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Highlights of 2003
December 2003
ARG! is committed to hold the 2005
conference in Jasper May 16 to May 22. Reservations have been
made for The Palisades (workshop) and the Jasper Park Lodge
(conference). The conference will be co-chaired by Margot
Brunn and Cynthia Ball. Carolynne Poon has taken on promotions.
All positions are listed in the conference manual. Members
are encouraged to attend the Quebec City conference in 2004
to familiarize themselves with the organization and structure
of the event. The 30th Annual CAC Conference and Workshop
will be held from May 25 to 30 at the Musée de la civilisation.
The theme of the workshop is Unusual materials, unconventional
treatments and will be hosted by the Musée national
des beaux-arts du Québec. Plan to be there!
November 2003
Andrea Bowes is
filling in for James Engelbert, on leave of absence
until April 2005, during the planning stages for the relocation
of the conservation lab. The lab will be housed in the new
Arts Branch building which is currently being renovated by
the Rockliffe architectural firm.
The PMA's loss is Musee Heritage's gain: Ann Ramsden
accepted the position of Collections Manager in St. Albert.
Ann, a graduate of the Clothing and Textiles program at the
University of Alberta, had been working on MAP-funded inventory
projects and welcomed the opportunity to apply herself to
collections care and management.
Carolynne Poon
demonstrated the many uses of Mylar (such as encapsulation
and book mounting) for archival storage and exhibits during
a workshop in Millet.
October 2003
Congratulations and best wishes
to Linda-Sue Burwood and family on the birth of Emily
Alison. Enjoy your little sweetie!
The position of Regional rep and
Arg! chair has been taken by Lee Churchill, paper conservator
at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. Congratulations Lee! Lee
is originally from Newfoundland and moved to Alberta to attend
the University of Alberta, then went on to Queen's. Her email
address is leec@glenbow.org.
15 museums and six conservators
participated in setting up a recovery site and salvaging water-damaged
objects, textiles and books at the Museums Alberta pre-conference
Workshop on Emergency Response and Recovery. Participants
learned how to identify dangers inherent in an emergency situation,
how to assess the severity of a disaster for a museum, how
to priorize the salvage operation, and how to apply appropriate
recovery techniques for artifacts ranging from photographs
and furniture to feather boas and textiles from the "Value
Village Collection". Various techniques for cleaning, air-drying
and freezing were demonstrated by workshop leaders Margot
Brunn and Carolynne Poon, with the assistance of
Juliet Graham, Elizabeth Richards, and Don Murchison.
James Engelbert donated an oil painting, and textile
student Lucie Heins and others constructed a wash tank
based on a design by Colleen Day.
The hands-on, thoroughly wet and sometimes smelly experience
was held at the bus barn "museum" courtesy of the City of
Lethbridge, and thanks to Carrie Herrick (MA Learning Program
Coordinator)and Kevin Maclean (Sir Alexander Galt Museum &
Archives). It was the third time since 1998 that conservators
in the province have given preparedness training for museums.
The trained staff in these museums can join volunteer members
in the Museums Alberta Emergency Network that institutions
call upon for assistance.
The move is still ongoing, but The Provincial Archives is
open for business. ARG! especially likes the storefront where
the public and others can purchase archival supplies and services,
as well as being an easily accessible resource for preservation
and conservation-related information. Congratulations to the
Archives staff for their new building, and for their excellent
public service for archival conservation. You can call Dennis
Hyduk at 427-0236 for product information.
September 2003
Carolynne Poon,
paper conservator for the Rutherford Library Special Collections
has retired after more than two decades at the University
of Alberta. She is looking forward to more family time and
applying her artistic talents in new ways while remaining
an active member of ARG!
The Central Alberta Regional Museums
Network contracted Textile Conservator Linda-Sue Burwood
(L.S. Burwood Conservation Services) and Exhibits and
Storage Consultant Joanne White (Camden Consulting)to
hold a workshop for members on planning and mounting a textiles
exhibit. Planning, preparing and installing an exhibit involving
textile artifacts requires balancing aesthetically pleasing
displays while impressing the public with well maintained
artifacts. Selecting textiles to meet the storyline also requires
a keen and careful eye to determine their appropriateness
based on artifact condition. Therefore, the focus of this
workshop was how to consider conservation when choosing textile
artifacts, assessing and identifying what is needed for a
safe exhibit, the use of suitable materials and display methods,
and basic environmental requirements. Artifacts from the textile
collection were viewed and the selection process for including
them (or not) in exhibits was discussed.
