CCAHA Names Jessica Silverman Director of Conservation
We're happy to announce that
Jessica Silverman
has been named
CCAHA's new
Director of Conservation
. The position was formerly held by
Mary Schobert
, who retired in February after 37 years.
Jessica joined the CCAHA staff in 2010, most recently serving as Senior Paper Conservator & Preservation Consultant. She briefly filled in this year as Interim Director of Conservation.
Before coming to CCAHA, Jessica worked in conservation labs at the American Philosophical Society, the Walters Art Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Winterthur Museum in Delaware, the Art Institute of Chicago, and at private paper conservation labs in Chicago. She brings years of expertise to her new role, as well as a deep understanding of CCAHA's history and strong relationships with our clients.
We're inviting a small number of friends and colleagues to join us
Wednesday, May 22, at 8:30 AM
for an informal breakfast meet-and-greet at CCAHA to introduce Jessica and allow questions and discussion. Space is limited.
Click here to register.
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Director of Administration & Operations Mary Anne Manherz Retires
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Treatment FOCUS: Recovering the Work of
I-Hsiung Ju
"I thought, this is going to take a miracle. I also immediately thought how heartbreaking it must be for the daughters to see their father's artwork so damaged."
In fall 2017, CCAHA's Senior Conservation Assistant Jilliann Wilcox was part of a triage team that received a collection of badly damaged paintings by Chinese American artist
I-Hsiung Ju
. The artist's family contacted CCAHA after the paintings were salvaged from a devastating house fire.
In the latest installment of our bimonthly
FOCUS
newsletter, we chatted with Jilliann about what made this treatment process unusual and how personally rewarding it was to have a hand in the collection's dramatic transformation.
Click here to read the article.
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CCAHA in the News: Interview with Debra Hess Norris in HUMANITIES Magazine
“She’s a real embodiment of what the humanities are, this global outreach and sensitivity to human values and cultural heritage—bridging cultures, bridging regions. There is something about her presence, and her style, the way she does it, which exudes human warmth and belief in humanity.”
The Spring 2019 issue of the NEH magazine
HUMANITIES
features a wonderful profile of
Debra Hess Norris
, current CCAHA board member and CCAHA's first photograph conservator (1980-84). Learn more about Debra's remarkable career, her Beatles obsession, and the immeasurable impact she has had on the field of conservation.
Click here to read the article.
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ARCS Pre-Conference Event
As part of the
Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists (ARCS)
conference in Philadelphia this year, ARCS will hold a day of volunteerism at local museums for attendees. The name of
Les Bénévoles
, which translates to
The Volunteers
, was chosen to complement the French heritage of New Orleans, which hosted the conference in 2015 and has been carried over to subsequent conferences.
ARCS is now accepting project proposals for the 2019 Les Bénévoles event. The volunteer day will take place on Wednesday, November 6, prior to the start of the conference.
Submissions are due by Friday, May 31
.
Click here to learn more and apply.
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NEH Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Grants
The
NEH
Humanities Collections and Reference Resources
(HCRR)
program offers both planning grants (through HCRR Foundations) and implementation grants for collecting institutions. These HCRR grants support the development and implementation of projects that ensure your collections are easily accessible to researchers. Funding may support projects for arranging and describing, cataloging, conservation treatment, and digitization. Applicants may request up to $50,000 for a Foundations grant or up to $350,000 for an implementation grant. Some voluntary cost sharing is encouraged.
Application available:
May 15
Application due:
July 16
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Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York (DHPSNY) Program Updates
The New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education contracts with CCAHA to deliver statewide services supporting organizations that safeguard New York's historical documents and library research materials.
Learn more about DHPSNY.
DHPSNY has announced its next
Planning & Assessment Services
deadline. These services are designed to support New York organizations in improving and advancing program efforts while forming strategies for future growth and development.
The Summer 2019 application review deadline is Friday, July 12.
Click here to learn more and apply.
DHPSNY's second round of 2019 workshops,
Care and Preservation of Audiovisual Materials
, begins this month with sessions at Binghamton University – State University of New York on Tuesday, May 28, and the Crandall Public Library on Wednesday, May 29.
Click here to learn more and register.
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LECTURE
The Daguerreotypes of Robert Cornelius
Date:
Tuesday, May 14
Time:
5:30
- 7:30 PM
Presenter:
Rachel Wetzel, Senior Photograph Conservator, CCAHA
Fee:
$25 CCAHA
Philadelphia was an epicenter for early photography in 1839. America’s oldest extant photograph was taken in Center City and improvements to the daguerreotype process were made by Philadelphians
Paul Beck Goddard
and
Robert Cornelius
. Cornelius took what is heralded as the first “selfie”—a photographic self-portrait. He also established Philadelphia’s first photographic portrait studio.
Few daguerreotypes from this period of rapid development have been preserved. However, a significant body of daguerreotypes by Robert Cornelius remain. CCAHA's Senior Photograph Conservator
Rachel Wetzel
has been working with colleagues to catalog all of the existing daguerreotypes by Cornelius, as part of a project that will culminate in a publicly searchable database hosted at Yale University’s Lens Media Lab. Rachel is moving on from Philadelphia but luckily will give us one more talk about her project!
Presented in partnership with
Atlas Obscura Society Philadelphia
.
