Art and Materials Conservation Commons^™

Forming Community Partnerships, Lori Foley

CHAR

In the event of a disaster, regardless of the type or scope, the first response is always local. For the institutions and organizations charged with safeguarding the nation’s cultural and historic resources – museums, historical societies, libraries, and municipal offices, to name just a few – building relationships with local first responders and emergency managers before disaster strikes is key to ensuring the safety of staff and collections. State emergency management agencies are also collaborating with their state cultural agencies to protect these valuable and vulnerable resources. The resulting emergency networks better position the local community and the state to …

Lessons Learned From Culture In Crisis; Or Protecting The Past To Save The Future, Laurie Rush

CHAR

At the midpoint of the second decade of the 21^st century, the world is experiencing deliberate destruction of cultural property at a scale not seen since the Second World War. Future protection and preservation of cultural heritage depends on learning from tragedy and applying these lessons as pro-actively as possible. First, we are discovering that no matter the threat, there are people who risk their lives to save artifacts and features of their culture, and the motives for this courage are retrospectively clear. For a community to survive a conflict or disaster as a corporate entity, elements of shared …

Keynote Address - When Violent Nonstate Actors Target Cultural Heritage Sites, Victor Asal

CHAR

Why would organizations attack or kill people at cultural heritage sites or destroy such sites? Using data from the Big Allied and Dangerous insurgent dataset that has data on 140 insurgent organizations from 1998-2012, and data from the Global Terrorism Database, this presentation examines the factors that make insurgent groups more likely to attack such sites or kill people at such sites. We look at the impact of organizational ideology, organizational structure and power as well as country level factors.

Mitigation, Response And Recovery, Richard Lord

CHAR

Abstract: Hurricane Harvey ravaged Texas and Louisiana nearly five years after Superstorm Sandy devastated the East Coast and caused 53 deaths, destroyed or severely damaged 100,000 Long Island homes, and left an estimated $42 billion in damages across New York State.

This session will provide an overview of the disaster relief and assistance programs available under the Stafford Act, when they are triggered, and how private non-profit and cultural institutions can plan for natural hazards and take full advantage of available aid. There will also be discussion of the NYS Hazard Mitigation Plan, the Community Risk and Resiliency Act, and …

Informing Responders Using Gis And Gps, Deidre Mccarthy

CHAR

Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005 and created the single largest disaster for cultural resources that the United States has witnessed since the inception of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) in 1966. Notably, the NHPA created the National Register of Historic Places, our nation’s catalog of important cultural resources. The NHPA also stipulates that any federal undertaking which may adversely affect National Register eligible resources be mitigated. For the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Katrina created the largest compliance project ever under Section 106 of the NHPA.

Although causing a great deal of damage, Katrina also …

Keynote Address: Climate Change: From Global To New York Scale, Christopher D. Thorncroft

CHAR

This talk is concerned with the science and impacts of climate change from global to New York scales. It will provide an assessment of how the climate has changed over the past Century based on a purely observational perspective. The scientific basis for anthroprogenic climate change will be explained and discussed including a description of the “greenhouse effect” and why it is important for life on this planet. We will briefly discuss global and local consequences of a warmer climate and what we need to be prepared for going forward in the coming decades.

Opening Keynote Address: Using Data To Understand Cultural Destruction, Brian I. Daniels

CHAR

Brian I. Daniels, Ph.D, Penn Cultural Heritage Center, University of Pennsylvania Museum.

Why is cultural heritage targeted in conflict? Under what circumstances? By whom? Today, due in part to the recent notorious instances of cultural destruction in the Middle East and North Africa, there is perhaps more attention among the broader scientific community than ever before about the phenomenon of cultural loss. At the same time, there are many significant data and analytical gaps. Little social science literature about cultural destruction exists and many critical questions—and avenues of research—are, as of yet, unstudied. A primary reason for this lack …

The Future Of Arabic Music: No Sound Without Silence, Nesma Magdy Khodier Vcuq

Theses and Dissertations

For centuries, Arabic music has been intrinsically linked to Arab culture and by extension bonded to the environmental landscape of the region, reflecting their emotions, moods, and behaviors. Numerous technological advancements in the latter half of the twentieth century, have greatly affected the rich legacy of Arabic music, significantly impacting the natural progression of traditional Arabic musical genres, scales, and instrumentation.

This thesis serves as an introduction to generative methods of music production, specifically music generated through gestures. Through generative music, and its unique ability to map gestures to different musical parameters, music can be produced using computer algorithms.

