According to The New York Times (“Balance Restored, Shard by Shard”, by Randy Kennedy, March 26, 2013), after a little more than fifty years in storage, a shattered Attic pyxis from the Barnes Foundation collection has been restored and will return to view in Room 17 of the installation. Among the reasons for the long wait is that when the Barnes Foundation was in Merion, PA it did not have conservation facilities which could handle such projects. Now that the collection is in Philadelphia, there is a spacious laboratory and a plan to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the condition of all of the objects in the collection.
Month: March 2013
The AIC-CERT is now better known
The AIC’s “not well known” Emergency Response Team was given the chance to become much better known when The New York Times published David Wallis’ article, “A SWAT Team for Waterlogged Artwork” in the Museums supplement of its March 21, 2013 issue. While focusing on the team’s work post-Hurricane Sandy, Wallis mentions its work in other crises including the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and notes that the work is done by volunteers on the laughably small budget of $5,000 a year. Perhaps the article will not only make the team better known but will inspire people to donate money to aid its efforts.
More details, please
All of us will acknowledge that over the centuries there have been restorers who applied their talents to work that was not completely legal. It is, however, frustrating to read in a short piece about the illegally acquired book collection of Count Guglielmo Libri (“A Count With Taste and Sticky Fingers“, by Eve M. Kahn, The New York Times, March 22, 2013) that “he hired restorers to scrub bindings and pages [of stolen books], removing telltale bookplates and stamps” without being provided with some details about this work to back the claim.
Preservation Week April 21-27, 2013
Preservation Week is coming soon—April 21-27! How can your institution or those institutions you work with promote Preservation Week? Propose a project that can be publicized and help make it happen. Need ideas? Start with these and suggest others:
• A public lecture on a preservation topic
• A behind-the-scenes preservation tour for school groups, special donors, or the board of trustees
• A condition survey of a particular collection with a summary provided for visitors (why this is an important step in preservation)
• A preservation quiz to give to visitors (with answers, of course!)
• Print outs to leave in galleries about the conservation of a particular piece on view
• Offering Guides for Taking Care of Your Personal Heritage to visitors (www.conservation-us.org/treasures)
Be a part of Preservation Week and be sure to spread the news!
PRESS RELEASE: Foundation Supports Ongoing Care of Collections After Devastation of Superstorm Sandy
>>> This press release can be found on our website at http://bit.ly/crcpress <<<
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2013
Contact: Eric Pourchot
Phone: (202) 661-8061
Email: epourchot@conservation-us.org
Foundation Supports Ongoing Care of Collections After Devastation of Superstorm Sandy
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (FAIC) has completed work at the Cultural Recovery Center (CRC) in Brooklyn, NY after serving a community of artists and organizations in dire need of assistance. The CRC offered space and help at no cost to owners of artworks damaged as a result of Superstorm Sandy. Volunteer assistance and work space was provided to museums, libraries, archives, historic sites, galleries, collectors, and artists. While full conservation treatment was not covered, guidance and assistance in the cleaning and stabilization of art and cultural materials was.
23 members of the AIC Collections Emergency Response Team (AIC-CERT) contributed 128 days of professional volunteer services in New York and New Jersey. At least 34 additional conservators from the region also volunteered. At the CRC, volunteers worked with nineteen artists on hundreds of items, including paintings, works on paper, photographs, textiles, and multi-media works. Many of the works were at risk because of toxic deposits and potential mold growth.
