, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Corina E. Rogge is the Andrew W. Mellon Research Scientist at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Menil Collection. She earned a B.A. in chemistry from Bryn Mawr College, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Yale University and held postdoctoral positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison... Read More →
avatar for Zahira Bomford

Zahira Bomford

Senior Paintings Conservator, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Dr. Zahira Bomford came to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston in 2012 as head of Paintings Conservation, having worked as a conservator of paintings and polychrome sculpture in the United States (The Metropolitan Museum, The Smithsonian Institution, The Cleveland Museum of Art) and was... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings

10:00am EDT

(Photographic Materials) Revealing Affinities across Collections through the Language of the Photographic Print
Texture, gloss, highlight color, and sheet thickness—the defining characteristics of photographic paper—each contribute to the visual impact of a print. Paper manufacturers manipulated these key characteristics, singly and in combination, to differentiate their products and to satisfy a wide range of market demands. By the early 1920s, these features were routinely described in marketing materials, sample books and, most importantly for the working darkroom photographer, directly on paper packages. This specialized vocabulary became increasingly essential in the 1920s and 1930s as photographers sought to navigate an unprecedented diversity of silver gelatin papers. Combined, the principle components of texture, gloss, highlight color, and sheet thickness can be used to create “expressive” papers on one end of the spectrum and “functional” papers on the other. An expressive paper—rough, matte, warm-toned, and thick—signals interpretive subjectivity. A functional paper—smooth, glossy, white, and thin—projects objective reality through an implied conveyance of documentary fact. Throughout the twentieth century, black-and-white printers explored these two poles and the nearly infinite terrain in between. Using this language, an experiment was conducted involving ten pairs of photographs selected from the Thomas Walther Collection at The Museum of Modern Art and the photography collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Across the two collections, each pair of photographs is attributed to the same photographer and shows the same or a very similar image. However the selected images have differences in cropping, dimensions, and color between most pairs. These distinctions, along with variations in titles and dates in the two museum catalogues, provide ample reason to question whether or not the paired prints share the same or a substantially different material history. For each print, texture, gloss, base color, and paper thickness were measured. To avoid subjective bias, measurements were made separately at each institution, and the prints were never examined together side by side. Measured values were then compared to determine whether the paired prints were on the same or different paper. Results indicate that these straightforward techniques show promise for providing a basis to identify paper matches and mismatches. Further, analysis of these data present an opportunity for automating comparisons of papers across collections as well as suggesting new ways to visualize and compare the expressive and functional properties of a photographic print. Networked at a meaningful scale that crosses multiple collections, the identification of patterns, sets and subsets among prints and among photographers could open the door to new modes of research for conservators, curators, collectors and related scholars. This experiment also demonstrates that collection and analysis of basic-level characteristics familiar to every photographer brings new relevance to, and thus can help preserve, the language of medium.
Speakers
avatar for Paul Messier, [PA]

Paul Messier, [PA]

Head, Lens Media Lab, Yale
Paul Messier is the head of the Lens Media Lab at Yale University's Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage. the LML is devoted to materials-based research on the 20th century photographic print.

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Riverfront South 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Photographic Materials

10:00am EDT

(Wooden Artifacts) The Conservation and Technical Examination of a Mamluk (1250-1517) doorway.
This talk will give an overview of the conservation treatment and extensive technical examination of the MFA’s fourteenth century minbar doorway which was recently completed and was undertaken in the public “Conservation in Action” gallery to allow museum visitors to follow the various stages of the conservation process over the course of this six-month project. It was probably constructed out of fragments of Mamluk (1250–1517) woodwork in Cairo during the 1860s or 1870s. It arrived in the US in 1876 for the first US World’s Fair in Philadelphia, where it was exhibited in the Egyptian Section. Following the fair, it was acquired by the MFA in 1877. However in the latter part of the twentieth century, the minbar seems to have been placed in storage, possibly due to condition problems. To allow its safe travel for an upcoming loan, it required extensive conservation to stabilize its overall structure and the many applied elements and inset ebony and ivory decorations. Major structural stabilization of the large frame of the doorway, constructed using mortise and tenon joinery, as well as the large, heavy, and precariously attached cornice at the top was required. Other major stabilization was required on the mashrabiyya (wood lattice) panels, inset into the frame beneath the cornice and due to their instability, also removed during their stabilization. These delicate turned and jointed wooden elements, which form an intricate geometrical background for applied strips of ebony with inset ivory stringing, were by far the most fragile and unstable elements on the entire minbar. Following the major structural treatment there was extensive work required to stabilize inlayed surface decoration and applies ivory elements. In parallel to the conservation treatment, we had a unique opportunity to study the technical and material aspects of the minbar. This provided crucial information for the ongoing curatorial study of the origins and history of the object. We knew that the central panel within the doorway had been assembled from many individual decorative carved ivory elements to form a single panel. Originally this space would have housed two doors but was modified to hold a single panel prior to its display at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. To help determine if all of the different components of the minbar were of the same date and constructed from similar materials, we undertook extensive analysis of all of the materials in the minbar, including wood identification and analysis of colored fill materials used on the ivory relief decoration. The Minbar was also X-rayed to determine its overall construction and possible alterations and wood samples from different parts of the minbar were sent to a lab specializing in the dating of organic samples using C-14 dating. Although the conservation treatment is complete, research into the minbar continues with study of comparable objects in American and European collections to allow us to increase our understanding of this fabulous example of Mamluk woodwork.
Speakers
GH

Gordon Hanlon

Head of Furniture and Frame Conservation, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Gordon Hanlon joined the MFA as Head of Furniture and Frame Conservation in January 2000 after 12 years at the J.Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. After receiving his BA in Biology from the University of York he studied first furniture making at the London College of Furniture followed... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Wooden Artifacts

