43rd Annual Meeting- Wooden Artifacts Session, May 15, “Bending over Backwards: Treatment of Four Chinese Export Bamboo and Rattan Chairs” by Michaela Neiro, Historic New England

Bamboo Settee, Historic New England Collection
Bamboo Settee, Historic New England Collection

Michaela Neiro spoke about a great treatment of bamboo furniture for exhibit at Quincy House, a historic home in Quincy Massachusetts built in 1790 (part of Historic New England).  http://www.historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/quincy-house
Photographs from the 1880’s show bamboo chairs in the first floor hall, but they were subsequently lost.  Fortunately, acceptable substitutes could be selected from the Historic New England collections.
Rattan and bamboo are two light but sturdy construction materials that became popular in America as a result of trade with China and the East, and remain commonly available today. Furniture made from rattan is called wicker.
The HNE chairs were constructed by heat bending the bamboo into curves, and securing joints with wood dowels and wood pins. No adhesives or metal fasteners were used. The seats were caned, and many small pieces of bamboo were joined to create intricate decorative patterns in the back, sides and base.
In addition to dirt and failing coatings, some of the small rattan and bamboo pieces were missing. Luckily there was enough information from the small “pin” holes left in the frame to figure out the original pattern. All the losses were filled with new rattan, which can be ordered in various thicknesses. The rattan was shaped by bending lengths around nail and board jigs while it was wet and pliable; when it dried it maintained the shape of the jig.  The new rattan fills were toned to match the original bamboo and rattan using dilute acrylics before they were attached.
You can read more about the conservation project here:
http://www.historicnewengland.org/about-us/whats-new/inside-the-conservation-lab-adventures-in-bamboo-and-rattan

Job Posting: Assistant Conservator, Objects (Regular Full-Time) Conservation Center – LACMA (Los Angeles, CA)

Assistant Conservator, Objects (Regular Full-Time)
Conservation Center

Reporting to the Senior Conservator for Objects, the Assistant Conservator works collaboratively with the entire conservation staff in all aspects of the care and preservation of the museum’s encyclopedic collection of artwork dating from antiquity to the present.
Some duties include: prepares and reviews condition reports for works of art on loan and new acquisitions; prepares treatment proposals and reports in order to document all conservation work; undertakes the conservation and restoration of works of art; performs research and interacts with curators and other professionals to understand significance of artwork and artist’s intentions; advises on appropriate environmental conditions for the safe display and storage of works of art; acts as courier for traveling exhibitions and loans; assists conservation staff with the routine maintenance of the laboratory and the ordering of equipment and supplies; responds to questions from the general public.
The qualified candidate will have a master’s degree from a recognized conservation training program, with a specialization in objects conservation, and three to five years of related experience. Further postgraduate work and/or several years of employment in conservation is strongly preferred. Experience with the installation and de-installation of exhibitions and larger projects such as maintenance of outdoor sculptures is desired.  A demonstrated ability to treat a wide variety of three-dimensional objects, communicate effectively, and work well with other museum staff is essential.
This position requires a flexible work schedule to allow frequent national and international travel.  Active involvement in professional groups such as AIC, ICOM-CC or ICC is also desirable.
Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae, including a list of three professional references. Please note that the online application system only allows one document to be uploaded, so please combine cover letter, resume and lesson plan into one Word or PDF document.
Please follow this link to apply:
https://home.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=13755881

43rd Annual Meeting, Collection Care Session, May 14, “Pathways for Implementing a Successful Passive RH microclimate” by Steven Weintraub”