The Center for Cultural Recovery was operated by The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (FAIC), in cooperation with a consortium of organizations:
Alliance for Response New York City
Heritage Preservation
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
New York Regional Association for Conservation
Industry City at Bush Terminal
Smithsonian Institution
Initial funding for the response and recovery efforts, including initial costs for the Center, was provided by a leadership gift to FAIC from Sotheby’s. A grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation allowed the Center to remain open through March 8. Industry City at Bush Terminal provided the space rent-free. Rapid Refile set up containment tents and air scrubbers to prevent the spread of mold from incoming objects to cleaned objects. Collector Systems provided free use of its web-based collection management system. The Smithsonian Institution and a grant to Heritage Preservation from the New York Community Trust, as well as support from TALAS, enabled purchase of supplies. The Center was also outfitted with supplies from Materials for the Arts, a creative reuse program managed by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional donations to FAIC came from PINTA, The Modern & Contemporary Latin American Art Show; Tru Vue; Aon Huntington Block Insurance; Aon Foundation; members of AIC; and others. The American Museum of Natural History and MoMA also provided key in-kind support for recovery efforts and establishment of the CRC.
As the need for conservation continues, those with damaged pieces are encouraged to use AIC’s Find A Conservator tool available for free on the AIC website: www.conservation-us.org/findaconservator . The tool provides a systematic, consistent method of obtaining current information to identify and locate professional conservation services from all across the United States and abroad. It allows users to address a wide range of conservation problems, whether the needs are long-range or short-term and whether the collection consists of thousands of valuable historic artifacts, one priceless work of art, or items of great personal value.
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About FAIC
FAIC, the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, supports conservation education, research, and outreach activities that increase understanding of our global cultural heritage.
Portfolios and career transitions: pre-program, graduate, and post-graduate portfolio tips
The following article was written by Suzanne Davis and posted on her behalf by Carrie Roberts. Suzanne Davis is Associate Curator of Conservation at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan, and a member of the Education and Training Committee of AIC. Suzanne will be speaking on the subject of conservation portfolios at ECPN’s Portfolio Seminar at AIC’s 41st Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 starting at 4PM.
I can still remember the satisfaction of creating my portfolio in graduate school. This was before digital photography or Adobe Photoshop, and the black cloth-covered binder is filled with slides, black and white photographs (that I printed myself in my school’s cramped dark room), and intricate hand-drawn condition diagrams. Sixteen years later, this binder sits on the bookshelves just above my desk at work, and I still like to look at it sometimes.
Your portfolio is a representation of your identity as a conservator and scholar, so it’s a good idea to be constructive and discriminating in the way you assemble and use it. Typically it’s most useful early in your career, at a time when you might feel pressure to showcase every conservation experience you’ve ever had. But it can serve you best if you’re selective. Think about what you want a review committee to notice, and which experiences you want to highlight. Make it work for you.
If you’re applying to a graduate program, the admissions committee will be concerned with your academic ability in addition to your pre-program conservation experience. If you’ve undertaken research projects in conservation or a related field like art history or archaeology, feature these! The committee will also be looking to see if your research and career interests are a good fit for their program. How does your portfolio demonstrate this? At this stage in your career, your portfolio should clearly reflect your academic identity, interests, and your potential to succeed as student and professional.
Once in graduate school, it’s most helpful to think about your vision for your future. Knowing what kind of job you’d ultimately like to have will help you shape your graduate experience, choose classes and internships, and create a useful portfolio. Talk to conservators who have the kind of job you’d like. Try to intern with them, if possible. Learn what do they do every day, and what experiences and skills they value. What would they want a prospective employee to feature in a portfolio?
When using your portfolio to apply for post-graduate fellowships and jobs, it’s important that it reflect the full range of your experience. Many portfolios that I see for young conservators focus almost exclusively on conservation treatments and technical studies. But treatment is only one small piece of what most professional conservators do on a daily basis, and technical research is an even smaller component. Preventive conservation knowledge is very important, as is the ability to assess condition, prioritize work, and manage projects. The same is true for communication skills and working with students and volunteers. Experience with outreach and education activities is also good. As you read a fellowship or job description, think about ways to use your portfolio to highlight the skills and experience that the employer seeks.