10:30am EDT

(Architecture) Once Piece at a Time – The Repair of Felt-Based Sheet Flooring at Johnny Cash’s Boyhood Home in Dyess, Arkansas
In spring of 2014, Rosa Lowinger and Associates (RLA) was approached by Arkansaas State University to undertake the conservation of four, early 20th c. floor coverings at the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home in Dyess, Arkansas. Described to us as “linoleum,” these floor coverings were in poor condition and were to be the last phase of conservation in what was a large scale renovation of the house in preparation for a gala opening in August. The Cash ancestral home in Dyess was significant for reasons other than being the place where one of America’s most important 20th century musicians grew up. Built in 1934 as a planned community, the clapboard residence was the sole remaining residence in what was once a thriving planned community of 500 houses. Founded during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Agricultural Cooperative Project, the Dyess planned community allowed these impoverished Arkansas farm families to start over by providing them with 20-40 acres of land, a house, and a mule that they could work toward owning. Cash’s boyhood home was obtained by Arkansas Heritage Sites of Arkansas State University (ASU) in 2011 and restored to the condition the house was in when the Cash family moved into the home in 1935. ASU staff consulted with two of Cash’s siblings, reviewing photos and discussing their memories of the house in order to obtain furnishings and objects of the time period to augment what remained of the Cash family artifacts original to the home. These original items including the flooring in two of the four rooms: Johnny’s childhood bedroom and the living room. The other two floor coverings were obtained from other Dyess Colony homes nearby. This paper will address the means and methods our firm employed for stabilization and conservation of these floor coverings. Though originally the ASU staff believed the flooring to be linoleum, the photographs they provided and preliminary research by RLA suggested that, instead, the material was a bitumen impgrenated felt paper which had been sold in the 1930s for roughly a third the cost of linoleum. This was later confirmed by onsite testing. The flooring was in poor condition with many tears, losses, abrasions, and overall brittleness. To complicate matters further, the nearest art supply stores were at least an hour’s drive from the site and the only water source was a pump in the front yard. The paper will focus on the identification of the material and the treatment methodologies that were developed to stabilize, clean and compensate it. We will address the challenges of working in a remote location on a site that had already been restored and furnished and would be eventually open to the public in a manner that would allow for walking on at least some of the flooring that was to be conserved.
Speakers
avatar for Christina Varvi-[PA]

Christina Varvi-[PA]

Senior Conservator, RLA Conservation, Inc.
Christina Varvi, Senior Conservator and Professional Associate of the AIC, holds an M.S. in Historic Preservation with a concentration in Materials Conservation from Columbia University. A specialist in architectural and public art conservation, Christina is RLA’s lead professional... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture

10:30am EDT

(Book and Paper) Affichomanie: Retracing the history and practice of lining Belle Époque posters with fabric
The poster revolution of the late nineteenth century transformed the streets of Paris into an open-air gallery exhibiting the now famous images of bold color, design and celebrity. Coined as “affichomanie”, or “poster-mania”, the public was transfixed by the works of artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Théophile Alexandre Steinlen. While the practice of mounting posters has changed significantly, contemporary street art in the form of wheat pasting is thriving as a direct descendant of the poster revolution. Artists continue to share their work with the masses amongst the hustle and din of busy streets, but who is collecting their work and what will it look like a hundred years into the future? From traveling to Paris and London and hearing stories of poster pasters, poster dealers and clandestine purchases, to thread-by-thread lining removals and contemporary art practices, the search for more information revealed a fascinating story and shaped a year of research and conservation practice as the Samuel H. Kress Fellow in Conservation at the Art Gallery of Ontario. In 2010 and 2013, the Ross R. Scott and Donald R. Muller Collection, a remarkable donation of more than 75 posters, prints and drawings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and artists in his circle, was accessioned into the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario. A detailed survey of the Collection revealed that many of the posters had been mounted onto fabric supports, this triggered an investigation into uncovering what materials were used and the history behind the practice of mounting Belle Époque posters. In theory, the ephemeral posters should never have survived over 100 years into the 21st century, however, the practice of mounting the posters to fabric has saved them from certain ruin. Unfortunately, condition issues resulting from the use of poor quality paper, unsuitable pastes and improper framing still remain and require attention. The universal demand for works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and other Belle Époque artists has remained high and often provides opportunities for conservation treatments to be completed, however, simultaneous research opportunities are rare. This paper follows both the theory and practice of treating Belle Époque posters, analyses of materials in past and present use, and retraces the history and practice of lining posters with fabric.
Speakers
avatar for Tessa Thomas

Tessa Thomas

Assistant Conservator, Paper, Art Gallery of Ontario

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

10:30am EDT

(Electronic Media) QCTools: A Consideration of Free Software for the Quality Control of Video Digitization
With the magnetic media crisis - that combination of equipment obsolescence and material degradation that signals the end of audiovisual recordings on physical magnetic tape - looming ever-present on the horizon, there is a growing and persistent need for content caretakers to begin taking action, embarking upon thoughtful and considered reformatting projects. At the same time, there is a complementary need for those with expertise in audiovisual preservation to begin sharing their knowledge, lowering the barriers to entry that have often served as a type of quicksand, hindering our collective efforts to safeguard audiovisual heritage for generations to come. This is the landscape upon which The Bay Area Video Coalition's (BAVC) Quality Control Tools for Video Preservation (QCTools) has begun serving as a powerful reshaping force, functioning not only as an all-seeing eye, capable of identifying errors and artifacts that might slip the notice of fatigued or inattentive technicians, but also as a pedagogical resource, providing all manner of archivists, librarians, conservators, and preservationists with a newfound diagnostic approach that saves crucial time and resources while simultaneously (and perhaps even profoundly) sparking new and diverse ways of considering the digital media assets under their care. During this presentation, the audience will be introduced to the advances and developments of the QCTools project, with particular attention paid to both the practical and also the philosophical implications of this valuable new resource. More than simply a free and open source means of capturing, filtering and analyzing analog and born-digital video materials, QCTools illuminates critical aspects of the ongoing restructuring of the archival/conservation endeavor in the digital era. Created by moving image archivists in close consultation with media art conservators, QCTools democratizes access to a full range of data and tools previously only available to (1) users with the capacity to expend resources on expensive proprietary software, or (2) users with a strong knowledge of command-line script writing and the media encoding/decoding framework FFmpeg. With a range of examples culled from various media arts organinzations, Rice and Turkus will conclude with a discussion of future areas of development/research/study for the QCTools project, paying particular attention to the newfound addition of capture and restoration possibilities.
Speakers
avatar for Benjamin Turkus

Benjamin Turkus

Preservation Project Manager, Bay Area Video Coalition
Ben Turkus oversees all of BAVC’s preservation and digitization activities, developing workflow, documentation, and technical practices. He has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Film Studies from Columbia University, and is currently pursuing a MA in Moving Image... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Dave Rice :p