Relative being the key word in this talk, Steven Weintraub of Art Preservation Services, Inc., presented a checklist of critical thinking when making decisions about relative humidity (RH) microclimates for collections.
Question the accuracy of your RH measurement
Weintraub points out it’s really easy to be 5% off  on measuring RH for a myriad of reasons including sensor locations relative vent locations, drift in the measuring equipment. While 40% to 60% is the usual goal, a conservator has to ponder how comfortable are you with 35% to 65%?  Weintraub admitted those extremes make him less confident for preventive conservation; microclimates can be the answer when an object requires tighter control.
The talk ended on this accuracy theme as well. While technology has come to RH measuring systems such as blue tooth systems so the case no longer has to be opened, accuracy remains in issue. Before setting up an exhibit, compare all the meters so to have at least an internal standard for readings.  Calibrating the meters before exhibitions is ideal, of course but not always feasible.  If there is a large discrepancy in RH readings between the loaning institution and your institution, it might be worth having a conversation about calibration methods.
To seal or not to seal a case
Weintraub recounted the common reasons for not sealing a case: Avoid trapping off-gassing; gallery climate control is adequate; it’s harder and more expensive to construct an airtight case. However hindsight is harder to manage. It’s harder to retrofit a leaking case and make it air tight after the fact when too much dust is collecting on the objects or other problems occur. Thus it’s best to start with air tight cases and loosen if needed.  Hence whether intentional or not, sealed cases are microclimates.
Microclimates: Active control, Passive control, or Nothing
Weintraub recommend building all cases to have the provisions for at least a passive RH control system regardless. Again the theme of enabling flexibility and avoiding retrofitting later applies. Building space for silica gel trays and not using it is easier than retrofitting the case later.
What is the rate of leakage for the case is the most important question for microclimates. The leakage rate will determine if a passive control is adequate or active control system is needed. Weintraub noted, no silica gel system in the world is adequate for a highly leaky case. Nominal leaking from a tight system then begs the question about why an active system is needed.Leakage assessment can be easily accessible. Weintraub feels it’s important and empowering for institutions to be able to conduct their own leakage rate tests. It will enable identifying when repairs are needed under service contracts and also make more informed choices about the steps needed for microclimates. A caveat on interpreting leakage rates when you’re shopping for cases No standard protocol exists for determining leakage rates; so manufacturers reported values are hard to compare. Leakage rates change over time as materials age and warp
 Creating your own leak detector
Weintraub shared two easy ways to have your own leak detection system. Cans of dust-off contain small amounts of refrigerant.  A refrigerant detector can be easily purchased from HVAC suppliers for about $500; the detector is akin to a Geiger counter. It’s a qualitative tool that helps locate the leaks. The second leakage assessment choice is monitor carbon dioxide levels. The carbon dioxide level in the case increased above ambient levels (600 to 2500 ppm) and use a meter installed in the case to monitor the change in carbon dioxide levels.  Let the case reach equilibrium at before starting the leak test. Weintraub and students at the NYU conservation center are currently examining how long it typically takes to reach equilibrium. Weintraub likes to run his leak tests for 3 days. Basically it’s calculating the rate of loss of CO2 Thus the difference in CO2 measurements over the time period.  Close to 0 for the rate means success as there is minimal leakage. A large rate indicates an issue. At that point, consider looking at the half-time decay, how many days it takes for CO2 levels to drop 50% in the case.
How much silica gel?
  Answer: Leakage rate * number of exhibit days* buffering capacity of silica gel at your target humidity levels= weight of silica gel.
You can examine compare different silica gel types for your scenario as some silica gels perform better at high humidity and others at low humidity. For a maintenance-free case, Weintraub’s rule of thumb is double the exhibition quantity of silica gel.   Another silica gel tip is to mix silica gels at different humidities to get the target humidity such at mixing 55% and 40% RH gel systems to get a target of 50%.
Also, mind the air gap in the case. An air gap is needed to make sure air flow is adequate in the case to get the benefits of silica gel actually reaching the collection objects.
Lastly, we as conservators need to do a better job of sharing our learning and experience about microclimate to develop a collective pool of knowledge
Weintraub’s article on Demystifying Silica Gel is available on Art Preservation Services website along with some of his work on LED.

C2CC Webinar: Facebook, and Twitter, and Instagram, Oh My! Sharing Museum Collections through Social Media

Join Connecting to Collections Care on July 14 at 2:00 EDT for a free webinar:
Facebook, and Twitter, and Instagram, Oh My! Sharing Museum Collections through Social Media
Social media has infiltrated our lives, and it’s no longer restricted to personal use. Many cultural institutions are using social media outlets very effectively to connect and communicate messages to a wide variety of audiences. There are so many choices and platforms and ways of engaging with the public, which can make even just the term “social media” seem overwhelming or daunting. Whether you’re completely inexperienced or you’re looking to refine or streamline and make the most of your efforts, this webinar will provide an opportunity to learn more about what is out there, how different platforms are being used, and will provide tips for effectively using social media to share your collections, which ultimately assists in furthering access and preservation.
Presenters:
Molly Gleeson is the Rockwell Project Conservator at the Penn Museum (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology). She works full-time in the museum’s open conservation lab on Egyptian mummies and artifacts. Molly received her M.A. from the UCLA/Getty Master’s Program in the Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials in 2008 and her B.A. in Art Conservation from the University of Delaware in 2002.
Tom Stanley is a Public Relations and Social Media Coordinator at the Penn Museum. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in 2007 from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., where he studied Communications with an emphasis in Broadcasting.
Sign up:
http://www.connectingtocollections.org/facebook-and-twitter-and-instagram-oh-my-sharing-museum-collections-through-social-media/

