Jan 2000 Volume 22 Number 2

President's Letter

WAAC enters another year of activity with a new Board, and new projects: the main one being the next annual meeting. Last fall the meeting in San Francisco was a tremendous success and had record attendance both at the conference at SFMOMA and at the annual banquet held at Green's restaurant. Jill Sterrett artfully attended to numerous details that melded a lively topic of interest to a broad spectrum of art professionals with the opportunity for the conservation community to exchange views with their colleagues. WAAC is very appreciative of SFMOMA for hosting the conference and providing the popular venue of San Francisco. Thanks to local conservators and Board members who volunteered their time to support the meeting.

The WAAC Board has tackled some daunting issues this last year. A new Board position was installed creating a Secretary to share the load of administrative work. We discussed the on-going topic of funding, sponsorship, grants, and dues. Completing their Board terms are Mitchell Herns Bishop and Laura Downey whose contributions were invaluable. The in-coming Board members are Marc Harnly for Vice President, Ulrich Birkmaier, and Camilla van Vooren as Members-at-large. Holly Anderson has been appointed as the new Secretary. They will join existing Board members Claire Dean and Julie Goldman. Chris Stavroudis continues to serve as Treasurer and volunteers countless hours providing long-term oversight to the organization. Carolyn Tallent contributes extraordinary efforts to publish the Newsletter. Among the many compliments WAAC receives, it is the Newsletter that steals the show.

Let's have next year's meeting be by conservators, for conservators, and about conservation! It is important for everyone to begin planning early by having the confidence to share information, and to look around at other's projects and encourage them to give talks. Any meeting is only as good as the members's talks. Remember that WAAC is entirely a volunteer organization, and the spirit of WAAC is to encourage participation by sharing our insights, talents, and foibles with our colleagues while having fun doing it.

For next year's meeting we will be moving back to the country. The selected site is Nevada City, California. This is a charming town in the foothills of the Sierras, that is rich in early California history. It is situated at 3000 feet, which is moving out of the oak groves and into the hills, rivers, and pines. The area is very popular for outdoor activities and scenic qualities. It also has developed very good restaurants, hotels, bed & breakfasts, and shops. It is approximately one hour north of the Sacramento airport. For those who want a glimpse you can look at the web site: http://www.ncgold.com. More importantly, save the dates of November 13,14, and 15 and plan on attending and contributing to the meeting. More later.