Outreach - Canadian Association for Conservation

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 nationwide, the experience can be gratifying for all. CAC encourages all members to take advantage of
opportunities for outreach.

We present here some examples of outreach by Canadian conservators where conservation was showcased.

Outreach Examples

Arti-FACTS: A Public Outreach Event

Sponsored by the CAC and developed by the CAC 2010 Conference Planning Committee’s Public Outreach Committee, Arti-FACTS was an event designed to provide the public with an opportunity to obtain expert advice on preserving their treasures, thereby disseminating and promoting the preservation of cultural heritage. For a nominal fee, people could bring their artefacts to the Library and Archives Canada the final day of the conference, where they met individually with a volunteer conservator specializing in their artefact type. Attendees learned how to store, handle, and care for artefacts
as well as what conservation and restoration treatments were available and recommended. This was a fantastic opportunity to promote the preservation of cultural material and the CAC to the public. The CAC 2010 Conference Planning Committee’s Public Outreach Committee was composed of students and emerging conservators and led by an established conservator. As such, it was an excellent opportunity for the CAC to foster the interest and the skills required among new Canadian heritage professionals to publicly advocate for conservation.


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.

Conservation Outreach updates - October 2005

Atlantic Regional Group

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.Diane Falvey and Andrew Todd, Conservators in Private
Practice, Vancouver, BC

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.

Preservation Services, Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario

Conservators at the Archives of Ontario regularly publishdescriptions of conservation projects on the Archives of Ontario website. A recent example was a web exhibit on the treatment of panoramic photographs: http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/index.aspx

Colleen Wilson, Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, BC

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 Gordon, Conservator in Private Practice, Ottawa, ON

Gaelen was 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 was an inspired idea.

Rebecca Pavitt, Conservator in Private Practice, Vancouver,BC

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.

Students and Faculty, Algonquin College Applied Museum Studies Program, Ottawa, ON

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 was currently on display at one of the local community museums.

Silvia Kindl, Conservator in Private Practice, Montreal, 1997-2007

Silvia 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 McCraith, Conservator in Private Practice, Bethany, ON

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 was invited to meet and consult with a variety of archives professionals.

Ann Shaftel, Conservator in Private Practice, Halifax, NS

Ann was 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 Ubbink, Owner/Conservator Ubbink Book and Paper Conservation

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. Conservation Unit, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, ON

Rob Waller 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, was particularly popular!

General Tips for Conservation Outreach

Identify your target audience(s)

  1. Consider what they want to know, which was not necessarily what you think they ought to know.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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?
  5. Make your position, motivation and affiliation very clear so that your audience knows what you expect to gain from this event.
  6. Are you or your institution looking for private work?