Lunder Conservation Center

Many visitors to SAAM’s Lunder Conservation Center are surprised to see a large sink in the paper conservation lab. They often ask: “What is the sink used for? Doesn't water damage paper?”

Certainly, unplanned contact between water and a print, drawing, or photograph is an emergency which can, in some cases, result in permanent damage. At the same time, paper conservators, with extensive knowledge and experience, can use water to treat a variety of problems with artworks on paper, stabilizing and improving its appearance.

SAAM conservator Kate Maynor explains the delicate process of washing artworks on paper, in this case, a linoleum cut print by Mabel Pugh that required a washing treatment to reduce discolored adhesive and several types of staining.

Refreshing a View of Venice: How Paper Conservators Clean a Print SAAM conservator Kate Maynor explains the delicate process of washing paper

One of the exciting aspects of preparing for an exhibition is the possibility of discovery when artworks that have been in storage for decades, in some cases, are brought out into the light. SAAM’s conservators look at every object before it is put on public display. Often their work reveals information about an object that adds to the understanding of its creation, use, and history.
Conservation intern Katya Zinsli shares insights into how to address nineteenth-century repairs to a Roman mosaic glass bowl.

A Fragile Roman Mosaic Glass Bowl Reveals Its Secrets Go behind-the-scenes with conservators who make a fascinating discovery about a rarely seen Roman glass bowl

What happens when an object’s attribution or date is called into question? Watch how conservators use innovative research and scientific analysis to identify the materials and methods used to create an artwork to find answers!

Converse with a Conservator | More than Meets the Eye What happens when an object’s attribution or date is called into question?

Celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Ox with the art doctors. From toys to tiles, see how artists have been inspired by oxen for generations and how Smithsonian conservators preserve these artworks.

Art & Me Preservation Family Workshop | Lunar New Year Celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Ox with the art doctors in this virtual workshop.

Update: The Artisphere: Arts. Music. Culture's Instagram Live on conservation public programming has been rescheduled to Thursday, 1/14, at 12:30 p.m. EST, given the events that unfolded in Washington, DC. https://www.instagram.com/artisphere/

UPDATE: LIVE CHAT POSTPONED

In light of recent events, we have decided to postpone this week's Live Chat until next Thursday, January 14th, at 12:30 PM EST.

We had so much fun during our Instagram Live Chats at the Virtual Experience presented by TD in October, we decided to continue hosting artists and interesting people in the arts on a weekly basis.

Thursday, January 7th at 12:30 pm EST on Artisphere's Instagram, we'll be chatting with Laura Hoffman, Program Manager of the Lunder Conservation Center of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery.

Hoffman specializes in visitor and online engagement, and since the pandemic, she has launched two new & noteworthy online program series.

The monthly Converse with a Conservator series features a different conservator every month, in which Hoffman moderates a 45-minute conversation driven by questions from the audience.

And during the Art & Me Preservation Family Workshop series, Lunder Conservation Center collaborates with Smithsonian - Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery to create an interactive artmaking workshop that focuses on preservation for early learners and their caretakers. Educators-Hoffman included-and conservators have teamed up to create a meaningful experience for kids of all ages.

You can see links to the most recent installments of these programs below.
https://americanart.si.edu/art/conservation/videos.

Be sure to join us on Thursday at 12:30 on Instagram
(https://www.instagram.com/artisphere/) to hear more from Laura Hoffman-we're honored she's joining us!

Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo To Close Nov. 23 Due to rising regional and national cases related to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, all Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, will temporarily close to the public starting Monday, Nov. 23. This will impact the eight Smithsonian facilities in the Washington, D.C., region that had reo...

Register for the FREE virtual 2020 Safety and Cultural Heritage Summit on October 29-30. The 5th Annual Seminar is organized by Washington Conservation Guild, Potomac Section of the AIHA - American Industrial Hygiene Association, Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery's Lunder Conservation Center, Smithsonian National Collections Program, and Smithsonian's Office of Safety, Health and Environmental Management.

Confirm your spot on Eventbrite by October 26:

2020 Safety and Cultural Heritage Summit Join us for the fifth Annual Safety and Cultural Heritage Summit October 29th and 30th, 2020

Check out American Alliance of Museums Looking Ahead: A Year for Action towards Sustainable Development Goals webinar on September 21, featuring Lunder's Chief of Conservation Amber Kerr:

Looking Ahead: A Year for Action towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) The United Nations (UN) Climate Week inspires individuals and organizations to become part of the momentum created by the global climate agreement in Paris. It is a collaborative platform where bot…

The "Heritage Conservation Learning in the COVID World: Challenges and Opportunities" webinar* on 22/09/2020 will discuss how heritage conservation learning has continued during the disruption of COVID-19.

Discussions will consider the challenges now facing this practical field, as well as the learning opportunities for heritage conservation students from educational and training institutions, globally.

As student panellists partaking in the webinar, this page has been created to gather the insights and experiences of our fellow heritage conservation students during the pandemic, providing a platform for your opinions and stories to be discussed during the webinar.

We would love to hear your comments and stories so please do interact with us on our social media to voice the heritage conservation students’ perspective!

*Organised by ICCROM, Athabasca University’s Heritage Resources Management Program (AU), and International Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC).

(Image created by Amber Bhatty via canva)

Check out how our time-based media fellow is working on preserving the video games in SAAM's collection on the blog!

Level Up: Playing to Document and Preserve Video Games Ever wonder what it takes to conserve and preserve video games? Our collections care initiative fellow at SAAM tells us how.