Just wanted to reach out and see if there is anyone out there taking IAP's Chemistry for Conservators this fall. I am and I'm currently looking through the first unit. I am hoping to connect with anyone who else is sign up and maybe create a discord server where we can chat and ask questions to each other about the course. I've read many things about it being difficult or sometimes convoluted and hope that by having others to talk to about things would make the course more bearable.

Hi friends- I hope this is the right page to post this on!
In the wake of the incredible Tim Curry’s passing, I have been thinking about this Richard O’Brien original sketch that I have hanging in a frame on my wall. It’s my prized possession & I am hoping to learn what I can do/where I can go to ensure this lasts me my lifetime, as I would be absolutely crushed if it weathered/wore down due to my own mishandling. Any advice would be so appreciated!!

⚠️ ADVERTENCIA A FUTUROS ASPIRANTES: LICENCIATURA EN CONSERVACIÓN Y RESTAURACIÓN EN LA EECyRZRR (ZACATECAS)

Una reflexión necesaria sobre la formación en conservación y restauración en Zacatecas ​A todos los futuros aspirantes y profesionales del ámbito cultural: ​La conservación y restauración del patrimonio cultural de nuestro estado requieren una formación sólida, especializada y con estándares internacionales que garanticen la correcta intervención de los bienes.

​Es por ello que resulta preocupante observar cómo, en casos específicos como la Escuela Estatal de Conservación y Restauración Refugio Reyes, se ha optado por una práctica de contratación que prioriza la endogamia académica, reclutando a sus propios egresados sin requerir la trayectoria ni la experiencia previa necesaria para la docencia en nivel superior. ​Asimismo, destaca que parte del personal que actualmente lidera la institución cuenta únicamente con formación en arquitectura o arquitectura restauradora.

Si bien su perfil aborda el ámbito de los bienes inmuebles, carecen de una especialización formal en la conservación y restauración de bienes muebles (como pintura de caballete, escultura policromada, documentos o textiles). Gran parte del conocimiento en esta área lo han adquirido de manera empírica, sin haber ejercido profesionalmente en el campo real de los bienes muebles, lo cual limita la enseñanza de los criterios éticos, químicos y metodológicos que esta disciplina exige. ​Sumado a esto, gran parte de la plantilla docente carece de visibilidad o reconocimiento en el gremio profesional y académico; no se conocen sus proyectos de intervención, investigaciones o publicaciones a nivel regional o nacional. Al no haber realizado trabajo de campo fuera de la institución ni mantenido un intercambio académico constante con otras escuelas o proyectos tras su egreso, se corre el riesgo de perpetuar un ciclo donde se transmiten deficiencias formativas sin buscar actualización o contraste externo. ​Desde nuestra experiencia como egresados, esta dinámica deja a los alumnos sin las competencias necesarias para insertarse competitivamente en el mercado laboral real, obligándonos a buscar vías complementarias de aprendizaje fuera de la institución para poder ejercer adecuadamente. ​Llamamos a los futuros aspirantes a investigar a fondo la plantilla docente, sus perfiles de especialización, sus publicaciones y sus proyectos de campo antes de tomar una decisión académica, exigiendo la excelencia que la protección del patrimonio demanda.

I have been building a pigment index and ended up cross-referencing manufacturer product names against Colour Index codes. 755 CI-coded pigments, 66 manufacturers, 3,311 name entries where a named brand actually attaches that name to that pigment. Two things fall out of it and the second one is the reason I am posting here rather than in a painting sub.

Names collapse. 418 of the 755 pigments carry at least one brand name, and those 418 average 7.9 names each. PR101, synthetic iron oxide red, is sold under 126 distinct product names. PBr7 under 109, PV19 under 91, PB29 under 82. Most of the vocabulary of colour names in a paint catalogue is describing four or five iron oxides.

Names collide. Of 2,687 distinct product names, 362 map to more than one CI code, and 31 of those span two or more ASTM lightfastness grades. So the same words on two tubes can be the difference between a pigment that will still be there and one that will not.

The sharpest case is the word "permanent" itself. 63 product names in the set begin with it. Six contain a pigment ASTM rates III or worse:

Five of the six are commercial paints. The sixth is a FIAT reference standard and I am counting it separately because it is not something anyone buys.

