Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Midwest MFT Workshop - Friday March 20, 2026 2. NEW Season of Green Tea! First episode: Beatriz Haspo and APOYOnline 3. JOB POSTING - Public Art Conservation Student (Objects & Sculptures), City of Calgary 4. JOB POSTING - Public Art Conservation Student (Objects & Sculptures), City of Calgary 5. JOB POSTING - Public Art Conservation Student (Paintings), City of Calgary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: JP Brown Posted: Monday January 26, 2026 7:09 AM Subject: Midwest MFT Workshop - Friday March 20, 2026 Message: Midwest Microfading Tester Workshop Microfade testing is a powerful tool for beginning to decide how much light exposure a particular collection item can tolerate. Whether you're an MFT user looking to improve your practice, or simply MFT curious, this workshop will provide an in-person hands-on introduction to the different types of MFT machine. There will be opportunities for participants to use three different types of MFT machine: Whitmore Fotonowy Thomas retroreflective Registration Fee: $85 Participants: 18 maximum Date/Time: March 20, 2026 (Friday), 8:30 am - 3pm. Venue: Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60505. Morning coffee and lunch will be provided as part of the registration fee. Registration details at the end of this message. Schedule 08:30 - 09:00: Introduction (30 min) 09:00 - 10:20: Practical Session 1 (80 min) 10:20 - 10:40: Coffee Break (20 min) 10:40 - 12:00: Practical Session 2 (80 min) 12:00 - 13:00: Lunch (60 min) 13:00 - 14:20: Practical Session 3 (80 min) 14:20 - 14:50: Discussion and Conclusion (30 min) Instructors Whitmore MFT Vincent Laudato Beltran, Getty Conservation Institute Cindy Connelly Ryan, Library of Congress Thomas MFT (Retroreflective) JP Brown, Field Museum Erin Murphy, Field Museum Fotonowy MFT Giovanni Verri, Art Institute of Chicago Jenny Kim, Getty Conservation Institute Description This workshop will provide participants with practical experience on three iterations of the microfading tester (MFT) instruments commonly in use today: the original Whitmore MFT design, the Thomas Retroreflective MFT, and the Fotonowy MFT. The audience for this workshop includes prospective and emerging MFT users, as well as those interested in alternatives to their current MFT setups. Introduced in the mid-1990s by conservation scientist Paul Whitmore (Whitmore, Pan, and Bailie, JAIC, 1999), the MFT has become an important preventive conservation tool for evaluating light sensitivity. The technique exposes a very small area-less than 0.5 mm in diameter-to an intense light source exceeding 1 million lux, while a spectrometer simultaneously monitors color change. This method provides insight into vulnerability to light of objects and supports exhibition selection, as well as the development of material-specific lighting guidelines for display. Though the MFT is employed at heritage institutions around the world, there have been obstacles to its more widespread use. Because it is a unique technique that emerged from within the conservation field rather than from a commercial manufacturer, the formal training and technical support normally offered by instrument companies have not been available. Over the years, MFT users also began exploring alternatives to the original Whitmore MFT setup, including changes to the light source, measurement geometry, and means of automation. Thus, it is incumbent on the conservation field itself to support MFT practice, and this training workshop represents a contribution to this effort. The bulk of the workshop will be dedicated to gaining hands-on experience with the Whitmore MFT, Retroreflective MFT, and Fotonowy MFT. During three 80-minute sessions on each instrument, participants will work in small groups with expert instructors to begin learning how to operate the instrument (choosing test locations, assessing the light source, establishing test parameters, focusing the light spot, conducting the tests) and communicate the results (analyzing and interpreting the data, preparing reports, impacting lighting guidelines). Information will also be shared on the acquisition, assembly, portability, and maintenance of each instrument. The workshop will include group discussion of general MFT concepts and case studies, and a Q&A session. This workshop is organized by AIC's Microfading Tester International Discussion Group (MFT- <https://community.culturalheritage.org/groups/mft-idg>IDG <https://community.culturalheritage.org/groups/mft-idg>) in collaboration with the Getty Conservation Institute, the Library of Congress, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Field Museum. Registration Registration can be purchased from the following link (but please read the parenthetical note after the link before starting the registration process): https://tickets.fieldmuseum.org/special-event-tickets?events=6967cccd3a63d6d037b6abe8&date=2026-03-20 <https://tickets.fieldmuseum.org/special-event-tickets?events=6967cccd3a63d6d037b6abe8&date=2026-03-20> ( Note: please do not select the "After Hours meal voucher" option during checkout - apparently this option can't be turned off, but it's not something you will want as part of the workshop. ) JP JP Brown (he/his) Senior Conservator Vice-Chair MFT-IDG <https://www.culturalheritage.org/groups/mft-idg> Field Museum 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. Chicago, IL 60605 fieldmuseum.org <http://fieldmuseum.org> 2.From: Lindsey Williams Posted: Monday January 26, 2026 1:16 PM Subject: NEW Season of Green Tea! First episode: Beatriz Haspo and APOYOnline Message: Welcome back to another season of Green Tea, the podcast from the AIC Sustainability Committee. We have a few big changes coming this year that we are thrilled to share with you. Firstly, we have a new show homepage: Green Tea Podcast <https://rss.com/podcasts/green-tea/>. Here you can find all our episodes in order without a subscription to any platform. You can still find us on Spotify, PocketCasts, and other podcasting sites. Secondly, our first episode of season 3 <https://rss.com/podcasts/green-tea/2467892/> is live as of today, 1/26. "Preservation is a state of mind, it is a mission...so we have to allow this opportunity for everyone to be able to preserve." To start out this new season, Roxy is joined by Beatriz Haspo, volunteer executive director of APOYPOnline: which serves a similar role for Latin and South America as AIC does for North American conservators. Beatriz explains the goals of the organization through some of the topics presented at their latest conference in Panama. She builds on themes presented by multiple previous guests, including Josefa and Bianca, about the value of sharing knowledge within more Spanish and Portuguese-speaking regions, and expanding training opportunities beyond North America and Europe. As the conservation community continues to expand globally, we see this priority of cross-pollinating of training, lived experiences, and sustainability paradigms becoming more predominant. Beatriz emphasizes the importance of a circle of learning: public communities, Early Career Professionals, and experienced conservators alike can all learn from each other. The responsibility for preservation of our shared heritage is a collective effort and its practices shouldn't be siloed nor its trainings gate-kept. She shares how she has seen the value in a human-centered approach to disaster relief and what work that APOYOnline members have done to strengthen the resilience of their communities. This episode ends with Beatriz giving a brief review of the topics discussed in the episode in both Spanish and Portuguese. We hope that by including other languages into our programming that we can expand our audience and facilitate more connections between conservators around the globe by breaking down language barriers. ------------- Lastly, thank you to our followers who keep up with each episode as it drops and for those who share our episodes with their networks. We're so grateful to be able to continue this work for another season because we have an audience dedicated to listening and learning. This year we're focusing on expanding into sustainable exhibition design and waste mitigation strategies with many of our guests, but other themes such as traditional or indigenous knowledge are also slated for this year. If you have any questions or suggestions for episode topics in the future, please reach out to [email protected] with the subject header "Green Tea" and we look forward to hearing from you. Gratefully, Lindsey for Green Tea ------------------------------ Lindsey Williams Conservation Technician ------------------------------ 3.From: Camille Lafrance Posted: Monday January 26, 2026 3:06 PM Subject: JOB POSTING - Public Art Conservation Student (Objects & Sculptures), City of Calgary Message: 📢 JOB ALERT Join the Public Art team at The City of Calgary for Summer 2026! The City of Calgary is seeking a Public Art Conservation Student (Objects & Sculptures specialization) to support the conservation and maintenance of our outdoor public art collection from May to August 2026. This paid opportunity is open to students currently enrolled in a graduate program in Art Conservation or another relevant field. 🗓 Application Deadline: February 9, 2026 🔗 Apply here: http://www.calgary.ca/careers <http://www.calgary.ca/careers> or https://recruiting.calgary.ca/ <https://recruiting.calgary.ca/psp/hcm/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&Action=U&SiteId=1&FOCUS=Applicant&JobOpeningId=313239&PostingSeq=1> Come help care for Calgary's vibrant public art collection this summer! ------------------------------ Camille Lafrance Public Art Associate Conservator City of Calgary [email protected] ------------------------------ 4.From: Camille Lafrance Posted: Monday January 26, 2026 3:07 PM Subject: JOB POSTING - Public Art Conservation Student (Objects & Sculptures), City of Calgary Message: 📢 JOB ALERT! Join the Public Art team at The City of Calgary for Summer 2026! The City of Calgary is seeking a Public Art Conservation Student (Objects & Sculptures specialization) to support the conservation and maintenance of our outdoor public art collection from May to August 2026. This paid opportunity is open to students currently enrolled in a graduate program in Art Conservation or another relevant field. 🗓 Application Deadline: February 9, 2026 🔗 Apply here: http://www.calgary.ca/careers <http://www.calgary.ca/careers> or https://recruiting.calgary.ca/ <https://recruiting.calgary.ca/psp/hcm/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&Action=U&SiteId=1&FOCUS=Applicant&JobOpeningId=313239&PostingSeq=1> Come help care for Calgary's vibrant public art collection this summer! ------------------------------ Camille Lafrance Public Art Associate Conservator City of Calgary [email protected]< ------------------------------ 5.From: Camille Lafrance Posted: Monday January 26, 2026 3:07 PM Subject: JOB POSTING - Public Art Conservation Student (Paintings), City of Calgary Message: 📢 JOB ALERT Join the Public Art team at The City of Calgary for Summer 2026! The City of Calgary is seeking a Public Art Conservation Student (Paintings specialization) to assist with the conservation of indoor painted murals from May to August 2026. This paid opportunity is open to students currently enrolled in a graduate program in Art Conservation or another relevant field. 🗓 Application Deadline: February 9, 2026 🔗 Apply here: http://www.calgary.ca/careers <http://www.calgary.ca/careers> or https://recruiting.calgary.ca/ <https://recruiting.calgary.ca/psp/hcm/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_FL.HRS_CG_SEARCH_FL.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST_FL&Action=U&SiteId=1&FOCUS=Applicant&JobOpeningId=313240&PostingSeq=1> ------------------------------ Camille Lafrance Associate Conservator City of Calgary Public Art Program Calgary Canada ------------------------------ You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. To change your subscriptions, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions. 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