Taking care of a family's historic
clothing and textiles can be a daunting job. Linda-Sue
Burwood and Joanne White addressed some of the
issues surrounding the care and storage of items such as wedding
dresses, Christening gowns, flat textiles and other clothing
items. The public session began with a walk through the fabulous
"Social Fabric" exhibit of 20th century fashions from the
collection of the Red Deer Museum. Conservation treatments
for the historic textiles on display were pointed out as well
as the behind-the-scene work that it takes to prepare a successful
exhibit. Following the tour, Linda-Sue and Joanne gave a talk
on why it is important to use acid-free storage materials
and how to keep clothing properly preserved. The evening ended
with a demonstration of how to store a wedding dress. Hand-outs
listed information about where to obtain the necessary conservation
supplies.
Joanne White, Linda-Sue Burwood
and Shirley Ellis contributed
to the success of several innovative temporary exhibits at
the Red Deer Museum during the last year. The three ARG! members
were contracted to do conservation treatment, exhibit mounts
and installation of textiles and artifacts for "The Seduction
of Smoking", "Expressive Hands" amd "Social Fabric", as well
as for other artifacts from the permanent galleries. Linda-Sue
and Joanne also cooperated on museum storage upgrades for
a large baby bonnet collection, whalebone carvings and a narwhal
tusk.
Alison Freake
attended Symposium 2003 - Preservation of Electronic Records:
New Knowledge and Decision-making that was hosted by the Canadian
Conservation Institute, the Library and Archives of Canada,
and the Canadian Heritage Information Network in Ottawa. Please
contact her with your questions.
Irene Karsten
arrived at CCI just in time to help Jane Down pack up her
lab so that it can be cleared out for renovations. She'll
be working at Tunney's Pasture. In the meantime, Irene
snagged the coveted CAC secretary position (No Wimps May Apply).
Congratulations! The country breathes a sigh of relief. Irene's
new email address is irene_karsten@pch.gc.ca
The move from the Provincial Archives to Peterborough went
smoothly for Denise Koh. After one week of classes she wrote:
"Boy oh boy is this Conservation program going to be intense!"
There are 19 students in the first year class at Sir Sanford
Fleming. Another Edmontonian (?) was accepted at Queen's University
in the paintings conservation program.
August 2003
ARG! members got together in Margot's
back yard to say farewell to friends who are moving on to
interesting and challenging opportunities in Ontario. An honourary
ARG! membership mug was bestowed on Audrey Yardley-Jones
(London), Shirley Ellis (ROM, Toronto) and Irene
Karsten (CCI, Ottawa). Thanks to everyone for an excellent
pot luck and to Linda-Sue for creating the invitation below.
On the right: Shirley Ellis receives ARG! memorabilia, with
Ann Ramsden in the background.
ARG!Conservators are known for
their keen culinary interests and skills. Cyndie suggested
a feature of ARG! potluck favourites. Here's a taste for what
could be included: Apricot Cheese Cake.
Ingredients for crust: > 160 g butter, > 160 g sugar > 1 vanille
sugar. Beat together and add: > 2 eggs (one at a time and
beat into batter). Add: > 340 g flour > 2 tsp baking powder
> milk (just enough to be able to stir all ingredients together).
Line a high-rim cookie sheet with wax paper and pour dough
into it. Smooth out dough.
Ingredients for topping: > 750 g Quark (skim or other) > 200
g sugar > 1 egg > 1 vanilla pudding powder > 1/2 cup oil >
1 cup milk. Stir ingredients together and pour on top of dough.
Add raw fruit or from cans (apricots, mandarin oranges, cherries,
plums, etc). Top apricots with chopped pistachios before baking.
Bake for 50 minutes at 150 to 200 degrees or until set in
centre. Make a glaze to finish a thick layer of cherries or
canned fruit once the cake has cooled. Bon Appetit!
The University of Alberta Clothing and Textiles Collection
is undergoing major changes with the recent resignations of
the curatorial technician, Terri Thomson and conservator,
Shirley Ellis. At this time the direction the university
will take with regards to conservation is uncertain. Re-evaluating
and re-structuring is underway and will continue on into the
next year. With the departure of Shirley, Elizabeth Richards
will be teaching Preventive Conservation in the Fall Term.