Dave Rice :p

Archivist of Media
^_^

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media

10:30am EDT

(Objects) Dry Ice Blasting in the Conservation of Metals – A Technical Assessment as a Conservation Technique and the Practical Application in the Removal of Surface Coatings
There is a growing necessity within the field of conservation to seek out new methods of cleaning which are safe, effective and sustainable. The use of dry ice blasting to clean museum objects has been investigated as such a potential option in recent years. This paper presents an experimental methodology for the assessment of dry ice blasting as a conservation cleaning technique. The purpose of the tests undertaken was to evaluate whether dry ice blasting is a viable means of removing traditional and modern conservation surface coatings from metallic artifacts. Two types of experiments were carried out to measure the performance and efficiency of dry ice blasting. The first experiment, termed ‘Abrasion Assessment’, utilized brass and mild steel metal coupons which were coated, blasted and assessed under a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to evaluate the risk of surface abrasion as a result of dry ice cleaning. The second experiment—the ‘Coating Removal Tests’—evaluated the practical efficacy of dry ice blasting in the removal of coatings from historic and modern objects, such as gilded brass furniture mounts and steel musket lock replicas. All experiments were undertaken using the Cold Jet® i3 Microclean® dry ice shaving unit at a mass flow of 0.45kg/min. and pressure of 1.4 Bar. Various coating materials, such as natural and synthetic waxes, petroleum jelly, Paraloid® B-72, Paraloid® B-48N, Incralac®, nitrocellulose lacquer (Ercalene®) and shellac were tested in the experiments. The results have revealed that the risk of surface abrasion on the metal surfaces using dry ice blasting is minimal at the tested settings. Effectiveness in coating removal was seen to be variable. Wax-based and petroleum jelly coatings were more effectively removed compared to polymer-based coatings. 

This paper also presents a case study which focuses on the practical application of dry ice blasting for the cleaning of mail (often known as chain mail) on the Oriental helmets at the Wallace Collection in London. The mail on the helmets had previously been coated with petroleum jelly which interacted with the metal over time, resulting in discoloured, sticky and greasy mail. Dry ice blasting was employed to remove the aged surface coatings on the mail as an alternative cleaning technique to conventional chemical cleaning methods. The detailed process of the project, with an evaluation of effectiveness and practical limitations of various application methods, is outlined in this paper
Speakers
avatar for Cassy Cutulle

Cassy Cutulle

Graduate, University College London
Cassy Cutulle attended the University of Massachusetts in Boston (Umass Boston) from 2006-2010, graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Archaeology and History and a minor in Art History. She carried out graduate studies at University College London (UCL) in Central London from 2011-2014... Read More →

Co-Authors
SK

Seoyoung Kim

Metalwork, Arms and Armour Conservator, Wallace Collection
Seoyoung Kim gained a MA in Conservation of Historic Objects at De Montfort University, Lincoln. She completed the Kress Postgraduate Fellowship in the objects conservation department at the St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, USA. She worked for Glasgow Museums, Scotland, U.K. from... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Objects

10:30am EDT

(Paintings) From Spit to Space: The Use of Traditional and New Techniques to Conserve a Fire-Damaged Collection
Fire damage to an artwork can result in a range of complex condition issues, from soot accumulation to blistered paint to the tenacious odor of smoke. Modern Art Conservation’s experience working with a private art collection caught in a single apartment fire unveiled remarkable variation and severity from piece to piece. We use this collection as a case study in exploring the variables inherent to the conservation of fire damaged artworks. The study places particular emphasis upon the efficacy of traditional and non-traditional treatments and materials, ranging from “spit cleaning” to use of materials introduced in the Cleaning Acrylic Painted Surfaces (CAPS) workshops to atomic oxygen treatments executed in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The unique condition of each work called for creative conservation solutions. With most unfortunate timing, the insurance policy on the collection had recently lapsed and a number of pieces were damaged beyond their respective monetary values. Yet the artworks retained great sentimental value for the owners, whose primary concern was to see the collection restored to their home. The lack of an insurance intermediary proved a benefit at times, allowing conservators greater freedom to consult directly with the client in developing a treatment protocol that occasionally encompassed experimental and non-traditional methods. The collection also contained several works of high market value, including a painting by Joan Mitchell. The work was quite damaged and particularly fragile, but the owners and the conservators were cautiously optimistic that the work could be restored. Experimentation with other pieces from the collection served as preliminary studies in our preparations to treat the Mitchell. After much council, creativity and trial we approached Joan Mitchell's work. The treatment proved a success and our team was able to save all but two works in a collection of over 100 pieces. Our discussion is comprised of three primary sections: 1) the examination and identification of the collection's damage, both in the form of loss and as an accumulation of unwanted materials; 2) our selection and application of traditional conservation techniques, as well as their results; 3) our selection and application of non-traditional techniques and newly developed materials, how we decided upon said processes, and how they proved in practice. We conclude by discussing NASA's atomic oxygen method for removing surface accumulations, which proved effective in treating the most fragile painted surfaces marred by fire. In sharing our success as well as the obstacles encountered, we hope to contribute to discussions on conservation methodology that develop in pursuit of workable—even superior—practices.
Speakers
avatar for Shauna Young [PA]

Shauna Young [PA]

Senior Conservator, Modern Art Conservation
Shauna Young is Senior Conservator at Modern Art Conservation, NYC. She received her BA in Art History from NYU and her MA in Art History and Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU. Shauna is particularly drawn to the conservation challenges presented by modern and contemporary... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Suzanne Siano

Suzanne Siano

Paintings Conservator/Director, Modern Art Conservation
Suzanne Siano is the Chief Conservator and Director of Modern Art Conservation, a large private conservation practice located in Chelsea. Beginning as an apprentice in Florence, Italy, in 1989, Suzanne went on to earn a certificate in art conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings

10:30am EDT

(Photographic Materials ) Removing residual iron from platinum and palladium prints
The long-term stability of a photograph can be affected by the original processing conditions. Undesired residual chemicals can have lasting impacts not readily discernible immediately after printing. For example, the iron-mediated platinum and palladium printing processes require the clearing of iron after development. Many factors can change the final residual iron content, such as the chemical nature of the clearing bath (e.g., solutions containing hydrochloric acid, sodium citrate, or chelators), the clearing time, and the number of clearing and washing baths employed. Photographers need to balance these conditions in their workflow, and use visual means to assess the quality of the print. However, the appearance of a print can be influenced by small amounts of residual iron, and these effects may become increasingly visible over time. A detailed investigation of platinum and palladium printing conditions demonstrate that a reduction in clearing time or changes in the nature of the clearing bath can lead to prints that appear satisfactory immediately after printing yet exhibit a sensitizer stain after accelerated aging. Just as there are many ways to remove iron from a print during the original processing, there are also numerous options for treatment of prints exhibiting sensitizer stains. Several chelators (EDTA, DTPA, HBED) were investigated in their ability to minimize visible staining and to reduce iron in the print. Chelation baths varied in the concentration, chelation time, and the addition of sodium dithionite. Each variable changed both the immediate and long-term appearance of the print (as determined by accelerated aging). In addition to monitoring the reduction in iron, changes in the amount of other elements present either as part of the printing process (e.g., mercury) or the paper substrate (e.g., calcium) were examined. This in-depth study of printing variables and studies on the effectiveness of conservation treatments will inform the community on the care and preservation of platinum and palladium prints.
Speakers
MC

