Interpretive Conservation

Dennis Piechota <dennis.piechota [at] umb__edu> writes

>With some trepidation I want to propose for discussion an idea that
>may be heretical, Interpretive Conservation, an expression I've made
>up for writings by conservators that would not discuss treatments or
>preservation in any way. The goal would be to develop the
>conservator's unique way of seeing objects, collections and even
>intangible heritage as the basis for directly and independently
>interpreting artists, cultures and historical contexts.

I very much appreciate this idea. You know Columbia University has a
program in narrative medicine which "...fortifies clinical practice
with the narrative competence to absorb, metabolize, interpret and
be moved by the stories of illness" Ever since I heard of that I
have wondered about narrative conservation as a concept. The
Columbia program aims to help the medical profession improve the
effectiveness of their care, and heal an ailing health care
system...these ideas could perhaps fruitfully be applied to an
ailing cultural heritage "system" as well, seeing how fragile
funding and support can be.  In any case, "narrative conservation"
aside, I think adding an " interpretive conservation" possibility to
the mix for those who would like to publish is an excellent idea. I
think this is the direction conservation blogs often head, and our
field is the richer for it.

Chela Metzger
Conservator of Library Collections
Winterthur, DE


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:42
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