The sustainability of museum energy use

“Until a decade ago, sustainability and museums were rarely spoken in the same sentence,” states architect Joyce S. Lee (FAIA, LEED Fellow) in her article Energy Star Score for Museums: You can manage what you measure.  The AIC Sustainability Committee formed ten years ago as the Green Task Force in order to provide resources regarding environmentally sustainable practices to the conservation community.  Early research topics included LED lighting refinements, revised temperature and relative humidity HVAC set standards, as well as discussions about the conservator’s role (as advocate for the collections) during capital building projects.  Collaboration with allied professionals, such as architects and engineers, has proven essential.  A new phase of assessment has begun with the Museum ENERGY STAR project, which seeks to identify energy use improvements from data provided by museums of all sizes, types, and geographic regions.  Read further on how your museum can take part. – AIC Sustainability Committee

 

Sustainability Committee seeks new Professional Member

AIC Sustainability Committee Seeks New Professional Member

Term: June 2018 – May 2020

The Sustainability Committee seeks a new professional member to join our dynamic, interdisciplinary team. The position is open to anyone in the profession including interim year members, Associates, PAs, and Fellows from any conservation specialty.

Committee goals:  

  • Provide resources for AIC members and other caretakers of cultural heritage regarding sustainable approaches to all aspects of the conservation practice. Resources may be provided via electronic media, workshops, publications and presentations.  
  • Define research topics and suggest working groups as needed to explore sustainable conservation practices and new technologies.

Note: The SC is working to expand our focus to include economic and social sustainability, whereas in the past we have focused on environmental sustainability.

Membership Parameters:

  • The committee is comprised of 8 voting members.
  • Members serve for two years, with an additional two-year term option.
  • One member is a conservation graduate student.
  • One member serves as chair for two years.
  • During the second year of the chair’s term, another member serves as chair designate, assisting with and learning the chair’s responsibilities.
  • As needed, corresponding (non-voting) members and non-AIC experts will be invited to guide research on special topics.

Tasks:

  • Monthly telephone conference calls with the committee members.
  • Participate in researching and writing group presentations, publications, blog posts, and social media posts.
  • Research, write and edit the AIC Wiki Sustainability pages.
  • Contribute to development and planning for the Sustainability Session at the AIC Annual Meeting.
  • Initiate and support committee projects to increase awareness of sustainable practices in the conservation community.
  • Collaborate with related committees, networks, and working groups.

To Apply:

Please submit a statement of purpose (1 page maximum length) and resume by March 1, 2018 to Geneva Griswold, Committee Chair, at sustainability(at)conservation-us.org with “Call For Members Application” in the subject line.

AIC Sustainability Committee Seeks New Student Member

AIC Sustainability Committee Seeks New Student Member

Term: June 2017 – May 2019

The Sustainability Committee seeks a new student member to join our dynamic, interdisciplinary team. This one-year, potentially renewable position is open to current graduate students, including those in their internship year.

Committee Goals:

  • Provide resources for AIC members and other caretakers of cultural heritage regarding environmentally sustainable approaches to preventive care and other aspects of conservation practice. Resources may be provided via electronic media, workshops, publications and presentations
  • Define research topics and suggest working groups as needed to explore sustainable conservation practices and new technologies

Tasks:

  • Monthly telephone conference calls with the committee members
  • Coordinate the Sustainability Committee booth at the AIC Annual Meeting, with the assistance of professional committee members as needed
  • Research, write and edit the AIC Wiki Sustainability pages
  • Participate in researching and writing any group presentations, publications, blogs, and social media posts.
  • Collaborate with related committees, networks, and working groups
  • Serve as liaison between the Sustainability Committee and the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network

Membership Parameters:

  • The committee is comprised of 8 voting members
  • Members serve for two years with an additional two-year term as an option
  • One member is a conservation graduate student
  • One member serves as chair for two years
  • During the second year of the chair’s term, another member serves as chair designate, assisting with and learning the chair’s responsibilities
  • As needed, corresponding (non-voting) members and non-AIC experts will be invited to guide research on special topics

To Apply:

Please submit a statement of purpose (1 page maximum length) and resume by May 15, 2017 to:

Geneva Griswold, Committee Vice-Chair (geneva.griswold@gmail.com)

 

AIC Sustainability Committee Seeks New Professional Member

AIC Sustainability Committee Seeks New Professional Member

Term: June 2017 – May 2019

The Sustainability Committee seeks a new professional member to join our dynamic, interdisciplinary team. The position is open to interim year members, Associates, PAs, and Fellows from any conservation specialty.

