MRCG is pleased to announce that the 2024 Fall Annual Meeting will be held in Columbus, Indiana. We are still in the process of gathering all the necessary data.The 2024 MRCG Annual Symposium will be held at Helen Haddad Hall all day on Friday, October 25 and until noon on Saturday, October 26. There will be an evening Welcome Reception with drinks and light bites from 5-7 PM at the Columbus Area Visitor’s Center on Friday, October 25. Following the business meeting on Saturday, October 26, there will be optional FREE tours of the historic Miller House & Garden as well as an Angel Project at the Bartholomew County Historical Society to help assess the condition of some beloved collection items. Please see the tentative schedule of events and sign up links for the Miller House & Garden tours and Angel Project within.
Closing Conservation’s Narrative Gap: Sharing Stories of Insight, Change and Impact is an online AIC Event that is free to AIC members. Evonne Gallardo (evonnegallardo.com) is the facilitator; she is a cultural equity consultant who has been working with the AIC Equity and Inclusion Committee for the last few years. Evonne is so thoughtful about all of the issues our field is wrestling with, and has focused this event on storytelling and communication. She is here to help us talk through telling our stories, sharing our values with others, holding space for many different narratives, and centering the stories of the communities whose beauty and efforts we so often have the privilege to encounter, preserve, and share.
Join our dynamic team at Indiana University Libraries as we seek a talented and collaborative Library and Archives Conservator to play a key role in our preservation program. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of the vital role of conservation in an academic research library and be adept at balancing treatment, project management, and preventive preservation responsibilities while working with archival, special, and circulating collections. If you are passionate about preservation and conservation and have the necessary expertise, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity to contribute to our institution's mission.
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, WI) is seeking a Lead Preparator to oversee and manage the installation of exhibitions, the packing and crating related to exhibitions and collections, and the transportation of works of art. Responsibilities may also include construction, cleaning, crating, painting, and planning. This position leads the Preparator and contract staff and reports to the Director of Exhibitions.
Every year since 2015 MRCG has offered the Emerging Professionals Scholarship to defray annual meeting costs for early career conservation professionals. To date, our scholarship has been awarded to 16 emerging conservation professionals.
Pre-program students, current graduate students, and recent graduates (within 2 years of graduation) are eligible to apply. The scholarship covers the cost of registration, housing, and one year of MRCG membership. The guild cannot help with travel expenses.
The Iowa State University Library seeks an engaging leader to serve as Head of Preservation. The Head of Preservation provides vision and leadership for a well-established preservation program and guides our dedicated team to ensure the longevity and long-term accessibility of our treasured collections across formats, facilities, and functional areas, all in service to ISU’s land-grant mission.
The Head of Preservation shapes initiatives that safeguard our materials, ignite a passion for their use, and play a vital role in setting overall preservation policy and priorities for the library.
The Iowa State University Library is seeking applications for an Audiovisual Preservation Specialist who will support the library in maintaining long-term access to unique and rare sound recordings and moving image collections.
In cooperation with SCUA and Preservation staff, the Audiovisual Preservation Specialist will be instrumental in establishing preservation and digitization priorities for the collection.
Sleuthing Out Fakes and Forgeries: The Conservator’s Possible Role
Presented by Joseph Barabe
Forgers use a wide variety of techniques in creating their fakes or misrepresenting the attribution of works of art. Some of their techniques are ancient, but they’ve also developed a few new methods, some of which are well within the skills and tools of the conservator to detect. In this talk we will explore some classical fake and forgery methods but will focus on some of the newer techniques the bad guys have developed. Also, if there is a possible problem, how might you discuss this with your client, and
when is it time to contact the FBI’s Art Crimes Team?
Northwestern University Libraries offer an advanced post-graduate conservation residency (previously called a fellowship) for a two-year appointment, September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2026. The conservation residency provides practical experience in a busy academic library conservation lab balancing conservation treatment responsibilities with professional research activities and an opportunity for supervisory experience.
The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, OK is offering a full-time Assistant Objects Conservator position. This position joins Gilcrease Museum’s Conservation Department during a momentous period as it prepares to move into a new building that includes a new objects conservation laboratory. The new museum is due for completion at the end of this year and will open to the public in 2026.
This two day in person workshop will prepare you to successfully work as a contract courier during any stage of the loan process and follow good courier practices. From accompanying an object during travel and navigating cargo flights to building trust with clients and problem solving crate modifications, this workshop will cover it all. The first day combines materials from the Courier Training Program Framework developed by several European registrars groups to promote best practices in the museum and gallery sector. The second day focuses on best practices for packing and crating with focus on the aspects a courier might need to provide the best care for loaned objects.