Newsletter of the Virginia Conservation Association Volume 14, Number 4 March 2004

In the Issue

V C AJamestown/Fort Lee 1

March Program 3

Courses/Workshops 3

Laser Technology 6

Positions 9

Minutes 10

Humor 11

Disaster Recovery: Archaeological Collection at JamestownBy Melba J. Myers

From the perspective of collections care, the flooding of the basement of the Visiter’s Center at the Colonial National Historical Park at Jamestown during Hurricane Isabel can be considered the most dramatic incident resulting from the hurricane in Virginia. A classic collections disaster–from the controversy over how it could have been prevented to the drama and magnitude of the recovery effort, it will provide lessons to collections managers of archaeological materials for years to come.

This summary will focus on the first phase, the immediate first-aid recovery effort starting two days after the hurricane when the first responders arrived on the scene, to the transport of the collection near the end of November from their temporary home, in a warehouse provided by Fort Lee, to a longer term treatment facility in Newport News, Virginia.

On September 18, 2003 a storm surge which contained water from the tidal James River, as well as seepage from a nearby brackish swamp, poured into the basement collections storage area. However the water came in, it was strong enough to knock over at least one of the stacked 8-drawer artifact cabinets and it resulted in 5 feet of standing salty water lasting for at least 1 1⁄2 days. The artifacts were stored in cardboard (chipboad) trays in drawers lined with Ethafoam within powder coated metal cabinets.

For several days before the hurricane, BMS-CAT, an international contractor out of Fort Worth, Texas, specializing in fire and water damage recovery, had positioned people and equipment in Virginia and were ready to respond to the call from the National Park Service.

In addition, NPS personnel from both the Northeast Museum Services Center in Boston (Conservator, Sara Wolf, among others) and from the Museum Resource Center in Washington, D.C. (archaeologists and collections managers) rushed to the scene, overcoming fallen trees and other obstacles on the way. Standing water was pumped out of the basement, holes were drilled in the bottom of the cabinets to drain them, and the cabinets, still full of wet artifacts in chipboard trays, were transported on pallets to Fort Lee, Virginia east of Petersburg.

While still on Jamestown Island it was determined that the materials most immediately at risk were the documentary material–field notes and photographs which were stored in several file cabinets. The strength of the swelling paper in these file cabinets was enough

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March program/studio talk - Kenmore Plantation, Fredericksburg, VA. Thursday, March 18th, 5:30. Program on Architectural Conservation given Matt Webster - director of the restoration.

May program/studio talk - Thursday, May 20th, 5:30 pm. The program will be held at the Marinerʼs Museum. Curtiss Peterson, Chief Conservator of the Marinerʼs Museum, will talk about the Monitor Conservation Project and Andrew Baxter will talk about the conservation work he has done on some bronze doors.

Upcoming Events

Basement of the Jamestown Visitor’s Center–a few days after the hurricane–after the water had been pumped out. The red line of spray-paint indicates the water line. Photos by Emily Williams.

President - Lorraine Brevig 804-358-2006 HISSTAH@aol.com

Vice President - Dianne Ball 804-358-2006 dartsnt@aol.com

Secretary - Tracy Kamerer 804-692-3641 tkamerer@lva.lib.va.us

Treasurer - Mary Studt 804-359-2929 mestudt@earthlink.net

By Laws - Mark Lewis 757-664-6215 mlewis@chrylser.org

Disaster Response - Stacy Rusch 804-342-9674 stacy@vahistorical.org

Education - Valinda Carroll 804-559-3548 washidoc@yahoo.com

Membership - Melba Myers 804-367-2323 mmyers@dhr.state.va.us

Programs - Jennifer Zemanek 804-725-0669 jazemanek@yahoo.com Publications - John Fralin 804-649-4095 john@fafas.com

Refreshments - Tracy Horne 804-358-2006 LaArtsa@hotmail.com

Officers

Chairs

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to pop open locked file drawers. The paper materials that had been submerged by the flood were immediately sent to Fort Worth for freeze drying. These materials have now been returned, and because freeze dried materials are physically fragile, they are being scanned to make digital back-up versions of the original documentary materials.

The collection catalog was backed-up electronically prior to the storm. It was printed out in three volumes shortly after the collection arrived at Fort Lee and an effort was started to get a more accurate estimate of the total number of artifacts. There were 290 artifact cabinets, located in a large room of the Fort Lee warehouse. Most catalog items contained far more than one object. The approximate artifact estimate eventually became almost a million artifacts.

