Conservation Symposium Northwest 2008
Preserve or Let Perish: Some Challenges for Contemporary Art Conservation
November 1, 2008
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This symposium is dedicated to the issues and challenges presented when working with contemporary art. Keynote Address by Brian Considine, Senior Conservator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, The J. Paul Getty Museum, on “The Conservation of Modern Outdoor Sculpture: A Case Study of the Stark Collection at the J. Paul Getty Museum.”
Additional speakers: Susan Lunas, Book and Paper Conservator, “3-D: Books from the Black Lagoon”; Jan Cavanaugh,Paintings Conservator, “Ephemeral Art: The Nemesis of Conservation?”; Marie Laibinis-Craft, Objects Conservator, “Materials Matter: Challenges in the Fabrication and Conservation of Public Art”
Moderators: Robert Melnick, Former Interim Executive Director, JSMA, and current University of Oregon professor of Landscape Architecture and David Hilton, collector.
Advanced registration requested. To register contact Sharon Kaplan at kaplan@uoregon.edu or (541) 346-0968. There is no cost to attend the symposium and free museum admission included.
The Conservation Symposium Northwest 2008 is supported in part by David Hilton and University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts and Arts and Administration Program.
Schedule of Events
| 9:30 - 10:00 a.m. | Coffee and pastries |
|---|---|
| 10:00 - 10:10 a.m. | Introduction Robert Melnick (Former Interim Executive Director, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, and current professor of Landscape Architecture) and David Hilton (collector) |
| 10:10 - 11:10 a.m. | Keynote Address: “The Conservation of Modern Outdoor Sculpture: A Case Study of the Stark Collection at the J. Paul Getty Museum” Brian Considine, Senior Conservator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, The J. Paul Getty Museum |
| 11:15 - 11:55 a.m. | "3-D: Books from the Black Lagoon" Susan Lunas, book and paper conservator |
| 11:55 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch break (on your own)
|
| 1:00 - 1:40 p.m. | "Ephemeral Art: The Nemesis of Conservation?" Jan Cavanaugh, paintings conservator |
| 1:45 - 2:25 p.m. | "Materials Matter: Challenges in the Fabrication and Conservation of Public Art" Marie Laibinis-Craft, objects conservator |
| 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. | Concluding remarks by David Hilton, collector Break-out session for one-on-one conversation |
| 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. | Informal meeting for conservators Location: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art Sponenburgh Conference Room |
Speakers
Brian Considine
Senior Conservator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, The J. Paul Getty Museum
Mr. Considine has been active in the decorative arts for over 30 years and joined the Department of Decorative Arts Conservation at the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1983. He was named Conservator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture in 1988 and Senior Conservator in 2007. He was involved in the planning of the Getty Museum at the Getty Center and has also led the technical study of the Getty’s Decorative Arts and Sculpture Collections, including the Stark Collection of Modern Outdoor Sculpture.
Keynote Address: “The Conservation of Modern Outdoor Sculpture: A Case Study of the Stark Collection at the J. Paul Getty Museum”
The donation of a collection of modern outdoor sculpture to the J. Paul Getty Museum launched an all-encompassing conservation program for the museum. Working in collaboration with artists, landscape architects, engineers, and fabricators, Getty conservators undertook an intensive effort to embrace all aspects of outdoor sculpture including: the study of the objects, visiting other collections, treatment, engineered mountmaking, installation and preventive conservation planning.
Additional events
Guest Lecture with Brian Considine at Portland Art Museum, October 30, 6:00 p.m.
Susan Lunas
Book and Paper Conservator
Susan Lunas began analyzing book structures soon after she began to read. Since then she graduated from Columbia University with an MSLS and certificate in Conservation of Books and Archival Materials. She has worked as university library conservator, reference librarian, and now as a conservator in private practice.
"3-D: Books from the Black Lagoon"
Ever wondered what causes books to fall apart? In "3-D: Books From the Black Lagoon," Susan Lunas chronicles those reasons, and ties them to the ethics of if and how books should be repaired, or if we should just allow them to fall apart.
Jan Cavanaugh
Paintings Conservator
Dr. Jan Cavanaugh is a conservator of paintings with a private practice in Portland, Oregon. She is also an art historian, who taught most recently at the University of Oregon in Eugene, where her course offerings included "Art and Conservation" on the history, principles, and theoretical issues of the field.
"Ephemeral Art: The Nemesis of Conservation?"
The primary mission of professional art conservation is the preservation of "cultural property." A prevalent trend in contemporary art, however, abandons traditional materials in favor of unconventional perishable matter, ephemera, and rapidly-evolving but soon to be obsolete technologies. The talk will consider some of the disconnects between these two perspectives.
Marie Laibinis-Craft
Objects Conservator
Marie Laibinis-Craft is a conservator in private practice. She holds degrees in sculpture, chemistry and an M.S. in objects conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. In addition to conserving various types of art, Marie has been consulting with artists and architects on the design, fabrication, and conservation of new public art commissions for the City of Portland and TriMet, (Portland’s public transportation agency), for the past seven years.
"Materials Matter: Challenges in the Fabrication and Conservation of Public Art"
Public art agencies often include conservators in the design and construction phases of commissions for new artwork as an effort to anticipate maintenance costs as well as a measure to avoid potential problems with designs and/or materials. This paper will review some of the challenges conservators may encounter when considering the design, fabrication and the variety of materials utilized for public artwork in an outdoor environment.