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Intermuseum
Conservation
Association
January 2009
- Vol 3, No 1
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The Vitrolite Building, ICA's Cleveland home.


It is a new year and a new President will soon take office. There is a lot that is new at the ICA, as well. We are working on a five-year strategic plan, starting initiatives like the AMIEN mural project described below, and employing new tools to encourage your continued support. But as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. As 2009 begins, we remain committed to the preservation of our shared heritage of art and material cultural. And as always, you make that work possible.

Young artists create the Slavic Village mural.
By Mark Gottsegen,
Materials Research Director


AMIEN recently began a new research project to test the light durability of paints used in outdoor murals. Cleveland Public Art, artist/designer Christopher Diehl of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, and local artist John Troxell are all collaborating in the effort.

The program was developed in cooperation with a paint manufacturer as a way to learn about the performance of various color coatings and protective clear coatings. It is an extension of AMIEN's international "Lightfastness Correlation" project, supported by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

The "Morgana Run" mural at Lextech in Slavic Village, a neighborhood southeast of downtown Cleveland, is approximately 9 meters high and over 240 meters long. It was painted with a newly marketed long-life exterior paint. The artists and project manager initially contacted the ICA for assistance in selecting an appropriate coating to use that would help preserve the colors.

Materials Research Director Mark Gottsegen worked with the group to identify coatings that will be applied in the spring of 2009 after the mural has been cleaned. Gottsegen will then monitor the effectiveness of the coatings in protecting the color of the artwork.

Color lightfastness is only one of the many research subjects one can investigate on the AMIEN website, with moderated forums containing hundreds of discussion topics on artists' materials.

The ICA has recently added another method to enable our supporters to contribute to the organization with greater convenience. Beginning this month, friends of the ICA can make electronic donations via PayPal.

PayPal is a global leader in online payment solutions with more than 164 million accounts worldwide. Available in 190 markets and 17 monetary denominations around the world, PayPal allows payments across different locations, currencies, and languages.

For those who prefer more traditional methods of donation, a printable form is also available here and on the ICA website.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson (pictured at right) and Ward 13 Councilman Joe Cimperman recently visited the ICA. The Mayor spent an entire day in October touring Ward 13 and concluded his visit to the Ohio City area with a stop in the conservation labs.

It was Mayor Jackson's first visit to the ICA and he spent considerable time looking around the facility with Executive Director Albert Albano. The Mayor asked many questions about the conservation process and was interested to examine the variety of objects in the labs that day.

The ICA was pleased to award its annual subsidized collection survey to the North Canton Heritage Society in North Canton, Ohio. Executive Director Kathleen Fernandez submitted an excellent application in which she requested assessments of objects critical to the society's mission of preserving North Canton history.

The objects include a photographic collection depicting the Hoover Vacuum Company (which had a long-time headquarters in the city); a 1918 petition to change the name of the city from New Berlin, signed during the height of German xenophobia in World War I; an 1864 Springfield rifle used in the Civil War by a local resident; and a ca. 1900 bicycle made in the city.

Though the society does not have a large operating budget, they plan to use the results of the survey to apply for additional grant funding and to increase local community interest in their work. For information on obtaining a survey for your collection, contact Director of Education Nicole Hayes.

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
Over thirty people braved a cold, rainy October evening to attend the inaugural session of "Preserving Our Cultural Heritage," a program created by the ICA and the Ohio Preservation Council. Many of the attendees were from the Summit County area and most had never attended an ICA educational program previously.

The free program was created in response to a widespread need among small institutions and the general public for more introductory information on preservation resources. ICA and OPC representatives spent the ninety-minute session pointing attendees to the very best published and Internet resources on a variety of topics, including archival supplies, disaster preparation and response, and fundraising.

This first session of "POCH" was held at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio. Stan Hywet is a longtime member institution of the ICA. Future sessions will be scheduled across the state of Ohio. All will be free of charge and open to the public. Check the ICA education webpage for upcoming dates and locations.

