Could you be the best if you helped me by answering some of these questions:

1. What part of your artistic career keep you up at night?
2. What part of creating art do you hate?
3. What part of creating art do you love?
4. What's the thing stopping you from realizing your ideas?
5. If you could wave a magic wand and solve one problem, what would it be?

Having a hard time finding a straight answer. i have a degree in art history and chemistry, and am in the process of working on a fine art portfolio.

I got my undergrad degree in art history and worked a little in the art industry but it burnt me out (specifically auction houses) I pivoted career paths working on building some wealth before getting back in the art scene more on my terms.

I want to explore ways I can be involved in the art world without needing to work for min wage - specifically in historical objects etc. I am really academically interested in the subject but I can’t afford to work in the art industry or academia anymore lol.

Has anyone else found a way to pursue conservation or art history study outside of academia/the art industry- on a smaller scale out of one’s own personal interest? If so, how have you done so?

Hi i am an art conservation and restoration student i really wanna do my erasmus with internship. Any idea how can i find places to do my internship. It can be archelogical sites, lab or musuems i am having a hard time finding them

Hi all! I'm thrilled to announce that I am  the new Graduate Liaison for the  Buffalo State University Art Conservation Department! 🌟

If you’re a pre-programmer or an emerging art conservator with questions about our renowned art conservation program, or if you’d like to arrange a tour of our department, I'm here to help!

Feel free to reach out to me for: 

🔹 Information about the art conservation program 

🔹 Guidance on your application process 

🔹 Scheduling tours of our facilities 

🔹 Connecting you to current students in your specialties of interest

🔹 Any other questions or concerns you might have

You can contact me directly via DM or email at bsc.ecpn.liaison@gmail.com. Don’t hesitate to reach out and start a conversation. I'm here to support you! 

Hello everyone! Me and my partner went to art school for your standard studio arts undergraduate degree. While I was interested in a career in the visual arts, her dream has always been to go into conservation and I want to do anything I can to help her. She is currently taking classes in chemistry and physics, etc to fulfill her prerequisites to get ready to apply to grad school in the future. What she is struggling with the most, nonetheless, is finding job opportunities or internships to fulfill the required hours of experience at art handling or conservation. She has applied to certain internships but due to high demand has failed to get in and every job posting lists a minimum 1-2 year experience in related gallery or museum field. So, I come to ask how did you prepare to apply and attend grad school? What sort of job or opportunity should she be looking at? General advice on how I can support her best? What does she need to get done? Thank you for your advice!

I have recently been accepted into UvA's MSc Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in the Historic Interiors specialisation. After the initial excitement of the acceptance, I'm now grappling with the reality of what I can expect after investing the time (four years!) and money required by the course. Does anyone work in this field? If so, a few questions/concerns:

How available is work in this field? How are opportunities apportioned between the private and public sectors?

Is it possible to settle in one place as an interiors conservator or am I bound to the life of a travelling salesman? I don't think I'd like to stay in NL after the degree.

Would there be a less laborious/costly way to enter the field?

Any and all advice welcome, optimistic or otherwise.

(Cross posted from r/bookbinding) Hi Everyone, 18th Century experts I need your help!

Unfortunately I can't post photos due to the nature of the book, but I have a question about a book that I'm working on, and want to know if anyone else has seen this situation before. I have a mid 18th cnetury tightback sewn two on on raised cords. The problem is that there seems to have been no kettle. Even when I removed the original heavily degraded spine, there was no kettle, just 7 cords. There is evidence of an endband (two tie downs).

Is it possible to a rasised cord bound book with no kettle, is that something that was done in the 18th century? I found that the head and tail cords were very loose (all the sewing was very loose and there was very little of it but these just popped off once the textblock spine was revealed), is it possible that the head and tail cords were just glued on top of the kettle to give the effect of 7 raised cords?

I'm trying to figure how to proceed with the sewing of this book so any advice is welcomed!

I’m an undergraduate student who is interested in perusing a masters in conservation. I adore art history and the research-based aspects of the field, however, I find myself struggling with the chemistry and math courses required to be accepted into a graduate program. So, my question is as follows: is conservation as science-heavy as it may seem, and, if you as a professional had the same struggles as I’m currently having, how were you able to overcome them? I truly do love art history and want nothing more than to make it my life’s work- yet I worry that the more scientific aspect of the career may get in the way. Is this something that will become easier with hands on experience? Or is one expected to retain knowledge from chem courses in order to properly restore an artwork? Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated! :)

A steel armature is I guess -rusting? - inside of the cast aqua resin. Could this still be primed and okay to paint? Will the rust be seen through the paint over time? It would be primed with “xim UMA ‘urethane modified acrylic’” and then painted with oils (gamblin). Let me know your thoughts, I’m considering it might be too risky and should just able recast.

