Treatment FOCUS: A Violin-Maker's Workbook
Several waves of German-speaking immigrants settled in Pennsylvania in the 19th century. This included the Martins, founders of C.F. Martin & Co., a world-renowned company that has made instruments in the Nazareth area of eastern Pennsylvania for almost 200 years.
One of the members of the Martin family was Christian Frederick Hartmann, cousin of C.F. Martin Sr., and prominent figure in the family business. Hartmann also made violins.
The Moravian Historical Society recently brought a workbook belonging to Hartmann to CCAHA for treatment. The workbook, dating from the mid-19th century, gives an intimate look at a craftsman's personal notes, from drawings of decorative violin elements to his own translation of an Italian treatise on violin-making. The book measures roughly 10 x 8 inches, but several of the final leaves fold out to twice that size, allowing for scale drawings of violins.
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We're Hiring: Conservator and Preventive Conservation Specialist
We are seeking a full-time Conservator and Preventive Conservation Specialist with a specialization in paper, photograph, or book conservation to work with our clients in the Southeastern United States. This is a grant-funded two year position, which CCAHA expects will become a permanent position at the end of the grant period. Working closely with CCAHA’s senior management team, the selected candidate will be responsible for identifying and cultivating clients in the Southeast by carrying out surveys and assessments, educational programming, business development activities, examinations and estimates, and conservation treatments.
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After Hours Event with Atlas Obscura
We are partnering with
Atlas Obscura to present an after hours event at CCAHA on May 24 from 5:30-7:30 PM. CCAHA Photograph Conservator Rachel Wetzel will speak about her NEH-funded grant project to catalog and digitize the extant daguerreotypes of Philadelphia photographer Robert Cornelius. The event is open to the public.
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CCAHA Conference Presentations
Are you at the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting this week in Phoenix, AZ? CCAHA Preservation Specialist Samantha Forsko moderated a talk called "Managing Disasters: How Museu
ms and Communities Can Prepare for the Inevitable."
Click here for more information.
CCAHA Executive Director Laura Hortz Stanton will present at this week's Society of Florida Archivists Annual Meeting in Tallahassee, FL. On Wednesday, Laura will present "Advocating for Collections Care."
Click here for more information.
Later this month, several CCAHA staff members will attend the American Institution for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) Annual Meeting in Houston, TX, May 29-June 2. On Thursday, May 31, CCAHA Mellon Fellow Emily Williams will present "Peregrinations of an 18th-Century Armenian Prayer Scroll."
Click here for more information.
On Saturday, June 2, DHPSNY Preservation Specialist Gillian Marcus will present "Caring for Electrophotographic Art: A Case Study of the Pati Hill Archives at Arcadia University."
Click here for more information.
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CCAHA in the News
The Memphis Flyer recently mentioned CCAHA in an article about the legacy of photographer Ernest C. Withers, known for his depictions of the civil rights era. We worked with the Withers Archive on establishing archival protocols for their collection.
Click here to read the article.
[Image at right: Roz Withers, photographed by Justin Fox Burks for the Memphis Flyer.]
The Whitesbog Preservation Trust, an early 20th-century company town and agricultural community, recently posted about their consultation visit to CCAHA. They came for advice on preserving a large-scale blueberry poster.
Click here to see the post and learn more.
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CCAHA's Regional Heritage Stewardship Program
Building upon past success in education and network-building, CCAHA is leading a set of ambitious strategies to aid underserved regions of the country, adapting successful service models to assist collecting institutions along the Eastern Gulf Coast and in Appalachia.
CCAHA Preservation Specialist Samantha Forsko will speak at the Society of Ohio Archivists Annual Conference on Friday, May 18. She will present "The Appalachian Regional Heritage Stewardship Program: Collections Care Training in Ohio."
Learn more here.
Several workshops for the Eastern Gulf Coast (AL, MS, and the FL Panhandle) have been announced on preservation planning, environmental management, and emergency planning and response. More information below.
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Upcoming Grant Opportunities
Deadline: July 12
These grants offer up to $100,000 (matching funds required) for projects that preserve important artwork, including collections management and conservation treatment projects. CCAHA can offer planning consultation, proposal preparation assistance, and supporting material for projects that include a role for CCAHA.
Deadline: July 20
This category offers both HCRR Foundations planning grants (up to $50,000, requiring a 20% matching contribution) or implementation grants (up to $350,000, with a matching funds requirement) for projects that make intellectual content accessible, generally through cataloging, conservation treatment, and/or digitization. CCAHA can offer planning consultation, proposal preparation assistance, and supporting material for projects that include a role for CCAHA.
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WORKSHOP
Regional Heritage Stewardship Program
Works
h
op V: Preservation Planning and Environmental Management
A Preservation Plan is an essential institutional document that helps collections care professionals thoughtfully and carefully chart a course for the preservation of their artifacts for five to ten years. In this workshop, the speaker will provide guidance on how to create a Preservation Plan. Participants will have the opportunity to explore sample Plans as well as practice creating goals, objectives, and strategies to make an effective Plan.
In the afternoon, participants will learn about collections environments and how to manage conditions to be appropriate for the long-term preservation of artifacts. The speaker will discuss temperature, relative humidity, light, pests, mold, and housekeeping, and discuss how they can affect collections care.
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WORKSHOP
Regional Heritage Stewardship Program
Workshop VI: Emergency Planning and Response
The creation of an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan is vital to the survival of an institution’s artifacts. In this workshop, participants will learn about tools for developing an Emergency Response and Preparedness Plan and the basics of collections salvage. There will be an opportunity to practice hands-on salvage procedures by rescuing a variety of materials from water.
In addition to learning the terminology of emergency planning, the basic components of an emergency preparedness and response plan, and salvage techniques, participants will also learn how to train their staff and fellow employees to ensure that, in the event of an emergency, the Plan is followed and the response is efficient and effective.
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WORKSHOP
Collections Care Training
June 27
Bryn Mawr College Special Collections, PA
Digitization can be the final step in processing collections, facilitating access, and even aiding in collections’ long-term preservation. Like other collections care endeavors, digitization should not be undertaken without an understanding of best practices, safe techniques, and the knowledge to make appropriate decisions. This workshop will provide a basic overview of establishing policies, prioritization and selection criteria, equipment options, handling practices for scanning or photographing, storage concerns, and other considerations in digital preservation. This primer on establishing a digitization program is intended for collections staff and volunteers with very little or no experience digitizing materials.
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NATIONAL CONFERENCES
September 12-13
Los Angeles, CA
October 24-25
New York, NY
Caring for modern and contemporary collections is a continually-evolving challenge. The 20th and 21st centuries have presented a vast array of new materials, leaving collections staff in uncharted territory as they address unprecedented preservation problems. This year, we’re organizing two national conferences on the topic of preserving modern and contemporary collections.
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Upcoming LYRASIS Programs
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In 2016, CCAHA and LYRASIS partnered to increase their constituents’ access to vital services. CCAHA members receive a discount on LYRASIS programming. In addition, the organizations offer combined consulting for cultural heritage organizations.
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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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