Matthew Clarke

Photographic Materials Scientist, National Gallery of Art
Matthew Clarke has been working in the field of conservation science since 2010 when he joined the National Gallery of Art as a Photographic Materials Scientist. His research is primarily devoted to the scientific characterization and understanding of underlying chemical reactions... Read More →

Co-Authors
DH

Dana Hemmenway

Senior Photograph Conservator, Library of Congress
Dana Hemmenway has worked at the Library of Congress since 2003 as a senior photograph conservator. Dana serves several special collection divisions as conservation liaison and is responsible for all photographs selected for in-house or loan exhibitions. She is currently researching... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Riverfront South 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Photographic Materials

10:30am EDT

(Wooden Artifacts) Conservation and Technical Study of Wood Funerary Artifacts at Abydos, Egypt
This paper will describe a recent multidisciplinary project to investigate and preserve beautifully decorated wood funerary artifacts at the site of Abydos, Egypt. The project focused on artifacts from the Abydos Middle Cemetery (AMC), a part of the site that contains monumental tombs of elite officials from the mid-third millennium BCE. Dry desert conditions like those found in Egypt often result in excellent preservation of organic materials like wood, but artifacts from the Middle Cemetery have suffered both insect and fungal attack. Most are so fragile that they can barely be touched without crumbling, yet they often retain their three dimensional shape, an outer shell of gesso and pigment, and decorative elements such as textiles and metal and stone inlays. With funding from the American Research Center in Egypt and the United States Agency for International Development, an interdisciplinary research team led by conservators at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology investigated the artifacts’ original materials; the factors involved in their deterioration; and developed best practices for their excavation, conservation, and restoration. The majority of the project activities were conducted onsite during the 2013 AMC excavation season. Conservators on the team field-tested a variety of excavation methods to improve recovery outcomes for highly-deteriorated wood. They also developed innovative consolidation and compensation approaches for treating artifacts post-excavation. Because Egypt rarely allows samples to leave the country, all technical study by the team’s scientists was also conducted onsite. This included identification of the wood species, investigation of the deterioration mechanisms, and characterization of the remaining substrate, which now includes frass and sand along with friable wood. Pigments, binders, and other materials were identified with portable X-ray fluorescence, portable (bench-top) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and micro-chemical tests. This talk will present the team’s findings as well as describe ongoing work with wood artifacts at the site. It will also discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by intensive, onsite technical studies in remote locations.
Speakers
SD

Suzanne Davis

Conservator, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
Suzanne Davis is an associate curator and the head of conservation at the University of Michigan’s Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. Prior to joining the Museum in 2001, she was a conservator for the Underwater Archaeology Branch of the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C. She... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Wooden Artifacts

11:00am EDT

(Architecture) Conservation and Restoration Works in St. Nicholas Church in Myra (Lycia) / TÜRKİYE
The Museum Church of St. Nicholas survives today as a mid-Byzantine domed basilica, ranked among specialists as the third important Byzantine structure present in Anatolia. It is of cardinal importance, both as an architectural and religious monument, being named after St. Nicholas, a 4th century Bishop of Myra, who attained widespread fame for performing miracles, particularly in defense of the young, the poor and all seamen. His cult spread within and beyond the borders of the Byzantine Empire and into Europe between the 6th — 11th centuries, being celebrated in important works of art. The figure of St. Nicholas is well established in the Christian tradition of art and he is one of the favorite saints in the Orthodox Church. Wrongly identified with the Northern European legendary Santa Claus, he is nevertheless known worldwide as such. His body was preserved in the Church in Myra which became a site of pilgrimage, as it is still today, especially for people of the Orthodox faith. The town of Myra (present-day Demre), declared metropolis of Lycia by the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II (402-450), was a holy place and an important object of conquest. The harbor of the town, Andriake, was well used by sailors and merchants on trading ships, and by pilgrims. The bones of St. Nicholas were allegedly stolen by merchants from Bari in 1087, and placed in a crypt in the St. Nicholas Cathedral at Bari, built for this purpose. Myra suffered from Arab raids from the 11th century on. A tremendous flood in the beginning of the 12th century buried the Church under six meters of alluvial soil. The town finally fell into ruin in the 14th century. The significance of the Church of St. Nicholas lies largely in the remarkable mural paintings depicting religious scenes in various spaces. The cycle of Nicholas, the first and only example in Turkey, is crucial in the development of Byzantine wall painting. The facade of the Northeast Annex arcade, unique for Anatolia, is also important, as are the stone works (opus sectile) in the pavements. The construction of the main Church building, with a plan unusual in having four aisles, may be dated in three main phases: A 6th century barrel — vaulted basilica, domed basilica is dated to the 8th century in sources, although excavation results suggest the 10th century, reign of Basileios II (976-1025) and additional buildings on the northern and southern sides date to the 11th century. In the Church, an essential part of the urgent interventions required is the architectural consolidation and repair. The excavation project was started in 1989. As part of the work, the wall paintings in the Church were cleaned and consolidated. In 2012, work began on an ongoing restoration project, focusing on urgent architectural repair and consolidation. This paper will present a report of the restoration and conservation work carried out on the wall paintings and on the monument itself, including a discussion of the problems involved.
Speakers
avatar for Ebru Fındık

Ebru Fındık

Assistant Professor, Mustafa Kemal University
I am an Art Historian and working at Mustafa Kemal University in Antakya, my field areas is Ephesus, Miletus, St. Jean Basilika in Ayasuluk, and my Phd is about medieval glazed ceramics from the St. Nicholaos Church, but my private interest are some different topics related with arcehology... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture

11:00am EDT

(Book and Paper) Unlocking the secrets of letterlockingto reseal the letters of John Donne and other early modern letter writers
What is letterlocking, and how can a better understanding of it benefit conservators and other scholars? These presentations focus on historical practices of letterlocking, asking how men and women folded and sealed their letters before (and after) the invention of the envelope. Why have there been so many letterlocking formats throughout history, and what did they mean? This session brings together a conservator, a curator, and a literary historian interested in the historic practices of sealing and locking letters. The first presentation, by Jana Dambrogio, will sketch the history of letterlocking and explain its significance to conservators. Dambrogio will demonstrate ways that letters have been folded to become their own envelopes, drawing on various formats employed by regents, professional secretaries and everyday people. She will discuss the conservation of originals and how making models of them helps encourage information exchange between scholars and the general public; the engaging tactility of the "locked giveaway" helps demonstrate the important work that conservation and the humanities do to preserve our past for access and interpretation. Daniel Starza Smith will then explain the relevance of this knowledge to an understanding of the letters of John Donne as one of seventeenth-century England's most prominent literary and religious figures as as well as to literary and historical methodologies more broadly. Heather Wolfe will widen the scope of these observations and arguments based on her extensive work on early modern letters, particularly those at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Together, we will argue that a more thorough understanding of this technique should influence conservatorial best practice with regard to letters. Furthermore, we also aim to demonstrate the benefits of collaboration between conservators and scholars in other disciplines such as literature and history, and will show how this conservation-based practice is leading to new theoretical advances in the humanities.
Speakers
avatar for Jana Dambrogio, [PA]