Elizabeth is pleased to be back at the University after an
interesting year as Head of Textile Conservation at the Malta
Centre for Conservation.
Lee Churchill has joined the full time staff as paper
conservator and has started in on a number of treatments left
behind by her predecessors. Don Murchison in the paintings
lab has begun work on the upcoming Russell and Remington show.
Heather Dumka is continuing work on an Inuit beaded skin
parka. Don, Heather and Lee are planning for an in-house disaster
salvage workshop for Glenbow staff in the fall. Gail Niinimaa
is busy with course work and a major carpet project for Lougheed
House.
Juliet Graham
recently completed work on a 17th century map of North America
for a private client from Edmonton. She has also worked on
an important portfolio of maps from a geological and natural
history survey dating to 1885 for the Sir Alexander Galt Museum
and Archives. These maps have been well used by the public
and were in need of conservation treatment, as well as an
improved storage and handling solution. The oversize maps,
each a unique dimension, had been stored folded up in their
original storage portfolio (approximately 7" x 10") and unfolding
and refolding were necessary for every interested patron in
order to view them. They are now being stored flat in a portfolio
large enough to house all of them. The museum is planning
an expansion for 2005 and will then actually have the space
to store the new large-scale portfolio.
June 2003
ARG! meeting in the back room of the Organic Roots Café
at 7 pm on Thursday, 26 June 2003: Jerry Chlopicki, Carolynne
Poon, Janice Manuel, Irene Karsten, Cyndie Lack, Audrey Yardley-Jones,
Shirley Ellis (and Margot). The sun was shining after
a brief shower so the place was filled with light and marvelous
food. We are lucky to have Jerry with us after his serious
car crash on the way home from Wetaskiwin.
Exciting news (but also sad) was brought to the meeting. Audrey
Yardley-Jones announced that she will be moving to London,
Ontario. This means that she will not be here in October to
run the one-day disaster recovery drill on waterlogged materials
for the Museums Alberta Emergency Response workshop. The province
is losing a very dedicated and experienced emergency worker.
Irene is also heading for Ottawa, to CCI, in the fall. Irene
Karsten is one of the amazing organizers that have kept
ARG! coherent, and she will be soreley missed. Margot Brunn
contacted CAC to let them know that ARG! is willing to
host the 2005 CAC Annual Meeting and Workshop in Jasper. Irene
will write a letter to the Board to make this official. Irene
will also write to Museums Alberta to get ARG! on their "groups
who can receive grant money from MA" list. We discussed briefly
how to solve the transportation problem and decided that a
VIA car designated for the purpose from Edmonton would be
just the thing so that we could party all the way to Jasper
(à la Junos).
AIC Washington conference was attended by Irene. She caught
up with fellow Albertans, Gaby Kienitz and Alyssa
Becker. Gaby's contract continues to get renewed at the
Smithsonian Museum of American History. Irene visited the
textile lab to see one of her projects - a cream silk flag
that had been "conserved" previously by stitching between
black silk net using black silk thread. The stitching was
so tight they initially thought the net was adhered in place.
Alyssa is still at the National Museum of the American Indian
enjoying her internship, but will be moving to New York in
the fall where she will begin a Smithsonian fellowship at
the Cooper Hewitt Museum with Lucy Commoner.
Contracts closer to home: Linda-Sue Burwood and Ann
Ramsden are both back at the PMA for another MAP-funded
contract. This time they are in the basement doing inventory,
digital images, scanning and catalogue updates for the Western
Canadian History artifacts! It is a BIG job!
Congratulations and best wishes
to Juliet Graham and family on the birth of baby Olive.
May 2003
 
Salt air and a taste of summer colours: the gardens of Victoria
were beautifully in bloom for the conference in the third
week of May. The location allowed a welcome opportunity to
meet with some of our BC colleagues. ARG! members present
shared the collective, deep appreciation for the dedicated
work of the conference committee. Their all-out commitment
was brought home to us by the example of Val Thorpe, who from
the hospital was still ticking off to-do items for co-chair
Kjerstin Mackie. Thank you Val, and best wishes for your recovery.
