Alexander Gabov, 2014
Conference Workshops
Laser Cleaning Workshop and Laser Operation and Certification
May 29 -30, 2023; 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Available spaces: 15
Location: University of Victoria
Day one is an intensive full day introduction to laser cleaning for cultural heritage applications. Participants will learn about the physics of what happens during laser cleaning treatments, important safety protocols, and the general benefits of using environmentally friendly precise laser cleaning as an alternative to chemical or abrasive methods.
Day 2 is focused on training and certifying participants to know how to use and tune G.C. Laser Systems effectively and safely. This course involves a lot of participant hands-on time with the laser equipment, independently tuning laser parameters, completing specific laser cleaning training exercises, and has a written exam for laser operator certification.
Emergency Response and Salvage of Collections
May 29-30, 2023; 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Available spaces: 28
Location: Royal BC Museum
This intensive 2-day workshop provides hands-on training and guidance on emergency response and collections salvage (mixed and archival materials).
Workshop Goals
- Building confidence to engage in emergency situations
- Gaining skills in the salvage of museum and archival collections
Workshop Content
- Introduction to the BC HERN
- Case Studies – the anatomy of an emergency
- Health & Safety including the psychology of responders
- Documentation of site and collections
- Salvage primer – care and response techniques for collections salvage
- Problem-solve an emergency scenario through a tabletop emergency response exercise
- Hands-on exercises involving a variety of salvage techniques that can be used to improve outcomes for water and fire damaged collections
Silversmithing Pendant and Charm
Monday May 29, 2023; 6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Available spaces: 12
Location: 13-560 Johnson St, Victoria, BC
Get those creative juices flowing while you mix and match your favourite metals, textures and stamps to create your own personalized pendants and charms! This 3- hour workshop is being offered by Argentum, a silversmithing school and supply shop located in Market Square, the historic heart of downtown Victoria. No previous silversmithing experience is required. The workshop will be held in a traditional silversmithing studio, please arrive dressed with this in mind. Copper and Brass materials are included. Sterling silver material option available for purchase. Sterling silver chains are also available for purchase.
Reconciliation Working Group Inaugural Workshop – CANCELLED
Tuesday, May 5, 2020; 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Native Women’s Centre, Hamilton, ON
This full-day workshop will launch the CAC’s Reconciliation Working Group (RWG) and introduce the group and its mandate to the CAC membership.
The workshop will begin with a Kairos Blanket Exercise, followed by cultural competency training that will help participants engage with the particular history of the First Peoples on whose traditional lands the workshop and the conference is taking place. The goals, structure and membership of the CAC Reconciliation Working Group will be introduced, followed by a round-table discussion with the theme: “What we are Conserving: Reflections on Colonial Practices in Conservation.” The roundtable will convene invited experts on subjects such as access and use, Indigenous property rights, incorporating Indigenous languages in documentation, and including Indigenous perspectives in conservation decision-making. Indigenous and non-Indigenous conservators, museum professionals, academics, artists, and cultural advisors will discuss how the CAC can expand its mandate to comply with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action.
The workshop will be open to all CAC members free of charge. Lunch is included.
Please visit the CAC’s Reconciliation Working Group Go-Fund-Me if you would like to support this initiative and help us keep the workshop free and accessible.
Workshop facilitators: CAC Reconciliation Working Group co-chairs (to be elected in January 2020)
The Reconciliation Working Group, which was proposed by the Ad Hoc Advocacy Committee and approved by the CAC Board, will develop over the next two years a formal position for the CAC on issues of repatriation, community access, and care of materials of Indigenous origin in museums, archives and private collections across the country. This formal position will provide the basis for guidelines and tools to help our membership work more ethically with these materials.
The overarching objectives of the RWG are two-fold: (1) to confront discriminatory frameworks on which modern conservation practices were built by expanding our professional standards to recognize, respect and include Indigenous perspectives in cultural preservation; and (2) to establish a pragmatic and equitable framework for collaborative practice in the care and preservation of Indigenous materials held in public and private collections, including practical guidelines for providing access to collections and facilitating repatriations, and the roles and responsibilities of conservators in caring ethically for Indigenous belongings and ancestors.
Registration for this free workshop is being administered by the Reconciliation Working Group. Please register separately using the following link. If you have any questions, direct them to rwg.cac.accr@gmail.com