The …

Archival Enactment, Retelling 'The Big Book': Alison Knowles, Something Else Press And Fluxus, Meghan A. Dellacrosse

Theses and Dissertations

"Archival Enactment, Retelling 'The Big Book': Alison Knowles, Something Else Press and Fluxus," positions Knowles’ Big Book (1966) as a case study of historical methodology and interdisciplinary artistic practice in the post-war period. This comprehensive analysis of Big Book, a work of art no longer extant, contextualizes its publisher, Something Else Press through Dick Higgins’ concept of “intermedia,” and important lesser-known junctures relevant to Fluxus and the group’s leader George Maciunas are illuminated. Knowles' early and lesser-known silkscreen paintings are also examined.

Hidden In Plain Sight: The Story Of The Hunter College Collection Of Puerto Rican Graphic Arts, Sarah Laleman Ward

Publications and Research

The Hunter College Collection of Puerto Rican Graphic Arts includes over 150 works produced between 1954 and 1985 and represents the work of forty-one artists. It is illustrative of the growth of the printmaking tradition in Puerto Rico during the twentieth century. Acquired through a misappropriation of funds by a student group in the mid-1980s and ultimately purchased by and displayed in the college, the story of this collection raises important questions regarding institutional responsibility for the purchase and stewardship of art objects. Should art be collected if no plans are made for its maintenance and care?

Pressing: Where The Objective Meets The Subjective, Mariana Parisca

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

Through this essay I describe the theoretical and anthropological ideas that led to the creation of the Cushing Series. An interest in the obsession with photography in popular culture leads to an understanding of the permeation of structured reasoning beyond scientific research and into everyday life. Taking evidence from photography, and philosophy of science I establish the limitations of structured reasoning, both as a way of perceiving the world and as an understanding of identity, and define surface and frame as its physical representation. Using Sartre’s existential theory and phenomenological anthropology I then describe the infinite subjective existence of …

Proactive Conversation, 3d Printing, And An Old Nintendo, Tesha C. Ellis

Undergraduate Research Posters

Abstract

One hundred years from now, it would be a true historical treat to be able to showcase 20th and 21st century digital entertainment by presenting video game consoles in mint condition for interactive, educational, play. Arguably, it would be more enlightening and informative for future audiences to be able to physically engage with the electronic artifacts instead of simply observing them behind glass. With the use of 3D technology, components of video game systems can be preserved, and then printed as needed for repairs. It will help keep them functional for future researchers, educators, and enthusiasts.

Open Access: A Model For Sharing Published Conservation Research, Peter D. Verheyen, Priscilla Anderson, Whitney Baker, Beth Doyle

Librarian Publications

The conservation field has articulated the importance of publishing our research to disseminate information and further the aims of conservation. Article X of AIC’s Code of Ethics states that conservators should “contribute to the evolution and growth of the profession, a field of study that encompasses the liberal arts and the natural sciences” in part by “sharing of information and experience with colleagues, adding to the profession’s written body of knowledge.” Our Guidelines for Practice state “the conservation professional should recognize the importance of published information that has undergone formal peer review,” because, as Commentary 2.1 indicates, “publication in peer-reviewed …

From The Inside Out, And Through., Dominique Ovalle

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

These photographs describe “Science” born of consumerism, hijacked by me, economically disenfranchised, or rather—temporarily embarrassed, artist. I was putzing around Malibu—my old college stomping ground, looking for free food; maybe a sample of some gourmet $5 chocolate, and all I got were these photographs.

Advances In Documentation, Digital Curation, Virtual Exhibition, And A Test Of 3d Geometric Morhpometrics: A Case Study Of The Vanderpool Vessels From The Ancestral Caddo Territory, Robert Z. Selden Jr., Timothy K. Perttula, Michael J. O'Brien

CRHR: Archaeology

Three-dimensional (3D) digital scanning of archaeological materials is typically used as a tool for artifact documentation. With the permission of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, 3D documentation of Caddo funerary vessels from the Vanderpool site (41SM77) was conducted with the initial goal of ensuring that these data would be publicly available for future research long after the vessels were repatriated. A digital infrastructure was created to archive and disseminate the resultant 3D datasets, ensuring that they would be accessible by both researchers and the general public (CRHR 2014a). However, 3D imagery can be used for much more than documentation. To …

Circulating Collections Book Repair Manual, Marianne Swanberry Hanley

Treatment Manuals

The audience for this manual are work-study students and library technicians working charged with repairing items from our circulating book collection. Be careful because a repair done incorrectly can cause more harm than good if you are not sure don’t do it. Never be afraid to ask, no question is too small.

