TEACHING
Critical Issues in Art Conservation
This semester-long course introduces students to some of the critical issues concerning art conservation theory and practice. Main topics to be considered include the following: How does conservation change the meaning and interpretation of objects and sites? Whose values are considered when conserving an artifact or site? Do objects live, die or have spiritual needs, and how does contemporary conservation practice cope with this? What role does conservation play in restoring memory, human relationships and national identity in the wake of political conflict?
In the first part of the course, we examine the conservator’s approaches, methods and ethics and reflect on how these influence the appearance and interpretation of works of art. Next, we confront the voices of the artists, makers and users of art, cultural objects and sites, and consider how their intentions and choices of materials complicate or defy the role of the conservator. We then examine how individuals, communities and nations contest and claim bodies, objects and sites. Finally, we look at some of the powerful outside forces—political strife, armed conflict, tourism and the art market—that shape conservation practice.
Download a syllabus for this undergraduate course, taught in the Museums and Society Program at the Johns Hopkins University.
Principles of Conservation
A semester long graduate course examining both the ethical and philosophical aspects of art conservation as well as offering practical collection management and preventive conservation skills. This course is offered to students intending to become museum professionals, and provides a general introduction to issues of collection care and management. Some of the practical topics covered include:
- Causes of Deterioration of Materials
- Principles of Preventive Conservation
- Introduction to Art Handling
- Introduction to Art Materials
- Labeling Art Objects
- Introduction to Condition Reporting
- Packing, Storage and Display of Museum Collections
- Disaster Planning and Recovery
This graduate course is taught in the spring semester in the Museums Studies and Historical Preservation Masters Program at Morgan State University.
Objects in Focus: Materials, Techniques, History
Are the art works and archaeological objects we see in museums “original”? Do they accurately reflect what the artist/maker once intended for them? What has been lost from or added to them over time? How were they meant to be seen or used, and how does the museum context change them? In this course, we approach art works as end products of a long series of changes and processes, all of which leave traces and clues on the art objects themselves. Rather like art detectives, we seek to uncover what might have been lost from these art works over time through three specific approaches.
First, we investigate the materials and techniques originally used to create different art objects, as these define the physical, visual and often symbolic qualities of a work, and are often the first aspects to be changed or lost over time. Next, we trace the hand and the vision of the artist/maker to understand what he/she intended to create, by reading historic artists’ treatises and visiting contemporary artists’ studios. Finally, we consider the “life histories” or biographies of objects to understand how they functioned or were used in different contexts. We explore these questions by looking at a variety of media and studying works of art across cultures and time.
This undergraduate course was taught in the spring of 2009 in the Museums and Society Program at the Johns Hopkins University.
Additional Short Courses
Day-long and week-long courses in collections management and basic conservation principles have also been taught at local museums and art institutions. Courses can be tailored to fit the specific needs of different institutions and their collections.