Jana Dambrogio, [PA]

Thomas F. Peterson (1957) Conservator, MIT Libraries, Curation & Preservation Services
Jana Dambrogio has been working in the preservation field for 15 years as a conservator, consultant, and teaching professional. She has held positions at the US National Archives, the United Nations, the Vatican Secret Archives, and is currently the Thomas F. Peterson (1957) Conservator... Read More →

Co-Authors
DD
HW

Heather Wolfe

Curator of Manuscripts and Associate Librarian for Audience Development, Folger Shakespeare Library

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

11:00am EDT

(Electronic Media) Digital Applications for Film Preservation
As photochemical motion picture production winds down, film archivists and conservators must aim to engage with alternative forms of preservation. This alterity allows for a different, yet no less robust, approach to film preservation and conservation. Conservators Erik Piil and Peter Oleksik will describe the current landscape of film scanning and digitization, including photochemical and non-photochemical objectives, intermediate workflows, and metadata documentation. Erik will address key technical specifications for film digitization, including image acquisition, target color spaces, sampling depth, and common acquisition file formats. These considerations, when weighed with the various characteristics of motion picture film, present to the audience multiple frameworks for preservation. Following Erik’s overview of the technical specifications for film digitization, Peter will present recent case studies at MoMA, including the project to digitize the entire filmic output of Andy Warhol, to illustrate these concepts in a conservation oriented digitization workflow. Looking at both recent acquisitions as well as preparing works on film for exhibition using digital intermediaries, Peter will show how both photochemical and digital approaches are increasingly becoming the norm in a symbiotic relationship of conservation and access. In addition, issues of cataloguing, digital storage and institutional infrastructure will be addressed.
Speakers
avatar for Erik Piil

Erik Piil

Digital Archivist, Anthology Film Archives
Erik Piil is Digital Archivist at Anthology Film Archives in New York City and an adjunct professor at New York University’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program.

Co-Authors
avatar for Peter Oleksik

Peter Oleksik

Associate Media Conservator, Museum of Modern Art
Peter Oleksik is an Assistant Media Conservator at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. He holds an MA in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation (MIAP) from New York University, where he is currently an Adjunct Professor teaching video preservation. His past work includes the access... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media

11:00am EDT

(Objects) Ivory: Recent Advances in its Identification and Stringent Regulation
Today the collection of ivory art and artifacts is inextricably linked to the plight of the African elephant and its status as an endangered species, as demand for elephant ivory has risen sharply in the last decade. Consequently, in 2014 international and national laws have been strengthened to combat the rise in trafficking of ivory, including ivory art works. The Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference, convened February 13, 2014 in London to discuss key actions to eliminate the illegal wildlife trade. In 2014, the United States, the second largest market in the world, strengthened sanctions on importing African ivory, including antique ivory (older than 100 years).  In February, the Interior Department Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it will ban the trade in African elephant ivory within the U.S. by prohibiting imports and exports, including re-sales by auction houses and other dealers. 

Elephant ivory is the most highly valued of all ivories and describes the material comprising the tusks of Asian male and African male and female elephants, as well as that of their ancestor, the mammoth. Highly prized for its creamy luster and workability, ivory has been used for sculpture, in Africa, Asia, and Europe for millennia. Trade networks eventually brought the raw material to North America, where it has been widely used in the past two centuries.

Because the greatest threat to elephant populations is poaching (illegal killing), elephant ivory is a highly regulated material. A series of international and national laws and regulations protect the trade of ivory and the African countries of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe have ivory trade embargoes in place. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has a world-wide ban on the trade of ivory.

Museums and private collectors are encouraged to collect responsibly by educating themselves on the regulations related to art and artifacts that incorporate animal parts, notably ivory. In 2012, an estimated 35,000 African elephants were killed for their ivory tusks. Conservators can inform themselves of current regulations and also assist curators, collection managers and collectors to abide by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), national, and state-wide regulations.

This paper will provide current information on the regulation of endangered animal parts and methods for the identification of ivory. The author will draw on her conservation treatments of ivory artifacts and published ivory research, “Ivory: Identification and Regulation of a Precious Material,” for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art (http://africa.si.edu/pdf/Ivory.pdf ) to present a comprehensive treatment of this subject. 
Speakers
avatar for Stephanie Hornbeck, [PA]

Stephanie Hornbeck, [PA]

Chief Conservator, The Field Museum
Stephanie Hornbeck is Chief Conservator at the Field Museum. From 2010-2017 she was Director of Conservation at Caryatid Conservation Services, her Miami-based private practice specializing in the professional care of three-dimensional objects. From 2010-2012,she served as Chief Conservator... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Ashe Auditorium 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Objects

11:00am EDT

(Paintings) Airbrushing in Conservation of Modern and Contemporary Paintings and Painted Surfaces
This paper will give an overview of the versatile uses of airbrush in modern and contemporary paintings conservation. In modern and contemporary art a pristine surface character is often crucial to the readability and impression of the work of art. Furthermore, a flawless paint layer or sheen often reflects the artist’s intention and thus has to be preserved by the conservator. When it comes to inpainting larger areas of loss in monochrome surfaces of modern and contemporary art, conservators often struggle with traditional retouching methods. The same can be said for scuffs, burnishes or other alterations in the sheen of a work of art. In both cases the airbrush can be a very valuable conservation tool. The main advantage of using an airbrush versus the traditional paint brush is its ability to produce a very thin localized monochromatic paint or varnish layer without leaving any brush marks or other texture. This paper will introduce the airbrush as a tool for inpainting on monochromatic works of art, but it will also suggest its use to adjust alterations in sheen or for subtle consolidation of under-bound paint layers. Technical information on the airbrush tool itself will be given including the introduction of a specific model that is considered standard for conservation purposes. Requirements for paints and media when used with an airbrush will be discussed and the versatile use of the airbrush will thus be further emphasized. In addition, the problem of overspray will be addressed as will different masking options, which protect the original paint layer while airbrushing. In conclusion, the advantages and disadvantages of using an airbrush versus working with a traditional brush will be discussed. Several case studies where the airbrush was used successfully to adjust the sheen of a paint layer, as an inpainting tool and as a tool to apply a consolidation medium will be presented.
Speakers
NE