In our October issue, we requested the donation of books for our research library. The library is used by our conservation and education staff, and is also available free of charge to our members. We were delighted to receive several titles from both foundations and private individuals. A list of acknowledgements can be found on our website.

There remain approximately thirty titles on the ICA "wish list" for new publications. The books range in price from $25 to $425. They include:
  • Artists in Ohio 1787-1900: A Biographical Dictionary
  • Conservation of Leather and Related Materials
  • Old Master Prints and Drawings: A Guide to Preservation and Conservation
  • Reading Early American Handwriting
  • Tapestry Conservation: Principles and Practice
If you have a gently used copy of any of these titles that you wish to donate, or if you would be willing to sponsor the purchase of a book, please contact Director of Education Nicole Hayes. Your generosity will be acknowledged in the book itself, on the ICA website, and in future issues of this newsletter.

Conservators Wendy Partridge and Emily Helwig treat  ceiling paper.
The state of Ohio has been called "Mother of Presidents" because eight of the United States' (soon-to-be) forty-four presidents were born here. It seemed especially fitting during such an historic presidential election season that one of the largest projects the ICA completed was at Spiegal Grove, home of President Rutherford B. Hayes.

ICA paper and paintings conservators spent several weeks treating the ceiling paper in the Drawing Room. It is the only wallpaper original to President Hayes' occupation that remains in Spiegal Grove. The paper was cleaned, reattached in areas where it had come loose, and had old restoration efforts removed. Conservators worked on scaffolding, reaching up over their heads for hours at a time. This conservation work is part of a larger restoration project funded by a Save America's Treasures grant awarded to the Hayes Presidential Center.

Vitrolite glass
February 15, 2009
Postmark deadline for submission of 2009 Museum Assessment Program applications.
MAP is a free or low cost way to strengthen a museum's operations and achieve excellence. In less than one year a museum can complete a self-study, have an onsite consultation with a museum professional and gain the tools to become a stronger institution.

February 23-24, 2009
Museums Advocacy Day
Washington, D.C.
The American Association of Museums sponsors this annual event that connects collecting institutions with members of Congress.

February 25-28, 2009
College Art Association Annual Conference
Los Angeles, CA
ICA Materials Reseach Director Mark Gottsegen will moderate a panel discussion at this conference, which is open to the public.

March 3, 2009
Ohio Statehood Day
Columbus, OH
This event connects history professionals and advocates from across the state with their legislators. Registration details and cost to attend can be found on the Ohio Historical Society website.

March 9, 2009
Deadline for submission of third-round applications for the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf.

March 19, 2009
6PM-9PM
COSE Membership Mixer at the ICA Conservation Center
Additional details will be sent out to our members and friends in the weeks to come.

March 26, 2009
6PM-8PM
Making it Last: Choosing Materials that Will Stand the Test of Time
Utrecht Art Supplies
1798 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights
ICA Paper Conservator Jamye Jamison and Paintings Conservator Wendy Partridge will discuss artists' materials and how to use them. Email Utrecht directly to register for this FREE program.

March 28, 2009
Being a Green Artist
New Art Center, Newton, MA
ICA Materials Research Director Mark Gottsegen will be a presenter at this conference, which is open to the public.

SAVE THE DATE!
Additional details on all the following programs will be sent in the April e-newsletter and can also be found here.
  • Fire! Recent Trends in Suppression And Mitigation--April 6, 2009
  • Form to Finish: Strategies in Outdoor Sculpture Preservation--April 25, 2009
  • Museum Marauders: Integrated Preventative Pest Management--May 6, 2009
  • Preservation of Sacred Artifacts: Care and Handling of Cultural Materials in Religious and Spiritual Institutions--June 4, 2009

Nicole Hayes, Director of Education and External Relations
Intermuseum Conservation Association

216-658-8700
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