There were two obvious imperatives that drove subsequent recovery procedures:

*Artifact Stabilization: The decision had been made before leaving Jamestown that all the artifacts that had been submerged needed to be rinsed off with DI H

2O to remove

soluble salts, if at all possible before the artifacts had a chance to dry out. BMS-CAT would do this, but triage procedures ensuring that the most vulnerable materials were washed first, and that appropriate drying methods were used for each material class were to be established by conservators.

*Health Concerns: Because the ubiquitous chipboard container trays immediately began to produce a vast range of mold types,

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Over 290 cabinets in four rows in the Mold Room

More than one artifact per catalog number.

MEMBERʼS MEETING to be held Thursday, March 18th, 2004 at Kenmore Plantation, Fredericksburg, VA.

Please come join us for this special program to be held at Kenmore, the 18th century Georgian plantation home of George Washingtonʼs sister, Betty, and her husband, Colonel Fielding Lewis, located in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia. The Director of the Restoration, Matt Webster will give us a special conservation tour from attic to the sub-basement while explaining the multimillion dollar restoration and conservationproject of this important property.

Matt Webster will focus on the architectural conservation projects including wallpaper and paint history, the installation ofstate-of-the-art HVAC systems, and the investigations into the historic fabric of the property.

The meeting will begin at 5:30pm with a reception in the Annie Fleming Smith Room and will be followed by a brief business meeting until 6:30pm. Mr. Webster will begin his tour at 6:30pm.

This is an excellent opportunity to explore some of the debate as well as some of the hidden areas of the house which are not on the public tour.

Directions: From the South I- 95 North to Fredericksburg Exit 130 A to Route 3 East. Follow signs for Business Route 3 past Mary Washington College. Continue on Route 3 (William Street). Take a left onto Washington Ave at the cemetery and parking on the street.

Kenmore Plantation1201 Washington AvenueFredericksburg, VA 22401

March Program - Studio Talk Courses / Workshops

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Disaster Recovery Courses On-line from SOLINET

*New* distance education class allows you to study at work or home. Three two-hour sessions allow for flexibility in your busy work schedule. Begin the process of writing a disaster plan for your institution. Make this workshop a team-building activity with tangible results--a plan that will benefit your staff in a time of need.

Developing a Disaster Plan(Web-Based Training)

Wednesday, February 18, 2004, with mandatory follow-up sessions on March 10, 2004 and March 31, 2004.

To prevent unnecessary loss of materials, institutions needknowledgeable staff and written plans for dealing with emergency situations so that fewer disasters occur and damage is minimized. Disaster planning requires the support and commitment of staff from many departments, including facilities and fiscal affairs. Plan preparation is more successful and effective when undertaken by a committee with staff representatives from across the institution.

Taught in 3 two-hour sessions over the course of six weeks, this class guides participants through the development of a written disaster plan. This web-based workshop is designed to support the work of an institutionʼs disaster planning committee. Homework assignments will require input and support from a variety of staff members.

The modules cover: Establishment of a planning structure,information gathering, including risk assessment and resource list development, setting recovery priorities, an overview of recovery procedures, plan development, and working with disaster recovery vendors.

This workshop is designed for staff members responsible for organizing, writing, and implementing an institution-wide disaster preparedness plan in academic, public, or special libraries; archives; or historical societies. Participants are invited to submit their completed plans for review.

Partial funding for this workshop has been provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access.

Cost is $135 SOLINET members ($125 early bird, $160 lateregistration), $185 Non-members ($175 early bird, $210 lateregistration).

For more information or to register, contact

Vanessa Richardson 800-999-8558 vrichardson@solinet.net

or <URL:http://www.solinet.net> for full descriptions and onlineregistration.

Workshop on Photographic Conservation

Date: 7 Nov 2003From: Nora Kennedy <nora.kennedy@metmuseum.org>Subject: Workshop on photographic conservation

Courses/Workshops continued on page 4

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Damaged and Deteriorated Photographic Print Materials: Compensation for Loss

A Workshop Funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Hosted by the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA. March 22-26, 2004

Utilizing the Photographs Collection and Paper Conservation facilities of the J. Paul Getty Museum (JPGM), this five-day course will investigate compensation techniques employed in the conservation of damaged and deteriorated historic and contemporary photographic prints. Demonstrations of techniques will be carried out by experienced conservators and innovators in the field.Intensive laboratory sessions will be dedicated to hands-on practice and experimentation with a variety of compensation challenges; treatment solutions will be explored over the course of the workshop. Topics to be addressed will include color and light theory, inpainting media and techniques, inserting methods for losses in photographic paper, historic coating procedures, isolating layers, work space design, ethics, artistʼs intent, and exhibition aesthetics. Compensation issues with a wide variety of photographicprocesses from the 19th and 20th centuries will be examined during the week.