IIC Los Angeles 2016 Congress – final call for papers and poster proposals

IIC 2016 Los Angeles Congress-logo_0
 
 
 
Conserving contemporary art? You now have until the 15th of July … to save the Now!
Contemporary Art delivers contemporary problems to the conservation community…and may mean that we deconstruct and re-invent ‘standard’ conservation thinking and practice.
Saving the Now: Crossing Boundaries to Conserve Contemporary Works, IIC’s next Congress, to be held from the 12th to the 16th September 2016, links so very well with its setting, Los Angeles, in allowing things to be looked at in very different and new ways.
This can be a minefield – or a source of new and creative approaches to heritage conservation. As we move ahead with new artists, new materials, new concepts of what creativity is, we must adapt what conservation involves and tries to achieve. We may borrow from other areas of skill and expertise in doing this. We may change our concepts of what conservation is there to do in the first place …
What are your thoughts, your experiences, your predictions? Let’s start you off here:
• How do you work without the benefit or comfort of that well-established hierarchy of values available to colleagues working on more traditional heritage objects?
• Are you working with a range of different and varied conservation philosophies and approaches – from various countries and cultures, from differing disciplines and markets – to develop new methods for conserving contemporary works?
• What will we lose if your major guiding principle is the artist’s intent? If it is known at all, that is …
• Can
the commercial art market help influence Institutional thinking on conservation?
• How is public art influencing conservation practice and theory?
• Are the ethics and values used in conserving the built heritage applicable to the conservation of moveable heritage ¬– and vice versa?
• Can approaches used for conserving ethnographic collections be applied to contemporary art practice?
• Can non-materialistic philosophies help to move the field forward in broader terms?
Submit your proposal for a paper or a poster now! It’s easy: go to https://www.iiconservation.org/congress Share your expertise and learn first-hand what your colleagues around the world are doing!
A call for Student posters will be made later in the year.
Please contact us at iic@iiconservation.org if you have any questions or wish to receive further information on the Congress

Job Posting: Assistant/Associate Conservator (P/T) – Metropolitan Museum of Art, Paper Conservation Department (NY,NY)

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Assistant/Associate Conservator (Part-time)

Paper Conservation Department 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the world’s finest museums, seeks a part-time (three to four days per week) Assistant/Associate Conservator in the Paper Conservation Department.  This position undertakes a wide range of conservation procedures on  Western historic, modern and contemporary drawings, prints; miniatures on vellum, paper and ivory; manuscript illuminations on vellum, Islamic and Indian paintings, paintings on palm leaf (individual leaves and bound albums),  wallpaper and other materials that are under the jurisdiction of the Paper Conservation Department. Conservation procedures include treatment, examination, evaluating new acquisitions, condition checking of works entering and leaving the Museum, surveying of works in the collection, analysis and identification of materials and structure, by chemical and instrumental means, to determine condition, authenticity, and proposals for treatment and housing. In addtion, all works conserved are photographed and electronically documented, discussed with supervisor prior to treatment and initiate and assist with approved research supporting technical art history, conservation treatment, and preservation. Ancillary conservation procedures include but are not limited to laboratory management tasks undertaken with other members of the department, such as organization and maintenance of conservation supplies, equipment and chemicals according to established safety procedures, preparing chemical solutions, consolidants and adhesives for treatment, obtaining product information, testing materials for treatment, and preparation of materials for laboratory workshops.
This part-time position is scheduled to end on December 31, 2015. 
Primary Responsibilities and Duties:

  • The examination, analysis, documentation and treatment of  assigned works of art.
  • Carrying out condition examination of works to be loaned, or on loan, or to be acquired.
  • Assisting in the management and maintenance of the laboratory including the preparation of  chemical reagents and solutions.
  • Assisting in the housing and hinging of works of art.
  • Other related duties 

Requirements and Qualifications:
Experience and Skills:

  • Demonstrated excellence in performing complex conservation treatments.
  • Excellent manual skills.
  • Ability to maintain attention to detail and to sustain focus on long term projects. High quality work as well as efficient use of time is valued.
  • Working knowledge of chemical and material sciences.
  • Knowledge of preservation standards for archival matting and housing, for  environmental conditions.
  • Ability to use digital cameras and electronic resources in documenting treatment.
  • Ability to devise conservation strategies based on knowledge of materials, chemical processes, and aesthetic and ethical considerations.
  • In depth knowledge of the history of paper, papermaking, artists’ materials and art history.
  • Ability to work effectively and constructively both independently and as part of a team, be attentive and engaged with laboratory activities.
  • Demonstrated interest in works of art, their fabrication and history, and aesthetic criteria in relation to individual’s conservation projects.
  • Excellent verbal communication skills, excellent written communication skills.
  • Strong organizational skills, time management skills, including the ability to establish priorities, meet deadlines and achieve goals.
  • Ability to work cooperatively at all times with a large group of conservators and curators.
  • Willingness to accept supervision and guidance.
  • Attentiveness to conservation issues taking place in the laboratory.

Knowledge and Education:

  • A graduate degree in Conservation (a Masters or Certificate/Masters) from an accredited university, including course work in chemistry and material science.
  • Specialization in paper conservation in graduate level conservation studies, and in subsequent employment.
  • A minimum of two years post graduate internship or fellowship in paper conservation, or a minimum of five years of professional paper conservation experience, preferably in a museum conservation laboratory.

Please send cover letter, resume, and salary history to careers@metmuseum.org with “Assistant/Associate Conservator/Paper Conservation” in the subject line. The application deadline is 7/17/15.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of

Survey on methods for cleaning and protecting historical lead

A research team from the National Center for Metallurgical Research (CENIM-CSIC) is carrying out a study about the methods of cleaning and protection of historical lead. As part of this study, the investigators hope to learn about the methods applied by professionals and their personal experience with them. The survey should take 10-15 minutes and it is available until July 15th at: http://goo.gl/forms/80sJsl3Nx9  Please feel free to forward the link to interested colleagues.
The results will be published afterwards, and will be sent to interested participants. To receive results, please leave your email in the contact details section of the survey. For more information about this study, please contact t.palomar@csic.es. Thank you in advance for your collaboration.
Dr. Teresa Palomar Sanz
Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Metalurgicas (CENIM) Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) Avenida Gregorio del Amo, 8.
28040 Madrid
Spain

Welcome 2015-2016 ECPN Officers!