When presenting your portfolio in an interview, it’s useful to pre-select the projects you’ll discuss. If it will be reviewed in your absence, indicate the projects you’d like reviewers to turn to first. The portfolio should be well-organized, with a table of contents and tabs that will make different sections easy to find. Consider including short project summaries to give readers a quick overview of each experience. Too much information can be overwhelming, so think about removing projects that are not relevant and do not contribute to the overall message you want to communicate. Many prospective employers will expect a presentation in addition to or in place of the portfolio, so spend some time thinking about how to translate the experience captured in your portfolio into an engaging talk.
Finally – and this is very important – don’t focus on your portfolio to the neglect of other application components. An interview and portfolio review is usually the very last step in a selection process. Without a well-crafted curriculum vitae and cover letter or personal statement, no one is ever likely to see your amazing portfolio. Good luck!
ECPN’s Portfolio Seminar is a FREE event for AIC’s 41st Annual Meeting attendees and will cover topics including ideas for building your portfolio, digital portfolios, and ‘beyond the portfolio’ topics like application materials and networking.
If you are a conservation student or recent graduate and are interested in sharing your portfolio during the ECPN Portfolio Seminar, please contact Carrie Roberts at carrizabel@gmail.com.
Why don't they ever get the job title correct?
Joanne Lee Young’s “A Guardian of Rare, Exotic Fabrics” (Wall Street Journal, March 8, 2013) is a profile of Julia Brennan which discusses both her work designing mounts and cases for the display of textiles as well as her hands-on conservation projects. But why couldn’t Young get Brennan’s job title correct? She is a textile conservator, not a textile conservationist.
ECPN December Meeting Minutes
ECPN MEETING MINUTES
Monday 17 December 2012
Attendees:
Molly Gleeson (Chair)
Eliza Spaulding (Vice Chair)
Angela Curmi (Communications)
Anisha Gupta (co-Outreach)
Genevieve Bieniosek (Student Liaison, ETC)
Megan Salazar-Walsh (co-Outreach Coordinator)
Carrie Roberts (co-Professional Education and Training)
Gwen Manthey (co-Professional Education and Training)
Mina Thompson (OSG Chair)
Emily Williams (ETC Chair)
Ryan Winfield (AIC Staff Liaison)
1. November Meeting Minutes Approved
2. Portfolio Seminar – updates and planning
- Gwen and Carrie have invited the speakers and heard back from all but 2. They have commitments from a few and others have expressed interest. They will follow-up with those they have not yet heard back from. The schedule has been planned.
- An email has also been sent out to the grad program liaisons and an invitation posted on the blog and facebook for portfolio presenters. So far, 1 student from Winterthur, 1 from Buffalo, and 1 from Northumbria have responded. Gwen and Carrie will re-visit this after the new year and maybe try a more grassroots approach. It will also depend on students’ academic schedules.
- Molly asked if, for the more formal presentations, we have speakers for all topics. Carrie said that Suzanne Davis is interested in the “beyond the portfolio” topic. Gwen will be speaking about building the portfolio. Cher Schneider will be speaking about digital portfolios. They will now focus on finding someone for the networking/ interviews topic.
- Molly asked Gwen if she had reached out to Richard McCoy, and Gwen said that he was interested but couldn’t commit at this time. She is now thinking of Kathleen Kiefer.Gwen thinks Kathleen would be good for this topic, but is less familiar with her work in outreach. While the topic should be defined, Gwen is also trying to keep the invitation a bit loose so the speakers can bring their own ideas to it. Speakers should be finalized by mid- to late January.
Blog post on portfolios
- Emily Williams asked if ECPN would be willing to recruit an employer and an educator to write a blog post on portfolios (the idea came up because they are re-doing the ETC education webpages). Molly suggested we ask 2 or more of the people involved in this session to write the post. Emily recommended Suzanne Davis. Carrie and Gwen will talk to her about this. And as soon as the speakers are finalized, they will ask about the blog post; however, we don’t have any educators among the speakers. Molly said we moved away from this because we didn’t want to invite someone from just one program. Gwen suggested that perhaps in the blogpost, it can be phrased as the viewpoint of an educator from a particular program. Emily recommended that rather than have just 1 educator for the blogpost, we approach all the programs (because there do seem to be differences) – Suzanne might be willing to help with this – and talk to several employers so that it’s not just 1 person’s opinion but a synthesis. Anisha suggested we create a survey to send out to the programs and streamline the information, then write a blogpost based on the results. Everyone agreed this was a good idea.