Eligibility: The workshop is open to specialists in photographconservation who have had limited access to equivalent training. Enrollment is very limited.

Subject: AIC Announces Historic Structures Symposium

State of the Art Techniques for Monitoring and Protecting Historic StructuresSaturday, March 27, 2004. Columbia University, New York, NY (8:30 am - 5:00pm).

This one-day symposium will focus on technologies developed in other fields that could have significant uses in historic preservation and architectural conservation. Interested participants will include architects, engineers, architectural conservators as well as owners and managers of historic buildings. Attendees will see and hear presentations on instrumentation for purposes of monitoring deterioration and structural integrity of buildings and monuments. Participants are eligible for 6 AIA Learning Units.

Cathodic protection is a cutting edge corrosion prevention technique proven after years of use in the shipbuilding, highway infrastructure and petrochemical industries. The large stock of early iron and steel framed buildings in both the United States and the United Kingdom has driven research into this corrosion protection system.

For information on speakers, presentations and mail-in registration:http://www.apti.org/confs/historic_structures/apt_monitoring_protecting.pdf

For secure on-line registration:https://secure.nicsys.net/apti/symposium-2004/

Courses/Workshops conintued from page 3

VCA MINUTES:Member’s Meeting, Thursday, November

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health authorities decreed that the trays should be pulled out of the drawers as a first priority. All personnel working in the main room would wear protective gear. Paper (documentary materials) had already been removed and artifacts made of wood, most of which had been treated in the past, were also pulled very quickly and sent out to be stabilized elsewhere. The only organic remaining was bone.

During the six week period at Fort Lee the two imperatives held sway, sometimes jostling against each other, forcing a re-focus of the labor force in one direction or another.

As is almost universally true of archaeological collections, the artifacts were organized in the cabinets by provenience, NOT by material class. Once a wash order was established: bone; metal; glass; delft (the glaze can pop off easily by drying soluble salts); followed by everything else, it was then necessary to have personnel that could identify these material classes and pull them out of the drawers. Archaeological glass or metals, for example, can appear in many visual guises, and the identification of Delft is easy only if you have done it. Conservators, curators, and collections managers with experience in mid-Atlantic historical archaeological collections were all applied to this sorting activity, while other NPS and BMS-CAT personnel hauled the color tape coded drawers of sorted materials into the wash/dry assembly line. Emily Williams and two of her interns were called on early and were involved in the critical triage decisions.

The above the water line artifacts had to be dealt with simultaneously. Steel cabinet drawers located below the water line were rusting fast, partly due to Ethafoam liners that were holding brackish water in contact with the bottom of the drawers. The cabinets were also warped and were determined to be unrecoverable. They would be turned in for scrap metal. Sample visual examination indicated that artifacts that had not been submerged would have to be looked at more closely at a later date, but that at the moment they needed to be removed as fast as possible from the metal cabinets and packed for transport. Packaging these in newly labeled Zip-Lock bags was a chore for new arrivals and volunteers.

It was clear that rinsing off the salts and carefully drying the artifacts would be all that was needed to stabilize some of them, however it was also obvious that many other treatments would be necessary to

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Jamestown - continued from page 2

In some cases the strength of the water flow disturbed the chipboard trays and distributed artifacts around the drawer. Fortunately, each individual artifact had a catalog number label on it.

Packaged artifacts ready for transport to the new facility.

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Abstract Book, 5th International Conference of Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks - LACONA VOsnabrueck, September 15-18, 2003, Eds. K. Dickmann, C. Fotakis, J. Asmus, Fachhochschule Muenster

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Anti-Fungal Laser Treatment of Paper: A Model Study with a Laser Wavelength of 532 nm

E. Pilch (a), S. Pentzien (b), H. Mädebach (b), W. Kautek (b)*

(a) Austrian State Archives, Vienna, Nottendorfer Gasse 2, A-1030 Vienna, Austria(b) Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing

Laboratory for Thin Film Technology, Unter den Eichen 87, D-12205 Berlin, Germany* Correspondence

Keywords: laser cleaning, fungi removal, paper

1. IntroductionBiodeterioration of organic cultural

heritage materials is a common problem. While the conventional techniques forremoval of fungal material from paper are proofing sufficient in many cases, the removal of discoloration caused by fun-gal pigments is yet a problem in paper conservation.

