Volume 1, Number 2, May 1979, p.3

Projects and Activities

Salt Lake City

The Rocky Mountain Conservation Guild with it's main membership consisting of libraries and archivists, is reaching out to stimulate active interest from other related fields. Meetings are being held monthly at various locations from Ogden to Provo and the possibility of a formalized organization appears eminent. For further information please contact: Paul Foulger, Conservator Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112. (801) 581-5147.

Redding

Nancy Sloper and Carmela Simons of the Textile Conservation Workshop, are going to give a lecture and workshop on "The Basic Care of Textile Artifacts," at the Redding Museum, May 18th and l9th, 1979.

San Francisco

Bob Futernick, of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Jim Bernstein, Inge-Lise Eckmann and Pauline Mohr of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art are working with Perry Huston of the Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, in the planning of arrangement for the 1980 Annual AIC Meeting to be held in San Francisco.

Los Angeles

The Paper Lab at the Norton Simon Museum in conjunction with Edward and Zora Pinney (who are graciously supplying copious samples) is currently carrying on a two-year project systematically analyzing most types and manufacturers of paper likely to be utilized in the studio or lab. The current goals are: 1) to compare manufacturers supplied data with our own, when such information is made available, and produce data when not made available; 2) to determine degree of buffering in these samples and graphically compare them under acidic attack--(this and many of the determinations involve a new method of testing called an Isohedric Characterization, which expands Cold Extraction pH values most dynamically); 3) to compare the results of current deacidification methods on contemporary art materials, and on various methods of application of deacidification; 4) to study and compare the values of currently advertised "buffered" papers; and lastly, 5) to help calibrate our own new method of Magnesium Bicarbonate production which involves a refrigerated, closed, pressurized system with a 5-7 gallon capability. There is extremely little carbon dioxide loss when working with closed systems.

Unusual paper is gladly welcomed, but due to the scale of testing, and the increasing need to demonstrate "reproducibility" in results, at least the equivalent of four 8" x 10'' sheets are needed. Contact: Jim Druzik, Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, Calif. 91105.

Did you note the short announcement of Victoria Bythe's Electrostatic Stabilizing Plate in the "Science/Scope" section of the May 7th issues of Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report, and the May 28th issue of Business Week?

The J. Paul Getty Museum is hosting an invitational seminar demonstrating a new system for structural treatment and lining of paintings developed by Robert Fieux, May 14 through May 18th. Mr. Fieux will be demonstrating his methods and materials to ten conservators representing different museums, laboratories, and studios in California.