Congratulations to everyone who made it come together. Success
in soliciting papers, and bringing participants to the annual
conferences - which have been running for 31 years - is no
small feat. The papers were informative and thought-provoking,
the organization ran smoothly, the line-up of sponsors as
well as RBCM's support was impressive, and by all accounts,
the food was fabulous!
   
Alberta Connections:
Shirley (Edmonton), Heather (Calgary), Irene (Edmonton), Heather
Place (Winnipeg), Nancy (Edmonton), Carl Schlichting (Slocan
Park), Elizabeth (Fernie), Margot (Edmonton), Flora Davidson
(Ottawa), Sandy Easterbrook (Saskatoon), and Kasey Brewer
(Regina).
Textile conservation was well represented by Shirley Ellis,
Irene Karsten, Nancy Kerr and Elizabeth Richards.
Three papers were given by ARG! members Irene (adhesive research),
Elizabeth (teaching in Malta), and Margot Brunn with
co-author Janice Manuel (furniture authentication and
treatment of marquetry). Left: Diagram by Janice Manuel. Casework
construction lead to veneer damage due to tenons and dovetail
pins protruding from the panel since wood shrinks more in
width than in length. Right: Detail of brass marquetry on
ebony-veneered table top.
The pre-conference workshop on
Conservation of Fossil, Mineral and Rock Collections was organized
by three top experts in the field: Robert Waller and Gerald
Fitzgerald, Canadian Museum of Nature, and Chris Collins from
the British Natural History Museum. Their leadership in earth
sciences conservation is internationally recognized and has
been of great benefit to museums with natural history collections.
One of the AGM's agenda items was the nomination for Order
of Canada for ROM's former chief of conservation Elizabeth
Philamore. This echoed the Per Guldbeck lecture by Charlie
Costain on the great influences people like Per Guldbeck,
Gael de Stahl and Phil Ward had in shaping the conservation
profession. He called on us to publicly acknowledge the mentors,
visionaries and organizers - perhaps in a conservation hall
of fame web page?
-
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This interesting seminar, organized by NAME (National
Association for Museum Exhibition), was held at the Portland
Art Museum prior to the annual AAM conference, and attended
by Margot Brunn. Numerous advances have been made
in exhibit case and lighting design since Toby Raphael
was invited to lead a workshop on the topic at the 1995
CAC Calgary conference workshop. The seminar was conducted
by Toby (exhibits conservator at the Harpers Ferry Center,
National Park Service), Pamela Hatchfield (Head
of Objects Conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston),
and Daniel Quan (exhibition planner/ design firm based
in Oakland). It included a generous package for the approximately
60 participants: Continental breakfast during registration
and box lunch; CD-ROM Exhibit Conservation Guidelines,
produced by the National Park Service; Resource notebook
including conservation references and the NAME Exhibitionist
issue, Designing for Conservation; Instructional
sessions and practical workshop with product literature
and samples; Conservation Marketplace showcasing
the most useful products; Informal discussions and
resolution of participant's conservation problems.
April 2003
-
After 38 years of sharing a
building with the Provincial Museum of Alberta, PAA closed
its doors in April to reopen at a new location on Roper
Road. The Archival Service Centre will continue to offer
acid-free materials to the general public, and Dennis
Hyduk will increase its supplies to meet a growing
demand.
PAA staff Denise Koh, who has worked on the Oblates Archival
Collection for the past 2 1/2 years, has been accepted
into Sir Sanford Fleming for the fall. She is planning
to specialize in paper or objects conservation. Denise
is the first Edmontonian in three years to seek conservation
training in Ontario. Congratulations on making the career
move to an interesting profession.
Topics on the agenda were the
March flood in the Human Ecology Building, by Shirley
Ellis; the Arms and Armour workshop in Malta, by Heather
Dumka; a decision on the emergency response workshop October
22-23, to be conducted by Audrey Yardley-Jones;
new regional rep (ARG! chair) nominations; and the proposal
to hold the 2005 CAC conference in Jasper.
The demands of a young family
and running a private conservation lab became incompatible
for Andrea Bowes. As of April, her conservation
studio is closed; supplies and equipment have been sold.
All the best, Andrea, to you and your family.