There are very rare reports on the re-moval of fungi from paper by lasers. 1,2

A far-UV krypton fluoride (KrF) excimer laser was able to remove AspergillusNiger mould from filter paper whileviable spores and mould fragments were released into the atmosphere. 3 Actually UVB radiation of a 308 nm XeCl exci-mer laser can be used for the treatment of skin mycosis fungoides. 4 That meansthat UV laser radiation can deteriorate fungi.

However, irradiation of cellulose with even a near-UV excimer laser at 308 nm resulted in photo-oxidative degradationof the paper substrate, accompanied by an increase in oxidized groups content (carbonyl or carboxyl) and a severedecrease in degree of polymerisation. 5,6

That means that successes of anti- fungallaser treatments with UV lasers areaccompanied by paper deterioration.

It could be shown, on the other hand, that Nd:YAG lasers light at 532 nm leads to negligible paper deterioration in a flu-ence regime for practical laser clean-ing.5,6

Fig. 1: Examples of fungi on paper (from David Malloch, Department of Botany, University of Toronto, 1997)

Abstract Book, 5th International Conference of Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks - LACONA VOsnabrueck, September 15-18, 2003, Eds. K. Dickmann, C. Fotakis, J. Asmus, Fachhochschule Muenster

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2. Results and DiscussionPure cultures such as Penicillium,

Trichoderma etc. (Fig. 1) were subcultured in petri dishes containing malt agar with the so-called slide culture technique (Fig. 2). A block of sterile agar was cut out of a Petri dish (A) and was placed upon a ster-ile slide resting on a bent glass tube within a sterile Petri dish (B). A few spores of a fungus were inoculated at the edges of the sterile agar block (C) and topped with a cover-glass (D) for incubation on eithercotton filter paper or handmade rag paper from around 1600. A disc of moist filter paper in the dish maintained humidity for the culture. After incubation at room temperature for three weeks the paper samples were taken out of the dishes and immersed in 70 % Ethanol for removal of hyphae and mycelia and deactivation of the remaining conidia. After drying coloured stains were left (Fig. 3 and 4). To reduce shrinks and folds, samples were slightly moistured (1 hour) using a Gore-Tex laminate and then flattened for easier handling during laser cleaning.

Fig. 2: Slide culture technique (from David Malloch, Department of Botany, University of Toronto, 1997)

Fig. 3: Penicillium on filter paper (Whatman).Left: after ethanol treatment; right after laser treatment, fluence 0.8 - 5,0 J/cm²

Fig. 4: Penicillium on handmade paper from around 1600 (rag). Left: after ethanol treatment; right after laser treatment, fluence 0.8 - 1.8 J/cm².

Abstract Book, 5th International Conference of Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks - LACONA VOsnabrueck, September 15-18, 2003, Eds. K. Dickmann, C. Fotakis, J. Asmus, Fachhochschule Muenster

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2. Results and DiscussionPure cultures such as Penicillium,

Trichoderma etc. (Fig. 1) were subcultured in petri dishes containing malt agar with the so-called slide culture technique (Fig. 2). A block of sterile agar was cut out of a Petri dish (A) and was placed upon a ster-ile slide resting on a bent glass tube within a sterile Petri dish (B). A few spores of a fungus were inoculated at the edges of the sterile agar block (C) and topped with a cover-glass (D) for incubation on eithercotton filter paper or handmade rag paper from around 1600. A disc of moist filter paper in the dish maintained humidity for the culture. After incubation at room temperature for three weeks the paper samples were taken out of the dishes and immersed in 70 % Ethanol for removal of hyphae and mycelia and deactivation of the remaining conidia. After drying coloured stains were left (Fig. 3 and 4). To reduce shrinks and folds, samples were slightly moistured (1 hour) using a Gore-Tex laminate and then flattened for easier handling during laser cleaning.

