Sep 2010 CAC Bulletin 7.p65 - Canadian Association for Conservation

Transcription

CAC
ACCR
BULLETIN
Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property / Association canadienne pour la conservation et la restauration des biens culturels
SEPTEMBER 2010 SEPTEMBRE Vol. 35 No. 3 ISSN 1206-4653
Contents
Table des matières
Per Guldbeck Memorial Lecture
Présentation à la mémoire de Per
Guldbeck
1
President’s Letter
Lettre de la présidente
11
11
37th Annual CAC Conference
Call for Papers
37e Congrès Annuel de l'ACCR
Appel de Communication
2010 Grants and Awards Recipients
Récipiendaire des bourses et prix de
2010
2011 Grants and Awards
Bourses et prix 2011
Annual Grants
Bourses annuelles
1
http://www.cac-accr.ca
Per Guldbeck Memorial Lecture
Présentation à la mémoire de Per
Guldbeck
Creating A New History / Créer Une
Nouvelle Histoire
14
Gilbert Gignac
14
15
15
15
15
16
16
Across the Country - Dans tout le pays
Western Region -Région de l’Ouest 17
Editors’ Note
Note de la rédaction
19
19
Eastern Region - Région de l’Est 20
Society for the Preservation of
Natural History Collections Award 21
The Isabel Bader Fellowship in Textile
Conservation
21
Conferences and Training
Congrès et formation
22
22
Nous vivons dans une société qui saisit la valeur de la préservation et de
la conservation de notre culture. En fait, la conservation comme telle est
une de nos valeurs culturelles les plus omniprésentes, et à laquelle nous
attachons une signification. Une grande partie de nos enseignements et
de nos apprentissages consiste à informer la prochaine génération et à lui
donner la capacité de comprendre, de soutenir et de mettre en pratique
notre culture et ses valeurs. En tant que restaurateurs-conservateurs, nous
nous réunissons à un moment ou " l'état de la profession " est en crise, ce
qui est largement attribuable à l'appauvrissement des ressources
financières et humaines dans ce que nous appelons le " secteur du
patrimoine culturel ", ce qui a pour effet de réduire les services de
restauration-conservation, de menacer la sécurité d'emploi, de limiter les
possibilités de continuité d'emploi et de remettre en question le recrutement
et les programmes de formation de nouveaux restaurateurs-conservateurs.
Par ailleurs, tout ceci se déroule sans que le grand public, c'est-à-dire les
CAC Bulletin de l’ACCR Vol. 35 No. 3 September 2010 septembre
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contribuables canadiens, ou M. Tout-le-monde, soit
réellement au courant. En tant que Canadiens, nous
devons nous souvenir que la plus grande partie des
emplois de restauration-conservation de notre pays
est financée par les fonds publics.
Incontestablement, au cours des 50 dernières années,
les restaurateurs-conservateurs professionnels ont
tenté de définir, d'établir, de modeler et de remodeler
la topographie du domaine de la conservation de la
propriété culturelle au Canada, mais, malgré cette
évidente maturité et ce succès, certains secteurs de la
profession sont assaillis et la résistance de la profession est mise à l'épreuve. En raison des présents
dilemmes, nous devons faire preuve de vigilance et de
conscience. Quel est l'état de la profession
relativement au contexte social? De plus, quelle est la
relation entre les communautés dans lesquelles nous
vivons et la profession? Dans le monde dans lequel
nous vivons, les gens ont-ils conscience de l'existence
de la restauration-conservation?
La profession de restaurateur-conservateur doit-elle
s'extirper de son moule pour écrire une nouvelle
histoire? Il est important d'être attentif aux points de
vue et avis partagés dans le domaine de la
restauration-conservation, afin de demeurer
concentrés sur le sujet lors des discussions
concernant ces questions clés. La clarté de la perspective, bien qu'elle ne soit pas toujours facile à
atteindre, est essentielle.
I'm honoured to be invited to present the Per Guldbeck
lecture at this 2010 Annual CAC Conference in Ottawa.
My remarks today are strictly personal and based on my
work experience with conservation for the care of works
of art in the Library and Archives Canada.
Should Joe Care? Is the intriguing title of your special
deliberation tomorrow afternoon.
I think this is one of the most fundamental images about
conservation that expresses the very reality that "Conservation is an inherent cultural value.' Meet Joe Public, or
as I like to call her/him, the "Original Conservator."
You identify yourselves as a group of professionals who
care for cultural property. But what does that mean in
the world we live in today? Conservators recognize that
their work is a highly sophisticated specialization with a
relatively narrow framework of activities in the world we
live in. Should that framework be enlarged? If so, how?
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Indian Mother and Child
If, once upon a time, "Joe Public" asked you what you did
for a living, and you spent a couple of minutes summarily
explaining to him/her the complex ramifications of your
"professional conservation work," he/she would likely
respond: "Oh! I see. You fix stuff in a museum."
Equating the playing field, Joe responds sympathetically:
"Well isn't that the way things always are!" and tells you
how he too: "…has to fix stuff up all the time," and tells
you his story about how he had to fixed the jammed lock
on his garage door, to get the car out, to get to a wedding. How he had just finished fixing the attachment for
the humidifier on the furnace but didn't have the right
screwdriver for the door, so had to run up to the hardware store. Then he observes: "Can you imagine they
make these damn doors out of plastic nowadays! And
one of the kids busted a hole in the door with her bike,
just above the door handle", and how he had: "duck-taped
it, but the rain got in, and now its all rusted and jammed,
and the stupid plastic door wouldn't open. I'm telling you,
it's just one thing after another. Thank God I finally got it
to open… and we missed the wedding ceremony, but we
had lots of fun at the reception, Mary drank too much
and the kids were falling asleep, so we came home. And
now… the garage door won't close!"
Now, as practicing professional conservators, you clearly
see the wide divide between your pristine professional
conservation culture as "fixer-upper" and Joe's culture as
"fixer upper." Joe's conservation culture is out there in
the world and it's pretty messy. But yet, in spite of this,
you are able to see the parallels and similarities between
those two seemingly different experiences of the intersection of conservation of preservation action in our very
material world.
"Culture" signifies what we "value," both physical and
spiritual. We hold and care for what we value, in turn we
value and care for what we hold. It is we who activate
and invest our world with designated meanings that are
qualified and quantified, whose validity resonates and is
tested through our living. Our values are fluid and transient. Some are transformed, displaced or replaced or
discarded. Some vanish. In perceiving this phenomenon in
ourselves and in others we come to define our "culture."
-We choose to sustain our values through education,
places of learning: families, schools, workplaces, universities, institutes, libraries, archives, museums.
- We also choose to hold and protect, preserve and
conserve the record of our society in all of its aspects,
and transmit our culture - our values - through space and
time to the next generation. We value the institution of
Archives and discipline of History to this end.
- We choose to maintain our culture and values by transmitting them to the next generation through education - places
of knowledge and learning: such as families, communities,
schools, universities, archives, libraries, museums.
Thus we are a society that values the preservation and
conservation of our culture.
"CULTURE IS WHAT WE VALUE"
Just before I retired, I explored this notion in a conservation context with a dozen conservators, in an experimental exercise that re-examined past conservation treatments of sketchbooks and albums from the Archives
collections. It was an exercise to heighten awareness of
not only the performance of conservation, but also the
conduct of conservation and try make visible the dormant
Viewpoint of Conservation.
How can we begin to answer the question: Is Conservation
still valued today? Let's take a brief look at some values.
- In our living together, we "Joe Public" value the individual and our society - see our Charter of Human Rights
and Freedoms, see our laws, our courts.
- For our greater good, we "Joe Public" choose to live in
a responsible democratic society, with duly elected
representatives who conduct the governance of the
business of life at all levels, community, municipal,
provincial, national.
- Furthermore, we "Joe Public" choose to live as a
society structured by organizations that embody and
articulate all of the welfare or business of life in our
society - families, health, education, learning, law and
order, punishment, spiritual beliefs, religion, finance,
resources, industry, manufactures, commerce, transportation, communication, expression, - you name it; our
society is organized "into smaller interrelated worlds."
- It is we who invest our organizations, our institutions,
with the authority and mandate to perform and articulate
the business of life as we value it - ultimately they serve
all of us. Such is not always the perception.
"CONSERVATION IS A PERVASIVE
CULTURAL VALUE"
In fact, conservation itself is one of our more pervasive
cultural values which we invest with meanings. A large
part of our teaching and learning is to inform and enable
the next generation to understand, uphold and exercise
our culture and all of its values. And each cultural
organization has a mandate to thrive for our greater good,
for you, me, Joe.
As Conservators we now convene at a time when the
state of the conservation profession is in crisis, widely
attributed to diminishing financial and human resources…
in what we call the "cultural heritage sector" which
depletes conservation services, threatens job security,
weakens job continuity, and jeopardizes recruiting and
training programs of new conservation professionals.
Furthermore, that all this is happening with too little
awareness by the greater public, that is, our fellow taxpaying Canadians, Joe Public. As Canadians, it's important to remember that the greater part of conservation
practice in our country is subsidized by the public purse,
from which private conservators also benefit and profit.
