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Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material

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24.01.2022 The unexpected remnants of the artist, revealed through the non-invasive investigation of two paintings by Alma Woodsey Thomas... 'A second technique the conservators used was ultraviolet (UV)-induced luminescence, which can cause certain materials to fluoresce and emit light, the researchers explain. This exposed an unexpected and powerful sign of the artists presence: a partial handprint glows on the surface of Orion.'

24.01.2022 This year the International Mountmakers Forum is both FREE and VIRTUAL! Conservators can take advantage of this excellent opportunity to hone their mountmaking knowledge and skills. The forum will take place in October, and you can register at the link below. Full program to come!

23.01.2022 A look at MS3, the conservation varnish developed through a partnership between the CSIRO and National Gallery of Victoria to replace MS2A a very sophisticated form of 'goo'! '"It was as if we were deprived of one of our most useful tools, says Villis. By 2017, after hoping surely someone somewhere will do something, Villis called Deborah Lau, a principal research scientist at CSIRO who had worked with the NGV before, and asked if they could make him some MS2A.'

22.01.2022 Lakes, fugitives and green-hued mothers... 'Van Gogh was aware that some of his oil colors would fade, and he took measures to help counteract this tendency, according to Ella Hendriks, Head of Conservation at the Van Gogh Museum. His thick brushwork was partly intended to help keep the colors bright for a longer time. He wrote to Theo that "all the colors that Impressionism has made fashionable are unstable, all the more reason to boldly use them too raw, time will only sof...ten them too much."' https://www.nortonsimon.org//the-colors-of-van-goghs-moth/

22.01.2022 When it comes to conserving contemporary and conceptual art, a banana and some duct tape is one of the easier challenges... 'In fact, Comedian, as sold, does not include a banana or tape. What one buys is a certificate of authenticity, a surprisingly detailed, 14-page list of instructions, with diagrams, on how the banana should be installed and displayed. Lena Stringari, the Guggenheims chief conservator, said the instructions will be quite easy to follow and are quite... complete in addressing questions like how often to change bananas (7 to 10 days) and where to affix them (175 cm above ground). Of all the works I have to confront, this is probably one of the simplest, Ms. Stringari said. Its duct tape and a banana, she added.'

21.01.2022 After long closures, museums around the world are reopening, after a rare opportunity for a deep and thorough clean... 'The one upside of closure has been the opportunity to carry out one of the biggest single cleaning projects at the museum for decades. "A lot of these objects, to be able to clean them, they require ladders and different equipment and we have to do it before opening or after opening, so the timing is a little bit reduced," said Portoni. "But now, because we are closed, we can spend hours cleaning and theres no rush, so it is a good opportunity for that."'

20.01.2022 TONIGHT!!! AICCM (VIC Division) 2020 AGM and Trivia Quiz All members welcome! Join us on THURS 24 SEPT for the AICCM (VIC Division) AGM. ... Starting at 5.30pm, the AGM will be followed by a Trivia Quiz (67pm), complete with a conservation round! Not in Victoria? Listen in on the AGM and stay online after the meeting to pit your wits against your lockdown colleagues to earn the esteemed title of Conservation Quizmaster! To join the event, please log in with your AICCM membership details and visit the page below where the event link will be posted: https://aiccm.org.au//aiccm-vic-division-2020-agm-and-tri/

19.01.2022 Great to see this wonderful ship has found a home at the Australian National Maritime Museum! 'The replica was launched in 1999 in Fremantle and returned to a permanent base there in 2012. However, funding has run out and the ship is moving on to the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) in Sydney Harbour. Chief executive Peter Bowman said while it was emotional for the Duyfken foundation to see it go, the transfer was the best option to preserve the ship and continue pu...blic access. "Duyfken was built in Fremantle and it was launched back in 1999, but it was always built with expectation that would do more than just reside in Fremantle," Mr Bowman said.'

19.01.2022 Decisions, decisions, decisions! Great to get such a detailed insight into the decision making process behind the conservation of this 19th century watercolour painting... 'The washing of the watercolour was complex for several reasons: the large tear, dark tidelines, gum arabic glazes, the efflorescence which was water soluble and the watercolour’s large dimensions. The efflorescence helped to create the colour and forms of the images, where the white pigment had nearly all disappeared.'

18.01.2022 Lebanese glass artist and restorer Maya Husseini describes the devastating loss of decades of work... 'For nearly two decades, Husseini, 60, has been working to painstakingly restore Beirut's historic stained glass windows, many of which were destroyed during the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war. All that work was all undone in just a few moments on Aug. 4 when 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded at 'the Beirut port, killing at least 178 people and leaving the city in tatters.'