My apologies if this isn’t the right place to post this but my old photos are bending. I’d say most of them are from 1940s-1960s if that is useful. I recently put a dehumidifier in the room which lowered humidity from 63% to 45% and that may have caused it but I don’t have a clue. What caused this? How can I fix them?

I have a piece of delicate paper art that I would like to store in a proper archival box. It is 16"x14"x5", so I would like a box that has a bit of space around those dimensions to accommodate tissue paper for cushioning. Everything I have seen is either smaller LxW or shallower depth. Can someone point me in the right direction, please?

Ten Month Pre-Program Internship in Conservation

National Park Service (NPS)
Lowell, MA

The Historic Architecture, Conservation and Engineering Center (HACE), of the National Park Service, based in Lowell, MA, is calling for applications for a ten-month (43-week) internship, beginning between September 1st and September 15th, 2024, ending between June 15th and June 30th, 2025.

The successful candidate will have an undergraduate degree in fine art, art history, history, and/or chemistry, and will have a strong interest in pursuing a career in art conservation. S/he/they will assist HACE conservators with the conservation and management of cultural resources from the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island. Duties include research, treatment, and daily tasks associated with working in the regional conservation laboratory in Lowell, MA.

Once the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States, Ellis Island saw over 12 million immigrants enter the country between the years 1892 and 1954. Following over a decade of neglect and disrepair, the site was given to the National Park Service and added to the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965. The main building on Ellis Island was restored and opened as a museum in 1990 and the American Family Immigration History Center was opened in April 2001. Additional renovations are currently ongoing at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. This project will address the needs of the collections currently on display as well as prepare additional materials for upcoming exhibitions.

The intern will be responsible for the preservation treatment needs for a wide variety of artifacts associated with Ellis Island and its history. Work includes photographic documentation of artifacts, report-writing, cleaning, and rehousing collection materials. In addition to work carried out in the HACE conservation laboratory, the intern will travel to Ellis Island to assist with surveying materials on site.

HACE is part of the NPS Northeast Regional Office, which is responsible for the care and conservation of artifacts in over 80 historic homes and collections that extend from Virginia to Maine.

The successful candidate will work closely with NPS staff as well as with contracted conservators who share the lab space.

Internship benefits include:

·       Living Allowance: $775/wk

·       Relocation Travel Grant: $650

·       Health Insurance

Application Process: The internship position is supported through a partnership between the National Park Service (NPS) and the Student Conservation Association (SCA).  Applicants must be between the ages of 16 and 30 (or 35 if a veteran) and must be United States citizens.

Please send a letter of intent and resume to angela_campbell@nps.gov by 7/1/2024 if interested.

For the artcon grad program at NYU, they require reading proficiency in “any one modern research language.” Does anyone know what that list of languages would be? I remember it used to be really narrow, like they only accepted Italian and German or something, but maybe the requirements have changed.

Is there any form or way of planning the materials to be used and its quantities for the conservation/restoration of a bronze sculpture? Like how could I predict the amount of materials needed for this intervention and their cost. Im trying to make a detailed plan / project that states the steps for intervention and everything needed, but don’t know of any cases out there available to check and guide me

I came across this print in Amherst MA in a thrift store. It was in obvious distress so I took it apart. It had disintegrating cardboard held by nails on back. The print appears to be hand colored (?) and definitely dates from pre-1918 because it had newspapers from the NYT from then inside. It has some foxing but not too bad considering the environment it has been in since being framed. Now that it is free I'm not sure what is the next step in its journey to rehabilitation. The original mat is torn probably due to the trapped moisture. The image was printed by CF Cheffins which dates it to the 1870s I believe. What do I do here now that it is in pieces thanks to my efforts?

https://preview.redd.it/bce2676ajk1d1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b62b98a29b90e7ae0ae31e05c47e0ea82b36876a

https://preview.redd.it/aknho86ajk1d1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1dd6eb572caf76a8108cff58cb1b7a6e35b03837

https://preview.redd.it/qqiay76ajk1d1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cedcdcb5cebd0a47164746d912d334086f12ba32

I'm moving and will need to store my artwork for a bit. It will all be in a house with temperature control, but I need to narrow down what paper or material to wrap the paintings in.

I've used Glassine in the past, but am getting concerned this should not be used for the oil or acryclic paintings. All oil paintings are 10+ years old, thin layers, and should be dry. The oil paintings are on canvas, and the acrylic paintings are on canvas or masonite.