It is undeniable, that over the past 50 years, this body of
Professional Conservators has tried to define, establish,
shape and reshape the topography of the conservation of
cultural property in Canada, which impact is also felt
abroad. In spite of this manifest maturity and success,
certain quarters of the profession are being assailed and
the profession's resilience is being tested - a generation
of conservators is now retiring. And resources for
succession planning are not forthcoming. There is only
one opportunity in succession planning, if missed, the
consequences to future generations are immeasurable.
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It is not my place to magically offer you a book of facile,
ready-made solutions to all the challenges faced by the
profession at this time. However, in light of these
present dilemmas, we need to exercise vigilance with
heightened awareness.
What is the state of the Conservation Profession in relation
to its broader social context? In turn, what is the relationship between the social communities we live in and the
Conservation Profession? Is conservation well conducted
in our societies across the country? Is the Conservation
sphere at all perceived in the world we live in?
My ultimate question to you this morning is this:
Must the Conservation Profession break out of
character to create a new history?
I think it is important to be mindful of common ground
and shared bases of conservation's endeavors, in order to
stay focused when discussing these relevant issues.
Clarity of perspective, although not easy to achieve at
times, is essential.
Per Guldbeck certainly understood the need for clarity of
perspective in Conservation. He was conscious that
information overload hampered not only clarity of vision
but also effectiveness in communication. He worked
hard to express his ideas with clarity.
In 1972, in his little book The Care of Historical Collections: A Handbook for the Nonspecialist. (I particularly like to quote from Guldbeck's book, because he
wrote it for Joe Public.) Guldbeck stated a conservation
precept that served me well in my work over the years.
He wrote:
"In considering the practice of conservation, remember that no matter what the present interpretive
philosophy of your museum, the collection is its core.
Only by proper concern for your artifacts will you be
able to maintain your integrity as a professional."
Guldbeck's statement encapsulates - the philosophy,
science and art of the conservation of a collection of
material objects.
An immediate example of its manifestation is the nature of
the two workshops being given as part of this conference,
on materials of feathers and plastics. But is this the only
aspect of what Guldbeck signified as "proper concern."
Just a note in passing: CCI opened its doors in 1972-73, the
same year Guldbeck's book was published. Guldbeck, was
American of Scandinavian decent, born in Colorado, who
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worked at CCI for 3 years, before moving on to the Ontario
Region of Parks Canada to establish the conservation
program there … he died prematurely in 1979 at age 55.
Ten years later, in 1983, Bruce MacLeish, present
Director of Collection, at The Newport Restoration
Foundation, Newport, Rhode Island, revised and expanded Guldbeck's book, The title was tweaked as The
Care of Antiques and Historical Collections… and in his
introduction MacLeish states:
"This recasting of Per's work in his earlier book is therefore not a refutation of it, but an adaptation to the more
conservative viewpoint prevailing today…by providing
[objects with] proper environment and handling."
MacLeish stated the second Conservation precept: that
of preventive conservation - proper environment and
handling. An example of this precept is the rise of the
Preservation Center in Gatineau
EQUILIBRIUM
Object/intervention - Environment/prevention
Guldbeck/MacLeish brought greater emphasis to the
intertwined relationship between intervention and prevention and how the one tempers the other in equilibrium.
Today that's Conservation 101.
"In considering the practice of conservation,
remember that no matter what the present interpretive philosophy of your museum, the collection
is its core.
Only by proper concern for your artifacts will you be
able to maintain your integrity as a professional."
Guldbeck, 1972
"This recasting of Per's work in his earlier book is
therefore not a refutation of it, but an adaptation to
the more conservative VIEWPOINT prevailing
today… by providing [objects with] proper environment and handling."
MacLeish, 1983, 1995
What really intrigued me further however, was that both
point out the unstable, transient and shifting nature of the
world in which our seemingly immutable and unperturbed
Conservation science and art is conducted in [changing]
interpretive philosophies… and new viewpoints.
The authors recognize that the Art and Science of
Conservation does not stand alone in isolation, but
performed in concert with others, and that it is conducted
in the world in a specific context. They did not use the
word "context," perhaps because it seemed too passive a
term, to adequately express the energetic aspects of the
dynamic "force" of so complex a reality.
vation? The Viewpoint of Conservation is addressed in
the Code of Ethics, a text that could serve as the very
foundation for much intelligent discussion.
VIEWPOINT
Let's briefly look at two different Conservation Viewpoints to see if we can detect any shared common
ground - that of a large institution, like Library and
Archives Canada and the institution that is "Joe Public".
In keeping with the Guldbeck/MacLeish thinking, let's
refer to the intersection of Conservation with others and
how conservation is conducted in the world as the
Conservation Viewpoint.
Viewpoint is the intersection of Conservation with others
and how conservation is conducted in the world. Viewpoint is the road conservation travels in an institution or
organization where it is conducted.
Viewpoint is shaped by numerous variables, which makes
it a very slippery fish to hold onto and discuss - variables
such as, types of objects/artifacts, types of collections, of
environments, conservation needs, types of institutions,
directorial and curatorial staff, organizational infrastructures, programs, management, policies, financial
resources, conservators and conservation services,
conservation management, conservation science support,
museum building or historic site, conservation training,
and so on. Change one variable and it's a whole new ball
game or Viewpoint. A specific combination of these
variables creates a fairly unique Conservation Viewpoint,
like a finger print.
In my own work experience, I lived the part of a specific
Conservation Viewpoint at the Archives. Rather than call it
Library and Archives Canada, let's call this a "Viewpoint"
At first encounter, one is impressed, even intimidated by its
monumental scale. It's big, its buildings are gigantic, its
diverse collections that include every imaginable media are
massive (some are actually measured in kilometers), its
budget is over 100 million and comes from the public
purse, its staff is enormous (approx. 1100 employees) Its
functional / organizational structure is reflected in the three
pillars of its mandate, ACQUISITION, CONSERVATION, ACCESS - to acquire significant documents and
records of every aspect of our culture and preserve them
for the use of Canadians now, and future generations.
Its conservation engine is huge. Its Conservation mandate is legislated by the Library Archives Canada Act.
Here are just a few of the variables that shape its
Conservation Viewpoint as a Library and Archives,
Collections Management point of view Policy states that:
Conservation principles, methods and guidelines inform
and permeate every activity of the three organizational
pillars of Archives and Library.
I'm not telling you something you don't already know.
Perhaps I may be searching for a way of expressing
these ideas more vividly. Our conservation educators are
teaching conservation students to be aware of these
aspects of Conservation. Indeed, a few years ago I
found myself invited to speak to Queen's conservation
students about working in conservation in a large,
complex institution such as Library and Archives Canada
- to speak on its Conservation Viewpoint.
PRESERVE - Through proper housing, and storage
in appropriate environments. TREATMENT TO
BE CARRIED OUT ONLY WHEN documents and
records ARE USED. This is where most of the
work of the Professional Conservator is inscribed.
Like many others, in her 2004 CCI lecture and in her book:
Managing Conservation in Museums (1996-2002)
Suzanne Keene focuses on Conservation Viewpoint - with
a particular focus on Collection Management and also on
the intersection of collections and communities.
Conservators respond to demands for use of collections internal demands for digital reproduction, research and
publication and online website use
external demands such as, loans, exhibitions, reproduction, and requests for consultation
The performance of the Art and Science of Conservation
in the lab is fairly well mastered, but how Conservation is
conducted is less understood and not as well mastered.
Why is that?
Request for consultation defines its mandate to serve Joe public - by providing access and making records
available to him/her for consultation.
After 50 years of establishing the practice, the performance of the art and science of conservation, have we
neglected to be as diligent about the conduct of conserCAC Bulletin de l’ACCR Vol. 35 No. 3 September 2010 septembre
Although historical records are to be used in the present,
they are simultaneously preserved for future generations.
Here we find another of its defining characteristics,
continuity through space and time.
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Fulfilling this mandate lies in the successful articulation of
its tri-part mission.
We can also recognize in this skeletal description the basic
components of the mandates of a great many "cultural"
institutions, where the art and science of conservation is
practiced - galleries, historic sites, museums, libraries,
archives, located in our communities, towns and cities. A
zone we tend to identify as "Heritage"
We place in trust the Heritage of our nation into the
hands of a politician, the Minister for Heritage (and
advisers). As goes the elected representatives carrying
that portfolio so goes the cultural institutions of the
country. You need only study the debacle of the former
National Museums of Canada 1968-88, to see how
horribly wrong things can go - at a time we thought was
our "age of enlightenment." That's history…
JOE PUBLIC
COLLECT
- become aware
- collects means to live physically
and spiritually
PRESERVE - secures, houses, maintains,
conserves
TRANSMIT - to next generation
Let's look at another institution or "viewpoint" - the
institution of the family that I like to call the "original
conservators" of the world also known to all of us as "Joe."
- Families who find and collect the necessities to sustain
life - with all of its material ramifications and spiritual
dimensions: Joe's "cultural property".
ground of shared values helps clarify avenues of communication, which considers not only the wonders of the Art
and Science of Conservation and the proper maintenance
of the material world, but the impact that conservation
has made on the life of Joe Public.