18.01.2022 A deeply concerning development for the people and cultural heritage of Brazil... 'It is unclear what will happen to the Cinemateca Brasileiras collection, and representatives of the Roquette Pinto Foundation could not be reached for comment by the time of this articles publication. However, the federal governments abandonment of the institution poses critical risks to the works, which are largely composed of nitrate, a highly flammable material that can spontaneously combust without proper care by trained technical professionals.'

18.01.2022 The AICCM National Newsletter is just about to begin winging its way to subscribers' inboxes! But if you haven't yet subscribed, there's still time... just enter your email address in the box at the top left of the page below to get all the latest Australian conservation news direct to your email account. https://aiccm.org.au/publications/newsletter/

18.01.2022 As many of our large museum and galleries prepare for reopening, smaller, volunteer run institutions face an even more precarious situation... 'Its predicted that there will be a decline in volunteering, collections will be put at risk and access to localised storytelling diminished.'

17.01.2022 Some familiar conservation faces in the news! Congrats to the team at the Australian Museum on many months of hard work as they prepare to reopen... 'Conservator Sheldon Teare, said he used thin Japanese tissue paper laminated over to give a crack in the bone of the Irish Elk skeleton some support. He explained how he was cleaning the Irish Elk: "I'm making sure I've removed the top layer of dust that's accumulated from being out and about.... "I'm very carefully brushing the top layer away and making sure it gets sucked up into the vacuum cleaner to make sure it doesn't fall on the other collections."'

17.01.2022 An astonishing hoard of more than 450 bronze objects finally goes on show in London for the first time... 'This will be the first time the objects, which weigh 45 kg in total and are nearly 3,000-years-old, will be shown in their entirety. The exact amount of objects which comprise the hoard is still uncertain even two years after its discovery. This is because some of the hollow axe heads have more tiny things packed inside, so far only revealed by x-rays.'

16.01.2022 This is a really fascinating conservation between four conservators who work with time-based art, full of thoughtful ideas about art, authenticity, reproducibility and... juice: 'MoMAs conservation lab became a juice-making lab. We acquired all these materials and then made juice. For five days, conservation, curatorial, fellows and interns made a juice production line. And as we were juicing and smashing Google Glasses, we were thinking, what will this mean over time? As well as this, practical questions came up, like how do you add a bit of tennis ball? How do you blend a tennis ball?' ~please note the link has been corrected from an earlier post~

15.01.2022 'This towering body mask, made from plant fibres and wood, is currently undergoing a cleaning treatment and will also be prepared for storage. Metal supports and a customised crate have been made by Artlab Australias conservators with a dual purpose. When the Awan is in transit, the crate can be carried in a horizontal position and in the course of storage, the crate can stand vertically ensuring the fragile spirit mask is secure and protected.'

12.01.2022 It's #AskAConservator day! Jump over to twitter to ask your #conservation questions, or pop them in the comments below and we'll ask them for you! https://twitter.com/AICCM_OZ

11.01.2022 Conservation with a family connection in rural Queensland... 'While many current residents have strong links to the work, Tessa Blair's family have also played key roles in its life. Her great grandmother was a member of the hall committee and was involved in commissioning the mural. "Then my grandmother took over as secretary for many more decades so she was involved in caring for the work," she said. "So it was really nice and special to be able to come back to the community to preserve this work for future generations."'

11.01.2022 The AICCM Sustainable Collections wiki needs you! The wiki highlights the strengths of the Australian conservation community in preventive conservation, student-led research, and cross-cultural conservation projects. All AICCM members are invited to add their projects or case studies, critique or refine wiki content, or create content to fill in the multiple gaps that are currently on the site (especially sustainable collection environments and resourcing conservation).

10.01.2022 Conservation in the time of Covidthe September AICCM eNews is out now! https://mailchi.mp/aiccm/september2020enews

10.01.2022 AICCMs very own web editor, Paul Coleman, interviews Denise Mimmocchi (Senior Curator at the Art Gallery of New South Wales) about the work of pioneering Australian-American artist Margel Hinder... Much of her work, including the kinetic works you mention that involve the play of light and movement, are so precisely elegant in their construction; there are a few that are almost like spider webs, and are inherently fragile. As many have not been exhibited for some time, they have required some intense conservation work.

10.01.2022 Wow! 'Probing the recesses beneath the boards with gloved fingertips, Champion expected to find dirt, coins, bits of newspapers and detritus that had fallen through the cracks. Instead, he discovered a veritable treasure trove of more than 2,000 items dating as far back as the 15th century.'

10.01.2022 'The pigment, called folium, graced the pages of medieval manuscripts. But it fell out of use, and the watercolor’s identity has eluded scientists for decades. Now, after tracking down folium’s source, researchers have mapped out the chemical structure for its blue-producing molecule. Such chemical information can be key to art conservation. We want to mimic these ancient colors to know how to preserve them, says Maria Melo, a conservation scientist at Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Caparica, Portugal.'