What would be better to use, glassine, Dartek, Tyvek?

My father gifted me an old painting that unfortunately was damaged (has two holes in the canvas).

In a weird timing of events, I’m also moving far away and not planning on moving with the painting.

I’m looking for advice for what to do. I would feel terrible just throwing it away, so I’m hoping to donate it to some sort of art conservation program or place? I’m currently in NYC.

Hey there! I was just wondering if anyone knows why this photography conversation program is no longer accepting students? And also, if you think it might accept in the future? It’s been 5 years from that supposed announcement so just wondering…

I am interested in Photography Conservation Master programs in USA or Europe if you have any other recommendations, thanks!

https://www.sas.rochester.edu/ppc/

 It seems that for many many years I've got away from he habit of spray fixing my drawings. I have a collection of products on hand from previous decades and am curious if anyone has any experiences or comments regarding them? Most are 10 or more years old and may no longer be in production:

1. -Lascaux Fixativ #2070 (300ml)

2. -Blair #105 ‘Very Low Odor’  workable matte fixative, 12oz, -Blair #01-10506 ‘Very Low Odor’ , 4.5oz. 

3. -Blair #105  ‘No Odor Workable Matte Fixative, 12oz [are we entering the realm of visionary marketing/magical thinking/consumer manipulation?]

4. -Krylon Workable Fixatif #1306, 11oz.

5. -Grumbacher TUFFILM Final Fixative, Matte 11.75oz

6. -Reworkable Blue Label Fixatif (Martin/F. Weber Co.), liquid,  16 fl oz. (“use atomizer or airbrush to apply light application”).

7. I’ve also used a few Senellier products sold in liquid form, plastic bottle with manual pump atomizer ( (i.e. not pressurized): ‘Delacroix’, ‘Latour’ (pastels), D’Artigny (oil pastels). This was some years ago.​

Also does anyone know where one can purchase quarts or gallons of spray fix in liquid form (see for ex. 'Reworkable Blue Label Fixative' above) that I could apply with my high quality HVLP spray rig? I think it would be significantly more cost effective vs. buying dozens of rattle cans.

Thanks a bunch.

I have several hundreds (thousands?) of drawings from several decades in need of spray fix and thought it might be vastly more cost effective to mix my own fixative from raw materials and apply it using my high quality HVLP spray gun set up vs. expensive single use rattle cans (i.e. Lascuax @ $30+/can).

Can anyone direct me to recipe(s) of archival grade spray fix and/or advise?

Is there any significant difference between a workable fix and spray fix, except for ex. the proportion of varnish?

Thanks a bunch!

For years I've used glassine paper, purchased by the roll and cut to size, placed between the pages to prevent smearing. Is this the best recommended paper for this use scenario, especially as concerns the 'smearing parameter'? On occasion I've used artist's white tape free to adhere the glassine to the top edge of the paper sheet to maintain it in a more or less fixed position (i.e. less sliding around between interleaving paper and drawing paper so less smearing).

I always have a drawing pad in process (typically Strathmore 400 series smooth or medium surface; I use an elastic cord around the pad when closed to help prevent the pages from shifting/rubbing too much) and very often it's a daily carry item so resides in my backpack, often stuffed in with other stuff. The media is typically graphic and sometimes charcoal pencil. When completed the pads are kept intact for the most part (i.e. individual sheets are not later removed from the pad) however sometimes a pad will be worked on and off for a year or more, therefore it can receive excessive++ handling. I rarely spray fix anything (I need to remedy that).

Many moons ago I purchased a spiral bound drawing pad from NY Central which they produced themselves using high quality (IIRC pastel) paper and each sheet alternated with a sheet of opaque white slick semi-gloss interleaving paper, which was kept in a more fixed position due to being bound, a great drawing pad design I'd like to see more of. I've often wondered what that interleaving paper type was, if it's commonly used, and if it outperforms glassine in this use scenario. Glassine - although smooth - does have a tooth of sorts as compared with this extremely slick white semi-gloss paper.

Speaking of glassine: is anyone aware of packs of pre-cut 9" x 12" sheets? I've got dozens of drawing pads that need retrofitting.

Thanks a bunch!

Howdy, all! I have a series of small oil on masonite panels (measuring on average about 8 x 10 in.). I need to mount them into custom sized and built float frames. What's the most archivally sound method of adhering the panel to the backing board? I've considered either 100% silicone adhesive, white neutral pH adhesive, and/or velcro strips. Anything additional I should consider? Any recommendation of different methods/adhesives??