Committee goals:

  • Provide resources for AIC members and other caretakers of cultural heritage regarding environmentally sustainable approaches to preventive care and other aspects of conservation practice. Resources may be provided via electronic media, workshops, publications and presentations  
  • Define research topics and suggest working groups as needed to explore sustainable conservation practices and new technologies

Tasks:

  • Monthly telephone conference calls with the committee member.
  • Research, write, and edit the AIC Wiki Sustainability pages
  • Participate in researching and writing group presentations, publications, blog posts,
    and social media posts
  • Contribute to development of and plan for the Sustainability Session at the AIC
    Annual Meeting
  • Initiate and support committee projects to increase awareness of sustainable practices
    in the conservation community
  • Collaborate with related AIC committees, networks, and working groups

Membership Parameters:

  • The committee is comprised of 8 voting members
  • Members serve for two years with an additional two-year term as an option
  • One member is a conservation graduate student
  • One member serves as chair for two years
  • During the second year of the chair’s term, another member serves as chair designate, assisting with and learning the chair’s responsibilities
  • As needed, corresponding (non-voting) members and non-AIC experts will be invited to guide research on special topics

To Apply:

Please submit a statement of purpose (1 page maximum length) and resume by May 15, 2017 to:

Geneva Griswold, Committee Vice-Chair (geneva.griswold@gmail.com)

Call for Submissions – Sustainability Committee Tips Session

Call for Submissions – Sustainability Committee Tips Session 
45th Annual AIC Meeting May 28 – June 1, 2017 in Chicago, IL
The Sustainability Committee of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) invites submissions for its sixth annual session at the 45th Annual Meeting, in Chicago from May 28 to June 1, 2017.
Do you choose solvents because they have minimal toxicological effects? Have you found ways to minimize solvent use? Can your mannequins be reused and retrofitted from one exhibition to another? When making a new frame for a painting, is it made from sustainably harvested wood? Do you reuse shipping crates? Do you recycle gloves or other lab supplies? Get creative!!
The Sustainability Session will use a Lightning-Round Tip format to explore this year’s theme, “Treatment 2017: Innovation in Conservation and Collection Care.”
We invite abstracts that explore sustainability within conservation specialties (archaeological, architecture, book and paper, electronic media, objects, paintings, photographic, textiles, wooden artifacts). We also invite abstracts that explore sustainability within collections care, health and safety, research and technical studies, as well as how you incorporate sustainability into your private practice.
Tips will be grouped into blocks with a Q&A component.
The deadline for submission of abstracts is Friday March 31, 2017.
Please submit abstracts via email to sustainability@conservation-us.org .
Abstracts are not to exceed 500 words, not including title or biographical information.
All abstracts should be submitted in English.

Sustainability Committee: Call for Professional Member

AIC Sustainability Committee Seeks New Professional Member
Term: October 2016 – May 2018
The Sustainability Committee seeks a new professional member to join our dynamic, interdisciplinary team. The position is open to interim year members, Associates, PAs, and Fellows from any conservation specialty.
Committee goals:

  • Provide resources for AIC members and other caretakers of cultural heritage regarding environmentally sustainable approaches to preventive care and other aspects of conservation practice. Resources may be provided via electronic media, workshops, publications and presentations.
  • Define research topics and suggest working groups as needed to explore sustainable conservation practices and new technologies.

Membership Parameters:

  • The committee is comprised of 8 voting members.
  • Members serve for two years, with an additional two-year term option.
  • One member is a conservation graduate student.
  • One member serves as chair for two years.
  • During the second year of the chair’s term, another member serves as chair designate, assisting with and learning the chair’s responsibilities.
  • As needed, corresponding (non-voting) members and non-AIC experts will be invited to guide research on special topics.

Tasks:

  • Monthly telephone conference calls with the committee members.
  • Research, write and edit the AIC Wiki Sustainability pages.
  • Participate in researching and writing group presentations, publications, blog posts, and social media posts.
  • Contribute to development and planning for the Sustainability Session at the AIC Annual Meeting.
  • Initiate and support committee projects to increase awareness of sustainable practices in the conservation community.
  • Collaborate with related committees, networks, and working groups.

To Apply:
Please submit a statement of purpose (1 page maximum length) and resume by September 21, 2016 to Melissa Tedone, Committee Chair, at mtedon@winterthur.org.
 

