Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. RE: Museums as Cooling Stations 2. RE: Impact of weather changes on collections 3. Humidity Stabilization Sheets & Alternatives 4. Contract Opportunities at the Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum 5. Retouching of Faded Taxidermy Specimens Made of Fur in Natural History Collections ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Kilian Anheuser Posted: Wednesday July 15, 2026 7:12 AM Subject: RE: Museums as Cooling Stations Message: Dear Carolyn, It doesn't play havoc with climate control and spaces don't fill up with hot, sweaty humans either. We wish they did, though, because it is one of our strategic aims to get more visitors in, especially those who do not normally visit museums. What an opportunity! It is now several years that the city of Geneva has established a formal plan to protect vulnerable people during heat waves. Among other measures, people are invited to come to refuge areas such as temporary water mist spraying sites in public parks, and also our air conditioned galleries. Entrance to our permanent collections is always free and in summer we put out deck chairs in a suitable area in the galleries and invite our visitors to come, stay and relax. There is free wifi, too. No coffee in the galleries, though. The uptake is quite modest. Yes, we do get a few people who obviously just come to cool down, but you'll always find a place to sit down comfortably if you come and visit us. The effect on the HVAC system is totally negligeable. Best regards, Kilian Curator for preventive conservation MEG Geneva ------------------------------ Kilian Anheuser Conservation Scientist Musée d'ethnographie de Genève Genève Switzerland ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 07-14-2026 16:36 From: Carolyn Tallent Subject: Museums as Cooling Stations The recurring extreme heat is causing thousands of deaths across Europe. Some museums have been officially opened to the public as cooling centers, and many others are undoubtedly being used as such by the public. This is an important function for museums, but we know that it will play havoc with climate control as spaces fill up with hot, sweaty humans. I am interested in collecting information from museums/institutions as to what has taken place: what has been the effect on temperature or RH; what was the recovery time; was the entire museum open or were galleries with more vulnerable objects closed; was it possible to control the at-risk galleries; what worked and what didn't. What kinds of protocols were used: reduced hours; controlled admittance; additional cooling equipment; and did larger crowds mean more security risk, etc. This is a subject that could and should be discussed here, online on various lists, however, there is value in having the information compiled in a published article, which can be searched online. The WAAC Newsletter is a very good venue for information of this sort. The time from submission to publication is very short, sometimes as little as a month, depending on the publication cycle. Newsletter content is reserved for members for about a year and then is free for all on our website. Due to the timeliness of this information, this article/compilation might be posted sooner. Also, besides online posting, feel free to contact me directly. If there is a need to keep your museum/institution's information private that will be respected, it can be shared anonymously. Contributions of any length are welcome. Carolyn Tallent WAAC Newsletter Editor 2.From: Cecilia Oliver Posted: Wednesday July 15, 2026 11:11 AM Subject: RE: Impact of weather changes on collections Message: Hi, Thanks all for getting back to me and all your thoughts. We are looking at the risks to the collections, particularly decorative arts collections, with changes and fluctuations in weather. As you say, building control can only go so far and actually that in itself is causing other problems. We're interested in how others are re-assessing treatment needs and priorities as a result of these changes. Whether some methods are working better then others (i.e. with adhesives reactivating in the heat) or if treatments are needed more frequently as a result. Really interesting that some are suggesting relaxing limits, but I guess that raises the questions of how far can different object types be pushed? I'm wondering if we need to add another ethical dimension to our decision making about what a treatment needs to stand up against. I'm hoping this becomes more of a conversation now that the climate is becoming such a big issue. Thanks again Cecilia ------------------------------ Cecilia Oliver Textile Conservator Royal Collection Trust Windsor United Kingdom ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 07-11-2026 11:00 From: Abigail Mack Subject: Impact of weather changes on collections Cecilia, Though it looks like you are thinking of indoor collections, I wanted to add that outdoor sculpture is very much impacted by climate change. Part of my practice focuses on outdoor