Conservation - American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

Magazine Antiques, Jan, 2000 by Allison Eckardt Ledes

Dwight P. Lanmon, a director emeritus of the Henry Francis du Pont. Winterthur Museum in Winterthur, Delaware, recently compiled a short book entitled Evaluating Your Collection: The 14 Points of Connoisseur-ship based on a succinct but erudite essay written by Charles F. Montgomery in 1961. Each of the fourteen points in Lanmon's book is prefaced by a quotation from Montgomery's essay, save for the chapter entitled "Finish," which begins with this quotation by Winterthur curators: "Connoisseurs, curators, and conservators have different opinions about the degree to which an object should be treated. Some prefer surfaces 'in the rough,' with no restoration. Others prefer to perform minimal, reversible treatments. Still others want their objects restored to look as they did when they were new." Well said.

The number of professional conservators has expanded, as science, technology, and educational training centers have grown considerably over the last few decades. Montgomery cited the following tools useful to the collector or curator: a magnifying glass, camera, microscope, ultraviolet lamp, and occasionally access to X-ray apparatus. There are now a far greater number of more sophisticated devices, not to mention computers. The seemingly unwieldy number of professionally trained conservators has a plus side: the "dip and strip" approach to conservation has nearly ceased to exist.

Collectors and curators now have a dizzying array of choices when selecting a conservator for a given restoration job. This task can be made easier through the excellent services of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), a nonprofit organization founded in 1972 with headquarters in Washington, D.C., and a roster of more than thirty-two hundred members in all corners of the United States.

According to its bylaws, the purposes of the AIC are to "Advance knowledge by encouraging education, study and research of all subjects related to the preservation of cultural property; promote proficiency and skill in the practice of conservation; provide opportunities for continuing professional education; publish and disseminate technical and professional information; and improve conservation approaches and methods needed to protect, conserve, and care for cultural property." There are several categories of membership. Individuals working in the conservation profession or interested in learning more about conservation are invited to become associate members of the AIC. Professional associates and fellows are elected through a peer review process.

Three times a year the AIC publishes a journal that is a scholarly forum for conservation issues, and six times a year it publishes a newsletter that provides up-to-date information on national and international conservation issues. Its directory of members is organized by name, specialty and region. In addition, the AIC has issued ten informative pamphlets on topics such as guidelines for selecting a conservator, matting and framing, the care of special collections, a bibliography of helpful books about conservation, and the care of architecture, furniture, home videotapes, works on paper, photographs, and paintings. The AIC offers a matching service free of charge, which locates conservators and identifies their specialities according to geographic region. Those wishing to take advantage of this service are asked to provide a complete description of the object that they would like to have treated, the type of conservation service they require, the geographic region in which they prefer to have the work done , and their mailing address. A computer generated list of conservators will be mailed along with the AIC's brochure Guidelines for Selecting a conservator.