Tomorrow's Furniture Conservator
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May 2016 Vol. 41, No. 3 Inside From the Executive Director 2 Tomorrow’s Furniture AIC News 4 Conservator: Who Are You, FAIC News 5 Where Are You, and JAIC News 8 What Skills Will You Need? Part deux Health & Safety 8 People 13 by Tad Fallon and Mike Podmaniczky for Wooden Artifacts Group New Publications 13 Background In the March 2014 (Vol. 40, No. 2) issue of this newsletter, Stéphanie c o l u m n Worth Noting 14 Auffret astutely addressed the question posed above by summarizing the sponsored 2012 AIC conference roundtable discussion sponsored by the Wooden by WAG Conservation Training Programs 14 Artifacts Group. Much of the discussion revolved around the defini- Specialty Group Columns 16 tion of a furniture conservator, and conversely clarified that the concept of a furniture conservator is not easy to define. Taken as a broad survey, the answers were akin to the Network Columns 22 responses of the blind men asked about the elephant; upon comparing notes they learn they are in complete disagreement, as each one examined only one part of the large animal. Courses, Conferences, & Seminars 24 In fact, it sometimes seems that the only difference between an objects conservator and a furniture conservator is that the latter treats any object with feet. Indeed, as silly as it may sound, non-wood materials have always been considered under the purview of a furniture conservator (particularly if feet are involved). If the cover illustration of Conservation of Furniture (Rivers, Umney) Member Notes is turned upside down, it makes the point by literally turning four • Remember May is Emergency pieces of furniture into mixed media sculptures, some without any Preparedness Month! Start wood component. The ensuing debate and answers generated have with just ONE thing to get your made it clear that the field is in a period of rapid change, from both workplace prepared! (see p. 7) the current shift in training opportunities (or lack thereof) and the • Meeting attendees should Cover illustration, emerging needs of collections as they grow and age. check their own preparation Conservation of Because furniture is a function rather than a medium, the conser- lists! Bring your passport, check Furniture, Rivers, vation field has been wrestling with the notion of “furniture conser- “Business” instead of “Work” Umney on Canadian customs forms, vation” ever since flannel shirted cabinetmakers put on suits, went and download your CBSA to school, and became furniture conservators, or (more definitively) objects conservators Recognition Letter. Also plan with more specific mechanical skills. The simplest solution to at least part of the issue your meeting ahead of time: would simply be to drop “furniture” in favor of “objects” and allow for specialized wood download the new Sched app skills to manifest themselves as appropriate or necessary. to your device! Like the 19th century immigrant craftsman who simply opened his toolbox for the • The February 2016 issue of fellow hiring, today’s conservator opens his/her portfolio. Unfortunately, all too often JAIC has been delayed due to the person or institution who is hiring finds themselves with unfulfilled expectations publisher transitions. It should of an applicant who bears a specialized persona, but without the full skill set. Still, there mail this month. remains a niche for the traditional craftsman/conservator, and that is what has been diffi- cult to produce, given the current state of conservation training in the U.S. Diversity Within Furniture Conservation In some institutions, wooden objects tend to not need highly intrusive treatments and primarily require maintenance or tightly focused fine-tuning of appearance through cleaning or finish adjustment. Research, analysis, and interpretation are often called for, Tomorrow’s Furniture Conservator continues on page 3 From the Executive Director AIC NEWS AIC News (ISSN 1060-3247) is published CAP is back! …but with a twist: CAP is now the bi-monthly by the American Institute for Collections Assessment for Preservation program! With Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, 1156 thanks to the Institute of Museum and Library Services 15th Street, NW, Ste. 320, Washington, D.C. 20005; (IMLS), we are well on our way to offering a revitalized 202-452–9545; Fax: 202-452–9328; collections assessment program, with the first application info@conservation-us.org deadline anticipated for February 1, 2017. www.conservation-us.org Eric Pourchot and I have just hired the new program Send address changes to: coordinator (see page 5), whose first tasks will include AIC News hiring an assistant and beginning work with a variety 1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 320 of experts to create the