sculpture and we have seen dramatic damage from storms. We are currently working on a sculpture that was damaged in a rouge tornado that was not typical for the display region. For mid-century artworks, many were not reviewed by engineers during design and fabrication and for those that had an engineer involved the threshold for structural resistance is far below current recorded high-wind events. More newly made outdoor sculpture is not exempt from artists, fabricators, engineers, plus sellers and buyers underestimating the impact of possible weather events. I will tell you, however, that the insurance industry is certainly paying attention to this. I thank you for bringing up this topic! Abigail Mack Mack Art Conservation & Monumenta 3.From: Selin Kahramanoglu Posted: Wednesday July 15, 2026 2:10 PM Subject: Humidity Stabilization Sheets & Alternatives Message: Hello All, I am new to the forum, so I appreciate your assistance with my conservation efforts. I am currently supporting the Toronto Holocaust Museum, where there will be an upcoming artifact rotation, but the museum is dealing with some high fluctuations in humidity within some of our display cases and drawers. The units are not perfectly sealed, which is the main challenge, as I am looking into solutions to help with stabilization. Thankfully, the artifacts have not suffered, but I would like to take the opportunity of the museum's exhibition changeover to make some improvements to environmental control strategies. Has anyone used humidity stabilization sheets, and if so, are you pleased with their results? Are there alternative options that you prefer? Silica gel packets will jiggle as the drawers open (our space is very quiet), and I cannot plug-in a dehumidifier for each gallery, so I am open to suggestions. Thank you so much, Selin ------------------------------ Selin Kahramanoglu Collections & Gallery Manager Toronto Holocaust Museum ------------------------------ 4.From: Lauren Horelick Posted: Wednesday July 15, 2026 2:11 PM Subject: Contract Opportunities at the Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum Message: The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution seeks to contract with 1 to 2 individuals to provide conservation assessments and treatments. The work under this contract will take place within the Conservation departments lab at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. The Request for Quote and Statement of Work, which contain the details regarding this contract opportunities are available upon request until September 8, 2026. Requests to obtain these documents will not be accepted after that date. Bids are due by 5:30 on Sept 14th, 2026. All correspondence regarding this request should include the subject line "Conservation Treatments" Please submit your request for the RFQ, SOW, and any questions to: Lauren Horelick Objects Conservator NASM Conservation [email protected] <[email protected]> 5.From: Celina Klink Posted: Wednesday July 15, 2026 5:32 PM Subject: Retouching of Faded Taxidermy Specimens Made of Fur in Natural History Collections Message: My name is Celina Klink, and I am a second-semester master's student in the Department of Object Conservation at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, Germany. As part of my current project, I am working on the conservation and restoration of a bison taxidermy specimen from the permanent exhibition at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart. Due to exposure to sunlight and UV radiation over the past 20 years, the specimen has undergone significant color changes. To restore the object's legibility and visual appeal, these changes will be corrected to its original condition through retouching. According to the literature, Orasol® pigments and dye solutions are particularly well-suited in terms of their color effect, reversibility, and lightfastness; however, in practical application at the Natural History Museum in Stuttgart, they proved only partially satisfactory (red hues in particular proved to be not lightfast, while yellow hues could not be completely removed). It is of great interest to me how other institutions deal with this issue. I would therefore like to ask you to participate in the survey below and share the experience in your institution with handling fur specimens that have changed color. It will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. All information provided will be used exclusively for the purposes of this project. Thank you very much for your support! https://www.survio.com/survey/d/Q1Y6N7B6E6R1G1O2C ------------------------------ Celina Klink Student Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart Germany ------------------------------ You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. To change your subscriptions, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to https://community.culturalheritage.org/HigherLogic/eGroups/Unsubscribe.aspx?UserKey=d16eaa87-0f69-494b-9f2f-303dbc1222e1&sKey=fab9aa4f27a04c5d876e&GroupKey=757a8f16-505f-4323-8e74-e376757aa9f7.
