Outreach
CAC has a responsibility to promote public awareness, appreciation
and understanding of the concept and practice of conservation.
We aim to enhance public access to conservation information
through publications, this web site and the efforts of our
members.
Whether conservators are presenting their work to museum
visitors, to passersby at a heritage fair or to their local
MP, the experience can be gratifying for both parties. CAC
encourages all members to take advantage of opportunities
for outreach.
We present here some examples of outreach by Canadian conservators
where conservation is showcased for the education, entertainment
and dare we say benefit of the public.
Preserving Family Heirlooms, ARG! Conservators on HELP!
TV
A conservation outreach event was organized by Margot Brunn
as ARG!'s centennial contribution to heritage preservation.
Alison Freake (paper and documents), Marlena Wyman (home
movies and CDs), Linda-Sue Burwood (storing and displaying
textiles), Cyndie Lack (protecting paintings), Sarah Patterson
(cleaning silver) and Janice Manuel (care of furniture)
were interviewed by Norlyn Bitangcol, Associate Producer/Host,
HELP!tv on Access/Canadian Learning Television. The show
was divided into five segments (#1 - Intro 1:30 minutes.
#2 - 4:30 to 5 minutes, #3 - 4:30 to 5 minutes, #4 - 4:30
to 5 minutes, #5 - 1 minute wrap-up) and included demonstrations!
Questions were phoned in by Alberta, BC and Ontario viewers.
It was a challenge, but we were most impressed by the professionalism
of Nolyn and the television production crew and their skills
of making people feel at ease.
In June 2005 the Atlantic Regional Group of CAC organized
Angel Day, a project where ten conservators spent a day
in two community museums demonstrating useful conservation
techniques for storage and display. The local municipality
also supported the project. The group hopes to make this
an annual event.
In January 2005 Diane Falvey and Andrew Todd presented a
day-long workshop on art and artifact handling to members
of the British Columbia Museums Association. This workshop
was part of the BCMA's Member Services Development Project
initiative.
Conservators at the Archives of Ontario regularly publish
descriptions of conservation projects on the Archives of
Ontario website. A recent example is a web exhibit on the
treatment of panoramic photographs: http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/exhibits/freeland/index.html.
Colleen contributes Conservation Corner articles to the museum's
Discovery Calendar magazine. A series of the articles
has been gathered together in a book entitled Tales from
the Attic, available through the museum shop. The articles
are also available on the museum's web site.
Gaelen is currently a member of the Arts Advisory Committee
and the Visual Arts Subcommittee of the City of Ottawa.
Bringing a conservation voice to municipal decision-making
is an inspired idea.
Rebecca has brought conservation presentations and demonstrations
to many different public venues including heritage fairs,
art galleries, art colleges and various craft guilds. She
has also arranged to have a regular article on conservation
issues in Preview: The Gallery Guide, a magazine
distributed to private art galleries in the Pacific Northwest.
The articles are authored by Rebecca and other BC conservators
including Cheryl Harrison, Andrew Todd and Joan Marshall.
A local television station broadcast its breakfast show
live from the conservation lab at Algonquin College. Students
and faculty introduced viewers to the field of conservation,
demonstrating treatments and environmental monitoring. They
regularly open their doors to numerous community groups
and to the general public for tours, and they have created
a computer-based presentation on conservation that is currently
on display at one of the local community museums.
Sylvia gives presentations on paper conservation to associations,
framers, artists and educational institutions in the Montreal
area. At universities and CEGEP's, her lectures are offered
through departments as varied as visual art, modern languages
& linguistics, and archaeology.
Iona presents lectures to the general public throughout
Ontario on topics of archival preservation. Sometimes these
presentations are held at public libraries. She also participates,
along with other Toronto area conservators, in the annual
open house held by the Toronto Area Archivists Group where
the public is invited to meet and consult with a variety
of archives professionals.
Ann is a regular guest on a CBC Radio phone-in show in Nova
Scotia where she answers conservation-related questions
from the public. Ann has also made numerous appearances
on local television news and information shows as a professional
conservator.
Kyla provides lectures and workshops on preserving archival
materials in small institutions and home collections. Offering
free 1hour and 2hour lectures, she promotes preservation through
increasing the understanding of how archival materials deteriorate
and supplying practical tips on how to mitigate and prevent
damage. Her 3 hour workshop includes hands-on activities that
train people in basic preventive conservation techniques like
proper dusting, how to remove staples and paper clips with
minimal damage and how to make book jackets and simple enclosures.
Kyla’s lectures and workshops are available through
St. Lawrence College, Algonquin College, and to any historical
association.
Rob Waller, Fiona Graham,
Laura Passmore and Garnet Muething of the CMN's Conservation
Unit all participate in public programs where they engage
the public in the mysteries of materials deterioration and
preservation. The Junior Conservator program, which gives
children a chance to try their hand at environmental monitoring
and pest identification, is particularly popular!
* * *
Identify your target audience(s).
- Private collectors
- Students in related fields
- School-age children
- Framers
- Genealogists
- Archaeologists
- Media
- Politicians
- Consider what they want to know, which is not necessarily
what you think they ought to know.
- Decide on one or two key points in order to keep the
message clear but be prepared to field questions on broad
range of related topics, and to be frank when you don't
know the answer.
- Do not use jargon, acronyms or any other "technospeak"
in public presentations. We want to make conservation
accessible. We almost never need to impress people with
our specialist scientific gobbledygook. On the other hand,
we always need to help them understand what conservation
means to them and how we can help them achieve their conservation
goals.
- Public presentations should include real-world context
of your work and feature you as a person well as your
work. What excites you about your job?
- Make your position, motivation and affiliation very
clear so that your audience knows what you expect to gain
from this event. Are you or your institution looking for
private work?
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