- Molly will schedule a call in January to discuss the portfolio session and poster.
3. Webinar Q&A plans, feedback
- Thank you to Eliza, Anisha, Ryan, and everyone who helped make the webinar possible. It was a huge success.
- A follow-up Q&A is planned (using google hangout) for tomorrow morning at 11. There are 15 questions. Anisha will moderate the Q&A and Eliza will also be on the call. Each speaker has arbitrarily been given 5 questions. They will try to get through the questions as fast as possible (approx. 4 minutes each). The google hangout will be recorded and uploaded to youtube. Anisha said that the only issue is that it will be uploaded to her account if she records it. Molly asked if Ryan wanted the Q&A to be uploaded to AIC’s account. Ryan will discuss with Anisha later today.
- Eliza asked Ryan if he was able to locate the recording of the program. Ryan responded that he had not, but he had emailed Eric about it and will ask him again today. It looked like it was saved on someone’s desktop or hard-drive, not within the account itself.
- Eliza asked everyone about the audio quality. Carrie said it was great, but there was a bit of a lag between video and audio, though it didn’t disturb her at all. Not everyone saw the lag. Angela said it would be nice to go back and forth between powerpoint and live video. Eliza said we can try this in future and are gradually adding more technology to our toolkit.
4. Next webinar – topic, dates
- Molly asked if we could have one more webinar before the annual meeting, sometime in the next 2-3 months. She will start a basecamp discussion on possible topics. Anisha thinks it is feasible. Though it was a lot of work, she never felt overwhelmed because the work was divided, and it resulted in a great discussion. Ryan agreed that it is more than worth the work and is great programming. Although it’s simpler with 1 speaker, the interaction between multiple speakers makes it worthwhile. Everyone agreed having 3 speakers was great, as opinions were varied, the speakers were able to feed off of each other, and the pressure is off each individual, which makes it less daunting to commit to.
- Regarding topics, there is a lot of discussion lately on paid vs. unpaid internships (Rose Cull suggested this when she was chair). Molly asked how we can tackle this for a webinar in a constructive way. Everyone agreed this is a good idea and that it would be great to turn this into a constructive conversation. Molly will start a basecamp discussion – we will think about how to tackle this topic, what format it will take, and what kind of involvement everyone would like to have.
5. Mentoring program – updates, next steps
- Over the past month Eliza has been able to make matches here and there and follow-up with people (for the 3-month follow-up on how mentorships are going). The latest group of mentee/mentor candidates included 9 mentee applications and 11 mentor applications (there are more mentors than mentees for the first time.) She would like to work on making those matches. Broader changes to the program have also been discussed and we can continue talking about this. Gwen and Carrie were not on the last call but can find the discussion in the minutes. Eliza asked Gwen how she felt about leading the match process with her assistance. Gwen feels comfortable taking it on with Eliza’s guidance. Carrie will take on the responsibility of the second officer (for the general resource).
- Ryan explained that the new database/ website has a member-matching tool, so you can set up criteria for people to fill out and the system will automatically match them based on the criteria. So a lot of the arcane matching process using spreadsheets won’t be necessary anymore – it can be handled automatically through the website. This will launch when the new website is launched.
- Eliza will follow-up with Gwen and Carrie about the changes to the program.
6. Wiki edit-a-thon in January and at annual meeting; Grad program liaisons – tie-in with Wiki event in January
- The Wiki edit-a-thon is in January. They’re also organizing a live edit-a-thon at the annual meeting and we should try to get emerging conservators involved. Molly will be speaking to Rachael and Emily Williams about the PR Toolkit later today. We may want to work on the toolkit during the January edit-a-thon. Molly also asked for ideas for the live session and getting emerging conservators’ input for the wiki. One idea Rachael has is to contact grad programs (through the liaisons) and find out what they think they can contribute and if professors are willing to let them put coursework on the wiki.
