Art and Materials Conservation Commons^™

Wish You Were Here, Janie Stamm, Janie I. Stamm

Graduate School of Art Theses

The State of Florida is under threat from the effects of climate change. Rising sea levels are creeping up on to Florida’s coast, eroding the beaches and encroaching on heavily populated cities. Over my lifetime I will watch the water spill over the streets of my home town. I will watch the water flood the Everglades, pushing saltwater into freshwater habitats. I will watch the water begin to drown the state, taking Florida’s many little known histories along with it. This thesis serves as a document of Floridian life during the Anthropocene.

Within this thesis, I tell the story of …

Kiddush Levana, The Moon Is Your Handheld Mirror, Noa Ginzburg

Theses and Dissertations

Noa Ginzburg is weaving cast-off and hand-made objects, lights, reflections, spells, drawings, and an abundance of knots into site-responsive installations. In her thesis, Ginzburg addresses Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings, the synergy of assemblages, repurposing of materials in the era of Anthropocene, and how notions of solidarity and indeterminacy influence her work.

Cultural Heritage Preservation In The Context Of Climate Change Adaptation Or Relocation: Barbuda As A Case Study, Martha B. Lerski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This case study introduces an arts camp methodology of engaging communities in identifying their key cultural heritage features, thus serving as a meta study. It presents original research based on field studies on the climate-vulnerable Caribbean island of Barbuda during 2017 and 2018. Its Valued Cultural Elements survey, enabling precise identification of key tangible and intangible art forms and biocultural practices, may serve as a basis for further studies. Such approaches may facilitate future research or planning as climate-vulnerable communities harness Local or Indigenous Knowledge for purposes of biocultural heritage preservation, or towards adaptation or relocation. I report on findings …

Carbon 碳, Mengyuan Li

CGU MFA Theses

Death is the one certainty in life. This fascinates me and I cannot stop thinking about it. When it comes to life and death, the cemetery is a more realistic place than heaven and hell, and it is also a place to feel life and death more directly. A simple gravestone separates life from death. Cemeteries let people come face to face with life, death, and even love.

In a cemetery, there is a tranquility that is different from the city or nature. In a cemetery, people take off their masks and face their emotions. I believe that when we …

Contemporary Muslim Fashions: De Young Museum, San Francisco, Ca, Carol Bier

Textile Research Works

Calico, chintz, damask, muslin, cashmere, seersucker, taffeta, shawl, caftan, and cummerbund-all English terms derived from Islamic textiles and dress-are the products of textile technologies that resulted from colonization and trade. Their cultural origins are long forgotten, shrouded in the fast-moving commercialized fashion industry and haute couture ofthe West that developed during the 20th century. The exhibition, Contemporary Muslim Fashions, is a game-changer.

The exhibition organizers, Jill D'Alessandro and laura Camerlengo, curators of costumes and textiles at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, worked with Reina Lewis in London as a curatorial consultant. Together, they drew upon the local advice …

Textile Society Of America Newsletter 31:1—Spring 2019, Textile Society Of America

Textile Society of America: Newsletters

Letter from the President

TSA News:
Textiles Close Up: Andean Meets Anni in Chicago
R. L. Shep Ethnic Textile Book Award 2018 Nominees
Special Issue of JTDRP [Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice] Published
TSA Seeking a Newsletter Editor
International Report

In Memoriam: Sandra Alfoldy

TSA Symposium News
TSA Symposium 2020: Call for Submissions
Report from Student and New Professional Awardees

Book Reviews
The Art and Science of Natural Dyes: Principles, Experiments, and Results
Call for Submissions: Textile Month

Featured Exhibitions
Anni Albers
TSA Members at Fiberart International 2019
Contemporary Muslim Fashions

Member News

Blanket Statements, Issue 138, Spring 2019

Blanket Statements: News Publication of the American Quilt Study Group

Blanket Statements, Issue 138, Spring 2019

Ciencia De Tejer En Los Andes: Estructuras Y Técnicas De Faz De Urdimbre, Denise Y. Arnold, Elvira Espejo