Fig. 2: Slide culture technique (from David Malloch, Department of Botany, University of Toronto, 1997)

Fig. 3: Penicillium on filter paper (Whatman).Left: after ethanol treatment; right after laser treatment, fluence 0.8 - 5,0 J/cm²

Fig. 4: Penicillium on handmade paper from around 1600 (rag). Left: after ethanol treatment; right after laser treatment, fluence 0.8 - 1.8 J/cm².

L a s e r T e c h n o l o g y i n p a p e r c o n s e r v a t i o n

Selective laser treatment of paper: PaReLa ProjectEC contract no. EVK4-CT-2000-30002

The variety of combinations of different types of foreign matter (dirt) on paper objects presents a spectrum of complex cleaning problems in paper conservation. Current cleaning methods using conventional means (solvents, mechanical) are not always sufficient to solve these problems. For instance local cleaning of paper in the vicinity of sensitive media is a common conservation problem. Laser technology can now practically and safely be used for selective and local cleaning.

This laser technology was developed in the cooperative research project “PaReLa”, funded by the European Commission. The consortium included paper conservators, researchers and engineers from The Netherlands, Spain, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Greece.

The research program focussed on the examination of the interaction of laser light with paper and parchment supports, media and materials to be removed. The results of the research show that a green Nd:YAG laser is the most suitable for paper treatment, since side-effects in terms of ageing and mechanical changes are minimal or completely absent. Paper conservators played an essential role in the design of a laser workstation for paper objects, which had to be an attractive alternative to conventional cleaning methods in terms of applicability, safety and costs.

Currently a number of conservation studios are employing this innovative method in their daily practices. For more information please contact Art Innovation.

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PaReLa Project

Date: 20 Nov 2003From: Sjoerd Postma <sjoerd.postma@art-innovation.nl>Subject: Workshop on laser cleaning

Art Innovation presents a two-day workshop on laser cleaning in art conservation.

The main objective of this course is to provide conservators and conservation scientists with information and knowledge about laser cleaning of art objects. This course will give insight in the advantages and disadvantages of laser cleaning in different application fields and hands-on experience with different kinds of lasers. There is no special knowledge, skill or scientific background necessary for this course, but a professional relationship to the conservation field is preferable. The workshop takes place at Art Innovation, Hengelo, The Netherlands <URL:http://www.art-innovation.nl/>.

Practical work is done at the laser laboratory of Art Innovation. Course topics include:

* Theory of light and lasers (general) * Laser cleaning techniques with special attention on paintings, paper and sculpture * Laser safety at the workplace * Monitoring and documentation

During the course, participants will have the hands-on experience of working with a UV (248 nm) and a Nd: YAG laser (532 nm) on different art objects. Courses in 2004: March 18-19, 2004 April 29-30, 2004 May 27-28, 2004 July 1-2, 2004 September 23-24, 2004 October 23-24, 2004

If you want to register for this course contact:

Art Innovation Westermaatsweg 11 7556 BW Hengelo, the Netherlands +31 74 2501239 Fax: +31 74 2423296 info@art-innovation.nl

Abstract Book, 5th International Conference of Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks - LACONA VOsnabrueck, September 15-18, 2003, Eds. K. Dickmann, C. Fotakis, J. Asmus, Fachhochschule Muenster

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2. Results and DiscussionPure cultures such as Penicillium,

Trichoderma etc. (Fig. 1) were subcultured in petri dishes containing malt agar with the so-called slide culture technique (Fig. 2). A block of sterile agar was cut out of a Petri dish (A) and was placed upon a ster-ile slide resting on a bent glass tube within a sterile Petri dish (B). A few spores of a fungus were inoculated at the edges of the sterile agar block (C) and topped with a cover-glass (D) for incubation on eithercotton filter paper or handmade rag paper from around 1600. A disc of moist filter paper in the dish maintained humidity for the culture. After incubation at room temperature for three weeks the paper samples were taken out of the dishes and immersed in 70 % Ethanol for removal of hyphae and mycelia and deactivation of the remaining conidia. After drying coloured stains were left (Fig. 3 and 4). To reduce shrinks and folds, samples were slightly moistured (1 hour) using a Gore-Tex laminate and then flattened for easier handling during laser cleaning.

