What is Conservation?
And how does it differ from restoration or simply just fixing or refinishing something?
Conservation is a more cautious approach to repair or maintenance so that as much of the history of the object can be preserved, appreciated and studied by future generations.
Conservators are typically artists and craftspeople who have continue their training and education by studying art history, science, ethics and preservation techniques. While there are formal training programs for conservators, many learn the trade through apprenticeships or ‘on the job training’. Conservators usually specialize in one of the following areas:
Paintings
Books and Paper
Wood Artifacts (furniture, but almost anything made of wood)
Photographs
Textiles (this may include upholstery)
Architecture
Electronic and Digital Media
Objects (this covers metal objects, but also an unlimited range of objects and materials)
There is overlap in these specialties. For example, I use many techniques developed by painting conservators to treat painted furniture as well as furniture with historic vanishes.
Conservation is concerned with the long range impact of the treatments performed on objects rather than simply repairing something broken. Loose, wobbly chairs are good examples of a conservation approach to maintenance. Sooner or later, all chairs come apart with use. Chair joints are designed to loosen or “give way” before the forces involved fracture the legs, rails and stretchers between the joints. This is because It is easier to disassemble and re-glue chair’s joints than to repair or replace (and color match) the exposed parts, the parts between the joints. What makes disassembly difficult is when well meaning, but uniformed people use nails, modern adhesives and other inappropriate methods to fix loose chairs. We’re all guilty of this. From a very young age, I loved working with my hands and enjoyed fixing things at home. I drove many nails into furniture that in later years I had to remove. Nails have no place in chair repair because they don’t hold as well as glue and they are very time consuming to remove when they inevitably fail.
Chairs and most furniture rely on glue joints for their structural stability. Hide glue (a natural protein/collagen based adhesive) was used for centuries to assemble furniture. Its strength is that it’s easier to reverse or re-treat than modern adhesives (like carpenter’s glue and epoxy). Modern adhesives have their place, but almost never should they be used for re-gluing chairs because they are very time consuming to reverse when inevitably, a chair will need maintenance. I’ve had discussions with others in the trade who insist that using epoxy in a chair joint will almost guarantee that the joint will never come apart. This might be true, but a joint that won’t ‘give way’ under stress will likely cause a leg, seat rail or stretcher to fracture. At this point, repairing the chair becomes very difficult, if not impossible and what is otherwise a good chair is now at risk of being thrown away for no other reason not anticipating future maintenance. Conservation is a thinking person’s approach to preservation in that it anticipates that not just chairs, but all objects will need continued maintenance. Phrases like “repairs guaranteed for life” and “fixed for good” ignore the fact that accidents and unforeseen things occur. Making maintenance easier for those in the future is perhaps the biggest benefit of conservation.
Because of this cautious approach, museums and collectors should not feel rushed to treat objects that have issues. Removing objects from a harmful environment is an exception of course. Otherwise, I encounter few situations where objects need immediate treatment. This means you can carefully consider treatment, get second opinions or wait for funding.
Most conservators today are in private practice and serve museums and the general public, but some are full-time employees of large museums. Presently there is no certification or licensing for conservators, so anyone can use (or misuse) the title. So unfortunately, it’s up to you to vet those claiming to be a conservator. Ask to see a resume and/or references. If they are a member of the AIC (American Institute for Conservation) there is a pretty good chance they have training and experience. The AIC requires their members at the professional level to adhere to uniform ethics and practices. The AIC also has a peer review process that awards professional membership and requires CPD (Continuing Professional Development) to maintain this professional status. If you find a conservator through the AIC ‘find a professional member’ page, there is a good chance they will be qualified to treat your objects. The AIC has about 3000 members. In addition , the AIC is a good resource for information about grants available for conservation. So if you are a museum, this is worth looking into.
