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By Hugh Phibbs – Preservation Consultant Glazing materials, like glass and acrylic sheets, are clear, flat and thin. Beyond these similarities, they differ in most respects and both have advantages and disadvantages for protecting works of art. Selecting the best option depends upon many factors: Is the work friable? Where will it be displayed? How

By Susan Duhl – Art Conservator/Collections Consultant When papers get wet, they become vulnerable and difficult to handle. High humidity and water result in expansion, distortion and degradation to sheet integrity. Media may bleed, blister and detach, and adhesives will release. As moisture wicks into papers, staining and “tidelines” result from discolored water-soluble components in

By Virginia Whelan, Textile Conservator in Private Practice Optium Museum Acrylic® A frame is both ornamental and functional, drawing the viewer’s attention to the artwork and offering protection from handling and ambient elements. With a few adjustments, most any older wooden frame—whether it is historic, original to the artwork, or otherwise—can be adapted for re-use to become archival as well as ornamental and functional. In this case study, the

By Dr. Jennifer Booth, Tru Vue Fine Art and Museums Business Manager and Yadin Larochette, Tru Vue Museums and Conservation Liaison Increasingly, museums and fine art institutions are contracting out for framing of art works and heritage items. The aim of this article is to help define the information needed from both the institution’s and

By Hugh Phibbs, Preservation Consultant & April Hann Lanford, Vice President of Client Services at The Conservation Center Thankfully, fire is rarely seen in institutions that preserve our cultural treasures. Museums, archives and libraries are designed and operated to have minimal fire load. They also are monitored with utmost care. Unfortunately, private collections may not

By Susan Duhl – Art Conservator/Collections Consultant Swab cleaning collections after a furnace malfunction caused soot puff-back. Photo courtesy of Brian Howard and Associates. Fire-related disasters result in a complexity of problems from chemical and physical damages, and from the extreme sensitivity of handling soot-covered and burnt objects. Heat, charring, smoke, soot, ash, water and