forms, policies, and procedures Washington, D.C. 20005 necessary to launch the program. The initial five- member CAP steering committee is in place, with its Opinions expressed in AIC News are those of the members representing collection and building assessors, contributors and not official statements of AIC. museums, museum associations, and other affiliated groups. They will review and Responsibility for the materials/methods described comment on draft forms and application materials, along with providing ongoing advice herein rests solely with the contributors. and guidance to staff. Deadline for July editorial submissions FAIC, in concert with IMLS, has decided to incorporate several new components (bnaugle@conservation-us.org): into CAP. Briefly, they include: June 1, 2016. • Implementing a “tiered” approach to gather application materials and pre-visit We reserve the right to edit for brevity and clarity. information from institutions of different sizes • Offering building assessments for all institutions, regardless of the age of the ADVERTISING building AIC accepts position-available ads only from equal • Integrating collections and building assessments to provide coordinated recom- opportunity employers. All position ads must mendations that guide the identification of priorities and set feasible expectations conform to the standards for equal opportunity for long-term care employment. Internships and Fellowships, Positions • Increasing museum staff training opportunities with print and online resources Available, and Classified Ads are placed at no cost. that will be made available, along with access to Connecting to Collections Care The cost of display ads is: 1/6 page $215; 1/3 page webinars and online discussion forums $360; 1/2 page $445; 2/3 page $570; full page $695. • Including a follow-up phone or videoconference consultation nine to twelve Deadlines for advertising copy are: February 10, months after each assessment April 10, June 10, August 10, October 10, and • Creating new assessor-training materials and a system for reviewing assessors and December 10. All ads should be submitted to AIC providing feedback and follow up at info@conservation-us.org. • Implementing an ongoing program evaluation to take place not only imme- diately after the initial assessment, but again after the nine- to twelve-month AIC NEWS Staff follow-up consultation and, potentially, measuring outcomes after four or five Lisa Goldberg, Editor years Eryl P. Wentworth, Managing Editor We are already hearing from those who wish to serve as assessors and from institutions James Martin, Editor, New Materials & Research that are anxious to apply for an assessment—confirming the value of and continuing Sheila Cummins, Editor, New Publications need for these assessments. The best way to keep informed about the program is to peri- Bonnie Naugle, Production Editor odically visit the new CAP page at www.conservation-us.org/cap. By late Fall 2016, the Ruth Seyler, Marketing Director application materials will be available online. Eric Pourchot, Institutional Advancement Director IMLS is to be commended for its commitment to the CAP program and the support its staff have shown so that CAP can continue to evolve to meet the needs of the community. In addition and on behalf of FAIC, I extend our thanks to all of our AIC members who are ensuring that the new CAP does all it can to help institutions protect and preserve their valued collections. —Eryl P. Wentworth, AIC/FAIC Executive Director, ewentworth@conservation-us.org © Copyright 2016. AIC News cannot be reproduced in its entirety without permission from AIC. Individual articles may be reproduced if permission has been granted by the owner of copyright and proper citation attributed. 2 AIC NEWS, May 2016 TOMORROW’S FURNITURE CONSERVatOR Tomorrow’s Furniture Conservator continued from front cover Smithsonian Institution’s Furniture Conservation along with occasional restoration of physical losses requiring highly specialized skills. At the other end of the spectrum is the craftsman- Training Program (Founded 1986, Closed 2000); a conservator in the small private workshop who is usually a maker description of the model: as well as restorer. This person is usually performing more intrusive The Furniture Conservation Training Program (FTCP) was a restoration with less research and analysis, while leaning more unique, graduate-level program designed to allow experienced woodworkers and practicing restorers to pursue advanced heavily on traditional cabinetmaking and related craft skills. mid-career reorientation of their professional activities into the Cabinetmakers, skilled in traditional furniture crafts and field of professional, museum-quality furniture conservation. regularly performing restoration work, are often graduates of An innovative curriculum