Textile Research Works

Las estructuras y técnicas de los textiles andinos, en las piezas arqueológicas y en las piezas tanto históricas como contemporáneas, se cuentan entre las más complejas del mundo. Si bien el tapiz o faz de trama quizá sea el más conocido de todos los tipos de tela de la región, es sin duda en las telas de faz de urdimbre donde estas estructuras y técnicas han alcanzado su máximo desarrollo, sobre todo en nuestros tiempos. Varios estudios anteriores han intentado describir las estructuras y técnicas de faz de urdimbre, fundamentalmente los libros clásicos Textiles of Anciente Peru and their Techniques, …

Artist Frames: A Lost History Tracking The Innovations Of Discarded Visions, Isabella Leokadia Kapczynski

MA Theses

By considering the multiple aspects of a picture frame, this thesis paper explores the relationship between the frame and the painting it surrounds. Functioning to both preserve and present a painting, the frame is often a concern of curators, dealers, restorers and institutions. Though neglected, the painters themselves had opinions about the framing of their work. This research centers on the classification of a picture frame as either fine or decorative art. First, the metaphysical and marketing ramifications of the frame will be considered, followed by a concise history of the frame that will focus on the nineteenth century Impressionist …

Contemporary Methods Of Preserving Land Art: A Case Study Of Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, Samara Johnson

MA Theses

The preservation and conservation of Land art has become an increasingly complex and urgent issue as important Earthworks created in the late 1960s and early 1970s continue to age. They present a variety of challenges—both physical and philosophical—to those tasked with maintaining them. Using Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1970) as a case study, I have outlined four key guidelines for maintaining and preserving works of Land art. In order to survive, the artist’s intention intact, these works require collective stewardship, an interdisciplinary approach, the promotion of responsible visitorship, and an extension of the museum model. Today, social media has presented …

The Aleppo Minbar: Symmetry And Islamic Aesthetics, Carol Bier

Textile Research Works

The Aleppo minbar (pulpit for Friday sermons) is a monumental architectural sculpture commissioned in the middle of the 12th century in Aleppo, Syria, by Nur al-Din al-Zangi, who was ruling from Damascus. Envisioning the end of the Crusades, Nur al-Din sought to place the minbar in the Aqsa Mosque after Muslims reclaimed Jerusalem, where it was installed in 1187 by the Ayyubid ruler, Saladin. Richly ornamented with many geometric forms and designs, the wooden minbar expresses an algorithmic Islamic aesthetic based on symmetry, with patterns that imply an infinite expanse contained within borders. Manifesting an aesthetic that persisted for …

Sufism, Beauty, Love: Ecstasy And Rapture Of Islam In Asia. Study Guide, Carol Bier

Textile Research Works

Key Vocabulary: Concepts, Practices, Buildings, Masters/Leaders/Disciples

Major Sufi Figures

Suggested Readings

Public Health Implications Of Retailer Resale Of Returned Textile Clothing Merchandise, Antonette M. A. Francis-Shearer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically, 18th century anecdotal accounts of the decimation of several tribes of U.S. of the Native American population by trading of infected textile blankets alludes to the role of retail in the transmission of infectious disease. This study explores implications of the modern day retail organization practice of reselling returned clothing textiles from a public health infectious disease perspective. A qualitative multi-case study, utilized responses from 20 open-ended, unstructured interviews of retail employees assigned to the returns process. Additionally, several informal observations of select U.S.based, top-ranked clothing retail organizations, identified by the National Retail Federation were completed. Select federal, state, …

Blanket Statements, Issue 141, Seminar 2019

Blanket Statements: News Publication of the American Quilt Study Group

Blanket Statements, Issue 141, Seminar 2019

Blanket Statements, Issue 142, Winter 2019–2020

Blanket Statements: News Publication of the American Quilt Study Group

Blanket Statements, Issue 142, Winter 2019–2020

Islamic Ceramics, Indelible Creations: Assessing And Preserving The Scripps Collection, Josephine Ren

Scripps Senior Theses

This research project examines and documents the collection of Islamic ceramics at Scripps College from an art conservation standpoint. The main objectives were to establish provenance for these objects, assess their current conditions, propose recommendations for future preservation, and discuss the importance of preventive conservation and general collections care methods. Based on my survey and research, I demonstrated which objects in particular should be prioritized due to their states of conservation and significant educational value. Such objects raise further points of departure regarding authenticity and conservation ethics.

