Buffalo State’s Art Conservation Department is one of the leading programs of its kind in North America. Accepting only 10 students a year, the competitive three-year graduate program trains conservators of fine art and material cultural heritage.
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Operating as usual
We’re excited to see you virtually today! If you registered, you should have received the zoom link already!
We're excited to announce that we will be hosting a live zoom Q&A session to answer any questions you may have about applying to the Buffalo State Garman Art Conservation Program!
Join us next Friday, November 6, 12-1pm EST.
Link to register: https://forms.gle/SXbQPsbMLsTCN9fXA
ATTENTION ALL 50th ANNIVERSARY ONLINE BIDDERS! The auction will now be closing at 8pm EST!! The auction was supposed to close at 5pm EST but because of a glitch, it did not close on time. It will now close at 8pm EST so if you have last minute bids - there is an hour left! Sincere apologies for the time mix up! If you placed a bid - you should have gotten a message through the Greater Giving platform letting you know of the time change. THANK YOU!
Last day of bidding for the 50th Anniversary Auction. Help us sell out! There are a few things with no bids and some prices have been lowered. The site can be a little "buggy" so be patient and refresh or use another browser if you have trouble. If you decide not to bid, you can still support the department with a donation on the auction site by clicking "Support Art Conservation". All funds raised support graduate student fellowships. Bidding closes TODAY at 5pm! Thank you to all of those that have placed bids and also donated items!
https://artcon50th.ggo.bid/bidding/package-browse
We're excited to announce that we will be hosting a live zoom Q&A session to answer any questions you may have about applying to the Buffalo State Garman Art Conservation Program!
Join us next Friday, November 6, 12-1pm EST.
Link to register: https://forms.gle/SXbQPsbMLsTCN9fXA
If you haven't already visited our 50th Anniversary Alumni Auction, make sure to get your bids in by November 2nd at 5pm! Here is a small sampling of what's available. We have paintings, prints, textiles, rare books, kimonos, and much more!
https://artcon50th.ggo.bid/bidding/package-browse
The 50th Anniversary Alumni Auction is up and accepting bids! All proceeds go towards graduate student fellowships so place your bids starting today until November 2nd. A huge thank you to all alumni and friends who generously donated to this auction to help the department.
https://artcon50th.ggo.bid/bidding/package-browse
Happy 50th Anniversary! Today alumni and students have the opportunity to attend the 50th Anniversary Symposium! We will have a panel of alumni representing each decade of the program and a variety of speakers, including Buffalo State President Kathrine Conway-Turner, distinguished teaching professors emeriti, and representatives of several museums. It is sure to be a fun afternoon!
*Alumni check your email for the zoom link and program.
Laurie Kaiser, Assistant Director of Communications at Buffalo State College, has written a great story about the department's 50th Anniversary exhibits happening across Western New York featuring the conservation work of alumni from 1970 to 2020.
https://suny.buffalostate.edu/news/museums-public-library-host-collective-exhibition-celebrating-50-years-art-conservation
Museums, Public Library Host Collective Exhibition Celebrating 50 Years of Art Conservation October 16, 2020 By Laurie Kaiser A Civil War surgeon’s kit. A ceramic figurine from the Qing dynasty. Historic books, including one by Galileo from 1632 that reinforced Copernicus’s theory that the earth...
The first year fellows are arms deep in paper pulp! Last week in their paper conservation lab, the class of 2023 made their very own Western style paper! Every student had the opportunity to try each stage of the process: fiber preparation, sheet formation, couching, pressing, and hanging to dry.
📷:
1. Lindsay Cross prepares to dip the screen in the vat of paper pulp
2. Mauve O’Shea dips the screen in the vat
3. Grace Johnson pulls the screen up out of the vat
4. Charlotte Li let’s the excess water drip from the screen
5. Emily Mercer couches the paper sheet onto felts
6. Meredith French removes the screen leaving the paper sheet on the felt
7. Lorna Brundrett hangs the pressed papers over ropes to dry
Very excited for the opening of the exhibit, Fifty Years of Conservation of Cultural Heritage and Art in Western New York at the Buffalo History Museum featuring works by our graduates. Get your tickets to see this show today!
You have seen the teasers and behind the scenes pictures, now check out in all its glory - Fifty Years of Conservation of Cultural Heritage and Art in Western New York! As the result of a long collaboration with Buffalo State College Garman Art Conservation Department and celebrating their 50th anniversary, this exhibit showcases a wide variety of the Museum's collection that was conserved by SUNY Buffalo State College's Art Conservation Department! Paintings, a shield, furniture, and more are all featured in the exhibit, showcasing the marriage between scientific knowledge and artistic skill.
Secure your spot to view this exhibit by preregistering today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/october-timed-museum-admission-tickets-122403332663
Check out Perrine LeSaux (class of 2020) in this short video!
Watch as Graduate Paper Conservation Intern Perrine LeSaux washes a paper lining from this 17th-century Dutch print of America by engraver Cornelis Visscher. This print depicts the Native people in America.
Perrine first thinned the backing paper and then, with the aid of enzymes, she carefully lifted the backing off the print so that she could address structural and aesthetic issues with the print itself. Don't try this at home! Perrine is supervised closely by Senior Paper Conservator Pamela Young and has years of education that enable her to do these kinds of treatments. Washing off the print reduced the overall discoloration in the paper and helped to stabilize the print for centuries to come.
Soon you'll be able to visit this print and compare it to other early portrayals of America in the new McNamara Map Gallery in the expanded and updated Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. For now, you can check it out online, here: bit.ly/33eyVkA
Graduate Gary Hulbert ('85) has been featured in the San Luis Tribune for his 31 years working to restore art at the former San Simeon estate of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst:
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/community/cambrian/article244226357.html
By painstakingly restoring centuries-old paintings, Gary Hulbert is “unveiling a gorgeous, vibrant, gessoed work of art.”
This week second year book and paper majors led a Remoistenable Tissue (RMT) and Solvent Set (SS) workshop. RMT and SS are both made by evenly coating tissue with water-soluble adhesives. They are then left to evaporate and stored for later use. RMT can be reactivated with water and is suitable for paper mends where water is safe to use on the piece. SS can be reactivated with ethanol and is most commonly used on works that are sensitive to water, such as iron-gall ink documents. They demonstrated various techniques on making the tissues before their fellow classmates were able to practice themselves. The tissues prepared will be used for mends during treatment next week!
Images:
1) Kathryn Kenney, book major, demonstrates how to apply the adhesive to Mylar
2) Abby Schleicher, art on paper major, demonstrates a squeegee technique with the adhesive
3) Katya Zinsli, objects major, applies the adhesive
4) Kaela Nurmi, objects major, prepares to drop tissue in adhesive
5) Jen Mikes, objects major, places the tissue in the adhesive
6) Khanh Nguyen, paintings major, watches as the adhesive coats the tissue
While it was certainly a non-traditional graduation this year, these ladies were AWESOME and we are proud to call them graduates! They all accomplished so much despite what 2020 threw at them. Best wishes from all of the faculty, staff, and students as you start your careers!
Please join us in congratulating the Class of 2020 as they give their final presentations today virtually! We are excited to hear about their third year internships and plans for the future. Best wishes and congrats to the Class of 2020!
Welcome back Class of 2022! Today they successfully presented virtual talks on their summer experiences, past internships, and ongoing research! They are ready to start their second year here at the Buffalo State Garman Art Conservation Program!
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!
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#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!
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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
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