PRESERVATION CONSERVATION RESTORATION
ARE
……… SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
If conservation and Joe Public have a cultural affinity, if
conservation is a social activity, as I have attempted to
demonstrate, certainly their common ground for communication is fairly vast. Yet, conservation exchanges with
the Public are still relatively faint.
I believe that preservation of human values is first and
foremost a fundamental social act that safeguards the
keys that we reference to understand our past history,
our present day living and helps determine our future.
Must conservation break out of character and strike a
new path to conduct conservation differently than it has
done in the past.
II - COMMUNICATION
I would like to move on now to speak about Communication and Conservation
Acknowledging our common ground and roots, I think will
allow us to see and appreciate new possibilities, new
perspectives, new relationships, new avenues of communication and exchange, support and better communication.
- a great deal of their energy is expended to preserve,
house, care, conserve, sustain and maintain that world we
call family, community - the components of our society.
- and they too have a proper concern to pass on to their
children what they cherish and value and take active part
in their community to the next generation.
In our daily living, we sometimes perceive these two
viewpoints the big "National" institution and the individual
"Joe public" as incompatible, disconnected, with little
common or shared ground. Yet, when we overlap them,
we see that they share much common ground - even the
same tri-part mandate. This cultural/human need
emerged with human consciousness and awareness.
The act of preservation and conservation of what we
value has always been a force that permeates our
existence and societies. Appreciating this common
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Thirty years ago, at the beginning, like a child, my
experience with conservation was non-existent and, with
a lot of questions, I searched you out. I was wide eyed
and needed a helping hand and came to CAC, because I
had little experience with Conservation and Preservation.
You took me in; you shared your space with me. I was
eager and learned a lot. You helped me take my first
conservation steps.
In 1974, when I came to Library and Archives Canada
from the Art Institute of Chicago, Museology programs
where barely established. CCI itself was created in 1972.
Through my encounters with conservators at the Archives, I recognized that my knowledge about conservation and the care of collections of works of art was
limited and realized that these conservators knew what
they were talking about.
was welcomed and offered a feast of knowledge and
experience beyond imagination. I learned a lot.
I could see with what exquisite knowledge and skills,
Conservators proceed through the world and their
workplace. I would leave conferences simply amazed at
the incredible exuberance, fluidity, clarity, of informing,
describing, explaining, expressing the Science and Art of
Conservation to each other.
However, it has been my experience that such is not
always the case when conservators communicate about
Conservation in their workplace and the world outside.
Why is that?
It was then that I started to attend CAC conferences.
Two things, seemingly insignificant, immediately struck
me as odd: The first was that conservators were always
genuinely surprised to see me amongst them. The
second, conservators repeatedly asked me a question
straight out: What are you doing here? You're not a
conservator, so why do you come to our conference?
What do you want? What do you get from us? I was
always able to answer straight away: "I've come to
listen…simply to listen, and hope to learn." I was able to
observe first-hand how effectively conservators communicate with each other - amongst peers.
Communications delivered with confidence, filled with
intelligent, sound scientific knowledge and practical good
sense and were largely focused on the structures and
materials of every type of artifact and everything
environmental - the appreciation of every consideration
you could possibly imagine regarding "cultural property",
or as Joe would call it "my stuff." At first I attended
expecting to scrape up a crumb here and there - but I
Now it is also a fact that achieving dialogue does not
necessarily imply achieving understanding and consensus. Sometimes it can be easy to clearly present ideas.
However, it can be difficult to achieve understanding,
acceptance and implementation, let alone recognition,
appreciation and respect. Dear Galileo had such a time...
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Communication is something we all do, it's a ménage-atrois - it takes two and a situation - a Conservator, a
Curator and a Conservation situation.
I do think that the careful study of let's call them "communication scenarios" could serve us well, for discussion
to raise awareness. Such situations seem insignificant
and yet they can reveal a whole world and provide
insight….
ACT IS THE BLOSSOM OF THOUGHT
Communication is a dialogue for the exchange of information that translates thought into action. Act is the
blossom of thought. It's no mystery. That's why when
we see a stupid act or stupid behavior we don't say: what
were you acting? We say: what were you thinking? As
Joe Public, if that was me and my mom, and I misbehaved, I'd get a slap on the head. If I behaved, I was
warmly embraced, smiled upon, congratulated (almost
provided with wings and halo) and ceremoniously
rewarded.
On a professional level, I once found myself in a situation
with the National Archivist, who had no conservation
experience whatsoever and behaved badly in the conservation sense. Very soon after his arrival, an exhibition
was proposed let's say of important, rare, watercolours,
on the discovery of the North-West Passage. The
curator selected works and requested the collection
manager to prepare and send works to conservation. The
conservator conserved the works for Exhibition Services,
who installed the exhibition under the prescribed conservation norm of 50-70 lux light levels. The National
Archivist, ready to open the exhibition, convened Joe
Public and opened the exhibition. Joe Public complained
to the National Archivist that they had difficulty seeing
the bloody pictures because there wasn't enough light.
The National Archivist told his secretary to tell Exhibition
Services to turn up the lights in the exhibition room,
which they do. Three days later the Collection Manager
saw this and asked Exhibition Services about it who in
turn said it was orders from the National Archivist.
I discussed and assessed the situation with the curator,
recognizing that this required immediate action. The lights
had to be turned down. The National Archivist lacked
proper conservation information on how intense light causes
irreversible fading to watercolours, and that maintaining
lower exhibition light levels was one of the means to
preserve the document now and for future generations. We
knew we had to educate him in conservation and preservation principles and convey pertinent conservation information. We decided to effectively demonstrate, with irrefutable
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evidence, the irreversible damage watercolours suffered
during long exposure to strong light, and show him four of
our worst examples of watercolours that had suffered
fading down to white paper.
We requested a brief emergency meeting in his office.
He agreed to meet us right away and we succinctly
explained the concept and showed the faded watercolors. He looked at the damaged watercolours for a
moment, then expressed complete astonishment, admitting he did not know this could happen to watercolours in
strong light and told us we could have the light level
lowered to protect the watercolours during the exhibition.
He then added, except during the first three hours at an
opening. We said not too high. He had previously been
an influential journalist, and we pointed out he had invited
several journalist from local newspapers to cover the
opening, and we were concerned he would be seen in a
bad light. After explaining our meeting to Exhibition
Services, they turned down the exhibition lighting and the
situation never recurred.
The man's name is Dr. Jean-Pierre Wallot, former journalist, historian and professor and National Archivist from
1987-1997. Although this was our first conservation
"situation" with him at the very beginning of his tenure, he
proved a very able conservation advocate and became the
man responsible for securing and building the Gatineau
Preservation Center. At the end of his term and a new
National Archivist was appointed, who had, we were
relieved to know, extensive Conservation knowledge.
Question to the student: Can you analyze and appreciate
the conduct of conservation in this scenario in this institution? In this situation or case scenario the National
Archivist said yes. However, the real student discussion
begins when one asks: What if he had said, NO!
I think Conservators must have training opportunities to
become more aware of their own levels of ability in
communicating, in order to take steps to improve them.
But they also require skills in evaluating 'communication
environments' and to be able to assess 'problematic
situations' involving conservation and know how to
deploy a spectrum of communication skills to be able to
engage others and achieve desired result. Developing
good effective communication skills is empowerment.
I have also experienced the Viewpoint, which says
conservation is a good thing, but should not intrude or be
seen or heard. This is the Conservation Viewpoint of
invisibility in every aspect of an institutions public operation. Why is Conservation viewed this way? What is the
impact caused by such a viewpoint? I think students
should study case scenarios of "Conservation's invisibility", for example, in the cultural phenomenon of "loan
exhibitions". Exchanges of Loan Exhibitions are considered vital to museum exhibition programs to fulfill their
mandate for community education through the arts, but
also for political gain.
We, "Joe Public" have all enjoyed the excitement of
blockbuster exhibitions. Conservators have always
expressed deep concern of the impact of such intense
traffic on cultural property itself. However, Joe does not
realize that more than 100% of the key operations of
Loan Exhibitions is made possible because of Conservation. It is the discipline of the Science and Art of Conservation, conservation expertise, knowledge, principles,
procedures, methods, and practices that shape guidelines
and operations that enable museums to interface with the
public through the process of loan exhibitions.
Conservation allows curators and directors to walk with
collections, even determines what they walk with, how
they walk, and where and how to step. For it is the
network of conservation communities across the whole
country, that are the bridges that allow for exchanges of
cultural property between institutions. Curatorial output
depends upon it. So, Bravo conservation! In this case
study, conservation students could learn that, in the best
case scenarios Directors or Curators do appreciate
conservation enabling them to lend or borrow temporary
exhibitions, but it is their perception that conservation
must remain silent and hidden underground. Why is that?
Why is Conservation denied visibility and voice?
It's politically cool today for Public Institutions to talk
about showing transparency on how they function to
Canadians. I think museums could achieve greater
transparency by providing greater visibility to its Professional Conservation Practices. Joe Public would better
appreciate how his institutions, full of exhilarating exhibitions today, are equipped with highly skilled conservation
expertise to preserve their collections for their
grandchildren's grandchildren. Joe doesn't realize that
only a small percentage of these enormous collections
are on display.