ECPN Logo
We are pleased to announce the new officers for the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network for the 2015-2016 term. The new and returning officers are very grateful to all the outgoing officers who have worked so hard in their 2014-2015 term: Heather Brown, Laura Neufeld, Ayesha Fuentes, Amy Hughes, and especially our out-going chair, Megan Salazar-Walsh. We wish you the best and hope to see you involved with future AIC and ECPN activities!
Meet the 2015-2016 ECPN Officers:
Fran Ritchie, Chair
Fran graduated with a BA in Art Conservation and Anthropology from the University of Delaware (2006), an MA in Museum Anthropology from Columbia University (2009), and an MA and CAS from the Buffalo State College Program in Art Conservation (2013) with a specialization in objects. She completed pre-program jobs and internships at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, Patronato Panama Viejo in Panama City, Panama, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Her Third Year Graduate Internship at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University and subsequent Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship at the National Museum of the American Indian solidified an interest in organic materials. Fran is currently a Project Conservator at the American Museum of Natural History working on a grant-funded project researching dyes used in recoloring faded taxidermy. After serving as Communications Co-Officer (2013-2014) and Professional Education & Training Co-Officer (2014-2015), she is now ECPN Chair (2015-2016).
Michelle Sullivan, Vice Chair
Michelle graduated with a BA in Art History and Studio Art from the University of California at Santa Barbara (2005). In August, she will earn an MS and CAS from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (2015), specializing in works on paper with a minor concentration photographic materials. Michelle has completed internships at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Gallery of Art. She will return to the Getty in September as a post-graduate fellow in the Department of Old Master drawings. Previously, Michelle has served as ECPN Regional Liaison to Southern California (2011-12), Graduate Program Liaison to the University of Delaware (2012-14), and Professional Education and Training Co-officer (2013-15).
Jessica Walthew, Professional Education and Training, Co-officer
Jessica holds a BA in Art History and Biology from Williams College (2009), with an MA in the History of Art and Archaeology with an Advanced Certificate in Conservation from The Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (2015). She has worked in the conservation departments of the American Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn Museum, The Frick Collection, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Penn Museum. Her research interests include theory and practice in archaeological and ethnographic conservation, best practices in documentation, and technical research in art history and archaeology. In fall 2015 she will begin an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship at The Metropolitan Museum of Art researching the intersection of textiles and objects conservation practices in the Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas.
Elyse Driscoll, Professional Education and Training Co-officer
Elyse is Assistant Paper Conservator at the Brooklyn Museum. She holds a BFA in Drawing from Pratt Institute and an MA and CAS in Art Conservation with a specialization in works on paper from Buffalo State College (2014). Her training included internships at the Morgan Library & Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Williamstown Art Conservation Center. This is Elyse’s first year serving ECPN.
Alexa Beller, Communications Co-officer
Alexa holds a BA in History, a BFA in Painting, and a minor in Chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2013). She is currently a second year graduate fellow at the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation and is focusing her studies on paintings conservation. Alexa has had pre-program jobs and internships at the University of Illinois Library Conservation Unit, The Spurlock Museum, the Chicago History Museum, in the private paintings conservation practice of Ria German-Carter, and Architectural Conservation Inc as well as a graduate internship at the Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Art. She previously served as the ECPN Regional Liaison for the San Francisco Bay Area (2013-2014).
Rebecca Gridley, Communications Co-officer
Rebecca holds a BA in Art History from Yale University (2009). She is entering her third year at The Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, where she is specializing in objects conservation. Prior to graduate school, she worked for three years as a National Account Manager at The Conservation Center in Chicago and completed pre-program work at Art Conservation Group and Cranmer Art Group, private practices in New York with respective specialties in objects conservation and modern and contemporary paintings conservation. She recently completed an internship at The Museum of Modern Art, and is interning at The Frick Collection this summer. This is Rebecca’s first year serving ECPN.
Anne Schaffer, Outreach Co-officer
Anne Schaffer earned her BA in Visual Art and Chemistry from Bennington College (2011), with additional coursework at Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy. She has held pre-program internships at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Williamstown Art Conservation Center, Higgins Armory Museum, and Baltimore Museum of Art, in addition to work in private practice. Anne completed a graduate summer internship in 2014 at ICA – Art Conservation in Cleveland, OH and is spending the summer of 2015 at the Menil Collection in Houston, TX before beginning her third year graduate fellowship at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Anne expects to earn her MA and CAS in Art Conservation with a paintings specialization from Buffalo State College in 2016. This is her second year serving as an Outreach Co-Officer for ECPN.
Kimi Taira, Outreach Co-officer
Kimi has a BA in Studio Art from Mills College (2008) and is finishing her degree with the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, specializing in paper with a minor in library and archival materials. Her interests include conservation ethics, community-centered preservation initiatives, and the relationship between tangible and intangible heritage. She has worked various conservation positions and internships at Zukor Art Conservation, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. She is completing her third-year internship at the Cleveland Museum of Art and will continue as their Kress Fellow. This is Kimi’s first year serving ECPN.

It looks as if money is being put before cultural heritage

It takes years to restore one of the painted caves at Dunhuang, China. Even after restoration, that cave will be endangered by the presence of visitors who raise the temperature, carbon dioxide level, and humidity inside of it. Yet, according to The New York Times (“Plan for Theme Park at Centuries-Old Chinese Caves Rattles Preservationists”, by Edward Wong, June 16, 2015), officials from Gansu Province working with a company in Beijing have developed a plan to build a huge theme park near the caves, bringing thousands more tourists to the already overcrowded site. It would seem that the officials have been swayed by the idea of huge amounts of tourist money and are putting that before cultural heritage.

The authorship of a Rembrandt painting is settled thanks to conservation research

According to an article in The New York Times’ arts section (“Disputed Painting is Declared a Rembrandt”, by Nina Siegal, June 10, 2015), after eight years of examination and research by its conservators, the Mauritshaus recently declared as an autograph work of Rembrandt its “Saul and David”. The painting entered the museum as a Rembrandt in 1898, but was downgraded to “Rembrandt Studio” in 1969 after the scholar Horst Gerson questioned it. It’s a Rembrandt again and the Mauritshaus has developed an exhibit around the forensic examination of the work.