Section History The
conservation laboratory was established in 1979 with the hiring of Joan
Gardner, the museum’s first conservator. During her tenure, thousands
of artifacts were examined and treated for the museum’s three permanent
Anthropology galleries, environmental guidelines for artifacts on exhibit
and in storage were established, conservation testing of materials for
use in exhibit case construction was instituted, and environmental monitoring
of galleries and storage areas was begun. Gardner was also instrumental
in obtaining the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant which
funded the museum’s 1989 general conservation survey, resulting
in the production of the museum’s first long-range preservation
plan. The conservation laboratory began as part of the Section of Anthropology,
but became an independent section in 1997.
Barbara
Hamann was head of the conservation laboratory
through 2007. Barb's interests included preventive conservation,
preparation
and treatment of natural science specimens, long-range
planning for preservation of natural history museum collections,
and historic
use of pesticides on ethnographic objects and natural science specimens.
Barb was also instrumental in the successful application for a Save
America's Treasures grant and the accreditation process with the
American Association of Museums.
Preventive Conservation
The section works with the administration, scientific staff, security
and safety personnel, buildings and grounds staff, and the exhibits
department to establish and implement policies for the safe handling,
storage, and display of the museum’s collections. Because
cultural material and natural science specimens can be damaged
irreversibly by
prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light and excessive visible light,
fluctuating or inappropriate levels of temperature and relative
humidity,
insects, and particulate and gaseous pollutants, the museum strives
to eliminate these threatening factors from the collections environment.
The goal of preventive conservation is to stop or slow deterioration
of the collections through control of these external influences.
Conservation Treatment
Conservation treatment is sometimes required to repair or stabilize
an artifact which has suffered damage or deterioration due to external
forces or internal problems. The chemicals and procedures used
in the
treatment are recorded by the conservator, and the report is preserved
in the artifact’s permanent file. The treatment report also includes
written and photographic documentation of the artifact’s condition
and appearance before, during, and after the treatment. A responsible
conservation treatment requires an understanding of the chemical
and
physical nature of the artifact, of the treatment materials themselves,
and of the potential interactions between the two.
A small Tlingit basket before and after
being repaired in the Conservation Laboratory at Carnegie Museum
of Natural History.
The
conservation laboratory was established in 1979 with the hiring of Joan
Gardner, the museum’s first conservator. During her tenure, thousands
of artifacts were examined and treated for the museum’s three permanent
Anthropology galleries, environmental guidelines for artifacts on exhibit
and in storage were established, conservation testing of materials for
use in exhibit case construction was instituted, and environmental monitoring
of galleries and storage areas was begun. Gardner was also instrumental
in obtaining the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant which
funded the museum’s 1989 general conservation survey, resulting
in the production of the museum’s first long-range preservation
plan. The conservation laboratory began as part of the Section of Anthropology,
but became an independent section in 1997.
Barbara
Hamann was head of the conservation laboratory
through 2007. Barb's interests included preventive conservation,
preparation
and treatment of natural science specimens, long-range
planning for preservation of natural history museum collections,
and historic
use of pesticides on ethnographic objects and natural science specimens.
Barb was also instrumental in the successful application for a Save
America's Treasures grant and the accreditation process with the
American Association of Museums.