Nina Engel

Paintings Conservator, Modern Art Conservation, NYC
Nina L. Engel received her BA in conservation (2009) and MA in Paintings Conservation (2011) from the University of Applied Sciences in Bern, Switzerland. Her research examined the applicability of several polar and non-polar retouching media as well as two different waterborne varnishes... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Suzanne Siano

Suzanne Siano

Paintings Conservator/Director, Modern Art Conservation
Suzanne Siano is the Chief Conservator and Director of Modern Art Conservation, a large private conservation practice located in Chelsea. Beginning as an apprentice in Florence, Italy, in 1989, Suzanne went on to earn a certificate in art conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings

11:00am EDT

(Photographic Materials) The Use of Hyperspectral Imaging to Assess the Effects of Display and Storage Conditions Upon Photographic Images in the Museums of New Mexico
For the Conservation Department of the Museums of New Mexico to move from the traditional model of assessing the risks of displaying photographic and archival materials, hyperspectral imaging is being used to generate “hard data” on the effects of environments on the collections. Objects displayed in dry, hot conditions of historic and archaeological structures are being studied, as well as materials displayed in controlled humidity and light levels. This requires the study of actual environmentally caused effects. Previously we could only base decisions on theories and traditions regarding lengths of display time and the expected impact of environmental conditions on the stability and longevity of specific materials. The Palace of the Governors Photo Archives contains an estimated 1,000,000 items, including historic photographic prints, cased photographs, glass negatives, stereographs, photo postcards, panoramas, color transparencies and lantern slides. Representative samples of materials of regional and national significance chosen by the curator, dating from ca. 1850 to examples of contemporary art in photographic media, are being selected for documentation before and after exhibit with hyperspectral imaging. Comparative imaging will track changes from the established baseline. Experimentation using mock ups will monitor the effects that different environments might have on typical photo archives materials. Environments studied will include those expressed in various current guidelines and “Standards”. The recent acquisition of a state-of-technology hyperspectral imaging system developed by Equipoise Imaging and Phase One has made this project possible. The current system is the result of decades of improvement and integration of a system using a medium-format, high-pixel count monochrome camera for needed sensitivity in obtaining series of reflectance spectra; and fluorescence with the aid of filters. Each image is illuminated by narrowband LEDs, providing greater sensitivity and lower light intensities. This minimizes risk to the artifacts, unlike other predictive fading studies such as the Micro-Fade-Ometer, that require high light intensities. The exact positioning and calibration of data collection, as well as standardized data and metadata in the before and after studies, will be discussed in detail. The system will also be used in the study of objects in the New Mexico Museum of Art, New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors, New Mexico Museums of Indian Art and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology, Office of Archaeological Studies, the Museum of International Folk Art and possibly murals and petroglyphs at State Historic Sites as well. Hyperspectral imaging is no longer an exotic tool but proven as a modern research method in numerous studies of objects such as the Archimedes Palimpsest, Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence, Sinai Palimpsests, and the assessment of change in the Herblock Collection at the Library of Congress due to exhibition and storage of fugitive media (all presented in previous AIC Annual Meetings). These studies will contribute to the scientific research data being developed at the Library of Congress (CLASS-D) for the integration of data on the exposure of colorants and media, providing further baselines for environmental standards and implementation.
Speakers
EH

Eric Hansen

Special Consultant, New Mexico Museum
Dr. Eric F. Hansen, PhD, Archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles (2000) also holds previous additional B. S degrees in Engineering and Chemistry as well as an M. S Degree in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, University California, Irvine. He is a Fellow of both the AIC and IIC... Read More →

Co-Authors
DK

Daniel Kosharek

Curator and Photo Archivist, New Mexico History Museum, Palace of the Governors, Photo Archives
N/A
avatar for Fenella France

Fenella France

Library of Congress
MM

Mark MacKenzie

Director of Conservation/Chief Conservator, Museum of New Mexico
Holding degrees in Anthropology/Archaeology from Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario and Art Conservation from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Mark carried out fieldwork throughout Central and portions of Northern Canada, Belize, Andean Peru and the Southwest U.S.A. As... Read More →
MB

Michael B. Toth

President, R.B. Toth Associates
Michael B. Toth, president of R.B. Toth Associates, is an international leader in using advanced technologies for cultural heritage studies around the globe. With over 25 years of experience with technical integration, program management and strategic planning, he has led teams of... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Riverfront South 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Photographic Materials

11:00am EDT

(Wooden Artifacts) The Conservation of the “Unknown” wooden coffin, Theory and implementation
The coffin of the “unknown” is an example of the anthropoid (human-shaped) type used in the late Third Intermediate period, this coffin was found in the basement of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo in two pieces without any kind of information regarding the province. Basically, one half of the coffin is considered to be well preserved comparing with the other half that have a severe damage. Although only a limited range of colors, green, black, red and white - are used on this coffin, it is done with very good effect. The typology of the constitutional material is: wood , textile, preparation layer” gesso” and the pigment. The damage varies between partial and total loss in the two pieces. The type of wood will be determined later after investigation but it’s condition is apparently weak as it had a biological damage. There is areas of losses, detachment of fragment, disjoints, alteration, abrasion, cracks and losing is the structural cohesion especially in the second half. The two halves were preserved in an oxygen-free case for 21 days, it’s currently under investigations and analysis to know the type of the wood, the manufacture technology to determine if the two halves belong together or not. Non-invasive imaging analysis will occur to explore more about the Egyptian Green and other pigments. For the 3D documentation, photogrametry will be applied to help in matching the two halves through the edges. An environmental monitoring is currently ongoing to compare the environmental conditions in the museum basement and in the conservation lab using dataloggers for a course of one month. An intensive conservation treatment will be implemented later especially for the second half to consolidate the fragile parts and rejoin the parts together. This paper will discover the difference between the theory and implementation in the conservation approach and highlight the challenges to work with very low-coast and limited tools to perform a good case. This object is not registered yet or published before, It will be very beneficial for Egyptologists to discover more about the ancient language and figures characteristics as a good model to study after the conservation will be finished.
Speakers
avatar for Eman H. Zidan

Eman H. Zidan

Object Conservator, Egyptian Museum
I have been working as an object conservator at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo since 2007. I participated in many archaeological missions as field conservator, as well as in many national and international conferences, in which I have presented case studies of conservation from the... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Wooden Artifacts

