(3)
Operating as usual
Welcome Class of 2023 to the Garman Art Conservation Graduate Program at SUNY Buffalo State College! We are so excited to see what you accomplish this year!
.
.
.
.
.
.
#garmanartconservation #buffstateartconservation #buffalostate #artconservation #graduateschool #buffalo #bscartconservation
If you missed the segment earlier this morning, the Tuskeegee Diorama clip featuring LaStarsha McGarity ('19) can be found here:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/art-of-history-preserving-african-american-dioramas/?fbclid=IwAR1W7MqMIGn2JBAklYj_bwtbqfq_IrTsUUl1pMbP6JEZK2BCMDohcS2H318
Conservators, including African American students, are restoring a series of dioramas created for the 1940 American Negro Exposition in Chicago, bringing their magical artistry, and stories, back to life
More on tomorrow’s episode featuring LaStarsha McGarity (‘19):
Coming up on #SundayMorning
Conservators, including African American students, are restoring dioramas of African American history from 1940, bringing their magical artistry, and history, back to life. https://cbsn.ws/34Iozuf
Make sure to tune in tomorrow at 9am EST to CBS Sunday Morning to see our graduate, LaStarsha McGarity ('19), speak about her work to conserve Tuskeegee University's dioramas:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=337655040706263&extid=KNCTzxBBxvrriHOf
#This #SundayMorning
In 1940, at the American Negro Exposition in Chicago (marking the 75th anniversary of Emancipation), evocative dioramas were created to celebrate the often-unacknowledged achievements of African Americans. Today they're being restored. https://cbsn.ws/3jw2pQl
It certainly wasn't our traditional orientation but we had fun getting to know each other over Zoom today. A very warm welcome to the Class of 2023 and an excellent start to the new academic year!
Stephanie Guidera ('21) shares one of her projects this summer at the Alaska State Museum in Juneau:
"While interning with Ellen Carrlee at the Alaska State Museum in Juneau, I was fortunate to have access to a variety of projects involving plant and animal materials. One major highlight was getting to know this waterproof Yup'ik gut parka: the material, technology, use, and historic repairs, as well as how to prepare it for its next stage of life in a collection. Through creating mock ups of stitching techniques and adhesive repairs, I was able to understand the truly ingenious application of this robust and unique material, the garment's needs, and how to address its areas of instability."
As we enter our last week before classes resume, we conclude our "Conservation during a Global Pandemic" summer series with Abby Schleicher (class of 2022):
"This summer I've been working on a condition survey and inventory for a relative's family archive. I'm lucky that I've had access to a variety of artifacts while working from home. I have particularly enjoyed identifying different print and photographic processes by examining image tone, surface sheen, layer structure, and image structure. It's amazing how much one can do with just a few instruments! I've also been exploring databases like Excel and Access that will allow for easier data analysis and compiling of information for the condition survey. Here's to hoping I set up my database correctly so I can make those correlations!"
Next up in "Conservation during a Global Pandemic" is rising third year Nicole Schmidt ('21):
"This summer I was fortunate enough to intern at the Cincinnati Art Museum in the objects conservation department. My main project has been treating a 19th century Japanese lacquer stacking box. The object has been in the museum's collection since 1930 and was in need of conservation intervention. This treatment focused mainly on stabilization and consolidation of the ground and lacquer, in addition to carved and toned fills. I wrote a blog post about my treatment which is featured on CAM's website. I also discovered a bracelet in the box. It's always a treat to find hidden gems. I am very thankful for my time at CAM and look forward to my third year internship at the Field Museum in Chicago."
Check out her blog post: https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/about/blog/conservation-blog-7222020/
Katya Zinsli ('22) is next up in "Conservation during a Global Pandemic":
"My internship with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming was cancelled, but I was fortunately able to return to a previous internship for a short period with COVID precautions. I have been working with the National Park Service in Museum Conservation Services at the Harpers Ferry Center (WV) to do testing and create protocols for a large project involving several curtain panels from Scotty's Castle in Death Valley National Park. Over the years they have suffered light and water damage which has contributed to tears and dye bleed from the wool fibers. Since I can only be at the Center for so long I have been focusing on how best to tackle stain reduction and stabilization, as there are several curtains in need of treatment."
"Conservation during a Global Pandemic": Colleen Watkins ('21) shares about her experience at the Cincinnati Art Museum and is featured in this Cincy Lifestyle video!