Why do our public museums across the country not see
the advantages to be gained in more publicly promoting
Preservation and Conservation, and show how they fulfill
their mandate to preserve heritage today, for our children
tomorrow.
Has Conservation collaborated in its fate of invisibility, and
bricked itself up by focusing solely on its workbench?
Do conservators see communication difficulties in the
workplace as walls they need to violently bash through,
or as obstacles to ignore by simply jumping over them?
Do conservators come to impede themselves with
imaginary walls that paralyze them from moving forward? When conservators take a step forward, is it a
step of frustrated anger at authority or are they willing to
change these attitudes, stand up for themselves and the
profession and increase their self worth?
WE HOLD AND CARE FOR WHAT WE VALUE
- IN TURN WE VALUE AND CARE FOR WHAT
WE HOLD
Are conservators frustrated that after decades of
working for Joe Pubic through his cultural institutions, Joe
Public still can't see and recognize Conservation? Is it
fair then for Conservation to ask: Should Joe Care, care
about someone or something he's never seen or rarely
glimpsed or interacted with?
How do conservators see themselves?
Can this become the pervasive image of the Conservator
"Without Walls"?
HISTORY CONTINUITY, VIABILITY AND ADVOCACY
FOR CONSERVATION
I think that the Conservation Profession in Canada has
reached a point of maturity at which it must declare itself
and validate itself in historical terms to itself and to others.
Writing History is a serious Profession unto itself, which
like yours, is a discipline acquired through years of study
and skilled practice, with the application of sound methodology. The history of conservation stretches across this
country. I think that Conservators should engage with the
community of professional historians and openly discuss
the best approaches to take to compiling such a vast and
complex history. Truth, Authority, Impartiality of historical
synthesis are some of the historian's deep concerns.
The history of Conservation stretches across this country. I think that Conservators should seriously engage
with the community of Professional Historians in their
communities and openly discuss the best approaches to
take in compiling such a vast and complex history. They
will help guide Conservation chroniclers and compilers to
create a National strategy, so that significant but less
obvious things to the amateur are not overlooked, left out,
by the neglect of verification of untapped sources. For
9
example in telling the story of Conservation Practice, one
cannot neglect the telling of the stories of those who
cared for the preservation of history out of which
conservation grows and of the evolution of the invention
of Museums and their establishment across the country.
For example, it is often said that "Where there were books,
there likely were book binders and book conservation."
Books were amongst the first and most valuable moveable
cultural property ever to cross the ocean, to Quebec.
What of the history of the conservation and preservation
cultures of Native peoples of Canada. The history of
Conservation in the confrontation of cultures in North
America must be told. For a long time conservation was
so well understood that the practice of the destruction of
cultures, acts of cultural devastation speak a great deal
about conservation and the preservation of culture. A
tough history to write.
There are all kinds of histories: there are personal
histories, some pioneering, some brave, some bold, some
funny, some sad. Even oral history has a professional
methodology to be applied in order to retain a valid
record. To the Professional Historian oral history is more
than chit chat. Interviews must be highly prepared and
structured before being engaged in order to be valued.
There are stories: influential Professional figures who
lead the way in establishing the Science of conservation,
and who structured the Art of Conservation and Skills of
Conservation, and education of Professional Conservators. There is the history of conservation education and
apprenticeship. There is also "the economic history of
conservation" and "the history of the impact of conservation and national identity."
The history of Conservation is as extensive as the history
of Canada. Research is intricate. For example, it is key
to remember that Conservation in Canada is largely
funded through the public purse. A professional historian
would immediately tell you to: "follow the money!" The
careful government clerk accounting records of the
spending of public funds will reveal a lot about conservation. For example, few conservators realize that
Theophile Hamel petitioned the Parliament of Canada to
restore pictures in the collection of the House of Commons and the Senate. The records are in the minutes for
the Committee for the Library of Parliament at Library
and Archives of Canada. What lies in the Government
Archives of each province of each city? Understanding
sources is the art and science for the Professional
historian. Consider them your ally, a valuable resource
that would be foolish to ignore.
10
The Profession must establish a National Strategy for the
Preservation of Conservation records and be sure
repositories are not de-accessioning and destroying
"insignificant records". What of the records of private
conservators across the country? The profession should,
with the help of other Archival professionals establish a
protocol for the deposit of records in Archival institutions,
local, provincial and national. Local archivists may not
recognize the significance of such records even if found
in a collector's family papers. Some archives may not see
these papers as essential cultural records and refuse to
preserve them, but they must be advised to care for
these valuable cultural records.
I think CAC should hold a conference on the History of
Conservation inviting the community of Professional
Historians to join them, to explore, advise, assist in
planning a national strategy.
Truth, Authority, Impartiality of historical synthesis are
some of the historian's deep concerns.
…CREATING A NEW HISTORY
One of the biggest problems of contemporary organizations is the absence of corporate history to inform
decision making. Many business administrators and
managers see the recall of history and recent past
experience as an impediment to effective production and
to managing change and restructuring. When people
asked legendary business man Henry Ford what he
thought of History, he answered: "I'm only interested in
the history I'll make today." Not an Archivist.
Such a work would chronicle the development of conservation practice into the mature flowering of the Conservation Profession till today. The evidence of the cumulative contributions of its practices will bear witness to its
essential cultural value to Canada.
Thank you.
Gilbert Gignac is a respected artist and art historian
lecturing and writing on 19th century Canadian art.
Now retired, he was for many years collections
manager of the fine art collections at the Library and
Archives of Canada and a strong vocal advocate for
conservation.
President’s Letter
Lettre de la présidente
September always arrives like the beginning of a new
year; and so it is with the CAC Board as this month
marks the resumption of meetings if not ongoing activities. Before venturing further I would like to acknowledge and to thank outgoing Board and Committee
members for their time, expertise, commitment and
energy. It is clear, from the following list of "acknowledgments for services rendered," that the CAC relies on
a large number of volunteers, and that active volunteering
on the part of the membership is critical to our
organization's success. From the Board, Doris StJacques steps down as Secretary. Doris will be missed
not only for her stellar patience and efficiency, but for
her font of corporate knowledge. Thank you, Doris, for
keeping us informed and afloat, and for managing the
proverbial tiller. At the end of her two year term Mary
Piper-Hough has fulfilled her obligations as Treasurer, a
demanding and key duty that Mary performed with great
competence and admirable serenity. These two jobs are
critical to the running of this organization and we cannot
express sufficiently our gratitude for the considerable
time and effort put in by both Doris and Mary. Miki Lee
has completed her two years as the Eastern Regional
Counselor. Thanks to Miki for acting as liason and for
representing her constituents' interests and issues to the
Board. Nicole Charley, head of the Translation Committee has relinquished this position. Thank you Nicole, for
all of your good work. We certainly miss you and hope
that we can soon find someone to fill your shoes! Irene
Karsten has stepped down as the head of the Membership Committee, a position, like Nicole's, that the Board is
still looking to fill. The Board and membership have
benefited from Irene's work, and we would like to take
this opportunity to acknowledge her considerable input
into the organization. Happily for us, Irene is going to fill
the role of co-editor of the CAC Journal where, I am
sure, her skills and abilities will be used to advantage.
Thank you to Kate Helwig who is stepping down as coeditor; the Board is cognizant of the commitment of those
who work to maintain a first-class publication. Amanda
Gould has also decided to step down as Chair of the
ECC (Emerging Conservators Committee). Thank you,
Amanda, for helping with the inception of this committee,
and its integration within the CAC. Last, but not least,
Pat Legris has left the position of Executive Counselor
after one year, to take over the role of Treasurer while
Cindy Colford (thanks Cindy!) has stepped in to complete
the last year of Pat's term. Pat, after successfully
steering the Board through an organization review last
year, has taken on this new responsibility, one, apparently,
in line with the labours of Hercules. The Board will look
Le mois de septembre est toujours un peu comme le
début d'une nouvelle année; et c'est la même chose avec
le conseil d'administration de l'ACCR, car ce mois de
septembre marque la reprise des réunions et des divers
projets en cours. Avant d'aller plus loin, je désire saluer et
remercier les membres du conseil et des divers comités
pour nous avoir fait don de leur temps, de leur expertise,
de leur engagement et de leur énergie. Il est évident, en
regardant la liste des " remerciements pour services
rendus ", que le fonctionnement de l'ACCR repose sur un
grand nombre de bénévoles, et que ce bénévolat actif de
nos membres est primordial au succès de notre
organisation. Du côté du conseil, Doris St-Jacques quitte
son poste de secrétaire. Doris nous manquera non
seulement pour sa légendaire patience et son efficacité
hors norme, mais également pour sa grande
connaissance du fonctionnement des entreprises. Merci,
Doris, de nous avoir tenus informés et au courant et
d'avoir assuré la gestion des écrits. Après deux ans,
Mary Piper-Hough a terminé son mandat à titre de
trésorière, un poste clé et exigeant que Mary a su
occuper avec compétence et une grande sérénité. Ces
deux postes sont critiques au bon fonctionnement de nos
activités et nous ne pourrons jamais être assez
reconnaissants envers Doris et Mary pour le temps
qu'elles ont consacré et les efforts qu'elles ont déployés.
