AIC's 53rd Annual Meeting

Charged with preparing for the first comprehensive exhibition of the Gorham Collection of American silver since 1984, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) museum embarked on a volunteer-based “mass” conservation project. This Decorative Arts collectionis comprised of over 2,000 pieces and represents the largest holdings of Gorham in any museum collection. Dating from 1831-1981, the Gorham silver manufacturing company from Providence, Rhode Island, grew to be a substantial player in both the commercial market as well as the innovative art wares category. As theGorham Manufacturing Companyand the RISD Museum share the same town of origin, this particular conservation project resonated with much of the local community in a variety of unique ways. Three years in advance of the opening of the 2019 exhibition“Designing Innovation: The Gorham Manufacturing Company 1850-1970”, the cleaning, polishing and stabilizing of the silver commenced. As the quantity of sterling silver objects proposed for display numbered 1250, an equally large number of vetted, and trainable, volunteers was needed to undertake such an ambitious conservation project. This conservation project ultimately involved managing 90 community and student volunteers. As Providence is comprised of many institutions of higher learning, a significant level of student participation could be incorporated into this hands-on project. A short video (Silver Linings, www.risdmuseum.org) was created mid-way through this project to highlight five particular students, each traveling on a different educational path, who chose to dedicate their unstructured time to this collaborative project.“Designing Innovation: The Gorham Manufacturing Company 1850-1970”was designed as a traveling exhibition. By harnessing the talent of graduate level students in theJewelry + Metalsmithing Department at RISD,an illustrated visual glossary for condition reporting was created which proved to be a unique and symbiotic learning opportunity for both the conservator and young, emerging fine art students. This illustrated silver digital reference was collaboratively further refined in tandem with the museum’s registration department so that all of the terminology was composed of well-defined and non-ambiguous definitions to avoid any potential misinterpretation of condition issues during the duration of the exhibition. An additional academic opportunity presented itself for a capstone senior thesis project, focusing on a proprietary conservation material, was also another symbiotic educational oppportunity for reciprocal learning that benefited both the student and the museum.A highly collaborative project, the synergy created by a museum conservator working with a wide range of community volunteers was mutually beneficial in many creative ways. This paper will examine the ways in which a complex conservation project with a limited budget and staff can be organized and managed. Discussion will include the many creative interactions that resulted from the fusion of individuals with wide-ranging expertise from the Providence community. Creating a symbiotic working environment in which 90 untrained conservation volunteers could be identified and retained will be explored. Most importantly, the management of this conservation project required critical focus on training non-conservation professionals to use conservation protocols which were straightforward in interpretation and application.