ATTENTION ARCHAEOLOGISTS: (CAREFULLY) DROP EVERYTHING & LISTEN UP

CONSERVATION TIPS & TRICKS

BY: SELIN KAHRAMANOGLU

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Raise your hand if you like digging skeletons and things out of the ground! Of course, I’m talking about wanting to excavate ancient tombs and uncover lost treasures.  

Did you know that the moment an object is found at an archaeological site, it undergoes conservation treatment? Archaeologists are the first line of defense when it comes to safeguarding the condition of artifacts. If you’re an Indiana Jones wannabe like me, then here are some tips that you should know...

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1)   Learn About the Upcoming Weather Forecast 

Let’s say that you just finished a labouring summer day on an ancient Roman dig site. Your team is starting to pack up to go home for the day, when BAM, you find the edge of a skull peering out from the bottom of your trench. What do you do?

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Your actions actually depend on the weather. Natural light and warm weather are considered the most favourable conditions. What about the rain and wind? Moisture in the soil can make the uncovered geographical layers unstable and dislodge artifacts.

Tip: Your artifact is safer in the ground. Typically, archeologists will use a tarp with weights (or large rocks) along the edges to cover artifacts that are still secured in the dirt.

2)   Label Everything

When you’ve got lots of objects coming out of the ground, it’s easy to lose track of exactly where and how they were found. At this point, you need to channel Monica Geller and get your label maker out.

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Conservation is all about protecting the original. The last thing you want to do is damage the site or the object, and then never be able to fix it. Don’t forget these two basic steps to cover all your bases:

• Break out your ruler and camera: Before taking it out of the ground, you need to measure where the object is in the trench, and in relation to the rest of the excavation site. Then, take lots of photo evidence.
• Someone get this girl a bag: Clear plastic bags are your new best friend. They’re easy to write on, with the inside visible, and provide protection. Label the site code and the geological level!

3) Identify the Material and How to Safeguard It 

Remember that Roman skull you found? It’s made of bone. Here’s a little secret: Bone that is over a few hundred years old is not very strong. It breaks…really easily.

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Depending on the material of the object uncovered, there are some things that you can do to keep the integrity of its structure until it’s ready for cleaning: 

• Keep it in the ground for as long as you can: If the object survived that long in the dirt, it can last another couple of days. 
• Until it’s cleaned, replicate the site conditions: Artifacts are fragile! Place them in a bin full of rice, and store that in a cool, dark place (to mimic dirt, but cleaner). 
•  After it’s cleaned, get the data: Before you accidentally knock something over, weigh the object, get its measurements, and take lots of pictures of it. Then, analyze the data!

Tip: A museum conservator will want to know what the object looked like when you found it, in what conditions it was found, and how to keep it that way.

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There you have it! Here’s some tips for you future Lara Crofts. Now you know the basics on how you can conserve the condition of an object that is fresh out of the ground!

Need further reading? Check out these websites:

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/CRL/conservationmanual/File1.htm#Conservation%20Ethics

https://www.conservation-us.org/specialty-topics/archaeological-conservation#.WvHCwZch3IU

http://www.historydiscussion.net/art/process-of-preservation-of-the-artifacts-archaeological-findings/1823

OPEN DOOR POLICY: CONSERVATION LABS ON VIEW

CONSERVATION TIPS & TRICKS

BY: SERENA YPELAAR & AMY INTRATOR

Some of the most popular features of many museums are their open conservation labs, in which visitors can see conservators at work (often through glass). It's another nod to visitors' love of behind-the-scenes opportunities, and seeing the process allows a transparency we don't always get in museums. We've compiled a list of some institutions where you can see conservation labs up close!

Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta

During the summer, the Royal Tyrrell Museum processes fossils discovered by the archaeological team in the field. Their work is done in the Preparation Lab (formerly the Fossil Lab), which is accessible to visitors in the form of a large glass window. Visitors can watch conservators and archaeologists at work with new fossil discoveries of various sizes and types. Many of the specimens were discovered in the local area in Alberta, such as Dinosaur Provincial Park, which is where the field station is located. Some specimens take up to five years to prepare completely, so the Preparation Lab often has conservators working on long-term projects.

The Fossil Lab in 2007. Source.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA)

Photo courtesy of Amy Intrator.

At the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) the Conservation in Action display allows visitors to see conservators working on artifacts up close and personal. The Conservation in Action Gallery is a space dedicated to displaying the conservation processes undertaken in the gallery, but conservation displays have also been set up in the Asian Painting Gallery and other parts of the Museum.

The conservation displays change with new acquisitions and projects, and the developing display fits into the museum’s larger initiative to merge front-of-house programming with behind-the-scenes access. In addition to the Conservation in Action display, the MFA has displays dedicated to the choices, decisions, and efforts made by Museum staff. From a display about “Making Choices” between displaying different artifacts, to an explanation of classifying processes, the Museum is extremely transparent about processes that are usually kept behind closed doors.

Boston MFA's Making Choices Display. Photo
courtesy of Amy Intrator.

Penn Museum, Philadelphia

The Penn Museum in Philadelphia has displayed their conservation process since 2012, with the opening of In the Artifact Lab: Conserving Egyptian Mummies. In 2017, the lab reopened as The Artifact Lab: Conservation in Action, which now focuses on a variety of artifact conservation. The lab is described as “part exhibition, part working laboratory” and visitors have the opportunity to look into the glass as conservators work on artifacts, but they can also explore objects in the gallery and learn about the conservation process each artifact underwent. The combination of exploration and observation allows visitors to engage in a dialogue about conservation, rather than passively watch conservators at work. The Museum also makes an effort to keep visitors informed and engaged through a blog with information about the Museum’s current and past conservation initiatives. The combination of resources helps the visitor learn about the scientific, artistic, and practical knowledge necessary to properly conserve the museum’s artifacts.