- Megan agreed it would be good to get students involved. Students will be on break in January, so they will have more time to contribute. But faculty members might be hesitant to put course material on there.
- Molly suggested sending out a few questions to the liaisons – have they contributed to the wiki? What do they think they can contribute? Would their programs be interested?
- Molly will get a list of topics from Rachael that she’s hoping to have fleshed out so that we don’t leave it too open – some are topics students may be working on in their courses. We should also be proactive in pairing up emerging conservators with more experienced conservators through the wiki (like a mentorship). Megan and Molly will work together on a letter to send the grad liaisons and will reach out to them in January.
7. Student representation
Letters have been sent to most SG chairs about student representation and supporting students at the annual meeting. Mina responded and is interested. Molly will reach out to the rest of the chairs within the week.
8. Next conference call:
2nd or 4th Monday in February, with a few project-specific calls in January (one about the annual meeting). Molly will follow-up.
Lichens, Biofilms and Stone at the Eagle Hill Institute, Steuben Maine
July 14-20, 2013
Maine’s Hancock and Sullivan Counties, with their rocky shorelines and inland hills, are rich with lichen species and biofilms. Buildings and structures made with granite from local quarries host lichens and biofilms. Imported grave markers of granite, marble, slate, and sandstone from other New England states and foreign countries are found in cemeteries, and these markers also host lichens and biofilms. This seminar, will study the physical, chemical, ecological, and aesthetic relationships between lichens, biofilms, and stone.
Different lichen species grow on different stone types in different environments. Lichen growth is influenced by a stone’s mineralogy and condition, and by the microclimates created by plant cover, open-air exposure, proximity to water, stone orientation, and surface topography. Biofilms also show diversity with their presence on different stone types and in different environments. The interactions between lichens and biofilms and to what extent lichens and biofilms protect or harm stone surfaces from weathering are questions that will be discussed.
Lectures will cover basic lichen morphology and species identification; biofilm “morphology;” the role of lichens and biofilms in the environment; basic geology; the history of stone quarrying, finishing, and construction; and the history and contemporary practices of preservation “treatments” for stone. Field trips are planned for forest and shore environments, a granite quarry, a gravel pit, and several cemeteries. Examination and identification of lichens, biofilms, and stones will be undertaken in the field and in the laboratory. The impact of surface manipulation of stone (cutting, polishing, and chemical “treatments”) and how these impacts may influence (or not) the growth of lichens and biofilms will also be examined. As a class project, participants will compile a checklist of the lichen species found during the field trips.
Participants are expected to represent a wide variety of disciplines and avocations; the pursuit of individual interests will be encouraged. While prior knowledge of lichens, biofilms, or stone will be useful for this seminar, it is not necessary.
Judy Jacob is a Senior Conservator with the National Park Service, Northeast Region, in the New York City Field Office. She works primarily on stone monuments and masonry buildings: evaluating conditions, preparing preservation plans, and executing stabilization and repair treatments. judithmjacob@yahoo.com
Michaela Schmull, PhD., is a lichenologist and the Research and Curatorial Associate at the Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University. Her research interests include lichen ecology, biodiversity, and systematics. She has taught classes in plant microscopy, plant identification, and lichens and air pollution. mschmull@oeb.harvard.edu
Class limit – 16 students
Daily meeting times – generally from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM (lunch is at 12:30), 1:30 to 5:30 (dinner is at 7:00), from 8:00 onwards is optional, though most participants spend a few hours in the classroom after dinner for assignments and/or independent studies.
Activities during the week generally combine intensive field studies and follow-up work in the lab with lectures, discussions, and a review of the current literature. Evenings are free for independent studies, presentations, and follow-up discussions.
http://www.eaglehill.us/