10.01.2022 The AICCM x SC@M online talk with Vicki Couzens is at 5.30pm tonight! Sign up here if you haven't already (it's free): https://bit.ly/3hVreEG Also see 'Deep Collaboration', an online platform created by First Nations and other multicultural Australians to strengthen relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Focussing exclusively on skills and collaborative practice, the website includes videos, factsheets, links and other resources, and the reasons why thi...s way of working is valuable. https://platformc.org/deepcollaboration

09.01.2022 'Historians have been left in awe after the discovery of a rare wallpaper and child's drawing, hidden behind a cupboard in a Tasmanian property for more than 150 years. ... "Rococo wallpaper was big in the 18th century ... it's full of shapes like scrolls and seashell, really over the top and curvaceous," Mr Townsend said. "This find is amazing because it's incredibly high quality."'

09.01.2022 Beautiful but deadly! 'Dont be fooled by the sparkling red realgar mineral from our Mineralogy collection it is incredibly toxic! Known in ancient times as Ruby Sulphur or Ruby of Arsenic, realgar is an arsenic sulphide mineral. Arsenic is a well-known poison think of the Agatha Christie-type murder mysteries, using poisons to subtly murder someone.... ... Realgar is kept in safe conditions in closed cabinets of our Collection, as it is known to be an unstable mineral. With increased exposure to light, this mineral may decay to the mineral pararealgar, and eventually to a powder.' See more

08.01.2022 ANNOUNCING OUR 2021 EVENT PROGRAM The AICCM is coming direct to you, ONLINE! Launching in March, 10 Agents over 10 Months is a new monthly forum to enable our conservation community to continue to share knowledge, insights and experiences virtually through talks, presentations, workshops, panel discussions, IRL tours and hybrid events.... Organised by the AICCM Preventive SIG, the forum will explore and expand the traditional Ten Agents of Deterioration to encompass relevant and topical themes such as the bushfires, repatriation, and COVID. To start, we have Amanda Pagliarino and Ainsley Meredith presenting on their research into environmental parameters, temperature and humidity // Thursday 25 March, 7pm AEDT Save the date for a special talk by Professor Debra Hess Norris on her experiences as a Conservator of Photographic Material. Presented by the AICCM Book & Paper SIG, Debra will discuss how the specialisation has evolved and changed over the course of her career // Saturday 27 March, 10am AEDT Plus, the Paintings SIG and Electron are investigating options for holding virtual symposia/talks towards the end of the year. Booking details will be emailed shortly. We look forward to sharing these events with you at work, home, and in the lab! JOIN US You won't want to miss this years event extravaganza! With a monthly online forum, behind-the-scenes tours, workshops, IRL discussions, and symposia connecting you with your conservation friends and colleagues, there’s never been a better time to be an AICCM member. If you haven’t joined or renewed for 2021 yet, join via the AICCM website!

08.01.2022 AICCM President Jennifer O'Connell shares updates on our strategic planning, how you can nominate yourself for a role on National Council, and reflects on the many challenges of the past year... 'Since the last AGM at the National Conference, we have been responding to the bushfire season and then COVID-19. Both events have meant multiple responses to government in the form of submissions to inquiries, working on a roundtable with other cultural associations on disaster response, and sharing information with our membership. Council members have delivered some highlights since the last AGM, including the new Strategic Plan and online webinars, and continued to deliver the AICCM Bulletin and e-News publications, member awards, professional member renewals, and managing the finances of the organisation.'

08.01.2022 Listen in as conservator Victoria Pearce discusses how to care for souvenirs and objects produced by Pacific and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples... 'Do you own something made of shells, bark or plant material? If you purchased traditional artworks and souvenirs in the Pacific or in remote Aboriginal communities they could require special care.'

07.01.2022 Wonderful behind the scenes tour of the Australian National Maritime Museum with Assistant Director Michael Harvey, including a tour of the Museum's conservation labs and a chance to see the always wonderful Lucilla Ronai hard at work! https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=607450549925225

07.01.2022 Get to know AICCM's very own publications officer, Cobus Van Breda (who we graciously share with the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery) on this conservation lab tour, along with some highlights from the collection..

06.01.2022 Conservator Britta New tackles the structural repairs of 'An Autumn Landscape with a View of Het Steen in the Early Morning ' by Peter Paul Rubens at the UK's National Gallery... 'How will Britta New meet the challenge of repairing Rubens's fragile panel which has survived centuries' worth of restorations and one very severe frost?'

06.01.2022 Take a tour of the George Eastman Museum conservation lab, the first lab in the world dedicated to the conservation of photographic materials... 'Taina Meller, conservator in charge, and Sarah Casto, assistant conservator, give us a tour of the Eastman Museum's Conservation Lab and share some of the work they are doing.'