It is important to maintain control over your work. Work should be neat and organized. When new staff is hired they are trained by an experienced person and given manuals for reference. Each employee’s work is reviewed periodically to be certain that they understand the principles and techniques …

Pragmatism And Compromise In Conservation, Peter D. Verheyen

Librarian Publications

I write this from the perspective of an apprentice-trained bookbinder and conservator who has spent most of his career working in academic research libraries in the US, work that has included working primarily with special collections, but also heavily used circulating collections and digitization. During this time I have also worked with many other conservators, interns from conservation/preservation programs and students of museum studies and librarianship. While the mission ensuring the long-term health of and continued access to the Library’s collections has not changed, how we do that work and prioritize activities has. This has been a result of changes …

"Tuxedo" Phase Box (3 Variants), David J. Stokoe, Department Of Preservation And Conservation

Librarian Publications

These diagrams depict 3 variants of the "tuxedo-style phase box,"a simple, low-cost, enclosure made from 20pt acid-free folder stock. It is designed to protect brittle, deteriorated, "low priority" items.

Book Repair Basics For Libraries, Peter D. Verheyen, Marianne Hanley

Librarian Publications

This presentation familiarizes viewers with different aspects of circulating collections book repair for school, public, and academic library staff. It shows basic descriptions of techniques using images, and video. This presentation should not be construed as a how-to, hands-on workshop. Likewise, it is not aimed at the treatment of special collections items. Selected resources for training, both hands-on and online are provided at the end.

Book Repair Basics For Libraries : Webinar, Peter D. Verheyen, Marianne Hanley

Librarian Publications

This presentation familiarizes viewers with different aspects of circulating collections book repair for school, public, and academic library staff. It shows basic descriptions of techniques using images, and video. This presentation should not be construed as a how-to, hands-on workshop. Likewise, it is not aimed at the treatment of special collections items. Selected resources for training, both hands-on and online are provided at the end. This webinar was presented to ALA/Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS). Online. Sep. 14, 2011. Download below or view online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qWWnIHoRig.

Windowed Drop Spine Box, Donia J. Conn, Department Of Preservation And Conservation

Librarian Publications

Step-by-step instructions for measuring and assembling a drop-spine box for the housing or rare books and other materials. This variant of box features a clear spine area allowing the contents to be seen when the box is closed.

Paper Spine For Thin Volumes, Donia J. Conn, Department Of Preservation And Conservation

Librarian Publications

Similar in concept to the Molded Paper Spine, this treatment is intended for materials in the collection printed before 1800 in which the text block is less than 1cm thick. The technique comes from Frank Mowery at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Polyester Encapsulation Using An Edge Welder, Donia J. Conn, Peter D. Verheyen, Department Of Preservation And Conservation

Librarian Publications

Step-by-step instructions for encapsulating documents and other flat paper-based items in polyester film (mylar) using an edge welder.

Conservation Re-Casing (Binding), Donia Conn, Peter D. Verheyen, Department Of Preservation And Conservation

Librarian Publications

Conservation recasing is a way to preserve our 19th and 20th century materials in which the bindings have failed and, in many cases, been lost over time. It is not intended to be used on valuable bindings or volumes printed before 1800. The structure used is based on the German (Bradel) case binding.

Preservation At Syracuse University Library, Peter D. Verheyen, David Stokoe, Marianne Swanberry Hanley, Robert J. Hodge

Librarian Publications

Prepared for IST600 (Preservation), this presentation gives an overview of the activities of the Department of Preservation and Conservation including environment, disaster preparedness and salvage, circulating collections repair, rare book conservation, rehousing, audio preservation, and digitization. For more about department see http://library.syr.edu/about/departments/preservation and our resource guide at http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/preservation.

Mylar Phase Box, Donia J. Conn, Department Of Preservation And Conservation

Librarian Publications

The Mylar phased box is a simple, low-cost, enclosure made from 20pt acid-free folder stock and heavy weight Mylar to create a see through wrapper for higher end items. This box comes from the Folger Shakespeare Library and was designed by Linda Blaser.

Phase Box, Donia J. Conn, Peter D. Verheyen, Department Of Preservation And Conservation

Librarian Publications

The "phase box" is a simple, low-cost, enclosure made from 20pt acid-free folder stock. It is designed to protect brittle, deteriorated, "low priority" items.

"Molded" Paper Spine Binding, Donia J. Conn, Department Of Preservation And Conservation

Librarian Publications

The molded paper spine is a rebacking/recasing structure intended for leather-bound books for which the covers have deteriorated too much to be salvageable. The new molded paper spine looks very much like leather and is very strong.

Corrugated Drop Spine Box, David J. Stokoe, Department Of Preservation And Conservation

Librarian Publications

Step-by-step instructions for measuring and assembling a drop-spine box made from a single sheet of corrugated board for the housing or rare books and other materials.

Drop Spine Box, Donia J. Conn, Peter D. Verheyen, Department Of Preservation And Conservation

Librarian Publications

Step-by-step instructions for measuring and assembling a drop-spine box for the housing or rare books and other materials.