44th Annual Meeting, May 14th, "Ferrous Attractions: The Science Behind the Magic" by Gwen Spicer

The workshop Ferrous Attractions: The Science Behind the Magic was led by Gwen Spicer (Spicer Art Conservation, LLC) and Van Wood (Small Corp Inc.).  The program was outlined in three sections: introduction to the magnetic system, hands-on testing, and a brief summary of testing results.
The magnetic system includes four components:

  • the strength of the magnet,
  • the type of ferromagnetic material receiving the magnet,
  • the space between them (occupied by the artwork),
  • and gap materials (those in contact with the artwork: fabric, Mylar, twill, batting, paper, or suede).

Magnetic systems can be assembled in several different ways:

  • Two-part (point fastener): magnet/magnet or magnet/ferromagnetic material.
  • Three-part (sandwich): ferromagnetic material/magnet/ferromagnetic material or magnet/magnet/ferromagnetic material.
  • Large area pressure: flexible magnet/ferromagnetic material or magnetic slat/ferromagnetic material.

The ferromagnetic material, commonly 24 gauge steel, is called a “soft magnet” because it is magnetized in the presence of a permanent magnet.
Conservators typically use neodymium permanent magnets. Neodymium magnets are considered the strongest, yet their sourcing is ethically problematic – details of their mining and trade were addressed in Gwen’s 2015 AIC Sustainability session talk.  This table compares other types of magnets you may encounter.
Hands on testing was done in pairs using a wooden jig, bucket, weights, and a kit of various magnets, metals, and gap materials. The test: choose a type of magnetic system, suspend the bucket, and fill it until the system fails (ie. the bucket drops).  Images of the jig and testing results from a previous workshop are found on Gwen’s blog.

Many factors influence the strength of a permanent magnet including:

  • shape (disc/cylinder, sphere, block, ring)
  • size (diameter, thickness)
  • grade (“strength” of the magnet – the higher the N# the stronger – N42 and N52 are common)
  • pull force (force required to separate the magnet from steel or another magnet)
  • pole orientation (axial or diametrically magnetized)
  • Curie temperature (temperature at which the magnet is demagnetized)
  • intrinsic coercive force (resistance to demagnetization).

K & J Magnetics Inc. discusses these aspects in detail in their blog and glossary. They also offer a Magnetic Pull Force Calculator to aid in selecting magnets for appropriate use!
Tips from the summary discussion:

  • Do not use hot glue or irons near magnets because the heat can demagnetize them. For example, the Curie temperature for neodymium magnets is considered low: 310-400 degrees Celsius.
  • Do not put cell phone near strong magnets!

Magnets –

  • Axial magnetic attraction is stronger than diametric (side to side) attraction. Always check the pole orientation when purchasing.
  • Match your magnets! Magnets of similar diameter and pull force will behave the most regularly. Magnets that differ by more than 1/8″ diameter will slip because the magnetic field is not evenly distributed.
  • Neodymium magnets corrode easily and therefore require a coating. They are brittle and chip easily. They are hard to demagnetize, but they can easily demagnetize other magnets!
  • Three-part systems are the strongest. Magnets can be bundled to increase pull force.
    • Is the pull force additive or logarithmic?

Ferromagnetic materials –

  • Steel powders were deemed ineffective by the group overall – you need A LOT of it.
  • 24 gauge steel is the sweet spot – higher gauge steel is only minimally stronger.
  • Using a thinner magnet on the artifact surface and a thicker one behind reduces the total pull force of the two magnets.
  • Beware of steel washers. The hole significantly reduces the pull force and causes the magnet to slip.

Gap materials –

  • The best gap material is decidedly Benchmark suede (to cover the magnets) due to the suede’s friction and slight give – better than Mylar or cotton. Polyester batting was the worst because the gap is too big.
    • What is the optimal or minimal gap for your magnetic system?

Gwen Spicer is writing a book on magnets in conservation, supported by the AIC Kress publication fellowship. If you have a Case Study you would like to share, please get in touch!
 