Miki Lee a terminé son mandat de deux ans en tant que
conseillère régionale de l'est. Nous voudrions remercier
Miki pour avoir agi à titre d'intermédiaire et avoir
exprimé au conseil les intérêts et les inquiétudes de ses
membres. Nicole Charley a quitté ses fonctions de
présidente du Comité de traduction. Merci Nicole pour
ton excellent travail. Tu nous manqueras et nous
espérons trouver quelqu'un qui saura combler le vide
causé par ton départ! Irene Karsten a quitté ses
fonctions de présidente du Comité des adhésions, un
poste, tout comme celui de Nicole, pour lequel le conseil
cherche un(e) remplaçant(e). Le conseil et les membres
ont bénéficié de l'excellent travail d'Irene, et nous
désirons saisir cette occasion pour la remercier pour son
importante contribution à l'organisation. Heureusement
pour nous, Irene va maintenant occuper le poste de
corédactrice en chef du Journal où, j'en suis sûr, ses
compétences et habiletés nous serviront grandement.
Merci aussi à Kate Helwig, qui quitte son poste de
corédactrice en chef; le conseil reconnaît l'engagement
de tous ceux qui travaillent fort pour nous offrir une
publication de première qualité. Amanda Gould a
également choisi de quitter son poste de présidente du
Comité des conservateurs émergents (CCE). Merci,
Amanda, de nous avoir aidés à mettre en place ce comité
11
seriously this year at making the Treasurer's job a little
less like lion-wrestling or stable-cleaning, and hopefully,
as a result, can count on more members volunteering for
this position!
As I was considering September as a "start-up" month
for the organization, it transpired that our new marketing
kit, whose debut was featured at the Ottawa Conference
this past spring, had had a busy time this summer advocating for conservation. Our booth, along with members
Wendy McPhee, Janet Mason and Kyla Ubbink, was
invited by the City of Ottawa Archives to participate at
the Canadian Central Exhibition (Ottawa). The CAC
booth fit in well alongside history-related exhibits from
local museums and archives. Wendy, Janet and Kyla
met many visitors and did a great job advocating for the
profession and the organization. Thank you to all three
for taking the booth out to a wider audience! In keeping
with the theme of advocating for the profession, the
CAC in conjunction with the CAPC, submitted and has
been invited to make a presentation to the Ontario
Museums Association in October on the subject of the
Per Gulbeck lecture given by Gilbert Gignac and the
panel discussion hosted at our Ottawa Conference this
past June: Should Joe Care? Continuity, Viability, and
Advocacy for Conservation. We felt it was very important to showcase the issues raised by the Per Gulbeck
lecture as well as the dialogue that took place during the
special session to a wider audience. More on that in the
next Bulletin.
et à l'intégrer à l'ACCR. Pour terminer, le dernier mais
non le moindre, Pat Legris a quitté son poste de
conseiller auprès du bureau après un an de loyaux
services, afin d'occuper les fonctions de trésorier alors
que Cindy Colford (merci Cindy!) a pris la relève pour
l'année qui restait au mandat de Pat. Pat, après avoir
mené avec succès une révision de l'organisation l'année
dernière, occupe désormais ses nouvelles responsabilités,
qui n'ont rien à envier, semble-t-il, aux travaux d'Hercule.
Le conseil tentera cette année de faire en sorte que les
tâches du trésorier soient un peu moins difficiles que
d'étouffer un lion ou de nettoyer des écuries, ce qui nous
permettra, espérons-le, de voir plus de nos membres
offrir d'occuper ce poste dans le futur!
Looking ahead to coming months, the Board plans to put
into action some of the results that emerged from the
Organizational review spear-headed by Pat Legris.
Changes to be implemented are the assignment of
specific functions to Executive Counselors who will now
have clearly defined spheres of responsibility. We hope,
as a result, that Board activities can be stream-lined, and
real goals achieved. A major goal this year is to initiate
a web redesign. We hope, for instance, to be able to
provide on-line membership enrolment and renewals; so,
much work in this direction to be lead by our webmaster;
Shelagh Linklater, our Communications Chair; David
Daley, to be assisted by members of the Emerging
Conservators Committee.
Si le mois de septembre est comme un " nouveau départ
" pour l'organisation, il est apparu évident que notre
nouvelle trousse de marketing, qui a été lancée lors du
congrès d'Ottawa le printemps dernier, nous a permis de
faire beaucoup parler de la conservation-restauration
durant l'été. Notre kiosque, ainsi que nos membres
Wendy McPhee, Janet Mason et Kyla Ubbink, étaient
présents, sur l'invitation des Archives de la ville d'Ottawa,
à la SuperEx (Canadian Central Exhibition) à Ottawa. Le
kiosque de l'ACCR était dans son élément aux côtés
d'expositions à saveur historique présentées par des
musées et archives de la région. Wendy, Janet et Kyla
ont rencontré beaucoup de visiteurs et ont su promouvoir
avec brio notre profession et notre organisation. Merci à
vous trois d'avoir animé notre kiosque devant un plus
large public! Toujours sur le sujet de la promotion de
notre profession, l'ACCR, en collaboration avec l'ACRP,
a été invitée à faire la présentation qu'elle avait proposée
à l'Association des musées de l'Ontario. Cette
présentation, prévue en octobre, porte sur la présentation
sur Per Gulbeck animée par Gilbert Gignac et sur la
discussion en groupe qui a suivi lors du congrès qui a eu
lieu à Ottawa en juin dernier. Celle-ci était intitulée M.
Tout-le-monde devrait-il s'en soucier ? Pérennité, viabilité
et promotion de la conservation-restauration. Nous
estimions qu'il était important de mettre en évidence les
questions soulevées par la présentation sur Per Gulbeck
ainsi que par la discussion qui s'en est suivie durant la
séance spéciale devant un public élargi. Nous en
parlerons plus en détail dans le prochain Bulletin.
Another goal set for this year, and discussed at the AGM,
is one of reducing our expenses. The Board is actively
discussing the reduction of annual Bulletin publications
from four to three; these to coincide with major mailouts. The Bulletin will continue to be broadcast in a
paper format as well as a web-based posting for the next
few years. We strongly encourage all of you in the
interim, with the exception of institutional members, to
Dans les prochains mois, le conseil a l'intention d'agir sur
les résultats mis en évidence par la révision de
l'organisation menée par Pat Legris. Les modifications à
apporter se résument à attribuer des tâches plus
spécifiques aux conseillers au bureau dont les
responsabilités seront désormais mieux définies. Ce
faisant, nous espérons faire en sorte que les activités du
conseil soient simplifiées et que nous atteignions des
12
opt for the web-based publication. On this subject: we
are currently looking for a home for past editions of the
Bulletin, excess paper copies whose fate may lie in a
recycle bin. Please contact Danielle Allard if you are
interested in their acquisition.
To reprise the opening remarks about volunteers- the
organizing committee for the 2011 conference in
Winnipeg is hard at work. I would like to acknowledge
the considerable contribution that conference organizers
make to the CAC. We hope, as a result of the organization review, to be able to provide more support to these
volunteers with the hope that this will encourage others
to take up the challenge. Support your conference- plan
to come to Winnipeg in May!
On behalf of the CAC Board, I wish everyone a safe
and productive fall season.
Wendy Baker
objectifs concrets. Cette année, un de nos principaux
objectifs est la refonte du site Web. Par exemple, nous
espérons être en mesure d'offrir l'adhésion et le
renouvellement de l'adhésion en ligne; nous déploierons
beaucoup d'efforts en ce sens sous la direction de notre
webmestre, Shelagh Linklater, et de notre président des
communications, David Daley, avec l'aide de membres
du Comité des restaurateurs émergents.
Un autre objectif établi pour cette année, et dont nous
avons discuté lors de l'AGA, est la réduction des
dépenses. Le conseil songe sérieusement à réduire le
nombre de parutions du Bulletin de quatre à trois afin de
les faire coïncider avec nos principaux envois postaux.
Pour les quelques prochaines années, nous continuerons
de distribuer une version papier du Bulletin en plus de la
version en ligne. Nous vous encourageons fortement
tous, sauf les organismes institutionnels, à opter pour la
version électronique. À ce sujet, nous sommes à la
recherche d'un endroit où entreposer les anciens
numéros Bulletin, des copies papier qui pourraient
autrement se retrouver dans un bac de recyclage.
Veuillez communiquer avec Danielle Allard si vous
désirez en faire l'acquisition.
Pour revenir sur mes propos concernant les bénévoles, le
comité d'organisation du congrès 2011 qui aura lieu à
Winnipeg est déjà au travail. Je voudrais souligner
l'importante contribution des organisateurs des congrès.
Nous espérons, à la suite de notre révision de
l'organisation, être en mesure de mieux soutenir les
bénévoles en espérant que cela motive d'autres membres
à donner de leurs temps. Soutenez votre congrès : venez
à Winnipeg en mai!
De la part du conseil d'administration de l'ACCR, je vous
souhaite un automne productif et en santé!