"This summer I am a paper conservation intern at the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM). I have been working on several projects that have included citrate treatments in addition to traditional washing to access more soluble degradation products in the paper. I also had the opportunity to share some of the results with the public. I authored a blog post that shows the progress in my treatment of Marcel Duchamp's etching The Coffee Mill. CAM Paper Conservator Cecile Mear and I were also featured in a video segment produced by a local television show*. I feel very fortunate to spend my summer in the Cincinnati Paper Lab and to share more about the profession with the public."
*Safe social distancing occurred during filming, and masks were taken off only during the speaking portions of the interview.
I've always wondered how museums keep historic pieces of paper from turning to dust. Well we decided to find out by going behind the scenes at the Cincinnati Art Museum to see how they preserve paper artifacts.
Check out Annika Blake-Howland ('22) featured this week as part of our "Conservation during a Global Pandemic" series:
“This summer I was extremely fortunate to be able to intern in-person at the National Park Services’s Historic Architecture Conservation and Engineering Center in the objects conservation lab. I am currently working on several different projects including ceramic conservation and frame conservation treatments. Later in the summer I will be working on model ships from Maine, my home state. I have also had the opportunity to assist with objects as they arrive and depart the HACE Center, giving me a greater understanding of the administration of a conservation lab. In my free time, I’ve been trying to spend as much time by the ocean as possible!"
Alumni in the news! Jen Munch ('19) discusses conservation during COVID-19 and beyond in a new article on Print Club Ltd.
https://jointheprintclub.com/journal/2020/7/6/lifting-the-veil-behind-art-conservation?fbclid=IwAR0z4CpHSLvlBTn72hX7X2pfVmDXhnWIoBHx8Wr0OpDOtDD2EBObyvC4Cb0
“Conservators understand the materials a work is made of, and we also aim to understand the intent of the person who made the work…”
Congratulations to Melissa Amundsen ('20) on her new position!
MACC welcomes our new staff member, Melissa Amundsen! A 2020 graduate of the Buffalo State College Garman Art Conservation Department, Melissa brings her recent experiences at the Whitney Museum of American Art and her early training in preventive conservation at the Science Museum of Minnesota to our organization as Assistant Preventive Conservator. Please join us in welcoming her!
"Conservation during a Global Pandemic": Meet Emma Guerard ('22) who shares with us what she has been working on this summer!
Next up in the "Conservation during a Global Pandemic" series is Christine Manwiller ('21), a rising third year book specialist:
"My summer internship at Johns Hopkins University was put on hold due to Covid-19, with my third year internship at the Folger Shakespeare Library also delayed. I am staying busy with book repair projects for private clients and this recently completed binding. This binding features an adapted cathedral window quilt pattern, made entirely of handmade paper and her botanical contact prints (natural dyes). It will soon be featured in an online exhibition. I am also enjoying the beauty of northern Wisconsin with a large vegetable and flower garden, and gathering plants for more botanical contact prints on handmade paper!"
Sneak peak about our upcoming exhibition celebrating 50 years of conserving Western New York's cultural heritage: https://suny.buffalostate.edu/news/exhibit-highlights-art-conservation-work-through-decades
Exhibit Highlights Art Conservation Work through the Decades July 23, 2020 By Laurie Kaiser As part of Buffalo State College’s Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department’s 50th anniversary celebration this year, the Burchfield Penney Art Center is opening a comprehensive exhib...
There is still time to sign up for the Untold Stories event happening today at 3:30EST. Anita Dey ('21) has been working hard as a Project Assistant for this program who's mission is to pursue an art conservation profession that represents and preserves a fuller spectrum of human cultural heritage.
https://www.untoldstories.live/aic-2020
Due to the ongoing pandemic, this event will take place virtually on July 21st from 3:30 to 5pm US Eastern Standard Time (EST) via a webinar. Please sign up for your unique registration link here.
This week for our “Conservation During a Global Pandemic” summer update, we are featuring Liatte Dotan (class of 2022). Liatte is interning with The Arizona State Museum in Tucson, AZ.
"These beautiful ceramic objects are some of several objects recently accessioned by the Arizona State Museum from a private collector.
