[padg] Historical Society of Washington, D.C. receives Angels Conservation Project award

[carignan <carignan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Historical Society of Washington D.C. (HSW) Kiplinger Research Library 
is the winner of the 2008 Washington Conservation Guild’s Angels 
Project. The Angel Project will improve storage for the HSW textile 
collection. The textile collection consists largely of historic costumes 
which include, for example, a dress purchased by Marian Hooper Adams 
from the noted Parisian designer Worth in 1879. Adams wore the dress to 
a January 1882 dinner attended by the new Cabinet and President Arthur.

Angels Projects are pro-bono work days for which Washington Conservation 
Guild members volunteer their conservation expertise at a particular 
historic site. They are generally conducted all in one day, although the 
preparation and follow-up require additional time.

Angels Projects pair conservators with collections that need care. A 
group of conservators typically volunteer a day of their time to work 
with curators, archivists, or collections managers to provide basic care 
and rehousing for specific collections. A successful Angels Project 
includes local and regional publicity such as television, newspaper and 
magazine coverage to publicize the need for collections care and 
preservation.

The Foundation for the American Institute for Conservation granted 
nearly $1,000 for supplies for proper storage of the HSW textile 
collection.

The history of Angels Projects dates back to the late 1980s when members 
of WCG's parent group, the American Institute for Conservation, began 
incorporating Angels Projects at sites near their annual meetings. 
During the following years, Angels have rehoused collections for storage 
upgrades, preserved daguerreotypes and tintypes, backed paintings, 
rolled large textiles, and prepared collections for moving.

Joanna Dunn, Angels Project Coordinator, has worked with Kiplinger 
Research Library Director Yvonne Carignan to set up the HSW Angels Project.

--
Yvonne Carignan
Library Director
Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square
Washington, D.C. 20001
202-383-1851