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WEBINAR
Preservation On A Shoestring: Creative Solutions
for Storage Challenges
Date:
Thursday, May 30
Time:
2:00
- 3:00 PM
Presenter:
Samantha Forsko, Preservation Specialist, CCAHA
Fee:
$25 CCAHA members/$30 non-members
All institutions dream about their collections being housed in perfectly uniform Gaylord boxes, but how can institutions, even those with tiny budgets, achieve this big dream? In this session, we’ll discuss how to make the most out of what you have and store artifacts safely, even with limited resources. Samantha will explore how to be smart about purchasing supplies, and think outside of the archival catalogue box. Come to this session armed with questions about your biggest storage issues to discuss solutions with the group!
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WORKSHOP
Making the Case: Advocacy for Preservation
in Collections Care
Date:
Tuesday, June 4
Time:
9:00
AM - 12:00 PM (AM session); 2:00 - 5:00 PM (PM session)
Location:
The Rosenbach, Philadelphia, PA
Presenter:
Michelle Eisenberg, Deputy Director, CCAHA
Fee:
$60 ($90 with board member)
The pressure for institutions to expand audience development programming, enhance facilities, or cut budgets may divert resources from collections care. In this half-day workshop designed for staff and Board members to attend together, participants will build their skills as internal advocates for preservation by understanding the kinds of qualitative and quantitative information that can be collected to support the need for preservation. Discussion will include clarifying the unique role that Board members play in preservation advocacy through governance, financial oversight, and external relations. Planning activities that can help institutions with long-range preservation projects and fundraising strategies will be identified. Participants will have the opportunity to share their own challenges, best practices, and success stories with colleagues from across the heritage community.
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WORKSHOP
Regional Heritage Stewardship Program:
Intermountain West Series One
Earlier this year, CCAHA announced the expansion of our
Regional Heritage Stewardship Program (RHSP)
into the
Intermountain West
region, serving
Utah, Nevada,
and parts of
Idaho, Arizona, Colorado,
and
New Mexico
. Our first workshops in the area are coming up next month.
The first series of workshops is delivered as two full-day sessions, taught back-to-back. Each series will be offered twice, once in the southwestern region of Utah and a second time in the Four Corners region of Utah and Colorado. Series Two and Three will follow in late 2019 and 2020.
Preservation Best Practices (morning) &
Conducting a Preservation Needs Assessment (afternoon)
June 3: St. George, UT
June 6: Green River, UT
This program will provide participants with an overview of preservation standards collections care and management, including basic bench-marking, facilities concerns, collections storage, and agents of deterioration. Participants will also learn the components of a comprehensive preservation needs assessment, learn about the assessments that the Utah Division of Arts & Museums offers, and receive guidance on conducting self-assessments.
Fundraising for Collections Care (morning) &
Artifact Handling and Housing (afternoon)
June 4: St. George UT
June 7: Green River, UT
Through thoughtful planning and effective grant writing, your organization can be competitive in seeking public and private funding to preserve cultural collections. This workshop will examine the planning process that funders want to see in place and the elements of a successful grant proposal and will discuss local, regional, and national funding opportunities, including those offered from Utah Arts and Museums, Utah Humanities, and other local sources. Participants will also learn about safe handling and housing techniques for both flat and three dimensional objects. Discussion will include how to prepare work areas, best practices for moving various types of artifacts, and identifying potential conservation concerns before handling.
June 3 & 4 | 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
St. George, Utah at the McQuarrie Memorial DUP Museum
June 6 & 7, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Green River, Utah at the John Wesley Powell River History Museum
Cost & Registration
Workshops are $20 per day or $35 for the 2-day series per person. If you are affiliated with a Utah museum, you may be eligible for a scholarship to offset your registration and travel costs. Please read our
guidelines here
. To apply for a scholarship,
click here
.
Presenters
Workshops will be taught by conservators and preservation experts from CCAHA, as well as regional specialists as required.
Funding for this program has been generously provided by the
National Endowment for the Humanities.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Off the Shelf: Access and Preservation in Libraries and Archives Conference
Dates:
October 22-23
Location:
Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, IN
Innovative educational strategies have revolutionized how books and archival materials are experienced by diverse audiences, as a variety of communication styles and learning preferences are considered. Digitization, behind-the scenes tours, and adaptive exhibition environments relay the story for all. Even the work of conservators and librarians may be presented as part of the storytelling, as creative approaches to accessibility and collections care evolve. Yet, these approaches may seem at odds with preservation. The need for accessibility in libraries and archives requires a delicate balance between preservation and making materials available and understandable to a large audience with diverse needs. Strategies for promoting access with responsible stewardship in libraries and archives is the focus of this conference.
Topics include:
· Security issues in public access
· Digitization as access
· Opening special collections for audiences beyond researchers
· Sensory stimulation and visitor experience
·
Increasing understanding of collections stewardship
Funding for this program has been generously provided by the
National Endowment for the Humanities
, with additional support from the
William Penn Foundation
.
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The
Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA)
is a nonprofit conservation facility specializing in the treatment of works on paper, photographs, and books through conservation and state-of-the-art digital imaging services. Founded in 1977, CCAHA serves collecting institutions and private individuals. CCAHA’s preservation services staff present educational programs, conduct preservation assessments, and develop emergency preparedness plans. CCAHA also offers fellowships, fundraising support, and disaster assistance.
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Support provided by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund
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