Fig. 2: Slide culture technique (from David Malloch, Department of Botany, University of Toronto, 1997)

Fig. 3: Penicillium on filter paper (Whatman).Left: after ethanol treatment; right after laser treatment, fluence 0.8 - 5,0 J/cm²

Fig. 4: Penicillium on handmade paper from around 1600 (rag). Left: after ethanol treatment; right after laser treatment, fluence 0.8 - 1.8 J/cm².Abstract Book, 5th International Conference of Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks - LACONA V

Osnabrueck, September 15-18, 2003, Eds. K. Dickmann, C. Fotakis, J. Asmus, Fachhochschule Muenster

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These specimens were laser-treated in a computer-controlled laser cleaning system with a high pulse energy diode pumped Q-switched Nd:YAG laser operating at 532 nm and a pulse duration of <8 ns. 7 Extensive removal of visible remnants of fungi components were ob-served in the case of e.g. Penicillium (Fig. 3 and 4) and Alternaria. On the basis of various diagnostic tools as microscopy and multi-spectral imaging etc. the findings can be discussed in terms of surface damage due to embedded fruit bodies, discoloration due to pigmentsecretion, and structural destruction caused by enzymatic digestion of cellulose.

3. AcknowledgementThe EUREKA project "Laser Cleaning of Paper and Parchment (LACLEPA)" Σ! 1681

served as an umbrella for this research.

4. References1. H. Szczepanowska, C. Lovett Jr., J. Amer. Inst. for Conservation 31 (1992) 147–160.2. H. M. Szczepanowska, W. R. Moomaw, J. Amer. Inst. for Conservation 33 (1994) 25-32.3. T.R. Friberg, V. Zafiropulos, M. Kalaitzaki, R. Kowalski, J. Petrakis, C. Fotakis,

Lasers in Medical Sci. 12 (1997) 55-59.4. R. Soda, A.P. Vidolin, M. Esposito, M.S. Chimenti, A. Di Stefani, L. Bianchi,

Experim. Dermatology 11 (2002) 279-279.5. J. Kolar, M. Strlic, S. Pentzien, W. Kautek, Appl. Phys. A 71 (2000) 87-90.6. J. Kolar, M. Strlic, D. Müller-Hess, A. Gruber, K. Troschke, S. Pentzien, W. Kautek,

J. Cultural Heritage 1 (2000) S221-S224.7. W. Kautek, S. Pentzien, this volume.

cover-glass (D) for incubation on either cotton filter paper or handmade rag paper from around 1600. A disc or moist filter paper in the dish maintained humidity for the culture. After incubation at room temperature for three weeks tha paper samples were taken out of the dishes and immersed in 70% Ethanol for removal of hyphae and mycelia and deactivation of the remaining conidia. After drying coloured stains were left (Fig.3 and 4). To reduce shrinks and folds, samples were slightly moistured (1 hour) using a Gore-Tex laminate and then flattened for easier handling during laser cleaning.

continued from page 5 Jamestown/Fort Lee

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stabilize the entire collection, particularly corroding metals. Over the period of six weeks while the first-aid cleaning was being performed by BMS-CAT, the NPS managers, were working on what would come next and how to pay for it. Estimates of how many artifacts; of what materials and condition; and what type of facility would be necessary; were factored into a proposal that went up thand was eventually approved.

During the last week in November, 2003, the entire collection was moved to a larger rented facility located in Newport News, closer to Jamestown. Approximately $9,000,000 was approved to cover a 3-5 year project headed up by Sara Wolf from the NPS, Northeast Museum Services Center. A conservator site-manager and 15 other conservator/technicians will be hired to complete the recovery effort. The new technician slots will not be permanent NPS positions, but a contract situation which will allow for some benefits. At this moment NPS staff are in the process of adapting the Newport News warehouse to office and lab space. As of the deadline for this newsletter no information is available about where to look for these position announcements.

The cardboard trays had been manufactured with a paper covering set down with an adhesive that dissolved while submerged in water (probably animal skin glue). After the water was drained out of the cabinets, glue settled and adhered artifacts to the bottom of the tray.

Conservation Technician - Temporary, part-time

Maymont is seeking a conservation technician to assist with the cleaning and conservation of objects for their upcoming Servant Life Exhibit in the historic house museum. This work will be carried out under the supervision of Sandy Jensen, Maymontʼs conservation consultant, and Dotty Robinson, Restoration Project Manager.

Phase I:Duties: To conserve objects that have been identified by the conservation consultant as needing treatment. Consultant will give hands-on training and be available to review and recommend any additional treatment to be given a particular object.

Phase II:Duties: To help install period rooms and to undertake any additional conservation needs when restoration of basement in completed.