March 2003
Volunteer members responded
to the call for assistance at the UofA Clothing and Textiles
Collection, as the coldest days of the year took its toll
on a water pipe. Bad planning continues to haunt this
important collection. Again, the culprit is the lab directly
above the collection compact storage. Apparently, a water
pipe froze when a window was left open. The burst pipe
caused water damage to at least 150 artifacts. Audrey
Yardley-Jones, Carolynne Poon, Cyndie Lack, Irene Karsten,
Linda-Sue Burwood, Margot Brunn, Nancy Kerr and others
applied their emergency response training to assist Shirley
Ellis with the salvage of the collection.
Preservation Management for
Seasonal Museums: Museums Alberta organized the CCI workshop,
held on March 7-8, 2003 at the Bowden Pioneer Museum.
Hantavirus Training: Dennis Hyduk and Alison
Freake attended a course given by Environmental Health
Professionals Ltd. that included definitions of viruses,
specifically hantavirus; carriers of hantavirus; ways
in which the disease is transmitted; characteristics of
the disease; disease prevention; and personal protective
equipment required to minimize exposure.
Margot Brunn, Irene Karsten
and Cynthia Ball
formed a CAC ad hoc committee that reviewed
CAC's objectives for publications. The committee established
Terms of Reference as identifying the objectives, identifying
issues, and strategies to address the issues. Three discussion
points were highlighted for the Annual Report: The format
of peer-reviewed publications; the direction for future
publications; and the content of the CAC web site.
February 2003
Congratulations to Alison Freake who has been hired
as conservator at the Archives in a newly created, permanent
position. Alison has worked with Dennis Hyduk since
June 2001 through a University of Calgary internship,
and will be reporting to Wayne Murdoch, manager of Preservation
Services. PAA is in the process of packing up its holdings
in preparation for the move to a new building in the summer.
At the Glenbow Museum, three
conservators are working on an upcoming Inuit exhibit,
as well as on a Blackfoot travelling exhibit. In the objects
lab, Sue Cross is treating artifacts including
a couple of lovely bird skin parkas that have tears.
Heather Dumka has been working on an Inuit beaded
skin parka that have sustained major tears and losses.
Gail Niinimaa is making the mannequins for both the
Inuit and the Blackfoot exhibit.
Gail's main project is the conservation of a Brussels's
18th century tapestry for which she employs the help of
a team of volunteers. The work involves replacing the
degraded thread used to stitch up the slits, stabilizing
fragile areas and adding a full lining with a Velcro support.
The project has been partially subsidized by Museums Alberta
and is expected to take up to a year to complete.
Irene Karsten continues to work with Museums Alberta
and ARG! on the initial planning for an Emergency Response
Network workshop to be held in conjunction with the annual
conference next October. She also represented conservators
at a focus group discussing the revision of Museums Alberta's
vision statement. "To promote understanding, access and
excellence within Alberta's museums for the benefit of
society" is the new vision.
January 2003
Audrey Yardley-Jones
and Cynthia Ball have been contracted by Museums
Alberta to update Book 3 in the Museum Excellence Series:
Help! A Survivor's Guide to Emergency Preparedness.
The manual sold out within six months after publication
in 2001.
University Products joined
Archetype and the Northern States Conservation Center
as distributor for the book. The 2003 catalogue entry
reads: "Many wonderful examples of clever, carefully constructed
costume mounts have been included in this book. It provides
an easy to understand resource, with examples of different
construction methods and mannequin types ranging from
polyethylene foam slabs to commercially available life-cast
figures. For any method, however, the emphasis is on creating
professionally looking, custom-made mannequins that are
suitable for fully supporting a garment as well as highlighting
fashion details. The handbook is published by The Alberta
Regional Group of Conservators (ARG!) with support of
a Museums Alberta Special Projects Research Grant."
Juliet Graham, a British Museum preparator and
staff from the Sir Alexander Galt Museum and Archives
completed the dismantling of the Ancestor's exhibit. Artifacts
were returned to the ROM, the British Museum, the Manitoba
Museum of Man and Nature, the Glenbow and the Provincial
Museum of Alberta. Ancestor's was the largest and most
complicated (in terms of objects on loan) exhibit in the
museum's history. As contract conservator, Juliet assisted
the museum in mounting artifacts, and to meet loan conditions.
As one of the few Alberta conservators who are free to
take short-term contracts in different locations, Cynthia
Ball was in Edmonton for in-situ work on registers
of the United Church held at the Provincial Archives.
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