AIC 2016 Call for Papers: Sustainability

AIC’s Sustainability Committee Session at the joint AIC and CAC-ACCR Annual Meeting
Montreal, Quebec
May 13-17, 2016
The Sustainability Committee of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) invites submissions for its session at the 44th AIC Annual Meeting, held jointly with the 42nd Annual Canadian Association for Conservation (CAC-ACCR) Conference, in Montreal, Canada from May 13-17, 2016.
The theme for the meeting is “Preparing for Disasters and Confronting the Unexpected in Conservation”.
Abstracts on the general topic of sustainability in conservation practice are welcome, as well as submissions related to the meeting’s theme of disaster preparedness, recovery, and unexpected challenges faced when approaching the conservation of cultural property from a sustainable perspective. The theme of the annual meeting is particularly relevant when considering the relationship between sustainable practices and climate change- induced environmental challenges. Submissions that inspire lively discussion are encouraged.
The deadline for submission of abstracts is Monday, September 14, 2015
Please submit abstracts online at: https://aic.secure-platform.com/a/
Please see the full submission guidelines at: http://www.conservation-us.org/annual-meeting/submit-an-abstract#.VbjIi_lViko

43rd Annual Meeting- Research and Technical Studies, May 16, The Technical Study and (Re-)Restoration of a Limoges painted Enamel Plaque, by Gregory Bailey

Gregory Bailey, Assistant Conservator of Objects at The Walters Art Museum, detailed the technical and historically-sensitive characterization of restorations on a Limoges painted enamel plaque at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (32.100.263), undertaken to correct the object and its record.
In this case, the correction required was literal. The oval plaque depicts Diana and Proserpina in a nocturnal scene, encircled by a border inscription. The object was accessioned by the museum in 1931 and thereafter underwent several treatment campaigns, during which repainting of the border yielded the nonsensical phrase “ESTES PARVBIQVITE.” Curatorial research identified the original motto as “POTESTAS PAR VBIQVE,” and Greg’s task was to restore this motto to the border.
To do so, he masked the incorrect text rather than replaced it. The mask was made by casting Orasol-toned HXTAL epoxy into a two-part transparent PVC mold. The PVC mold was created using a dental vacuum former over a cast plaster mold of the enamel area. Once cured, the epoxy was removed, trimmed, and adhered with Paraloid B-72 over the restoration at the plaque’s rim. The final fill is therefore removable with very little solvent, and the correct (original) motto was inpainted with acrylics. Simply over-painting the text would have compromised the solvent-sensitive 19th-century restoration areas, and erased this campaign from the plaque’s history.
Technical analyses that preceded this treatment provide information about the original and restoration materials, as well as their working methods. The plaque is composed of opaque and transparent enamels over a  copper support, with surfaces partially silvered and gilt.
Greg notes that reflected long wave ultraviolet photography is not often used in object examination because it requires special quartz optics. The technique is useful for painted enamels because certain colorants and enamel compositions are partially or completely transparent to UV radiation, yielding information about the layered structure and sequence of enamel application . For example, the cobalt blues and lavender enamels on the plaque appear transparent under such radiation, making visible the underlying painted enamel structures and the silver foils. Short wave ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence photography shows some fluorescence of the lead containing enamel colors, and of the restoration varnish. Long wave ultraviolet induced fluorescence shows the restoration varnish more clearly, as many early varnishes fluoresce bright green, suggesting the presence of a natural resin. (This plaque was also varnished in 1993 with dammar, also a natural resin, whose florescence instead appears faint milky blue due to the addition of light stabilizers to the varnish). Reflected near infrared photography shows the layered structure of cold painted restoration enamel, as again, certain enamel compositions and colorants are more transparent to infrared than others (ex. reds, yellows, oranges). Typically, those transparent to ultraviolet radiation are different from those transparent to infrared, making the two reflected radiation techniques complimentary. Greg also notes that reflected infrared is good for identifying cracks in counter enamel because cuprite often forms along these divides, which reflects strongly in the infrared range.
X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) was used to signal compositional differences between the original and fill enamel materials. Generally, the restoration enamels contain a significant lead component as compared to the original enamel. The white restoration enamel contains lead arsenate, not in use until the 18th-century, and tin oxide as opacifiers. The green and blue restoration enamels contain chromium, a colorant not utilized in enamels before the 19th-century. The pink flesh tones contain zinc, which is associated with pink and red 19th-century enamels, but may have also been used as a low melting point flux of thin wash applied over the white enamel.  Lastly, the translucent restoration red enamel is colored in part by antimony oxide, rather than the traditional use of copper oxide reds.
All of the restoration enamels are similar in composition and were likely applied during the same 19th-century campaign; however, different application methods were likely used.  X-radiography illustrates a solder seam concealed by varnish at the lower edge where new enamel was laid over the copper support, which was then a common structural repair method. Elsewhere, however, enamel patches are set into losses over silver foil that appear neither soldered nor scored. These may have been painted and fired in place, cold painted in place, or painted and fired separately and then adhered in place. Greg notes that the plethora of active enamel restorers in the 19th-century surely led to the evolution of new restoration techniques. This plaque serves as an example and impetus to further document such developments.
Greg’s talk serves as a reminder that our understanding of an object, even one fortunate enough to have been previously treated and studied, is ever-evolving with the application of new analytical technologies and refreshed methodologies such as those expertly used here.
 

