Getty Conservation Institute

It's time for another free #DigitalResource in conservation! Today we're featuring "Lingua Franca: A Common Language for Conservators of Photographic Materials," created by Library and Archives Canada & Atelier de Restauration et de Conservation des Photographies - ARCP, Paris. Available in English, French, and Spanish, the interactive book contains definitions of photographic processes, condition issues, treatment options, preventative care and technical studies. Download your free copy on iTunes or via the Library and Archives Canada website: https://gty.art/2PNhvHS

Today's #FreeFriday: Heritage Values in Site Management: Four Case Studies https://gty.art/3e3Zyhx The analysis of the four historic sites featured in this publicationGrosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site in Canada, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, in the United States, Port Arthur Historic Site, Tasmania in Australia, and Hadrian's Wall in the United Kingdomprovides valuable insight into the creation and management of heritage values.... Each case study articulates how values are identified and assessed by the governing bodies; where (and with whom) the values reside; how the values are implemented into management policies and objectives; and the impact that these decisions have on the sites themselves. A tool for institutions and individuals engaged in the study or practice of site management, conservation planning, and/or historic preservation.

New on the Getty Iris: Inside the Yearlong Deep-Clean of the Getty Museum https://gty.art/3gKKLKk After the pandemic forced the closure of the Getty Center over a year ago, the galleries stood empty, filled with artworks but devoid of visitorsor so it seemed. Routine pest monitoring in April of last year discovered some unwelcome guests hiding around one of the South Pavilion decorative arts galleries’ most popular works, the pink 18th-century French day bed.... Those guests were webbing clothes moths: one-centimeter-long insects that eat wool, silk, and dust during their larval stage. So launched Getty’s year-long project to deep-clean the galleries.

New : German Democratic Plastics in Design A Research Project on Material, Technology, and Conservation With partners The Wende Museum,TH Köln, and Die Neue Sammlung, we're researching the identification of production processes and technologies for plastic materials used in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) between 1949 and 1990 for the production of industrial design, their degradation, and possible preventive and active measures.... Read more: https://gty.art/2QnhMkU

AATA Online Spring Update aata.getty.edu Includes abstracts of audiovisual recordings from various sources and from journals such as the Journal of Conservation Studies (South Korea), Restauro, Context, and the International Journal of Architectural Heritage. Also covered are conference proceedings on integrated pest management, collections care in Southeast Asia, and from the ICON Textile Group.... AATA Online is a *free* research database containing abstracts of literature related to the preservation and conservation of material cultural heritage.

It's a trip to the archives for the AATA Online Featured Subject Term: Bronze In this photo of Thomas Chase (ca. 1966), long-time AATA Online Field Editor and emeritus Head Conservator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art examines an Egyptian bronze statuette with a stereomicroscope and a Zeiss Twinlamp, which was particularly good for looking at corroded bronze surfaces. See what's available for the subject term "bronze" in AATA Online: https://gty.art/3n6JrCR... Photo: Raymond Schwarz

Book Launch Party Tonight Preserving Los Angeles: How Historic Places Can Transform America's Cities. Free, 6:00 pm (Los Angeles) https://www.crowdcast.io/e/acpchannel-book_launch_/register... Join author Ken Bernstein, photographer Stephen Schafer, noted author/preservationist Lisa See, and our own Tim Whalen, as they discuss Bernstein and Schafer’s new book from Angel City Press.

