Best Practices for General Conservation Assessments workshop

Thursday, June 6, 2002
1:00 – 5:00 pm
a pre-conference workshop
in conjunction with
the American Institute for Conservation Annual Meeting
Miami, Florida

Heritage Preservation is pleased to announce Best Practices for General Conservation Assessments, a workshop given for and by conservators who conduct general conservation assessments.

Since the Conservation Assessment Program was developed in 1990, CAP assessors have developed their own styles of conducting assessments. Best Practices will provide a venue for collections conservators to explore their favored techniques of conducting site visits, working cooperatively with architectural assessors, and writing effective reports. Other topics will include using technology to expedite site visits and strengthen reports, working with small museums, and communicating with museum staff and volunteers unfamiliar with collections care.

This workshop is funded through a National Leadership Grant (Professional Practices) from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

To Register
Registration is $10.
Participants may register through AIC’s conference registration when materials become available in early February. Visit http://aic.stanford.edu or call 202-452-9545 for details.
If you are not a member of AIC, please contact Heritage Preservation to register at 888-388-6789 or kbates@heritagepreservation.org.

Program Schedule
Welcome and Introduction
Mary Estelle Kennelly, Director, Office of Museum Services, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, D.C.;
Mary Alexander, Director, Museum Assistance Program, Maryland Historical Trust, Crownsville, Maryland

The workshop will open with an exploration of the challenges small museums face in prioritizing and gaining financial support for collections care and conservation. Ms. Alexander will discuss how CAP reports can stimulate museums to change their daily collections care activities and assist them in carrying out long-term recommendations.

Case Study: Locust Grove Historic House Museum
Julie Parke, Director, Locust Grove Historic House Museum, Louisville, Kentucky;
Shelley Reisman Paine, Conservator, Nashville, Tennessee;
Thomas McDowell, Preservation Consultant, LaPlata, Maryland

Locust Grove will be examined as a model CAP museum. The museum is considered typical because it owns collections and historic buildings and is staffed by three paid staff and volunteers. The director and assessors will discuss the CAP process from start to finish, and what effects the reports had on the museum’s long-term conservation goals.

Maximizing the Site Visit
Brian Ramer, Conservation Consultant, Aiken and Ramer, Baltimore, Maryland;
Julie Reilly, Chief Conservator, Gerald Ford Conservation Center, Omaha, Nebraska;
Laurie Booth, President and Objects Conservator, Midwest Conservation Services, Plain City, Ohio

This panel will discuss the first area of best practice, making the most out of two days on-site. Topics will include how to best communicate with museum staff and volunteers during the site visit, what museums and assessor should prepare beforehand, and how to improve the quality and results of the site visit with environmental monitoring equipment.

Working with Architectural Assessors
Nancy Davis, Objects Conservator, Laurel, Maryland;
Shelley Reisman Paine, Conservator, Nashville, Tennessee;
Thomas McDowell, Preservation Consultant, LaPlata, Maryland

This panel will address cooperation between conservators and architects in site-visits and report writing. Seasoned conservators will discuss how they emphasize the interrelationship between buildings and collections, and how they communicate to museums to ensure they understand their most pressing needs. The value of presenting collections and building needs in a unified voice will be emphasized.

Writing Effective Reports
Robert McGiffin, Chief Conservator, Antique Rehabilitation Studio, Agua Dulce, California;
Meg Craft, Conservator, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland;
Timothy Vitale, Conservator and Consultant, Preservation Associates, Emeryville, California

This panel will address writing reports that are useful and motivational. Panelists will discuss the value of adding appendices such as photographs, conservation resources and other information to reports, and how making this extra effort can promote a long-lasting business relationship with a museum. Other topics will include how to write a report while being mindful of a museum’s governance, financial, and staffing situation, and how to take advantage of technology to streamline CAP report writing and create a visual impact.

Wrap-Up
The program will conclude with a recap of the goals of the Conservation Assessment Program, the challenges faced by small museums and the value of imparting conservation knowledge.