These ceramics are all examples of Mata Ortiz pottery, named after the village where the style originated in the Northern Chihuahua province of Mexico. The movement started around 1976 and credits its artistic influence to archaeological examples found in the region. Early pots were directly influenced by archaeological examples though the movement continued to evolve and is well known for incorporation of fine line painting.
The past week I have been working to clean, label and generally prepare the new members to join the museums amazing ceramic collection."
Over the next few weeks we will be featuring how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the summer plans of current Buffalo Art Conservation graduate students. This week we are kicking it off with Jen Mikes, class of 2022:
Alumni Valinda Carroll (’99), LaStarsha McGarity (’19), and Frederick Wallace (’91) are three of the nine conservators that signed their names to the Black Art Conservator’s statement "Join Black Conservators and Demand Racial Justice in Art Conservation" published today.
https://blackartconservators.com/
Join Black Conservators and Demand Racial Justice in Art Conservation July 13, 2020 We, Black art conservators, stand in support of #BlackLivesMatter. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Dreasjon Sean Reed, Manuel Ellis, Rayshard...
Check out Christina Taylor ('15) demonstrating the relief aquatint printing technique of artist Dan Flavin on Harvard Art Museum's Art Talk series.
https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/article/art-talk-dan-flavin-s-relief-aquatint-technique
Join Christina Taylor to discover the relief aquatint printing technique that artist Dan Flavin used to create Untitled (Paper Disc).
Posted on the AIC Community Digest Forum:
Over the past weeks we have witnessed a clear turning point in the field of art and cultural heritage conservation, and the world, with so many colleagues voicing their heartfelt opinions about social justice, equity, inclusion, and Black Lives Matter. Here in Buffalo, we too recognize that conservation is not neutral, and neither is conservation education. We realize that we need to engage in self-reflection to make meaningful changes. Faculty, staff, and students have been meeting to strategize on meaningful actions we can take to create an anti-racist learning environment, that is more sensitive and acknowledges current and past injustices.
Fostering and supporting open dialogue, is of utmost importance and we thank everyone for contributing to the discussion. To that end, we have initiated a faculty-student working group on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as a departmental discussion group. We are undertaking a holistic review of our program to look for ways to support equity. Areas that we plan to revise or add include: admissions requirements, pre-program support of BIPOC students, diversity training, curriculum, campus and community engagement, and alumni support. It is our responsibility to educate and train thoughtful, conscientious conservators that think critically in their work and fight injustices of all kinds. We take this responsibility very seriously and pledge to look for ways we can improve.
There is no doubt that the numerous prerequisites (including gaining pre-program conservation experience) required by our program have deterred promising students from considering conservation as a viable career path. We recognize that fulfilling these prerequisites can lead to financial and emotional strain on those pursuing graduate conservation education. The first target of our holistic program review is making changes to ease these burdens. As we engage in this process of self-analysis and self-education, we are revising our application requirements, which will be announced shortly. This is the first of many changes to come. Listening to the voices calling for change in this forum, we are heartened by the passion and commitment of so many in our field. We are especially grateful to our current students for their dedication to this effort and support as we grow as a department.
The Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department, Buffalo State College
Fiona T. Beckett, Assistant Professor of Paintings Conservation
Jiuan Jiuan Chen, Associate Professor of Conservation Imaging, Technical Examination and Documentation
Emily S. Hamilton, Assistant Professor of Objects Conservation
Anne M. Hoehn, Administrative Assistant
Meredeth A. Lavelle, Program Manager
Jennifer McGlinchey Sexton, Visiting Professor of Conservation Imaging, Technical Examination and Documentation
Aprille Nace, Librarian/Archivist
Rebecca Ploeger, Associate Professor of Conservation Science
Patrick C. Ravines, Director and Associate Professor
Aaron N. Shugar, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in Conservation Science
Theresa J. Smith, Assistant Professor of Paper Conservation
Our department, and the larger Buffalo State College community, stand in solidarity with #blacklivesmatter and those fighting racial injustice across the country through nonviolent protest. This letter from @buffalostate President, Dr. Katherine Conway-Turner offers perspective on the necessity to reflect on our privileges and positions within our communities to enact change. We wish everyone health and safety during this time.
Alumni in the news! Carolyn Riccardelli ('01) is featured in this ArtNet article talking about the essential work conservators are doing during this crisis:
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/essential-museum-staff-1853196
We spoke with employees of some of the top museums in the country to get a sense of their day-to-day responsibilities and challenges.