Hours: Flexible, but should be able to work at least one day a week on a consistent basis.

Qualifications: Prior conservation experience as plus, but training will be provided. Should be able to help move exhibit furniture and artifacts during Phase II.

Salary: Hourly, based on qualifications

Interviews will be held at the beginning of March. Please send a short resume or letter of interest to:

Dotty RobinsonRestoration Project Manager1700 Hampton Street, RichmondVirginia 232220 or, drobinson@maymont.org by March 1, 2004

Positions

A note about the Positions we print in the newsletter; Positions announcements will be sent out to the VCA e-mail list as a matter of course. We will also be printing them in the newsletter, but the e-mail list will deliver the messages in a more timely manner. If you wish to be included in the e-mail list, please submit your name to Melba Myers, membership chair; 804-367-2323, ext. 130, or mmyers@dhr.state.va.us

Business Meeting: After an enjoyable and delicious social hour, VCA President Lorraine Brevig opened the business meeting and called for Board reports.

Treasurer: Mary Studt reported that the VCA account balance is $3270.40 as of today.

Programs: Jennifer Zemanek announced that the May members’ meeting will be held at the Mariner’s Museum. Co-chair David Voelkel gave details on the next members’ meeting on March 18 at Kenmore in Fredericksburg. Matt Webster will speak on a restoration project in progress at the historic house and also a new exhibit entitled “Built to Last.” There will be a special attic to sub-basement tour, highlighting the restoration project and the new state of the art HVAC system.

Secretary: Tracy Kamerer reminded the group that several Board members will be retiring this spring, including herself, Jennifer and Mary. We need to form a nominating committee soon.

Lorraine brought the business meeting to a close and asked David Voelkel, programs committee co-chair, to introduce the night’s speaker.

Program: David introduced David Hahn, our host for the event, who will speak on the topic “Conservation and Collections Management Issues and Concerns for Aviation Collections.” David is the assistant director and acting agency collections head at the Virginia Aviation Museum.

David began his talk by explaining his position and issues facing him

and the Aviation Museum. The Museum is under the Science Museum of Virginia and it is different from traditional museums in several ways. Most of the collections and exhibits are interactive. Also, they don’t have traditional curators. Conservation issues are also handled differently.

A major issue they deal with regularly is “Do we restore the artifact or preserve it as a document?” And if we restore, do we use new materials or old? There is a huge

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VCA MINUTES:Member’s Meeting, Thursday, January 15, 2004Location: Virginia Aviation Museum, Richmond

cost difference between old and new materials in the aviation field. The curator’s job is to serve as a “warning light on the panel,” to make sure things are done right. His stance is that if you use new materials and shiny paint you are not really restoring. You need to use real conservators on historical machines and materials. This is not what is always done in the aviation field.

Planes are very complex structures. The life span is intended to be short, for example 90 days for World

War II planes, so they used metals next to others that would cause interactions. Salvagers are also pulling them out of lakes and oceans now. There is new thinking on how to treat an old plane. Most now consider it an historic document, so they want to make what is there last and don’t want to just slap a coat of paint on it.

An example of a preservation problem is the Blackbird parked outside in the front of the Museum. It was previously stored at Edwards Air Force Base, which is in the desert. That situation was good for metal. Now it is in Virginia and

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outside, and there is a lot of active corrosion. He is trying to get a cover for it to help the situation.

David next discussed the “enemies of collections.” These include well-meaning but uninformed staff or board members, unskilled conservators, and rich or political friends who want to decide how things are done. He has had to deal with these people a lot with this collection. They can all cause damage with improper restorations.

His goal is to arrest deterioration within the collection. If there is not enough money to achieve that, he wants to at least slow it. David has been trying to get items under cover, if possible, but not to seal them up. He is currently trying to build a framework for operation and staffing, so that when dollars begin to come back in to state agencies they can start doing things exactly right. He is prioritizing needs in preparation for a better time.

These concerns parallel those at historical sites and art museums right now. When the Aviation Museum opened in 1987 there was no heat or air conditioning. It became a state property in 1990. He has worked on

climate issues since he has been there. For the future, he wants to make contacts within the conservation community. He hopes that the economy will make an upturn that will help museums.

David next gave a tour of the collection on display, highlighting conservation priorities and issues. He explained that his major goal is to preserve these things for future generations to see.

Thanks, David, for a great program!

Submitted by Tracy Kamerer