Workshop on identification of modern and contemporary prints

The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of
Historic and Artistic Works presents

"Modern/Contemporary Print Identification"
December 5-7, 2012
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Legion of Honor
San Francisco, California

    <URL:http://www.conservation-us.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=499&parentID=473>

Registration fee: $400 AIC Members; $700 non-members.
Enrollment limit: 12

Registration: Participants will be selected from the pool of
applications received by May 15, 2012.  Later applications will be
considered if space is available. No payment required to apply;
registration fee is payable after admission to the workshop.

To apply:  send resume, statement of interest, and complete contact
information to courses<-at->conservation-us<.>org

Scholarships are available.  Use the "FAIC/NEH Individual
Professional Development Scholarship" guidelines and form available
at

    <URL:http://www.conservation-us.org/grants>

Scholarship application deadlines are February 15, 2012, May 15,
2012, and September 15, 2012.

Introduction: Conservators are routinely called upon to identify
print media and processes to inform treatment practice, contribute
to collections knowledge, or make recommendations about storage,
handling, and display. While artist/printmakers have been viewed as
experimental in their approaches since the art form's earliest
developments, the incorporation of photography and photo-sensitive
materials greatly expanded the creative possibilities of the medium.
Further, the use of power tools, hydraulic presses, synthetic
polymers and computer technology, as well as recent developments in
"non-toxic" printmaking, have resulted in the creation of
technically-complex prints

with--at times--deceptively familiar features, but which would have
been impossible in the past. Moreover, the often layered processes
found in modern and contemporary prints offer unique challenges for
identification. The ability to recognize and distinguish visual
characteristics of various print techniques and processes, and to
better understand prints in a material way, is an essential
component of the continued care, use, and long-term preservation of
our shared cultural collections. This workshop will explore
traditional and experimental approaches to printmaking alongside
technological developments and the incorporation of new materials in
printmaking during the 20th and 21st centuries.

Description: This three-day course is designed to bring together the
collective resources and expertise of conservators, curators, and
printers to improve skills in identifying 20th and 21st century fine
arts prints. The course will include lectures, hands-on
identification sessions using collections materials (including the
Crown Point Press Archive and other selections from the Achenbach
Foundation for Graphic Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San
Francisco [FAMSF]), and tours of two professional printmaking
studios in the Bay Area. Processes covered in the course will
include lithography, relief printing and screenprinting, with an
emphasis on intaglio printing. Activities and topics covered will
include:

    Chronological histories of printmaking techniques with an
    emphasis on technical innovations, and the impact of new
    materials on the creation of prints

    The emergence of major print studios, and the relationship
    between printer and artist in the creative process

    The print studio/printer as a resource for information on print
    materials and manufacture

    Tour of Crown Point Press and another printmaking studio (TBD)

    Interactive print examination sessions with guided discussions

Workshop Objectives: The workshop aims to provide participants with
a greater understanding of the materials and manufacture of artists'
prints and expanded proficiency in their identification.
Participants will leave with:

    A greater understanding of methods of image formation/generation
    on the printing matrix and how this translates into visible
    features on prints

    An improved vocabulary for describing these processes and
    features

A print sample reference set will be available to participants for
an additional fee.

Instructors: Primary instructors are Stephanie Lussier, Conservator
of Works on Paper, Philadelphia, PA and Scott Homolka, Associate
Conservator of Works of Art on Paper, Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Additional speakers will include Karin Breuer, Curator in Charge,
FAMSF Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, Rachel Mustalish,
Associate Conservator of Works on Paper, Metropolitan Museum of Art,
and a master printer from Crown Point Press.

Travel and Housing: Information about recommended hotels and driving
directions will be provided to registrants prior to the workshop.
For information about San Francisco, including airport shuttles and
public transportation, please go to

    <URL:http://www.sanfrancisco.travel>

Information about the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco can be
found at

    <URL:http://www.famsf.org>

This program is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for
the Humanities.

Additional funding comes from the FAIC Endowment for Professional
Development, which is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
and by contributions from members and friends of the American
Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

Without this support, the registration fee would be $1,250

Special thanks to Debra Evans

Questions?  For more information, contact:

    Abigail Choudhury, Development and Education Associate
    Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of
        Historic and Artistic Works
    1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 320
    Washington, DC20005
    202-661-8070
    Fax: 202-452-9328
    courses<-at->conservation-us<.>org


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 25:43
                 Distributed: Saturday, March 24, 2012
                       Message Id: cdl-25-43-025
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