1300 Elmwood Ave., Rockwell Hall 230
Buffalo, NY
14222
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Buffalo State College Garman Art Conservation Department posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Buffalo State College Garman Art Conservation Department:
For a little #MondayMotivation we thought it’d be fun to share a clip from a workshop that visiting professor of photograph conservation Gary Albright hosted earlier this spring. In the video, second year Paper Fellow Anita Dey performed a backing removal on a photograph from Gary Albright’s study collection. There was some residue front the secondary support material on the back of the photograph that effortlessly lifted off in a aqueous bath of deionized water. The video is a great example of Gary’s hands-on teaching! Lots of laughs and jokes! Enjoy! . #buffalostateartconservation #buffalostateartcon #paperconservation #gradschool #conservationworkshop #backingremoval #satisfying
Some soothing backing removal and tunes for you on this Tuesday evening 🎶 . repost from Anita Dey’s Conservation account, @conservationbydey: S A T I S F A C T I O N! Nothing is more satisfying than a backing removal! This canvas was mounted on an acidic board. I carefully mechanically removed the board from the back of the canvas with a spatula and some good tunes! . #artconservation #art #conservation #satisfaction #conservationbydey #satisfying #backingremoval #paintingconservation #painting #paint #canvas #calm #satisfyingvideos #gradschool #graduatestudent #gradlife #gradschoolproblems #studentlife #conservationgradschool #buffalostateartconservation #bscartconservation
For your Sunday viewing pleasure, check out a time lapse of the smelting furnace being built! A sonotune was used as the base with sun-dried clay bricks and slip built up around the exterior. Lastly, a straw netting was wrapped over to keep everything together. The furnace was left to dry for several hours before the fire was ceremonially lit by Professors Jonathan Thornton and Dr. Aaron Shugar. Look for the post of the second half of the construction, both captured with the steady hands of second year Grace Walters. . . . . . #daysoffire2018 #furnace #sonotube #clay #straw #sweat #love
Part 2 of the smelting furnace being built! (📷: Grace Walters)
Days of Fire 2018- Iron bloom extraction
As a follow-up to today’s earlier post, here is a time-lapse video of Elizabeth Robson, second-year paintings major, completing one section of inpainting on a paper fill in the border of her 18th-century wallpaper pilaster. Though it’s only 15 seconds long, this work took about 2 hours in total. #buffaloartcon #paintingconservation #handsonlearning #scienceart #inpainting @stlartmuseum
Sara Kornhauser, class of 2019, applies warm, dilute liquid BEVA onto the back of her painting using a roller. Liquid BEVA, a stable synthetic adhesive, is intended to infuse the ground layer and consolidate the delaminating and flaking paint. Swipe right to see a before treatment photograph in raking light! Video courtesy of Allison Brewer. #painting #paintingsconservation #paintingconservation #buffaloartcon #artconservation #beva #fixingit #handsonlearning #graduateschool
First years Livy Bailin couches a sheet of freshly formed paper onto damp woolen felts as Nicole Flam lays them down. It's paper making day! Video credit: Allison Brewer #buffaloartcon #paperconservation #paper-making #westernpapermaking #handsonlearning #artconservation
First year Rachel Childers, practicing with a water fire extinguisher. Safety in the labs is very important and something we at Buffalo state take very seriously! We admire Rachel's technique! #buffstate #artconservation #firesafety #orientation #graduateschool #slomo #buffaloartcon #newschoolyear
SUNY Buffalo State Residence Life
1300 Elmwood Avenue, Porter Hall 118ASID: Buffalo State College Student Chapter
1300 Elmwood AveBuffalo State Master's of Music Education
1300 Elmwood AveNew York State Victim Assistance Academy (NYS
1300 Elmwood AveFriends of the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum a
1300 Elmwood AvenueBuffalo State Office of Judicial Affairs
1300 Elmwood AveTeaching and Learning Kaleidoscope
1300 Elmwood AveLa Table Française de Buffalo State College
1300 Elmwood AveEquity and Campus Diversity SUNY Buffalo Stat
1300 Elmwood AveBuffalo State English Department Writing Cent
1300 Elmwood Avenue, Ketchum Hall 323
Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Buffalo
98 Martin Luther King Park
Western New York Book Arts Center
468 Washington St
Jesse Clipper American Legion Post #430
143 Beard Ave