43rd Annual Meeting- Joint Session: Architecture and Wooden Artifacts, May 14, The Salon Doré from the Hôtel de La Trémoille: Conservation of the 18th Century gilded boiserie, by Natasa Morovic

Natasa Morovic, Conservator of Frames and Gilded Surfaces at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), addressed the conference theme Practical Philosophy, or Making Conservation Work in her presentation of the immense gilding project undertaken over 16 months in an 18th-century period room, the Salon Doré, at the Legion of Honor.
The Salon Doré was designed as a receiving room for guests in the Hôtel de La Trémoille (a family mansion) in Paris, but has since existed in six different locations and seven re-configurations. The Salon was donated to FAMSF in 1959 by the Richard Rheem family (of HVAC fame) and first displayed at the Legion of Honor in 1962.  The room was reinstalled in 1996 as a ‘paneled environment’; that is, without its ceiling, window, doors, or floor. The original parquet floor was sold in the 1990s. Indeed, museum period rooms in this era often served as backdrops in which to display French objects and furniture not specifically related to the rooms’ histories. The re-presentation of the Salon Doré in 2012-2014 sought to revise this approach.
The Salon was returned from a rectangular to a square format based on original floor plans. A second 18th-century parquet floor, coved ceiling, windows, furniture, and new lighting were installed. Meanwhile, Natasa’s team was responsible for the conservation of the Salon’s gilt white oak paneling, or boiserie, including five dedo panels, four doors, four cornices with cast plaster ornaments, and high relief linden wood detailing.
Two hundred separate sections of gilt wood were deinstalled and relocated to an adjacent gallery turned temporary conservation lab, in view of the public. Visitors were thrilled to see the work in progress, remarking “you are our favorite exhibit!”   iPad didactics introducing the conservation treatment steps and illustrating the Salon’s epic history were available in the galleries (see a preview here and don’t miss the French accent in the Kid’s Corner).
A dozen gilders, conservators, technicians, architects, electricians, and a master carver worked in the open lab daily. Accommodation of all the large paneling, work benches, and people within a tight space was challenging. All treatment steps had to be executed simultaneously due deadlines, with no running water and limited electrical. Gilding efforts were impacted by dust from the adjacent construction area, which quickly settled on the prepared surfaces, and drafts that caused the gold leaf to fly.
The condition of the Salon’s carving and gilding was extensively compromised by the room’s repeated moves, resulting in differing surface finishes as well as mold damage. Two gilding and inpainting campaigns were present: water gilding over orange-red bolle over gesso, water gilding over dark red bolle over new gesso, as well as brass powder and acrylic inpainting.
The treatment objective sought to preserve as much historic surface as possible. No aqueous solutions were used during surface cleaning so as not to interrupt the water gilding. Natasa received several questions after the talk on what materials were used. Here are the particulars: shellac coatings were removed with ethanol poultices, overpaint and soiling were removed with acetone:ethanol mixtures, and paint stripper was sparingly used in tenacious areas of oxidized brass powder paint. Flaking gesso was consolidated with <25% Paraloid B-72 in acetone:ethanol. Flügger was used for small fills, over which traditional gesso and gilding was applied.
Larger wood fills were freshly carved, based off of existing ornaments in the room, and water-gilded so as to replace ‘like with like’ (though it is acknowledged that oil-gilding would have sped up the process). The majority of fills were gilt before attachment; however, in situ re-gilding, or in-gilding, was done where necessary to match adjacent surface conditions.
In total, $22,000 of gold leaf (11,500 leaves) and 27 gallons of acetone were used during the campaign. The result is a glowing re-presentation of the Salon Doré’s opulence, reflecting – quite literally, due to the mirrors, rock-crystal chandeliers, and gleaming gilding- its importance as one of the premier examples of French Neoclassical interior architecture in the United States.
(A quirky review of the Salon project with working images can be found here).