New Titles in the Conservation Collection Spring new additions include books about African art, wallpaper, Rembrandt, Olmstead landscapes, mineralized materials, and ethics of cultural heritage conservation. See the complete list (PDF): https://gty.art/31OBloq

Did you know only 3% of Los Angeles' 1,200 locally designated landmarks are linked with African American history? We've embarked on a collaborative project with Los Angeles City Planning, Office of Historic Resources to identify, protect, and celebrate the city's Black heritage. The Los Angeles African American Historic Places project provides the opportunity to rethink historic preservation policies and processes to better support social justice and equity goals, offering a... potential model for future initiatives related to other communities in Los Angeles and beyond. Read more about this project: https://gty.art/3sU9Kyc Image: Founded in the wake of the 1965 Watts rebellion as an arts education center devoted to community empowerment, the Mafundi Institute (also known as the Watts Happening Cultural Center) was housed in this building from 1969 to 1975. Photo: Stephen Schafer, 2020 schafphoto.com

It's #FreeFriday! Today we're featuring "Epidemiology: Basic Ideas Applied to Museum Collections" https://gty.art/3cIgkSH Epidemiology is the study of the distribution of a disease or a specific adverse condition in a targeted population. Applied to cultural heritage, epidemiological methods can identify how a physical condition or environmentally-driven adverse effect is distributed in museum collections and quantify the efficacy of passive responses or active treatments. ... This report of our 2015 experts meeting explores the possibilities of adapting an epidemiological approach to cultural heritage, from identifying a methodology to assessing the feasibility of an epidemiological study. Part 1 provides an overview of epidemiology applied to museum collections, and Part 2 contains a summary of the meeting.

There are so many amazing, free online research tools in conservation and we want to share them! At the end of every month, we will highlight #DigitalResources that we think you should know about. This month, we're featuring The American Research Center in Egypt - ARCE #OpenAccess Conservation Archives, which at present consists of 5 digital collections ranging from Luxor Roman wall paintings to conservation of the tomb of Anen. Browse digitized slides, conservation documentation, architectural drawings, technical reports, and more: https://gty.art/3u7wkU1

A Mural Too Powerful to Stay Hidden: Conserving América Tropical https://gty.art/2HU6IaC There are many myths and rumors about América Tropical, a monumental work created in Los Angeles by famed Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros. Some said that Siqueiros worked feverishly to complete the mural hours before its unveiling in 1932, with paint still wet on the plaster. Others said that the mural was censored because of the outrage it stirred in the city’s civic leaders for its content. Here is what is known: the mural exists today as a powerful and tragic statement about imperialism in the Americas, was literally whitewashed not long after it was completed, and in the past decades was given new life by those dedicated to sharing its story.

It's #FreeFriday! Today we're featuring "Evaluation of Cellulose Ethers for Conservation" https://gty.art/3jKasbE This 1990 publication was one of the first comprehensive studies on the long-term stability of conservation materials, specifically surface coatings, consolidants, and adhesives. The book first reviews the physical and chemical properties of cellulose ethers as reported in the technical literature and second, it reports the results of a series of studies on their ...thermal and photochemical stability. In particular, accelerated aging tests were conducted to evaluate the tendency of these materials to discolor and to diminish in molecular weight. The chemical character of cellulose ethers as a general class of polymers is described and an approximate ranking of the relative stability of each generic chemical subclass is established. See more

We'll be at virtual #IICCongress "Current Practices and Challenges in Built Heritage Conservation" next week. Architectural conservator and MOSAIKON team member Tom Roby is presenting on "Addressing the Challenges of Conserving and Maintaining Mosaics in Storage." Tuesday, November 3... 18:00-19:00 (Edinburgh, GMT) Conference details and registration https://gty.art/3ozwOjJ International Institute for Conservation (IIC)

SAVE THE DATE Conserving Concrete Virtual Event December 2, 2020 @10:00 am (Los Angeles) via Zoom... Live Roundtable Discussion for the Launch of the publication, "Conservation Principles for Concrete of Cultural Significance" Join us for this virtual event bringing together a multidisciplinary group of professionals to discuss the importance of conserving historic concrete and the importance of using a sound conservation methodology to guide practice. Free, Advanced Registration Required: https://gty.art/3jCwLjO

For nearly 30 years, Getty Marrow Internships have been diversifying the staff of museums and visual arts organizations through paid internships for students from underrepresented backgrounds. A new report looks at the impact of this program, which has introduced 3,200+ interns to arts careers at 175 LA arts institutions. https://www.getty.edu/interns-2020/report/

Join American Institute for Conservation on October 26 at 4:00-5:30 pm ET for Contested Monuments, the first webinar in FAIC’s Social Justice & Conservation series. Registration is free and all are welcome to explore the competing values conservators may face surrounding this timely topic: "At the crux of the matter are questions surrounding who is valued in our society and who gets to make decisions in regard to public spaces and the interpretation of history. Competing values surrounding the removal of contested monuments will be explored with panelists including artists, historians, and preservation professionals."