Wendy Baker
13
37th Annual CAC Conference
37e Congrès Annuel de l'ACCR
Call For Papers
Appel de Communication
The Canadian Association for Conservation will be
holding its 37th Annual Conference, May 26-28 2011 in
Winnipeg, Manitoba.
L'Association canadienne pour la conservation et la
restauration tiendra son 37e congrès annuel du 26 au 28
mai 2011 à Winnipeg, Manitoba.
We invite papers on all aspects of conservation including
the preservation of First Nations collections, library and
archival material; works of art; objects; furniture;
archaeological materials; conservation science and digital
media, etc. Posters are also welcome.
Nous invitons les propositions de presentation sur tous
les aspects de la profession incluant les champs
d'expertise suivants: collections des Premières nations,
collections de bibliothèques et d'archives, peintures et
objets d'art, mobilier, archéologie, science de la conservation-restauration, média numériques, etc. Les affiches
sont aussi les bienvenues.
We would like to build on last year's special session
entitled "Should Joe Care? Continuity, Viability and
Advocacy for Conservation". The form of any special
session has not yet been decided, but suggestions for a
panel discussion or papers addressing this topic are
welcome.
Abstract submissions should include the following: the
title of the presentation; the names of all contributors;
mailing address, telephone and fax number, email address
of the contact person and the name of the presenting
author. Abstracts should be between 300 and 500 words
and will be published as part of the conference proceedings. The deadline for abstracts is Friday, December 17,
2010.
Send abstracts to:
Jasmina Vlaovic, Program Chair
Winnipeg Art Gallery
300 Memorial Blvd.
Winnipeg, MB R3C 1V1
1-204-786-6641 ext. 223
Fax 1-204-788-4998
[email protected]
14
Nous voulons faire un suivie de la session spécial offert
l'année dernière intitulé <<Should Joe Care? Continuity,
Viability and Advocacy for Conservation>>. Nous
faisons la requête de tout les participants pour des idées,
des suggestions ou de la documentation sur ce sujet pour
nous aider dans la planification.
Les résumés soumis doivent contenir les informations
suivantes: le titre de la présentation; les noms des
auteurs; l'adresse postale, les numéros de téléphone et de
télécopieur et l'adresse courriel de la personneressource; et le nom de l'auteur présentant le travail. Les
résumés doivent être de 300 à 500 mots et feront partie
du recueil publié en vue du congrès.
La date limite pour la soumission des résumés est le
vendredi 17 décembre 2010. Veuillez envoyer les
résumés à:
Jasmina Vlaovic, Président du comité du programme
Le Musée des beaux-arts de Winnipeg
300 Blvd. Memorial
Winnipeg, MB R3C 1V1
204-786-6641, poste 223
Télécopieur: 204-788-4998
[email protected]
CAC Grants & Awards
Committee
Comité des bourses et des
prix de l'ACCR
Recipients
Récipiendaire des bourses et
prix de 2010
The 2010 Emerging Conservator Award was presented
to Megan McIntosh for her outstanding achievements
during studies at the Algonquin College Applied Museum
Studies program. Congratulations Megan! Megan was
the Publications Committee Chair for the 2010 CAC
Conference and was also involved in CAC's Arti-FACTS
public outreach event in June of this year. A strong
nomination was also received for Josie Wornoff from Sir
Sandford Fleming College.
Le prix du restaurateur émergent 2010 a été remis à Megan
McIntosh pour sa grande réussite durant ses études dans le
programme d'études muséales appliquées au Collège
Algonquin. Félicitations Megan! Megan était directrice du
comité des publications du congrès 2010 de l'ACCR et a
également contribué à Arti-FACTS, événement de promotion de l'ACCR qui a eu lieu en juin dernier. Josie Wornoff,
du Collège Sir Sandford Fleming, a également été
grandement considérée pour l'attribution de ce prix.
There were no nominations received for the Charles
Mervyn Ruggles Award this year. Conservation professionals are urged to consider nominations for the 2011
Award early, so that we may recognize those deserving
individuals among peers.
Nous n'avons reçu aucune nomination pour le prix
Charles Mervyn Ruggles cette année. Nous invitons les
professionnels de la conservation-restauration à
soumettre leurs nominations pour le prix remis en 2011,
afin que nous puissions souligner l'apport de nos
collègues les plus méritants.
Eight members received Grants to attend the 2010 CAC
Conference and/or Workshop.
Name
Claire Titus
Danielle Rundquist
Juliet Graham
Julia Landry
Michelle Gallinger
Lisa May
Liz Montour
Sarah Patterson
Grant
$1100
$ 800
$ 800
$ 600
$ 600
$ 600
$ 500
$ 500
A single $2500 Training Grant has so far been awarded
in 2010, to Kathy Bond, for the Vancouver Art Gallery's
workshop, Basic Paper Conservation Training. Members are reminded that applications for this Grant are
accepted throughout the year.
Huit membres ont eu droit à une bourse afin d'assister au
congrès 2010 de l'ACCR.
Nom
Claire Titus
Danielle Rundquist
Juliet Graham
Julia Landry
Michelle Gallinger
Lisa May
Liz Montour
Sarah Patterson
Bourse
1 100 $
800 $
800 $
600 $
600 $
600 $
500 $
500 $
Une seule bourse formation de 2 500 $ a été attribuée
jusqu'à présent en 2010. Elle a été accordée à Kathy
Bond afin d'assister à un atelier d'initiation à la conservation du papier offert par la Vancouver Art Gallery. Nous
voudrions rappeler à nos membres que nous acceptons
les demandes de bourse de formation toute l'année.
Bourses et prix 2011
Call for nominations:
Charles Mervyn Ruggles Award
This award commemorates the distinguished achievements of Charles Mervyn Ruggles (1912 - 2001) in the
development of the art conservation profession in
Mises en nomination :
Prix Charles Mervyn Ruggles
Ce prix est consacré à la mémoire de Charles Mervyn
Ruggles (1912-2001) qui s'est distingué comme pionnier
15
Canada. As CAC's first honorary member, it is appropriate that our first award for outstanding contribution to the
field carry his name. Recipients of this award are
celebrated for their contributions and achievements in
fine art conservation science, treatment, training and/or
education, for their development work in a field of fine
art conservation in Canada, and for promoting the ethics
and ideals expressed in the CAC/CAPC Code of Ethics
and Guidance for Practice.
Call for nominations:
Emerging Conservator Award
This award recognizes the dedication and outstanding
potential of a future conservator in a Canadian conservation training program. Recipients of this award are
celebrated for their accomplishments and leadership
demonstrated during full time studies leading to a degree
or diploma in any area of cultural property conservation.
Recipients of the 2011 Charles Mervyn Ruggles Award
and Emerging Conservator Award will be announced at
the CAC Annual Conference. Details and nomination
forms are available on the CAC website, or hard copies
may be requested from the CAC office. Questions
relating to CAC Awards should be directed to Tracy
Satin at [email protected] or call (250) 7632417 ext. 26.
Annual Grants
Once again the CAC is offering eight grants totaling up
to $5,500 to assist members in attending the CAC
Conference/Workshop, and two Grants for Training
Activities of up to $2,500.00 each to assist members in
funding conservation workshops. Grant program details
and application forms are available on the CAC website
or hard copies can be requested from the CAC office.
Please email Kasey Brewer at
[email protected], or call (250) 387-5518
with questions related to CAC Grants.
dans la profession de restaurateur d'œuvres d'art au
Canada. Comme M. Ruggles a été le premier membre
honoraire de l'ACCR, il convient que le premier prix pour
réalisation exceptionnelle dans le domaine porte son nom.
Les lauréats du prix verront célébrer leur contribution et
leur réussite dans la science, le traitement, la formation
ou l'apprentissage en matière de restauration d'œuvres
d'art ainsi que les efforts qu'ils ont consacrés au
développement du domaine de la restauration d'œuvres
d'art au Canada et à la promotion des principes et des
idéaux exprimés dans le Code de déontologie et guide du
praticien de l'ACCR et de l'ACRP.
Mises en nomination :
Prix du restaurateur émergent
Ce prix récompense le dévouement et le vaste potentiel
d'un futur restaurateur inscrit à un programme canadien
de formation en restauration. Les lauréats de ce prix
seront récompensés pour leurs réussites et leur leadership durant leurs études à temps plein qui mènent à un
diplôme ou un certificat dans un des domaines de la
conservation-restauration des biens culturels.
Les noms des lauréats du prix Charles Mervyn Ruggles et
du prix du restaurateur émergent 2011 seront annoncés
lors du congrès annuel de l'ACCR. Pour de plus amples
renseignements ou pour télécharger un formulaire de mise
en nomination, veuillez consulter le site de l'ACCR. Pour
obtenir un formulaire imprimé, veuillez vous adresser au
bureau de l'ACCR. Pour toute question relative aux prix et
bourses de l'ACCR, communiquez avec Tracy Satin :
[email protected] ou (250) 763-2417, poste 26.
Bourses annuelles
Une fois encore l'ACCR offre huit bourses totalisant
jusqu'à 5 500 $ pour permettre à ses membres d'assister
au congrès annuel de l'ACCR ainsi que deux bourses de
formation allant jusqu'à 2 500 $ pour aider nos membres
à payer des ateliers de conservation. Tous les détails et
les formulaires de demande sont disponibles sur le site
Web de l'ACCR ou auprès du bureau de l'ACCR.