National Trust, Knole House, UK

The Knole Conservation Studio is the first National Trust offering of its kind. Free to all visitors, it is located in Knole House in West Kent and offers an interactive look at the conservation process. Housed in a 15th century barn, the first floor holds a display of historic items laid out and waiting to be conserved. The building's windows have been blocked for preservation against light damage, but a timed lighting system allows visitors to view the conservation area for limited periods. The second floor holds the conservation studio itself, where visitors can watch conservators at work and engage with interactive displays such as drawers. Tours of the space are also available, and conservators and volunteers can answer questions in the space itself. The studio even has UV light box that can illuminate areas of an object that have been restored. It also has an iPad with a decision-making game allowing visitors to "play the conservator".

Knole House, West Kent, UK. Source.

Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane, Washington

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture has a “working Collections Lab” with a variety of displays and programs that bring visitors behind-the-scenes and into the collections process. While many galleries feature conservation labs that visitors can peek into, this museum features several different programs that allow for a more open dialogue between visitors and museum staff. From an “Artifact Boot Camp” featuring chats with museum staff and volunteers as they work, to a display about the science of decay, there are multiple opportunities for visitors to engage in the collections process. The full and changing display connects the Museum’s dedication to collections stewardship with their commitment to lifelong learning by opening a dialogue between visitors and the museum collection.

The openness of these conservation labs provides an additional level of learning and offers a special glimpse into the work museum professionals - namely conservators and collections managers - do. The transparency of these labs brings an awareness of the importance of preserving these artifacts for the future - have you been to any museums with open conservation labs?

MAKING YOUR OWN CONSERVATION SPACE

CONSERVATION TIPS & TRICKS

BY KRISTEN MCLAUGHLIN 

If you work in a small museum or small heritage organization (or even medium-sized) you might be a little strapped for space. Maybe desks serve 2 or 3 different purposes; maybe a meeting space is also an exhibit building workshop, or an office is also a lab.

Maybe you're wondering how you can utilize your space to create an organized and efficient conservation "lab"? (I use quotation marks because, let's be real, a full on heavy duty lab is sometimes a far off dream!). Based on my past experience, I hope I can give you a few tips on what you'll need and what you should aim to do to create this space!

NOTE: the best thing about creating your own conservation lab area is that it has to be what works best for you. Not everything I'll talk about is necessary for you and maybe I miss some items you think are super important. There's the beauty. Make it work for you! I just hope to give you a few guidelines to ease the overwhelming feeling of having to try and buy/find conservation tools, products, etc. that can come with the early research.

ANOTHER NOTE: It's totally fine to use a space for more than one purpose; I understand the issue of space! However, I recommend that over time whatever becomes your conservation space slowly turns into just that in order to limit contamination and increase organization and familiarity.

1. Furniture

-table -- big enough not only for what you're working on but your tools and possibly paperwork

chair
-outlets! (not really furniture but close enough)
-lamp, preferably one meant for conservation like these. If that is not possible, any kind of high powered lamp that helps you see fine detail works.
-be near a sink, if possible.

2. Tools

-HEPA vacuum
-microscope or those cool head mounted ones like the first one on this list
-small brushes/fine-tipped brushes
-weights
-syringes with specialty tips
-fine trim tweezers
-stainless steel micro spatula
-small sharp scissors
-bone folder or something equivalent to help scoring to make boxes, etc.
-bamboo skewer (to make cotton swabs)
-consolidants: this can vary incredibly depending on the objects you have in your collection. I'll leave that information up to you (there are a ton of great resources out there!), but just know you should -have some (and a beaker to mix it in) just in case!
-your own tools: sometimes you will have to make your own quirky tools and that's totally fine. In fact, it's awesome and should be shared with the rest of us for inspiration!

A cool tool of note is a porcupine quill, known to give the right pressure for cleaning off buildup on artifacts! Who would have known...

PS: and some kind of shelving or organizational box to hold it all!

3. Documentation Procedures

-lab safety documents (should be read by ALL people using the space)
-condition reports (should be filled out everytime an item is worked on)
-conservation policy (should be read by all staff and volunteers)
-conservation procedures (it is vitally important to make a how-to document for each type of material, artifact, etc. so that if someone is working on an artifact that is new, they know the general protocol of the institution and won't rely on Google for a method that perhaps the museum does not approve of).

4. Photography Space

Whenever an artifact is cleaned, conserved, glued together, or worked on, it should be photographed! In this way, you keep the work visually up to date and create an archive of sorts of the progression of conservation done on the object. This doesn't have to necessarily be in the same space but should be nearby.

5. Storage

This is the organizational box or shelving I mentioned earlier. It is super important to have all of your tools organized but also (most likely) able to move out of the way in case the space needs to be used for other things. I have seen different methods, but here are some general ideas:

-rolling set of drawers (usually those plastic ones) that can be tucked discreetly into corners
-plastic clip boxes that can be labeled and piled on top of each other on the corner of the desk; think giant pencil boxes from our youth
-if you have the space, put a shelf up above the table and store your items there!
-However you choose, an important thing to remember is to label and keep it organized.

That's it! Those are some easy beginning steps to a conservation space. Some last minute tips:

• Make sure it is clean!
• Make sure it is large enough for majority of artifacts!
• Put down some kind of base so that artifacts and your table top don't interact directly/add some cushioning. It's easy to buy a roll of ethafoam and then cut a piece that fits your table perfectly!

Sources

Conservation Wiki: Archaeological Conservation

Conservation Wiki: Setting Up a Conservation Lab

Penn Museum: Artifact Lab Toolkit