11:30am EDT

(Book and Paper) Case Study: A Practical Approach to the Conservation & Restoration of a Pair of Large Diameter English Globes
Historic globes are fragile objects. Few survive without some evidence of change to the varied materials used in their fabrication, including damage to the globe shell, loss of the paper or design media, staining, entrenched grime, discolouration or loss of the protective varnish, or poor quality repairs. While an improvement in condition is the primary focus of treatment and the foundation of an improvement in appearance, attention directed specifically at the legibility of a globe is equally legitimate. When designing a conservation treatment, it is critical to compare how a particular globe could appear relative to its individual condition, and how that globe should appear relative to other examples of the same edition. This vision must then be married with the desires and budget of the client and custodian. The large format terrestrial globes produced in mid-nineteenth century Britain were extraordinary works of cartography, instrumentation, and the decorative arts. The 36 inch diameter pair of celestial and terrestrial globes, dated 1845 and 1851 respectively, were the largest productions available from the Malby and Co. and mirror on a larger scale the general methods of fabrication that were developed in the early sixteenth century on smaller diameter globes. The complex construction incorporates fabric and papier-mâché, plaster, intaglio printing on paper, hand-coloring, coatings, engraved brass, glass, wood, and faux finishes. The conservation of artifacts with this complex array of materials represents an interdisciplinary approach requiring collaboration amongst paper, furniture and horology specialists. Because these globes were produced using intaglio printing and hand coloring, which was to be superseded by color lithography later in the century, they still held great visual and textural appeal. Accurate restoration of the information on the losses allowed for the exploration of the most innovative options for image reproduction via digital photography, image manipulation, and archival printing, and their viability for effective integration into a work of cartography. The conservation and restoration of a pair of Malby & Co. globes serves as a case study of the methodology for designing a conservation treatment, the coordination of interdisciplinary experts and state-of-the-art methods for image reproduction.
Speakers
LB

Lorraine Bigrigg

Senior Paper Conservator, Studio TKM Ltd.
Lorraine Bigrigg is Senior Conservator at Studio TKM, a private practice devoted to the conservation of works on paper including fine art, historic works, Asian paintings and prints, and the decorative arts for institutional and private clients in North America, Europe and Asia, and... Read More →

Co-Authors
DL

Deborah La Camera

Associate Conservator, Studio TKM Ltd
Deborah La Camera is Associate Conservator at Studio TKM Ltd and a Professional Associate of AIC. She received her Masters of Arts in Art History and Advanced Certificate in Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts Conservation Center, New York University, completed the Advanced-Level... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Tuttle/Monroe 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Book and Paper

11:30am EDT

(Electronic Media) Cross-disciplinary Conservation: Building a Synergetic Time-based Media Lab
In 2009, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum launched its first conservation lab for the care of time-based media artworks in its collection. Since then, a number of other pioneering museums have established similar technical infrastructures. Core purposes of these labs include the access of audiovisual content for condition and quality assessment, the preparation of exhibition copies, and the digitization of tape-based formats. A recent expansion of the Guggenheim’s Time-based Media Lab adds critical new functions to its infrastructure. With the aim to encourage a more holistic investigation of time-based media artwork as an installed environment, the new lab features a staging area that allows artworks to be installed and experienced with different playback and display equipment, both of which can have a dramatic impact on the appearance of an artwork. This improved viewing space has encouraged cross-departmental decision-making into the process of examining and evaluating time-based media artworks. By enhancing the preparation phase prior to a time-sensitive installation, curators, exhibition designers, technicians, and conservators gain the opportunity to carefully assess the  properties that define  an artwork, allowing them to (1) thoroughly evaluate the selection of audiovisual materials; (2) to compare the output quality from different equipment makes and models; (3) to invite the artist’s input on possible adjustments; and (4) to find an informed agreement on components and iteration-specific modifications of the artwork. This paper presents the new lab infrastructure, details its technical features and discusses its potentials for cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Speakers
avatar for Joanna Phillips

Joanna Phillips

Senior Conservator of Time-based Media, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Joanna Phillips is the Senior Conservator of Time-based Media at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, where she founded the media art conservation lab in 2008. At the Guggenheim, Phillips has developed and implemented new strategies for the preservation, reinstallation, and... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Orchid B-D 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Electronic Media

11:30am EDT

(Paintings) Mapping the non-ideal: reflections on graphical representation of solubility parameters as a tool in conservation practice
Since their introduction in the 1970s (Toracca 1975; Feller 1976), solubility parameters - especially those approaches that lend themselves to accessible graphic representation of solvent character, for example, that of Hansen (Hansen 2000), and the fractional analogues derived therefrom by J.P. Teas - have become essential elements of solvent theory within the field of art conservation, whether as aids to problem-solving in solvent cleaning treatments (Hedley 1980), as devices to illustrate resin solubility and changes therein, or as practical guides to selection of carrier for solvent-borne polymers (Horie 1987), or other applications. Despite the now well established practical and theoretical shortcomings of the Teas fractional solubility parameter system (Michalski 1990; Phenix 1998; Zumbühl 2005), two main factors perhaps underpin its continuing currency in conservation circles: its graphic accessibility by means of a ternary diagram, and the potential to estimate the solvent power of mixtures through fractional additivity of the respective parameters of the component liquids. The limitations of the Hansen/Teas systems have been recognized now for some time, but nothing has yet emerged to replace them which might match their functional graphic practicality as a solvent descriptor system for conservation applications. Within solvent science a number of arguably more rigorous treatments of solvent solubility characteristics have emerged in recent decades, the most prominent of which are all based on the phenomenon of solvatochromism, that is the shift(s) in molecular spectroscopic absorption(s) of chemical probes as a consequence of dissolution in solvents of different kinds. Of the many solvatochromic approaches to solvent characterization that have been proposed, perhaps those developed by Kamlet, Taft, Abboud and co-workers (Kamlet, Abboud, Abraham and Taft 1983), by Catalán and co-workers (Catalán et al 1995), and by Reichardt (Reichardt 2003), have become the most widely adopted in solvency science over the past three decades, and each now have had some modest exposure in conservation. Within this field, Zumbühl 2014 recently described his own system for parameterization of the activity of solvents on modern artists' paints that featured a single numerical descriptor of solvent activity determined from two components: the (Hildebrand) solubility parameter (δ), and a correlated polarity parameter, akin to Reichardt solvatochromic polarity value ET(30), that was calculated from the Catalán parameters SSP (polarity/polarizability), SA (solvent acidity), and SB (solvent basicity). Also in the context of the activity of solvents on artists' (oil) paints, the present author (Phenix 2013) explored various approaches to graphical presentation of paint swelling data in relation to selected solubility descriptors. One of the simplest and most coherent presentations was offered by a two-parameter system involving Reichardt normalized solvatochromic polarity value (ETN) and solvent refractive index (n), an indicator of polarizability. The paper proposed explores the potential of the ETN vs. n approach to describing solvent activity as a tool for conservation practice and research. Particular attention will be given to the behavior in this descriptor system of solvent mixtures. An advantage of the ETN vs. n approach is that values for both descriptors can be obtained from relatively simple instrumental measurements.
Speakers
avatar for Alan Phenix-[PA]

