Conservation facilities and the public

Cristina Albillos <cristina.albillos [at] slwa__wa__gov__au> writes

>My institution is planning to bring awareness to the public of what
>conservators do and what our role is by replacing part of the
>laboratory's wall with glass, thus allowing the public to peer in
>and observe ...

Like many conservators who worked in public institutions over their
career, I've been involved with many attempts to open what we do to
the public--some with better results than others.

One of the best I saw was the treatment of Rembrandt's "Nightwatch"
at the Rijksmuseum in the mid 1970's by the late Luitsen Kuiper.  A
very high profile painting, there was a great deal of public
interest and concern in what would happen to it after its being so
savagely attacked. The painting was too big to treat in the then
conservation facilities so an area of a gallery was enclosed with a
temporary wall with a long and narrow window that allowed a dozen
visitors to see what was happening at a time. A black curtain on the
window was opened at certain times and information about the
treatment was posted on the wall explaining what was happening and
these were updated and photographs added as work progressed and this
was supplemented by regular updating of the popular press.

A much less ambitious and successful attempt was at the National
Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne Australia where we had an intern
clean a painting on an easel which was roped off in a gallery. There
was a notice outlining what was happening but few people read it.
The varnish removal was done for an hour in the morning and another
in the afternoon for two weeks and the intern was literally
constantly interrupted by people asking what she was doing and she
often overheard visitors telling others that she must be painting
the picture.

Somewhat later a newly appointed Director thought that when new
conservation facilities were built windows should be installed to
allow members of the public to view conservators working in their
studios at any time during gallery hours. The Director meanwhile
replaced the clear glass door on his office with opaque glass for
his own discretion and privacy, a point not lost on staff.

A lot of conservation work in institutions involves reading,
writing, computer research, and talking with other departments as
well as preparing materials such as adhesives and solvents, testing
materials and so forth. When looking in on staff I more often found
them on the telephone or computer than nose down on an object, and
this was not a bad thing. Very often labs were empty while staff did
necessary work elsewhere. Conservators need the privacy and respect
necessary to think clearly and work precisely--working in a fish
bowl is not conducive to often highly demanding activities
interspersed with many hours of seemingly unrelated activity.

In the 19th century famous surgeons dazzled ladies and gentlemen of
good breeding with their skills in appropriately named operating
theatres, and it was an honour for the public to witness an
amputation at a famous clinic before a night out. But aren't there
better ways to reach the public than watching experts at their jobs?
While many gallery visitors will be interested in what we do, it is
not the main reason for their visit and it shouldn't be made
requisite. But we should be sure the information we put out is
understood and that we allocate our time and resources to where it
will have the most impact in the long term. I prefer conservation
exhibitions, senior management/VIP tours and public open days over
people peering at us through a window while having little
appreciation of what is actually going on.

Thomas Dixon
Melbourne Australia


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 25:30
                Distributed: Tuesday, December 27, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-25-30-002
                                  ***