A Spectacle And Nothing Strange, Taylor Z. King

Theses and Dissertations

Working through methods of abstraction and comedic mimicry I choreograph awkwardly balanced sculpture with objects of adornment as a means to defuse personal sensitivities surrounding my experiences of gender, desire, and home. The research that follows is concerned with the adjacent, the in between, above and underneath, because I feel that this kind of looking means that you are, to some degree, aware of what lies at the edges. Maybe this is what Gertrude Stein means to act as though there is no use in a center—because this concerns a way of relating, though there are many things in the …

Lifetime, Emily E. Kuchenbecker

Theses and Dissertations

Time is my bully. Time marks the start of something, as well as the end. We are all carrying out the inexorable passing of time as it relates to our impending mortalities.

I do not fear death.

The awareness of my body’s impermanence employs me to feel that much more connected to the vessel containing that of which I am.

But what am I? Am I my body- or is it much deeper?

Through the work executed during my graduate research, I have attempted to quantify my existence through the archiving my time and body. This document ushers you through …

North American Indigenous Collection And Curation And Its Impact On Market Arts., Adelaide Mccomb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the history of two North American Indigenous groups, those belonging to the Great Plains and the Arctic, and observes how settler-colonial influence determined the collection and curation of arts and artifacts in these areas. This art includes a mention of pre-Colombian works, but focuses predominantly on works being made after “first-contact” through the contemporary ear. The paper addresses the effect imperialist history has had on the development of Indigenous art markets, and how institutions such as museums may address them through ethical practices, and efforts to decolonize museum spaces.

Textile Society Of America Newsletter 30:2 — Fall 2018, Textile Society Of America

Textile Society of America: Newsletters

Letter from the Editor

Letter from the President

TSA News
Welcome New TSA Board Members
Our Focus on Diversity: Vision Statement
R. L. Shep Ethnic Textile Book Award
Diedrick Brackens Honored with 2018 Brandford/Elliott Award

International Report
Featured Exhibitions
Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT)
Opportunity
The University of North Texas to Close Fibers Program by Spring 2019

TSA Symposium
The Social Fabric: Deep Local to Pan Global in pictures
TSA Members' Exhibition
Reports from Student & New Professional Awardees

A Long-Delayed Professional Conversation

Book Reviews
Art, Honor, and Ridicule: Fante Asafo Flags from Southern Ghana
Polychromatic Screen Printing …

Blanket Statements, Issue 135, Fall 2018

Blanket Statements: News Publication of the American Quilt Study Group

Blanket Statements, Issue 135, Fall 2018

Adventures With Don Quixote: Examination And Treatment, Katarzyna Bator

Art Conservation Master's Projects

The third edition of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha from the collection of University at Buffalo Library was examined and treated. A proposed timeline of repairs was constructed based on information gathered through historical research, multiband imaging, x-radiography, and microscopy. The analysis identified at least four possible sewing events and revealed differences in fiber morphology of the papers composing the textblock. The study of past interventions guided the current conservation treatment. Old repairs were kept intact where possible, and the textblock was rebound in a conservation style hybrid structure that resembles the current …

Tanegashima: The Conservation Treatment And Research Of Two Japanese Matchlock Muskets, Katrina Zacharias

Art Conservation Master's Projects

In the fall of 2016, two Japanese matchlock muskets, called Tanegashima, were brought to the SUNY Buffalo State College Art Conservation Department for research, analysis and treatment. The firearms consist of steel, brass, silver and hardwood components. First, the history and fabrication methods of Japanese firearms were researched to try and establish a date, maker and provenance. In addition to the previous information, analysis was conducted of the materials, focusing primarily on identifying the original finishes of the barrel and stock, to determine a treatment approach.