05.01.2022 New imaging techniques are allowing researchers to see details and images in these Etruscan tomb paintings that were previously thought lost forever... 'By combining the MHX and color analyses, the team revealed vanished scenes from ancient Etruscan paintings. The researchers unveiled several examples during the presentation, including details of paintings depicting the Etruscan underworld showing rocks, trees and water.'

05.01.2022 The beginning, and the end, of an Australian icon... 'Nathan Pharaoh, large objects conservator, looks at the 1948 Essington Lewis Holden and a 2017 Holden Calais. These two iconic cars from the Museums collection tell us a lot about the history of car manufacturing in Australia.'

05.01.2022 Every year, the conservators at Fine Art Museums Of San Francisco tackle an unusual conservation challenge: how to safely bring elaborate floral arrangements into the gallery spaces as part of their 'Bouquets to Art' event! Paintings conservator Tricia ORegan explains the strict process every floral designers set of materials must undergo during Bouquets to Art in order to protect our collection. ORegan describes her experience of being on our team of Bouquets to Arts conservation sheriffs over the past 25 years.

05.01.2022 The resilience of the Lebanese community and the dedication of the heritage community are being demonstrated as the clean up and repairs begin at The National Museum of Beirut... 'The National Museum of Beirut, which displays over 1,800 objects on three floors dating from prehistoric times to the Ottoman period and originally opened in 1942, has undergone significant upheaval over the years. During the civil war that began in 1975, it was damaged by bombs and occupied by fighters from various armed groups. Two phases of rehabilitation in 1997 and 2017 restored the museums beauty and allowed it to emerge as a symbol of national unity before this months explosion sent it reeling.'

03.01.2022 "The 17,300-year-old roo, portrayed in dark mulberry paint on the ceiling of a rock shelter in the Kimberley, is one of a suite of animal depictions and the odd human-like figure unveiled in Nature Human Behaviour today. Traditional owners and archaeologists worked together to calculate the age of "naturalistic" rock art, in Drysdale River National Park, painted by ancestors of the Balanggarra people. To do this, the researchers dated not the artwork itself, but fossilised mud nests built by industrious wasps all those years ago."

03.01.2022 George Davis's 1960 mosaic, an iconic Hobart artwork, will be saved from the wreckers... 'Made up of 150,000 Italian glass mosaic tiles, the mural covers 19 metres along the side of the building on Sandy Bay Road. "I think if you make a great work of art like that, you expect it to be forever because that's how we remember culture."'

02.01.2022 TOMORROW AICCM (VIC Division) 2020 AGM and Trivia Quiz All members welcome! Join us on THURS 24 SEPT for the AICCM (VIC Division) AGM. ... Starting at 5.30pm, the AGM will be followed by a Trivia Quiz (67pm), complete with a conservation round! Not in Victoria? Listen in on the AGM and stay online after the meeting to pit your wits against your lockdown colleagues to earn the esteemed title of Conservation Quizmaster! To join the event, please log in with your AICCM membership details and visit the page below where the event link will be posted: https://aiccm.org.au/.../aiccm-vic-division-2020-agm-and.../

02.01.2022 Love to see the inventiveness and adaptability of #conservators like Victoria Thomas, who has been using lockdown as a chance to work on projects that are otherwise hard to find the time for... 'For me, the work-from-home period presented a chance to condense years of institutional knowledge into what, at the time, was going to be three to four weeks, and start to develop a useful dye reference library.' https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au//wfh-as-a-textile-conservator/

02.01.2022 A truly jaw-dropping discovery, thanks to the hard work of Pompeii archeologists! 'The chariot, with its iron elements, bronze decorations and mineralised wooden remains, was found in the ruins of a settlement north of Pompeii, beyond the walls of the ancient city, parked in the portico of a stable where the remains of three horses were previously discovered. The Archaeological Park of Pompeii called the chariot "an exceptional discovery" and said "it represents a unique find which has no parallel in Italy thus far in an excellent state of preservation".'

01.01.2022 A NSW site containing thousands of world-class fish fossils is up for sale, leading to fears for the future of these incredible fossils... "It's one of the most incredible sites in the world," Dr Ritchie said of the location at Canowindra in central western New South Wales. "When you've got thousands of fishes ranging from 20 centimetres long up to three metres long it's mind-blowing."

01.01.2022 We're at 'X' in the Museum of London's fabulous Fashion Alphabet series (what are we going to do when this series is over!?) The team is working from home, but that doesn't mean they can't share a remarkably wonderful 18th century artist's lay figure in the latest video. 'Always up for a challenge, Beatrice Behlen takes on x-ray. Whats that got to do with clothing you say? Watch and find out.'

01.01.2022 Very sad news from Tassie where the small Trailside Museum near Cradle Mountain has been destroyed by fire... 'Parks and Wildlife and Tasmania Fire Service crews arrived on the scene to find the Trailside Museum building "pretty much on the ground", according to a spokesperson.'