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Intermuseum
Conservation
Association
July 2010
- Vol 4, No 3
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The Vitrolite Building, home of the ICA Conservation Center. Photo by Chuck Mintz.


It has been a springtime filled with exciting accomplishments at ICA. This e-newsletter (which has a record high readership since we launched in 2007) was recently selected by our web host, Constant Contact, as an "All Star" e-publication for 2009. In the award announcement, Constant Contact commended ICA for presenting "engaging information that your audience was eager to receive, open, and read." We certainly hope you agree!

ICA Objects Conservator Mark Erdmann in Singapore.
As we reported in the April issue, ICA was asked to serve as an on-site consultant at a new hotel complex under construction in Singapore.

ICA Objects Conservator Mark Erdmann has since made two trips to the Marina Bay Sands to inspect the many contemporary art installations on the campus and prepare written recommendations for their ongoing care and maintenance.

In the photo, Erdmann is seen in front of the late artist Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #917, covered to protect it during the final building phase. The hotel is scheduled to open to the public at the end of June.

Reading the Book (2007), one of ICA's most successful programs to date.
ICA reached two exciting milestones with our education and outreach efforts this spring. At the beginning of May, we officially served our 5,000th audience member for educational programming since launching that department just three and a half years ago. Weeks later, we offered our 100th free tour of the Conservation Center.

Our currently scheduled programming can always be found on our website and Facebook page. All public programs are open to anyone with an interest in the topic, and about half are free of charge. Tours of fifteen individuals or fewer are welcome to visit ICA by appointment. If your group would like to visit, contact ICA Director of Education Nicole Hayes.

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ICA Director of Education Nicole Hayes participated in a very successful "Connecting to Collections" Ohio Statewide Summit in Columbus in May. As we noted in the April issue, ICA was invited to act as a principal project partner on this IMLS-funded initiative.

The Statewide Summit was intended for the leaders of collecting institutions and their chief preservation officers. After a keynote address by PBS's Wes Cowan, attendees heard presentations on the current preservation conditions across Ohio. This was followed by a series of breakout sessions, in which attendees were asked to comment on specific areas of need including funding, advocacy, digital issues, and education.

During the month of July, a series of free regional meetings will be held across the state. These meetings will follow a format similar to the Summit, but are intended for any staff members of collecting institutions who have responsibility for preservation activities. The regional meetings will have a larger educational component, and Hayes will be giving presentations at all five. For additional information about dates, locations, and registration information, see the Calendar of Events below or visit the ICA website.

ICA's Forbes Pigment Collection
ICA is the repository for a portion of the famous Forbes Pigment Collection, a grouping of historic colorants assembled by Edward Waldo Forbes, late director of Harvard's Fogg Art Museum. Subsets of the core collection are known to exist in nineteen conservation laboratories around the world.

Conservators sometimes use pigment samples for comparison and research. Over the decades, ICA's holdings grew to include a few other smaller collections from various donors, mostly pigments from Asia. The decision was made to donate the Asian pigments to another facility that could make greater use of them.

ICA contacted the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and offered to make a donation to their conservation research center, which they were delighted to accept. Deputy Development Director Elizabeth Baccheti called it "a rare gift and it would be most unlikely that we would ever be able to collect such an outstanding addition...on our own."

The Forbes Collection remains at ICA and will continue to do so in perpetuity.

Ohio Museums Association Logo
ICA had a strong presence at this spring's Ohio Museums Association Annual Conference. In addition to an exhibition table showcasing our services and educational programming, two ICA staff members made separate conference presentations. Paper Conservator Jamye Jamison was part of a panel presentation describing a collaborative project between ICA and the Denison University Museum. Materials Research Director Mark Gottsegen offered a lecture and hands-on demonstration of color theory. Both sessions were well-attended and generated very positive feedback from their audiences.

In addition to our annual participation in and support of the conference, ICA will now be strengthening its working relationship with OMA in another way: ICA Director of Education Nicole Hayes was recently asked to join the OMA Board of Directors.

Luca Buvoli Installation at Houston's Hobby Airport.

This spring, ICA served as an on-site consultant on the installation of this spectacular piece by contemporary artist Luca Buvoli, at Houston's William P. Hobby Airport.

ICA Logo
July 15, 2010
1PM-4PM
Connecting to Collections Regional Meeting: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati
Details and registration

July 20, 2010
1PM-4PM
Connecting to Collections Regional Meeting: Athens Public Library, Athens
Details and registration

July 21, 2010
1PM-4PM
Connecting to Collections Regional Meeting: Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware
Details and registration

July 26, 2010
1PM-4PM
Connecting to Collections Regional Meeting: Bedford Historical Society, Bedford
Details and registration

July 29, 2010
1PM-4PM
Connecting to Collections Regional Meeting: Bowling Green University, Bowling Green
Details and registration

August 4, 2010
7:30PM
Caring for Your Textiles
South Euclid Community Center, 1370 Victory Drive, South Euclid, OH 44121
This free illustrated lecture, sponsored by the South Euclid Historical Society, is open to the public.

September 15, 2010
Deadline for Applications, American Heritage Preservation Grants
Bank of America and IMLS partnered to offer these grants to preserve specific items, including works of art, artifacts, and historical documents that are in need of conservation. Applicants will build on completed conservation assessments of their collections to ensure that the grants are used in accordance with best practices in the field, and underscore the importance of assessment planning.

September 24-26, 2010
Ingenuity Fest
Details about ICA's participation in this year's event, to be held at the Detroit/Superior Bridge, will be posted soon.

September 25-26, 2010
26th Annual Fine Print Fair
Corporate College East, 4440 Richmond Road, Warrensville Heights, OH 44128
ICA will again have an informational table about caring for your paper treasures at this year's fair.

October 1, 2010
Deadline for Applications, IMLS Conservation Project Support
The Conservation Project Support program awards grants to help museums identify conservation needs and priorities, and perform activities to ensure the safekeeping of their collections.

October 7, 2010
Deadline for Applications, National Historic Publications and Records Commission
Multiple grant opportunities are available.

SAVE THE DATE!
October 18, 2010
The Northeast Ohio Alliance for Response, of which ICA is a member-institution, will be hosting a program about protecting your digital collections from a disaster. The program will be presented at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Additional details will be posted as they become available.

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

p: 216-658-8700 f: 216-658-8709
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