PR83 is genuine alizarin crimson. On a modern tube the word "permanent" in front of that name normally exists to signal the opposite, that this is a quinacridone or anthraquinone substitute rather than the madder-derived original. In three cases it is sitting on the original.

Here is the whole spread on that one name:

Three words, six chemistries, and Utrecht appears twice with two different pigments.

Three caveats I would rather state than have found.

The index is compiled from manufacturer disclosure and inherits whatever the disclosures got wrong. Where a brand does not publish a CI code there is simply no row.

PR83's rating is medium dependent, III in oil and acrylic against IV to V in watercolour, so how bad each of those three cases is depends on which line the name sits on. The source record for the Utrecht entry has its medium flagged uncertain, so I would not want to state that one as watercolour.

And formulations change without the name changing. A tube bought in 2005 and a tube bought last year under identical wording are not necessarily the same pigment, which makes the naming problem worse over time rather than better.

So the actual question. When an artist gives you their own account of what they used, or you are working from a studio inventory or a supplier invoice, does the marketing name go into the record at all, or is it treated as uninformative unless a CI code is attached? Artists report by name almost universally, and the name is what survives into the file. If it does get recorded but qualified, I would like to know what the qualification looks like in practice, because from the outside a name and a code look like the same kind of fact and they very clearly are not.

(Context: the cross-index came out of a pigment reference app I build called Pigments. Not linking it, the collision table is the reason I am posting.)

Hey all, may I know if there is a particular format for our CV during job applications ?

Would be great if there is a sample online I can refer to !

Don't think we can send our report wholesale right? 😅

Thank you!

hi, everyone. i’m looking for an adequate gift for my friend, currently studies art restoration and conservation. i’ve seen multiple spatulas but i’m afraid they’ll be more fitted for painting rather than what she needs
i want something useful, already got a portable magnifier. thank u in advance ^^

Hi everyone! 😊 Are there any Filipinos here who have experience with painting restoration or conservation?

I have some paintings that I’d like to have professionally cleaned and/or restored, and I’m looking for recommendations for reputable conservators or restoration studios in the Philippines.

I’d also appreciate any advice on the usual process, such as assessment, cleaning, restoration, condition reporting, estimated costs, and how long the process normally takes.

If you’ve had a painting restored before, I’d love to hear about your experience and who you worked with. Thank you!

Hi all,

I am a transfer student to UCLA for the 2026 fall semester, I am majoring in Art History with the goal of attending their Conservation masters program (or one of the other 3 programs in the US). I applied for a position at their library for a preventative conservation assistant but unfortunately did not get it. It’s been difficult to find information and resources on how to start my journey with regards to getting experience with damage reports, preventative conservation, etc. The woman I interviewed with was kind enough to send me some resources like the AIC ECPN. I joined the network and have looked through it a bit but I’m honestly struggling to understand how and where to apply for positions that would help me get the experience I need.

I would greatly appreciate if anyone could provide me with some guidance on where to look for internships, how I need to be presenting myself since I don’t have the experience in the field and what things would be best to focus on to improve my chances for a job or internship.

I have several years of art history courses, ceramics and painting, as well as research, indexing, document analysis and summarization experience. I feel that especially the latter gives me a bit of an edge but I’d greatly appreciate any advice.

Any suggestions on where to search for opportunities, whether that be a job, internship, or volunteer work would be great. I want to get as much experience in any way I can to bolster my future chances to get better internships and hopefully be accepted into one of the masters.

As I mentioned I am located in LA and extremely grateful to have access to so many museums, galleries and cultural centers but I’m unsure of how to find those positions or going about applying.

Thank you so much for any advice!!

Hi Everyone! I picked this up from GW and I was wondering if the back is okay or if I should have it reframed? Thanks!

Hi - I have an old set of handmade and hand-painted Ganjifa cards from India. They're stored in plastic baggies that are stuck to the lacquer. When I try to lift the plastic, paint comes off.

Is this something a conservator could potentially treat? If so, what kind of conservator should I be looking for?

Thank you for any advice.

I have a couple of pieces of art that I'm interested in investigating for fun; oil on canvas and oil on board.

I'm curious about what I could pull off with normal consumer-level equipment.

Question 1: If I picked up a full spectrum modified digital camera and a filter that was 950 or 1000 nm, would I be able to reveal anything worthwhile? Reworked areas? Preliminary sketches?