Pour toute question relative aux bourses, veuillez envoyer
un courriel à Kasey Brewer
([email protected]) ou composer le (250)
387-5518.
16
Western Region - Région de l’Ouest
Manitoba
Parks Canada - Western and Northern Service
Centre
On May 11th, Liz Croome and Jose Milne flew to Mount
Revelstoke National Park in B.C. on a few hours notice
to respond to a flood in the Park Administration Building.
The flood was caused by an interior water main break
that filled the basement overnight to sevenfeet. Materials
housed on site included photographs, slides, negatives,
insect and taxidermy study collections, maps, books, and
paper records. The quick action and leadership of our
conservators helped to salvage as much material as
possible by immediate drying or transfer to freezer
facilities. With help from conservators across the country,
Jose and Liz continue to provide guidance as the follow
up procedures will be ongoing for quite some time.
The last Saturday in May Parks Canada Western and
Northern Service Centre participated in Doors Open
Winnipeg. Two hundred visitors toured the conservation
labs as well as the archaeological and curatorial collections housed on site. People were quite excited to get the
rare opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes.
The Manitoba Museum
Lisa May and Kathy Nanowin both attended the CAC
conference in Ottawa. Lisa took the Care of Plastics
workshop, Kathy the Conservation of Feathers workshop. It was all very well done and we got a lot of new
knowledge out of it.
Lisa and Ellen Robinson assisted with the documentation
and installation of our summer exhibit, "Shakin' All Over The Manitoba Music Experience", which focuses on
Manitoba music in various genres. Lisa and Ellen are
also preparing condition reports and mounts for an
upcoming exhibit showcasing our Paul Kane collection.
Paul Kane was an artist who travelled across the country
in the mid-nineteenth century, documenting scenes of
"the frontier". He collected Aboriginal objects which he
later used to help flesh out his sketches into paintings.
While the ROM has many of his paintings, TMM has
most of the objects. This material has not been displayed
in any comprehensive way before, and the upcoming
exhibit, though small, attempts to put his work in context
with his life and times. There are several beautiful
objects that need mounts, including a hide shirt and hide
dress, quilled horse crupper, model kayak and gut hat.
We have been joined for the summer by student Carol
Lindsey, who is completing various collections management and conservation projects, focusing on storage
upgrades.
Dalley Froggatt Heritage Conservation Services
Private conservators Jane Dalley and Brad Froggatt
have been busy with the Cultural Stewardship Program
offered through the Association of Manitoba Museums.
Demand for conservation help was high when many days
of heavy rain flooded basements in several museums.
Jane now works full-time in the business and recently
completed the treatment of two parchment bound parish
registers for the Diocese of Rupertsland. Brad has taken
a position with the Air Force Department of History and
Heritage, where he is busy organizing a museum and
setting up an archive.
DFHCS continues to represent Conservation Resources
International in Canada, ensuring that high-quality storage
materials are available at a reasonable price. Archival
boxes and folders in various sizes are kept in stock and
delivery is free in Winnipeg.
Archives of Manitoba
In May the Archives launched its new foyer exhibit
"Mapping Manitoba." Conservation staff were involved in
the preparation, mount making, framing and installation of
records. Joanna attended the CAC conference in
Ottawa as well as the Archives Association of Ontario
conference in June. Shelagh continues with the flattening
and re-housing of a series of Government Records.
Shelagh and Joanna piloted a survey of "odd" sized
records at the Government Records Centre. Ala presented a paper at the Centre for Rupert's Land Studies
Colloquium and continues to provide advisory services to
local institutions.
17
Saskatchewan
Royal Saskatchewan Museum
In May the RSM opened the newest creation of its
traveling exhibit program "Hunter of the Prairie Sea".
This exhibit features a full-sized cast of a fossilized
Tylosaur found near the community of Herschel,
Saskatchewan. This sea creature has been named
"Om?c?w" (oh-matchee-oh) which in Cree means
hunter. The Swift Current Museum was chosen for the
exhibit opening. The exhibit is proving to be extremely
popular and is presently booked through to the spring of
2012 by Saskatchewan communities.
In June conservator Alyssa Becker-Burns went to
Ottawa to attend the CAC workshop, "Conservation of
Feathers". Subsequently, Alyssa hosted Regina-area
conservators to a practice session using Canada Goose
feathers found in nearby Wascana Park. The re-housing
of portions of the Palaeontology, Fine Art, and Biological
and Environmental Studies collections continues steadily,
thanks to the efforts of Jill Brewer, Marilyn Bellows, and
Adam Crosby. In March, Conservator Gail Daggett
assisted in the treatment of archaeological objects to be
displayed in Stanley Mission Band Office.
Noteworthy recent retirements to those of you familiar
with the Royal Saskatchewan Museum are of long-term
employees Ron Tillie, Head of Exhibits, and Ian Brace,
Curator of Archaeology.
Sasktachewan Archives
The Saskatchewan Archives finalized the permanent
position of Preservation Management Archivist within the
Collection Management and Preservation Unit. Following
the posting of the position in April, Joe LeClair has been
confirmed as the Preservation Management Archivist.
MacKenzie Art Gallery
Part of the MacKenzie Art Gallery's new five year
strategic plan is to make people more aware of conservation. For my first project I did a short write-up on a
treatment that was done for an exhibition on Inuit art.
The title caption was: "Conversations with the conservator: Why conservation can sometimes be like detective
work, and why using reversible repairs are important". I
thought that the word "detective" would be a "sexy"
grabber. The sculpture had a broken bone knife with a
missing handle. As a result of my examination for
treatment, I suspected the knife may not have originally
18
belonged to this particular sculpture. The goal was to
make people aware of the mount made (and work done
by a conservator) for the knife and why it was done that
way. This panel is up beside the work so all viewers in
this exhibition have the potential of reading it and learning
about conservation.
The idea for my next project is to make some type of
installation with PlexiGlas and a metal frame mounted on
pedestals with a little didactic talk about touching artwork
and what it does. The Plexi and the frame should both be
covered in prints (and perhaps a pristine frame for
contrast) - to demonstrate what your fingers actually do
when you think they aren't leaving anything behind. This
will be good for facilitators, educators and the general
public. Our educators and visitors services committee are
all on board with this idea and want to help move it
forward. My next step will be to find a disgustingly
marked up old frame (hopefully we have an unused one
in one of our general storage areas).
In September the MacKenzie Art Gallery is having an
open house. We plan to have a raffle for people attending
that day and the winners will get a private tour (or some
type of planned program) in the conservation lab at a
later date.
Most of the ideas are very manageable and not huge
projects requiring a lot of time, important considerations
when trying to incorporate things in an already busy
schedule. They also generate a lot of enthusiasm in
myself which is just a bonus!
Brenda Lee Smith
Alberta
Lethbridge Art Gallery
I hosted a high school graduate interested in art and
science for a day of job shadowing in July. At the gallery,
Miranda Grol and I have been unframing many works on
paper that were donated in frames that have acidic or
other inappropriate components. Many works that looked
fine from the front of the frame had adhesive problems
once unframed; some works that had been framed for
many years had become very brittle where they had
been in contact with poor quality framing materials.
These works are now stored in solander boxes, freeing
up more storage space for other materials in the collection.
Juliet Graham
University of Calgary Archives and Special
Collections
David Daley has been busy preparing the Rare Books
and Special Collections for a move into two new library
buildings recently built: a high technology "Digital Library" and a "High Density Library" repository building.
In addition to preparing the books, art and objects of
these collections, work is also being done to update an
existing Emergency Response Plan, determine fiche
deterioration levels and train students and staff members
who have been employed to repair books before they are
relocated.
Editors’ Note
The editors of the CAC Bulletin are Charlotte Newton and Janet Wagner. The layout is done by Scott Williams.
The Bulletin is published by the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property, 207 Bank Street,
Suite 419, Ottawa, ON, Canada K2P 2N2, phone (613) 231-3977, fax (613) 231-4406, http://www.cac-accr.ca.
The deadline for the next Bulletin is November 1, 2010. Send submissions to [email protected], phone
(613) 998-3721, fax (613) 998-4721.
Responsibility for statements made in the articles and letters printed in the Bulletin rests solely with the contributors. The views expressed by individual authors are not necessarily those of the editors or of CAC.
Note de la rédaction
Les rédactrices du Bulletin de l’ACCR sont Charlotte Newton et Janet Wagner. Scott Williams assure la mise
en page. Le Bulletin est publié par l’Association canadienne pour la conservation et restauration des biens
culturels, 207, rue Bank, bureau 419, Ottawa, (ON) Canada K2P 2N2, téléphone (613) 231-3977, télécopieur
(613) 231-4406, http//:www.cac-accr.ca. Les textes soumis pour fins de publication dans le prochain Bulletin
doivent nous parvenir avant le 1er novembre 2010. Veuillez envoyer vos articles à [email protected],
téléphone (613) 998-3721, télécopieur (613) 998-4721.