NEW *Free* Publication from Australia Icomos Historic Environment, Volume 32, Number 1: ICOMOS Scientific Symposium: A Legacy This special legacy issue of Historic Environment emerged from the desire to recognise and record the work undertaken to create and organise the ICOMOS 2020 General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (GA2020).... However, because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the event was unable to proceed in Sydney, Australia, 1-10 October 2020. This volume comprises an introductory paper and six themed papersone on each of the themes of the ICOMOS 2020 Scientific Symposium: Shared Cultures; Shared Heritage; Shared Responsibility; Indigenous Heritage; Culture-Nature Journey; and Marginalised Heritages. Download your free copy: https://bit.ly/30Vl5lx

Curious how infrared thermography (IRT) is evolving for various diagnostic and monitoring applications on heritage buildings? AATA Online Field Editor Priya Jain, Associate Director, Texas A&M University Center for Heritage Conservation recommends searching the database to see how IRT is developing. aata.getty.edu Photo: St. Paul United Methodist Church, Calvert, TX. Courtesy Priya Jain.

It's #FreeFriday! Today we're featuring "The Conservation of the Orpheus Mosaic at Paphos, Cyprus" https://gty.art/3nXdBYZ In 1988 the GCI and the / Department of Antiquities Cyprus agreed to conserve an important floor mosaic excavated in 1984-1985 in Paphos, Cyprus. Although the mosaic was in generally good condition when excavated, root damage had dislodged much of the tessellatum from its setting- bed and also had created several large lacunae. This publication chronicles each element of the project, including the evaluation, documentation, detachment, reinstallation, and cleaning of the mosaic.

Do you own a Modern house? Guess what? We worked with Iconic Houses to create something *FREE* just for you--the Toolkit for Owners of a Modern House USA. https://gty.art/2F6L4Pj Whether you’re a conservation professional or a complete novice, if you're the owner of a modern house, this library is here to help. It brings together useful information from all over the world and has been vetted by international heritage and conservation experts.

Terra Conference Update NEW DATES In light of the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent logistical challenges, economic repercussions and current travel restrictions we are facing globally, Terra 2021 World Congress on the Study and Conservation of Earthen Architectural Heritage has been postponed to June 2022 and has been renamed Terra 2022.... The new dates will be June 710, 2022; the location remains Santa Fe, New Mexico. Visit the Terra 2022 website for full conference details. https://gty.art/373yxaS

Conservation Collection: New for fall Books about building information modeling (BIM), landscape architecture, conservation of contemporary paintings, structural restoration of masonry monuments, archeology and climate change, energy conservation in historic buildings, and a photographic survey of the adaptive reuse design movement. Read the full list (PDF): https://gty.art/3iT1hWf

NEW *FREE* PUBLICATION Conservation Principles for Concrete of Cultural Significance https://gty.art/30NcBgi A framework for architects, engineers, conservators, contractors, and stewards to make sound, informed decisions for conserving culturally significant concrete buildings and structures by referencing both concrete repair standards and international conservation principles. ... Provides a logical approach to concrete conservation, leading practitioners through the typical conservation methodology, from investigation to the development of conservation strategies to implementation and maintenance. Wait, there's more. . . Includes a standalone Concrete Conservation Process Flowchart that illustrates the cyclic path of concrete conservation, and highlights key decision-making steps. The page format allows the reader to use it as a quick reference guide to the contents of the Principles.