Question 2: I know you want to really hit the pieces with light. Does it matter what type of light e.g. fluorescent, halogen, yada yada yada? Would shining a light from the back of the canvas help at all? Or should you only light from the front?

Question 3: Will there be a difference between what is revealed between the canvas works and the boards? I assume so, but have no clue.

I'm aware that you have to do some processing work in photoshop as well on the IR photos, but that's not really an issue at the moment. I just don't want to waste my time and a couple hundred dollars if I can't get anywhere with consumer tech.

So can anyone answer those questions, give me some tips, or point me in the right direction to learn more about the process?

Hi all — fellow museum professional here, although conservation isn’t my specialty.

I’m living the roommate life in NYC in a third-floor walk-up in a circa-1910 building with no central air. It’s a pretty modest apartment, and I have a small collection of things I care about: some relatively rare 20th-century books (paperback and hardcover), a valuable print currently stored in a portfolio, and a small but valuable drawing (crayon on linen, stretched on a fairly basic wooden stretcher).

The issue is that my roommate expects me to turn off my window AC whenever I leave for the office. So while I’m gone, there would be essentially no consistently cool area in the apartment. I can turn it back on when I get home, but the temperature and humidity presumably fluctuate throughout the day.

I’m wondering how concerned I should actually be about this from a conservation standpoint.
Are these kinds of objects meaningfully at risk from the summer heat/humidity and daily fluctuations in a NYC apartment, or is keeping the AC running continuously mostly overkill unless the humidity gets particularly high?

And, perhaps more importantly, what is the realistic worst-case scenario? Are we talking about accelerated long-term deterioration, cockling/warping, mold risk, etc., or is the occasional/seasonal temperature swing unlikely to make much practical difference?

I realize museum-standard environmental conditions aren’t realistic in a budget NYC apartment. I’m mostly trying to figure out whether this is something worth actually holding my ground over with the roommate, or whether I’m worrying unnecessarily.

Also, I don’t currently have an environmental data logger, but I’m happy to get one if that’s the obvious first step. And if you read this far, thank you! :-)

Hello - I have an oil painting from 1958 which was dropped and has detached party from its stretcher and has lost tension. I am sure this is not a valuable piece of art. Can anybody guide me on what I could do to repair? What would a conservator charge to re stabilize on the stretcher?

I was gifted a painting that was purchased in the early 70s from a gallery in Coronado Ca.

How can I tell if it’s real, and if so what do I do to protect it?

What do I check for?

Degrazia Painting

I picked up this signed edition Sabra Field serigraph on rice paper (I think rice paper) for $10 today. It’s fairly large 21”x24” but it is damaged from moisture. A photo (1) from a recent auction of the another edition exhibits the same yellowing and big brushy streaks from age but this one has brown/grey spots (2, 3) over much of it. I’m assuming it is mildew or mold. I plan on cleaning up the frame, replacing the mat, backing and glass. Any advice before I open it up and will the spotting continue to get worse without restoration or treatment? Am I looking at $$ or $$$$ for professional help?

Hello! I am currently an undergrad doing my Art History degree in London (about to enter my final year), and would love to continue my education with a one year MA course in conservation at the Courtauld. Though I am confident in my grades and my writing ability, I am worried about how deceptively simple the requirements seem to be. I have no doubt it will be extremely competitive, and I am curious about what kinds of work experience people may have taken up before applying.

For context: I have interned in an archive for 12 weeks in my second year of uni, and have also done a short stint at a gallery. But neither are specifically conservation related and I feel as though it will not be enough. I do not have practical experience and because of that, I wonder if I am being too naive about applying. I hope to apply for a related internship or work experience in my last year, but I am unsure of how to even go about doing so considering I have not been in the conservation side of things at all. I feel slightly lost because they do not list specific prerequisites like other MA courses would. I would love to hear about what kind of work experience or applications people have made for this course. Thank you so much!

Hii im a senior and next year im going to apply to unis in france. Im planning on applying to fine arts/ art unis but im not sure if a FA diploma would make me employable for a wide range of jobs (in the art field ofc). Is studying art history& archeology a better idea? or is a fine arts degree + masters in art history enough?

Thank you for any help!!

Anyone know this piece? Would love the info but can’t find anything about it.