La responsabilité concernant les déclarations faites dans les articles et les lettres imprimés dans le Bulletin
revient exclusivement aux auteurs. Les opinions exprimées par les auteurs ne sont pas nécessairement celles de
la rédaction ou de l’ACCR.
19
Eastern Region - Région de l’Est
Ontario
Ottawa
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Changes have not ceased at the Conservation Department of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Emily Lin
joined us in artifact conservation. She studied History at
Tunghai University in Taiwan, and has a diploma in
Collections Conservation and Management from Sir
Sanford Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario.
Emily then worked at Parks Canada looking after
Dawson Historical Complex National Historic Site in
Dawson City, Yukon.
She worked with our team here at CMC on contract,
then decided to return to her studies and Queen's Conservation Program. She interned at the Phoebe Hearst
Museum of Anthropology in Berkeley, California and in
the Organics Conservation Section at the British Museum in London. In 2009, she worked with a team on
the Antarctic Heritage Trust's Ross Sea Heritage
Project, preserving objects associated with Captain
Robert Falcon Scott's British Antarctic (Terra Nova)
Expedition Base. After returning to Canada she was at
CCI's Objects Lab, prior to joining us here. We are
very happy to have her on our team.
Ghislain Berube is retiring this September from his
position as artifacts conservator at CMC after over 25
years of hard work. He started his career as a biochemist and went on to study conservation at Sir Sanford
Fleming College. He has worked painstakingly on
hundreds of treatments at CMC, working with us even
before the opening of the new building. Ghislain was a
diligent bug identifier, working on our IPM program as
well as fumigation. His expertise in wood conservation
and many years of experience coupled with his modesty
and kindness are hard to match. His hard work and his
generous and cooperative spirit have been very important
and appreciated by us all. Ghislain is one of those rare
individuals who is loved equally by all. We all wish him a
happy third career, and lots of gardening.
National Currency Museum
The National Currency Collection has been moved into a
custom-designed, renovated Collection storage and work
area in the Bank of Canada in Ottawa. Conservator and
Collections Manager, Rebecca Renner, helped design the
facility which now includes a conservation laboratory and
a segregated storage vault to protect the metal artifacts.
The metals vault is maintained at low relative humidity
and has specifically selected filters, installed in the
HVAC system, to reduce the rate of corrosion of metals.
Rebecca would like to thank the many colleagues who
provided advice during the design and construction
phases and those who helped pack and move the Collection - especially Gabrielle Charbonneau, a recent graduate of Algonquin College's Applied Museum Studies
Program and conservator, Charlotte Newton.
Rebecca Renner
New Brunswick
Michelle Gallinger and Elizabeth Jablonski are presently
working onsite in New Brunswick, conserving two large
paintings belonging to the Canadian Military Engineers
Museum at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick. The two
8 x 10 foot paintings were created by Goranson-Fisher
Studios in British Columbia in 1940 as a commission for
the Royal Engineers. They depict the building of the
Cariboo Road.
Elizabeth Jablonski
Silvia Kindl
20
Society for the Preservation of
Natural History Collections
The Isabel Bader Fellowship
in Textile Conservation
Award Announcement
Award Announcement
Gerald R. Fitzgerald, collections care professional and
past President (1992-1994) and founding member of the
Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) was honored at the Society's annual
meeting in June 2010 in Ottawa, Ontario by the naming
of the Fitzgerald Travel Grant. The travel grant
program permits emerging collections care and conservation professionals to participate in the Society's meetings.
The Agnes Etherington Art Centre and Queen's
University's Master of Art Conservation Program are
pleased to announce that Caterina Florio is the recipient
of the inaugural Isabel Bader Research Fellowship in
Textile Conservation.
Mr. Fitzgerald worked as a student for the Geological
Survey of Canada and the National Museum of Natural
Sciences (NMNS). In 1970, he joined the paleontology
staff of the NMNS, later renamed the Canadian Museum
of Nature (CMN)and became the first Director of the
newly created Collections Division in 1991. During his
career he produced 23 publications, and presented
numerous talks and professional training workshops.
Dedicated to the highest standard of care for the national
collection of natural history objects, he assisted his staff
in elevating their skills and he established a conservation
unit. As well as encouraging others, Jerry worked to
improve his own skills and was accredited by the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators in 1989
and served as its President from 1996 to 2000.
Jerry had a knack for teaching and a deft touch in
promoting the professionalism of his colleagues. He
helped raise awareness in Paleontology about sound
conservation practice and the importance of using the
same ethics in preparation that are expected from
conservators in other fields.
A graduate of the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy at
the University of Florence and the Palazzo Spinelli
Institute of Art and Conservation in Florence, Caterina
Florio has held conservation internships in Poland, Italy
and Malta. She brings a wealth of conservation experience to the Fellowship position, having worked for a
number of museums, public archives and university
collections in Canada and abroad - including the Royal
Ontario Museum, Toronto; Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto;
Archives of Ontario, Toronto; San Jacopo in Campo
Corbolini Museum, Florence; and the University of
Florence.
As the Isabel Bader Research Fellow in Textile Conservation at Queen's University, beginning in January 2011,
Florio will research public perception of conservation
treatment. Her project, "Textile Conservation and the
Museum Public," will focus on conservation practices as
part of the museum experience: how costume treatments
are received and interpreted in exhibitions and to what
extent modern aesthetic expectations affect the level of
conservation intervention. During her residency, Florio
will work closely with the Queen's University Collection
of Canadian Dress at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre
and share her professional and academic expertise with
Master of Art Conservation students.
The Society for the Preservation of Natural History
Collections (SPNHC) is an international multidisciplinary
organization of professionals from 24 countries dedicated
to the care of objects derived from the natural world.
Their mission is: "Improving the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to
ensure their continuing value to society."
The Isabel Bader Research Fellowship in Textile Conservation is a new research opportunity at Queen's University, promoting investigation and research in the areas of
textile conservation and costume history. Through the
generous support of Dr. Isabel Bader, the Fellowship links
two of the University's most unique resources: the
Queen's University Collection of Canadian Dress at the
Art Centre, which comprises over 2000 articles of fashion
from the early 1800s to the 1970s, and the Master of Art
Conservation Program, which offers Canada's only
graduate degree in conservation theory and treatment.
Catharine Hawks
Conservator
For further information, please contact Matthew Hills at
613-533-2190, or go to www.aeac.ca.
The Society award recognizes Jerry's many contributions
to the field of collections care and his pivotal role in the
origins of SPNHC.
21
Conferences and Training - Congrès et formation
NEDCC Webinars and workshop on preservation
NEDCC (Northeast Document Conservation Center) is
now offering a Preservation Planning Webinar Series
that will help institutions develop a plan for the preservation of collection materials. Selected upcoming webinar
topics: Surveying Your Collection; Storage and Handling
of Collections Materials; Collections Security; Pest
Management.
NEDCC continues to offer a series of face-to-face
workshops held at the Center's headquarters in Andover,
MA. These full-day workshops cover general and
specific topics in preservation, collections care, and
digitization, and many offer a hands-on component for
gaining skills in basic repair techniques. Selected upcoming workshop topics: Digitization Basics; Digitizing
Vintage Photographs and Negatives; Basic Book Repair;
Identification and Care of Photographs;
Care of Paintings.
For more information please visit: <URL:http://
www.nedcc.org/education/training.calendar.php>
Course on fluid preservation of biological
specimens
London, UK
November 1-4, 2010
www.natural-history-conservation.com>
Tudor and Jacobean Painting: Production,
Influences and Patronage International Conference
London, UK
2-4 December 2010
For more information please visit :<URL:http://
www.npg.org.uk/research/programmes/making-art-intudor-britain.php>
The American Institute for Conservation's 39th
Annual Meeting
Pittsburgh, PA
May 17-20, 2011
The theme of the conference is "Ethos, Logos, Pathos:
Ethical principles and critical thinking in conservation".
The goal of this year's meeting is to examine how ethics,
22
logic, and perception guide conservation decisions.
Possible subjects for presentations include increased
accessibility and use of built heritage, the effects of
changing environmental standards on lending practices,
the treatment of contemporary and ephemeral works,
artists' and owners' rights, and the evolution of ethical
codes of conduct.
For more information please visit <URL:http://
www.conservation-us.org>.
Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks
(LACONA)
London, UK
September 7-10, 2011
www.lacona9.org>
Symposium 2011 "Adhesives and Consolidants for
Conservation: Research and Applications"
Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada
October 17-21, 2011
Call for Contributions Deadline: November 1, 2010
For more information visit http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/
index-eng.aspx
Symposium 2011 "Adhésifs et consolidants en
restauration: Recherches et applications"
Institut canadien de conservation, Ottawa (Ontario)
Canada
Du 17 au 21 octobre 2011
Date limite des soumissions: le 1er novembre 2010
Pour de plus amples renseignements, visitez http://
www.cci-icc.gc.ca/index-fra.aspx
8th Biennial North American Textile Conservation
Conference (NATCC)
Plying the Trades: Pulling Together in the 21st Century
Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico
November 8-11, 2011
www.natcconference.com>

Sep 2010 CAC Bulletin 7.p65 - Canadian Association for Conservation

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