Volume 4, Number 1, Feb. 1982, p.6

1981 Annual Meeting of the National Conservation Advisory Council

At its 1981 Annual Meeting on October 14th, the National Conservation Advisory Council (NCAC) reached a milestone in its eight-year effort to develop a proposal for a national institute for the conservation of cultural property in the United States. Since the Council's Spring meeting, five working committees and the Council's Steering Committee have attempted to integrate into earlier recommendations the concerns and suggestions of conservators and other professionals from a wide variety of cultural institutions. Following extensive deliberation on five draft sections of a national institute proposal, the Council unanimously approved them in principle, subject to editorial revisions and reorganization. NCAC's Steering Committee plans to send all Council Members a completed final draft of the proposal for critique by February, 1982. The Council anticipates a published proposal by April, 1982.

The remainder of the meeting was devoted to a variety of administrative matters, including status reports from the Council's working committees. Of particular interest was a report from the Quantification Study Committee. NCAC has received a grant from the Design Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts to conduct a study to identify and quantify the conservation needs of historic buildings. A special subcommittee composed of experts in the preservation and architectural conservation fields has prepared a scope-of-work statement, a methodology, a draft survey questionnaire and a schedule for completing the basic parts of the study by April, 1982. The study will include both a field survey and an examination of already existing information from a wide variety of sources. The Historic Resources Committee of the American Institute of Architects has agreed to cooperate in this effort with a commitment of expertise from the AIA Washington Office and the services for the survey of the AIA state liaison representatives. A report of the results of this study will be published.

Prior to adjournment, the Council held elections for the positions of President, Vice President, and Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors. Arthur Beale, Charles Hummel, and Marigene Butler were elected respectively to these positions. Outgoing President Marigene Butler was honored by a standing ovation for her successful leadership during the last two years. The Council's present officers are: Arthur Beale, President; Charles Hummel, Vice President; Gretchen Ellsworth, Secretary, John Spencer, Treasurer; and Marigene Butler, Ann Hitchcock, and Terry Weisser, Members-at-Large.

Contact: For further information, contact David Shute, Executive Director, NCAC, in care of the Administrative Office.