February 23, 2012
February 24, 2012
Conservation is the profession dedicated to preserving cultural heritage. Museum conservators are responsible for prolonging the life span of the collection in combination with making objects accessible to our visitors. This is done through a series of activities including examination and documentation of works of art, treatment of unstable or damaged objects, technical analysis of artist materials and techniques, and preservation of collections through proper storage, handling and display.
At the Cincinnati Art Museum conservators actively carry out treatment on works of art from the collection, and the process is recorded with photographic and written documentation. The selection is made in conjunction with the curator in charge of the object and is based primarily on exhibition priorities. A thorough condition assessment of the object followed by a treatment proposal is the initial step taken in the conservation process. After the proposal is approved by the curator, the object is photographed. Art historical research and technical examinations, such as infrared reflectography, ultraviolet illumination, x-radiography, or cross sections can guide the treatment path or selection of materials used in conservation treatment. After a treatment has been completed further photographic documentation is completed and a detailed summary of the steps carried out is recorded in the treatment report.
In addition to completing individual treatments, another important activity of museum conservators is preventive conservation. Conservators monitor environmental conditions of the museum, maintain an integrated pest management program, provide recommendations for display and storage conditions, and ensure that any material in contact with a work of art will not cause further deterioration.
Previously, conservators were apprentice trained however today most conservators have a Masters degree in the field of Art Conservation from a recognized training program where they specialize in an area of expertise such as paintings, works of art on paper, photographs, objects, textiles, and furniture. The training programs in conservation range from 2 to 4 years in length and include lengthy internships in conservation laboratories.
In 1935 the Museum hired Willson Stamper to develop a new department in the Museum to study and restore paintings to teach materials and techniques classes at the Art Academy and to develop a new department in the Museum to study and restore paintings. A gift of $3,500 made “it possible for Mr. Stamper to establish…a department for the study and care of paintings of which Cincinnati… is urgently in need.” Mr. Stamper was listed as Technical Advisor, working 2 ½ days per week at the Museum and 1 ½ days teaching at the Art Academy. The department acted as technical advisor and made simple tests for the general public, teachers, and the Federal Art Project.
Harry Gothard was the Museum’s second restorer. Like Stamper, he taught at the Art Academy while he was employed at the Museum. Gothard worked with Willson Stamper for four years and became head of the restoration department after Stamper left in 1943. During his time as conservator, a new wing on the east side of the Museum was added which allowed the conservation lab to move in 1959 to its current location. Harry Gothard remained at the Art Museum until his death in 1968.
The Museum’s third conservator, F. du Pont Cornelius, was hired in 1968. Cornelius was assisted by two apprentice conservators until his departure in 1974. Elisabeth Batchelor was hired in 1975 as Assistant Conservator and was eventually promoted to Chief Conservator. Upon her promotion to Assistant Director for Collections in 1992, Stephen Bonadies became Chief Conservator. By this time the department consisted of three paintings conservators and a paper conservator. Stephen Bonadies was also promoted to a division head and then to Deputy Director of Collections in 2001, at which time Frederick Wallace became Chief Conservator. The department then hired its first objects conservator in 2003. The current staff of three conservators specializes in paintings, paper and objects conservation and care for the museum’s collection of over 60,000 objects.
