Certification

Joseph R. Swider <joseph_r_swider [at] yahoo__com> writes

>I have read most of the submissions for and against AIC
>certification of conservators but no mention of conservation
>scientists. Will we be required some type of certification as well?
>Has anyone already addressed this issue and I missed it?

A few years ago  (1999?) when I was chair of the AIC Research and
Technical Studies Subgroup (RATS) I brought the subject up at the
annual meeting but I don't think the topic of certifying scientists
went or has has gone too far.  I remember one member felt that a PhD
should automatically certify a scientist since scientists at that
level would (without further training) know how to transfer
approaches from application to application (ie. from industry to art
for example). While I certainly acknowledge the level of achievement
in a science PhD, in my experience it hasn't guaranteed a
familiarity with art objects and the questions that lie therein;  I
think there is indeed a difference between a Research Scientist
working for a gallery/museum and one who has come straight from (or
is in) industry.  In any case, the most discussion I have heard of
has come through the ICCROM Bologna 1999 and ICOM-CC Lyon 1999
conferences where they are developing a post graduate curricula in
scientific methods of examination of works of art. Perhaps a further
talk through RATS and AIC might be helpful since the certification
process has moved forward since then.

Jeff Maish
Associate Conservator of Antiquities
The J. Paul Getty Museum


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:41
                Distributed: Wednesday, January 8, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-16-41-002
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