Alan Phenix-[PA]

Paintings Conservator; Scientist
Alan Phenix is a paintings conservator, conservation educator and conservation scientist. Recently retired, from November 2006 he was employed as ‘Scientist’ at the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), Los Angeles. In his first years at GCI he worked partly for the Museum Research... Read More →

Co-Authors
avatar for Agata Graczyk

Agata Graczyk

Intern, Getty Conservation Institute
Student in paintings conservation at the Institut national du patrimoine (National Heritage Institute), Paris (2011-2016)

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Brickell/Flagler 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Paintings

11:30am EDT

(Wooden Artifacts) Preservation Of The Sacred Cross Of Chalpon, Motupe, Peru
The Sacred Cross of Motupe is located in the department of Lambayeque, Peru. It has been worshiped since l868, when it was found inside a natural cave, in the Chalpon Mountain, Motupe. It was venerated by thousands of believers every day and every year, coming from different parts of the country. The cross measures: horizontally 1.50 m., vertically 2.26 and diameter 0.26 cm. A century ago, it was totally covered with silver and gold rings, donated by its worshippers. Unfortunately, the Cross was stolen on July 5th, 2011. The population tried to find it around the mountains and everywhere, and after two days, it was found on the ground and its gold and silver ornaments had disappeared. What is worst, it had been cut with a hand saw in five sections, damaging its most critical parts and stability. The cross is made from trunks of guayacán wood, in its natural state and its branches are like those of a common tree, with a simple structure. History tells that it was found in the 19th century by a hermit who put together both branches to make the Cross. From that date its structure had been maintained untouched, until the date it disappeared and was found cut in five pieces. These cuts gave us the opportunity to observe the internal structure. The wood is preserved and in good conditions. We think the perfumes spilled over the cross by its believers, due to the alcohol contents might have avoided the presence of xylophages. A multidisciplinary team was in charge of its restoration. Its purpose was to join the sectioned parts and recover its original shape. Its original dimensions were maintained, as well as its asymmetric shape and patina acquired with time. Only guayacán wood was used, similar to the original cross in color, dryness and consistency. During the restoration no metal, such as nails or screws, was used to assemble it; only pieces of guayacán wood adhered with Milano glue, were introduced to fill gaps. Polyvinyl acetate was used to fix the parts and recover its capacity, structure and strength. For the reintegration pigments were used and its surface was protected with a layer of Paraloid B72 to 3%. All the nation and the community were on the alert waiting for the treatment results. The cross has spiritual strength all over the Nation. On August 5th. 2011 the Cross was exhibited completely restored, during a ceremony lead by the highest hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Peru and with the attendance of about 20,000 people. Apart from the spiritual aspect of the Cross of Motupe, its restoration has returned to the region the economical life connected to the tourist trade: hotels, transportation, restaurants, artisans.
Speakers
avatar for Cesar Maguiña

Cesar Maguiña

Presidente, Instituto Americano de Investigacion y Conservacion
Conservador Restaurador egresado EN 1980 del Centro de Bienes Monumentales de conservación y restauración del Convento San Francisco, Lima convenio UNESCO/PNUD y del Instituto Interamericano de Restauración de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) convenio Andrés Bello... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Miami Lecture Hall 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Wooden Artifacts

11:30am EDT

(Photographic Materials) Business Meeting
Saturday May 16, 2015 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Riverfront North 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Business Meeting, Photographic Materials

11:30am EDT

(Architecture) Paper, Pins, and Preservation: The Evolution of Wallpaper Conservation in a 'Ruin' Environment
An amazing window into the world of vernacular wallpaper can be found at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum where some apartments retain up to twenty-two layers of wallpaper. Inexpensive, mass-produced wallpapers, introduced in the mid-19th century, are often overlooked by conservators who tend to focus on the more expensive, opulent papers found in large, stately homes. Many of these mass-produced papers are made of wood pulp, a cheap alternative to cotton rags, which helped reduce the cost of production, making a traditionally expensive product available to nearly all Americans. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is located in a five-story brick tenement in New York City. Between its construction in 1863 and closure in 1935, nearly 7,000 people from over twenty countries lived in the tiny apartments of 97 Orchard Street. The building remained uninhabited until 1988 when the museum took over the building. As a result these apartments became a time capsule of immigrant life in America. The museum is unique in its interpretation of the building and occupants, and its treatment of the ruined apartments in a state of “arrested decay.” While the apartments were unoccupied, the building suffered years of water infiltration, uncontrolled fluctuations in temperature and humidity, and general neglect which has left the paper in many of the apartments in poor condition. Several apartments were reconstructed as part of the building’s conversion to a museum, while others were preserved in their “ruined” state. In addition to contributing to the authenticity of the apartments, the original wallpapers help to tell the story of the buildings occupants including financial situations, sanitation concerns, and aesthetic changes. Multiple layers of torn, curled, sagging, and stained wallpapers line the walls and ceilings of the apartments of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. The plaster supporting these papers is often cracked, crumbling and displaced. Together these conditions could easily mean the loss of historic fabric critical to the interpretation of the museum. Over the years, conservation treatments have been performed in selected spaces as funds became available. The goals of these treatments have been to stabilize the paper while retaining the “ruinous” appearance of the apartment. However, untreated conditions such as sagging and torn paper combined with high humidity during the summer months have led to additional deterioration as the papers continue to tear from their own weight. The methods of conservation for these papers have evolved over time and have ranged from mechanical interventions like acrylic washers to conservation grade adhesives. Each of these conservation methods has their own set of pros and cons including perforating the historic fabric, creating tide lines and staining, and requiring occasional re-treatment. Additionally, conservation of the plaster substrate has led to further conservation issues such as heavy staining from consolidation materials. This paper will discuss the technical challenges and philosophy behind the stabilization and conservation of these vernacular wallpapers.
Speakers
SM

Stephanie M. Hoagland

Principal, Jablonski Building Conservation, Inc.
Stephanie M. Hoagland is a Principal and Architectural Conservator with Jablonski Building Conservation Inc. where she has been employed since 2003. She has a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation... Read More →

Saturday May 16, 2015 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Jasmine 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Architecture

11:30am EDT

(Photographic Materials) Business Meeting
TBA
Saturday May 16, 2015 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Riverfront South 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131
  Specialty Session, Photographic Materials

11:30am EDT

(Objects) Tips Session