Basket Case: Treatment And Analysis Of A Northwestern California Basket, Stephanie Cashman

Art Conservation Master's Projects

A northwestern California basket was brought to the SUNY Buffalo State Garman Art Conservation Department for treatment and analysis in the fall of 2016. The basketry materials, colorants and fabrication methods were investigated. Material analysis was carried out using polarized light microscopy (PLM) to identify the types of woody plant materials used. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) were performed to better understand possible colorants. Mockups and a 3D model, both digital and printed, were created to gain insight into the construction techniques. Analysis confirmed the baskets place of origin …

Risk Assessment And Conservation Treatment Of Visual Poetry In A Research Library Collection, Michelle Smith

Art Conservation Master's Projects

A risk assessment was conducted on a collection of 135 works of visual poetry designated as "poetry objects" in the Poetry Collection at University at Buffalo Libraries. A survey instrument was created to allow for identification of existing condition problems in order to predict future issues and quantify risks of damage resulting from three sources: 1) method of storage, 2) presence of chemically unstable materials, and 3) user handling. The results of the risk assessment were summarized and provided to The Poetry Collection along with recommendations for reducing risk to the collection. Method of storage was determined to be the …

Repairing The Restored: Conserving A Mid-19th Century Hand-Colored Aquatint Etching, Allison Brewer

Art Conservation Master's Projects

A mid-nineteenth century aquatint and etching print with hand coloring was admitted for conservation treatment to the Garman Family Art Conservation Department at Buffalo State College. The print was in very poor condition upon arrival. Investigating the print using materials analysis helped deduce some of the original materials in the manufacturing of the print as well as non-original materials used to restore it. Ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) imaging revealed many damages and repairs to the support. Transmission-Fourier transform infrared microscopy (Transmission-FTIR) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (py-GC-MS) were used to confirm the presence of a varnish layer, x-ray fluorescence …

Toxins In The Collection: Museum Awareness And Protection, Nellie Slocum

Museum Studies Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss museum policies regarding toxic materials used in the creation of an object or added to it as a preservation or pesticide technique. After surveying different museums, it has been found that many museums are unaware of what parts of their collections contain toxic materials. Because of this unfamiliarity with the danger these materials might pose, many museums to not have policies in place regarding them. Toxins in collection items may pose a threat to museum staff who are working with them on a day to day basis. Toxic materials are prevalent in …

An Investigation Into Crack Patterns And The Temperature At Which They Occur, Carolyn Hoover

Art Conservation Master's Projects

Recently, a large abstract painting entitled Dialogue (2007) by Lee Ufan was donated to the SUNY Buffalo State Art Conservation program as a study piece. Due to disfiguring horizontal cracking throughout the painting’s surface in the white margins, the painting was considered a total loss that no longer represented the artist’s intentions or work. The intent of this project was to investigate how and why these cracks appeared throughout this painting in this specific pattern. It was suggested by Professor James Hamm that this crack pattern was the result of a singular event when the painting entered a low temperature …

Conservation Of A Mid-19th Century Children’S Sofa, Daniel J. Kaping

Art Conservation Master's Projects

The conservation treatment of a small mid-19th century sofa with horsehair upholstery has been performed in this project, with the primary goals of: stabilization, reduction of visual disruption from damage, and detention of original material. This has involved utilizing fill materials and repairs where possible in contrast to traditional reupholstering techniques. Secondary to these goals, analysis and imaging have been performed in order to more closely understand the materials involved in the construction of the sofa, its intended purpose (likely as a child’s plaything), and in hopes of uncovering some of its history and origin. Analytical techniques such …

The Analysis And Conservation Of A 1930s Theatrical Make-Up Kit, Mary Wilcop

Art Conservation Master's Projects

A 1930s theatrical makeup kit in the collection the Buffalo Museum of Science was analyzed and treated at the Garman Family Art Conservation Department at Buffalo State College. The kit, comprised of a tinplated-steel L. Leichner expandable makeup box, was packed tightly with 105 individual items including: greasepaints; paper, metal, and glass containers of powder- and cream-based cosmetics; wool crepe hairs; makeup-stained cotton balls; several plastic objects; and paper documents. The kit was gifted in 1983, where it had remained since in storage. Approaching treatment began with research into the history of theatrical cosmetics to lend context to the historical …