Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. RE: Extended Deadline: International Museum Conference on Climate Change with the University of Applied Arts Vienna 2. RE: Request for advice: external reflection FTIR spectroscopy 3. Graduate Summer Internship at the MFAH 4. Internship Opportunity: NMAI Nine-Month Conservation Internship, Fall 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Christian Mueller-Straten Posted: Friday January 31, 2025 6:38 AM Subject: RE: Extended Deadline: International Museum Conference on Climate Change with the University of Applied Arts Vienna Message: Hi, Sejal, thank you for sharing this. The conference is not just another conference on that topic, it is THE museum conference for all of us. It takes place in great and important institutions. Best Christian ------------------------------ [Christian] [Mueller-Straten] [Researcher, Publisher, Art Historian] [Owner] [Verlag Dr. Christian Mueller-Straten] [Munich] [Germany] [0049-89-839 690 43] [https://www.museum-aktuell.de] https://www.museum-aktuell.de/CEO ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 01-30-2025 16:10 From: Sejal Goel Subject: Extended Deadline: International Museum Conference on Climate Change with the University of Applied Arts Vienna Hello! The Sustainability Committee would like to share details on the International Museum Conference on Climate Change! The Scientific Committee and Local Organizing Committee invites you to join an international conference on museum climate, climate change and future challenges related to insect pests, fungi, increasing energy costs and sustainable green museums. The conference will be held in Vienna, Austria, from 9-11th of April, 2025. Register here: https://www.museumclimate.org/ <https://www.museumclimate.org/> Regular fee: 450 €, incl. organic three lunches, excursion and coffee breaks Theme 1: Sustainable and Green Museums Theme 2: New climate corridors to save energy Theme 3: Modelling climate change and insect pests and fungi Theme 4: Effects of outdoor climate change on indoor museum climate They want to bring together conservators, facility managers, climate researchers, building physicists and (micro)-biologists to share results and discuss the future indoor climate in museums. So please consider joining! **This information is third-party content reposted by the Sustainability Committee as a part of our mission to make sustainability issues and practices more visible in the field. All the best, ------------------------------ Sejal Goel Assistant Object Conservator Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center AIC Sustainability Committee Member ------------------------------ 2.From: James Martin Posted: Friday January 31, 2025 1:45 PM Subject: RE: Request for advice: external reflection FTIR spectroscopy Message: Moved from conservation science back to painting, but happy to share. Thermo (Nicolet/Spectra-Tech) user for FTIR and Raman from 1994-2023. Accurate, reliable instruments and flexible, versatile but easy to use and teach OMNIC software. (Bruker user for pXRF and scanning XRF). Went portable for labs at Sotheby’s (New York and London): - iS5 portable FTIR spectrometer with ConservIR reflectance and SurveyIR microscope - iXR dispersive Raman with external objective and DIY gantry OMNIC software turned these instruments into scanning systems, using Preview mode. Would buy these same systems again because they were accurate, reliable workhorses. ConservIR useful for specular, diffuse, and reflection-absorption measurements. Need to understand how each signal manifests in spectra when interpreting. Very easy to use. Like, very easy. Internal camera shows focal point. Focal point confirmed by energy in interferogram centerburst. Adjustable to different angles for three-dimensional objects. Built DIY focusing sleds using plywood, polypropylene cutting boards, and turnbuckles for fine focus (which one needs because reflectance techniques generally give weaker signals). Most useful for quick measurements of coatings (natural or synthetic, and some class differentiation within each) on smooth surfaces and specific pigment bands. Used SurveyIR microscope for samples rolled onto diamond windows … however, as I think about it now, might have been able to use ConserIR for micro samples acquired on abrasive papers (diffuse reflection). Hope this helps. Back to painting. Sent from my iPhone ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 1/30/2025 9:21:00 PM From: Caroline Garratt Subject: Request for advice: external reflection FTIR spectroscopy Dear Colleagues, Our institutions – Archives New Zealand and National Library of New Zealand – are investigating options for the purchase of a desktop FTIR spectrometer with an external reflection accessory. Specifically, we would appreciate any feedback or advice on Thermo Scientific's ConservatIR external reflection accessory. We would be interested in knowing what items you have analyzed with the ConservatIR and the ease and safety of applying the accessory to an object for analysis, e.g. is any contact or pressure required? Further, if anyone has experience using an external reflection accessory for identifying cellulose nitrate substrates in photographic negatives we would be most grateful for any feedback. Thanks in anticipation. Kind regards, Caroline Garratt Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Archives New Zealand 10 Mulgrave St | Pipitea | Wellington | Aotearoa New Zealand ------------------------------ Caroline Garratt Preservation Technician Archives New Zealand Wellington New Zealand ------------------------------ 3.From: Per Knutås Posted: Friday January 31, 2025 1:46 PM Subject: Graduate Summer Internship at the MFAH Message: The Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is excited to offer a Graduate Conservation Internship for the summer of 2025 (proposed dates June 2 to August 8, 2025). The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has an encyclopedic collection, which includes 76,000 objects and spans 5,000 years of achievement in the arts. The recently concluded Museum expansion transformed the Museum into a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, and art education. The Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation, part of the campus expansion, includes Conservation Science, Painting, Paper, Photography, Sculpture and Objects, Textile, and Time-Based Media labs, as well as Imaging and conservation preparatory studios with a dynamic team of 21 full-time staff members. This internship will provide students with an invaluable opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a multidisciplinary, dynamic professional conservation lab in a collaborative setting. This internship offers a chance to engage in hands-on treatment encompassing various aspects of collection care and conservation work. The internship (1 position) is offered to candidates who want to focus on Objects and Sculpture, Paintings, Textiles, or Time-based Media. Conservation projects and assignments will be designated according to the exhibition and collection's care demands of the museum. The intern will work closely under the supervision of experienced conservators, scientists, and support staff. Possible projects may include: Conducting basic conservation treatments Examining [mixed media] artworks Writing and documenting treatment reports In addition, the intern will be exposed and familiarize themselves with the characteristics and application of a range of art materials and utilize specialized conservation tools and analytical equipment in their daily tasks. Alongside treating and examining artworks, the intern will be exposed to the fundamental responsibilities of a conservator, including gallery inspections and monitoring environmental conditions in collection spaces. While all applicants are encouraged to apply, preference will be given to students from traditionally underrepresented communities. The candidate should be enrolled in graduate studies in conservation or a recent graduate from a recognized conservation graduate program. Starting and end dates can be flexible depending on the applicant's circumstances. Internship Stipend: Fellowship - $17/hour ($5,950.00) To apply, please submit the following materials before February 21, 2025 Cover Letter Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV) References: Contact information for two academic or professional references. Applications are accepted through the Career portal: https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/MUS1003MOFAH/JobBoard/5b1a1eb0-79c1-450e-89be-217d64a743ba/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=edff4bb6-1af2-4af6-84cd-039a0c7276f1 <https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/MUS1003MOFAH/JobBoard/5b1a1eb0-79c1-450e-89be-217d64a743ba/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=edff4bb6-1af2-4af6-84cd-039a0c7276f1> Per Knuts Chairman, Department of Conservation Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation MFAH | The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston P.O. Box 6826 Houston, TX 77265 Tel: +1 (713) 639-7736 | [email protected] <[email protected]> <https://www.instagram.com/mfahouston> <https://twitter.com/mfah> <https://www.facebook.com/mfah.org/> <http://www.mfah.org/> 4.From: Caitlin Mahony Posted: Friday January 31, 2025 2:35 PM Subject: Internship Opportunity: NMAI Nine-Month Conservation Internship, Fall 2025 Message: The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is committed to equity and social justice for the Native/Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere through education, inspiration, and empowerment. NMAI stewards one of the most extensive collections of Native American cultural heritage in the world - approximately 825,000 items - representing over 12,000 years of history and more than 1,200 Indigenous cultures throughout the Americas. NMAI has three locations: NMAI-DC <https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/reopening>, NMAI-NY <https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/reopening-ny> and the Cultural Resources Center (CRC) <https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/collections/crc> in Suitland Maryland, where the collection and Conservation Department are located. Nine-MONTH CONSERVATION INTERNSHIP One nine-month internship is offered each fall for those seeking experience in cultural heritage conservation and those in allied fields, such as collections care, registration, curatorial, archives, as well as artists, makers or mountmakers, who are interested in expanding their conservation and collections care experience. The intern will gain experience in providing collections access to Native/Indigenous artists, communities and researchers; supporting collaborative work around care and stewardship, and related documentation practices; skill building in preventive conservation, opportunities for mountmaking and implementing treatment and decision making through integrated diverse knowledge sets and values. This internship is designed to support personal and professional development. It is full time, 40 hours per week for nine-months from September to June and is primarily located at the NMAI Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland. Eligibility: The nine-month internship is designed for those seeking experience in cultural heritage conservation and those in allied fields interested in expanding their experience in conservation. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and hold at least an associate degree, and proficiency of the English language. US Citizenship is not required. Criteria for Selection: Applicants are evaluated by Conservation Department staff based on a combination of their knowledge, experience, potential and vision. · Applicants must articulate an interest in the care and stewardship of Indigenous cultural heritage. They must demonstrate this interest through relevant coursework or experience or connections to Indigenous culture. · Applicants must demonstrate an openness and interest in engaging with both Western and Indigenous approaches to cultural heritage care and conservation. · Applicants must clearly articulate how this internship will support their future endeavors. · Strong applicants will demonstrate a proficiency in an artistic or conservation practice. As part of its mandate for "the increase and diffusion of knowledge," including the diverse ideas, skills, and cultures of our nation, the Smithsonian Fellowship program does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, gender stereotyping, pregnancy, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, parental status, or marital status. Stipend: This position carries a stipend of $38,000 Submission requirements: · Statement of Interest (1000 words or less)-Please share more about your personal and professional background as it relates to the intention and interest in the internship at the NMAI and what your future academic and career interests or goals may be. · Curricula Vitae/Resume/Biographical Sketch-All applicants must submit a detailed, up-to-date résumé, curriculum vitae or biographical sketch that summarizes their background in their knowledge field(s) and interest in working with communities or artists. · Two letters of professional or academic recommendation-References should be from two individuals in the same knowledge field who can speak on the merits of your work. · Transcripts-This should be of highest education achieved. Unofficial copies are accepted. Completed applications, including the two letters of recommendation, are due by 5 pm EST on March 14th, 2025. Finalists are invited for a virtual interview in early April and all applicants are notified shortly thereafter. Internship commences at the end of September/early October. How to apply: Applications must be completed and submitted through the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA) <https://solaa.si.edu/solaa/#/public> by the closing date. Requirements include unofficial undergraduate transcripts; a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or its equivalent; curriculum vitae; and two letters of recommendation from professional referees. For information about Smithsonian internships and how to register and apply via SOLAA, please visit Smithsonian Internships <https://internships.si.edu/> ------------------------------ Caitlin Mahony Objects Conservator National Museum of the American Indian Suitland United States ------------------------------ You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. 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