AIC's 53rd Annual Meeting

Pedro Loredo (1923-2010) was a Mexican fashion designer who stood out for his distinctive style that drew heavily on Mexico’s pre-Hispanic heritage, incorporating elements like Mitla architecture and Mexica designs. Named "ambassador of Mexican fashion to the world” he created a collection of over five hundred dresses, as well as designed costumes for Mexican talk shows, movies, and “telenovelas.” After his passing, these costumes were safeguarded by his sons, Tonatiuh and Pedro Loredo, who cherished them as a testament to their father’s legacy. Our connection with them began with treatment on one of the dresses during our college years and continued with the Loredo family's plan to write a book about his life and work.

Since that moment, our collaboration transformed the conservation project into a shared journey of discovery. Their insight, as knowledge keepers, into the designer's life was a guide for our work as conservators. Through this project, we demonstrated how facing the unknown together—through open communication and nourishing relationships—can lead to more meaningful conservation outcomes.  The conservation proposal for "The Pedro Loredo Costume Collection,” includes the creation of a survey form addressing the condition report, the characterization of the collection, and an assessment of the storage location.

The proposal was based on a “Systems Approach” methodology that examines interactions between the Collection, Space, Operators, and Users. Documenting the collection and uncovering its scope, variety, and condition, which had been unknown for years. The proposal also involved cataloging the costume collection, assessing the condition of the storage space, and conducting discussions and interviews with conservators, photographers, fashion historians, and the knowledge keepers.This model, focused on human aspects, helps us to identify key areas for maintaining the collection and collaborating in more enriched ways with our professional experience as conservators.

During this process, we recognized the value of building a relationship with the owners to reconstruct the history of the collection and detect priorities. Understanding the deep personal and historical significance of the collection through interviews and listening to their stories, we were able to make better-informed decisions throughout the conservation project. These narratives not only enriched our approach to Pedro Loredo's work but also allowed us to reconstruct a significant period in the history of Mexican fashion, and to highlight the need for specialized conservation efforts in this field.

An unfinished crazy quilt, dated 1886, by the Ladies of the Presbyterian Missionary & Aid Society in Reedsburg, Wisconsin was slated for rotation in August 2024 for the Art of the Quilter exhibit at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Crazy quilts are a class defined by asymmetry and Victorian fancywork that reached peak popularity at the end of the nineteenth century. They use an abundance of different fabrics, particularly weighted silks, which are notorious for their propensity to split and shatter over time. When combined with a smorgasbord of decorative techniques, such as the painting, stuffed-work, ribbon-work, stamped inscriptions, metallic thread, applique, and plentiful embroidery used in this example, a plethora of unique conservation challenges develop all on the same quilt. These condition issues required several novel solutions, including the use of painted overlays, solvent gels, and gentle adhesive reactivation with a heating pad.

Painted overlays were used to stabilize patches of split and shattered silks. The patches were irregular in shape and neighbored by a variety of colors. Overlays of nylon bobbinet were painted with PROfab textile paints and Golden Artist Colors acrylic paints to match color transitions and fabric patterns. This allowed the overlays to be secured in more stable neighboring patches and to match, rather than obscure, pattern elements.

Solvent gels were utilized in stain reduction for an area in which a small L-shaped tear had formed. The stain was dark and stiff in character and tests indicated that it was soluble in acetone. Agarose gels immersed in acetone for 24 hours were tested at 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% w/v concentrations on mockups. Concerns about solvent spread and tideline formation also led to experiments with a dabbing technique. Testing directly on the stain with 4% w/v gels resulted in significant stain reduction and a yellow tone visible on the spent gels. However, when treatment proceeded with new 4% w/v gels, the same results could not be achieved. The issue could be attributed to a change in rheology caused by longer acetone immersion and treatment proceeded with 3% w/v gels instead. The dabbing technique was employed with some success in areas with limited access.

A heating pad was used to reactivate the adhesive treatment for a cracked and brittle painted flower on a velvet ground. A large tear had formed through the center of the painted flower, accompanied by a small loss. An adhesive approach was selected due to the brittle nature of the area; however, reactivation by solvent or a heat spatula carried chemical or mechanical risks for the paint. Aiming to utilize its tacky nature as a pressure-sensitive solution, undiluted Lascaux 360 HV was selected as the adhesive and applied to a heavy-weight Japanese paper. Unfortunately, testing indicated that contact pressure alone was unlikely to result in a strong enough bond. A consumer-grade heating pad, advertised to achieve up to 60°C (the activation temperature of Lascaux 360 HV is 50°C), was tested and employed for the treatment, resulting in a successful, though fragile bond.

The presence of pesticide residues in art historical collections has been researched for decades with increased activity in recent years as more museums are actively testing collections objects and sometimes working spaces. While much information has been shared on detection methods, there is less discussion of next steps, i.e., the development of safety programs to guide staff in how to safely interact with such collections. The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum rapidly accelerated assessment and response activities in this area in 2023. Object detection methods were standard (detection of inorganic pesticide residues via portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy). But unique collaborations and creative resource employment expanded the ability to test facilities for both inorganic and organic contaminants. Even more so, these collaborations aided the development of robust safety programs which employ industrial hygiene methods of mechanical and administrative controls. Partnering with safety professionals bolstered conservation staff’s operating ethos that testing data should drive any response. Personal protective equipment use was formalized and expanded, cleaning regimens were mechanized, signage and logs were used to underscore new training, barriers to compliance were removed, waste removal was formalized, industrial hygiene workflows were employed and new internal guiding documents were developed. Partnerships transformed this process: with industrial hygienists, government organizations, museum, and university colleagues. Collaboration was critical to advancing these efforts as existing industrial hygiene models could be leveraged rather than creating such programs from scratch.

A wedding ensemble of bodice, skirt, and veil, dated to 1840 in the collection of a regional museum was partially cleaned and entirely conserved. It had been worn at least twice, most recently by a descendant of the original owner in 1941, 101 years after it was made. The top layer of both bodice and skirt were of silk gauze, which was badly soiled on the skirt and fractured and torn on both pieces. Both featured a second robust layer of heavy silk satin, and the bodice had a further sturdy lining of plain-weave linen. Accessibility of the gauze layer for treatment was made difficult by its incorporation into cartridge pleats at the skirt waistband, and into all construction seaming of the bodice. Conservation involved partial disassembly of the skirt for wet cleaning and extensive underlays or overlays of silk crepeline on both pieces. A variety of seam and edge treatments were employed, including machine and hand stitching, with and without the addition of adhesive.

Not all museum conservators work in museums. This is a common start to conversations between conservators in private practice and our acquaintances, family, and potential clients. Sometimes it takes the insights of outsiders to the art world to realize just how demanding this career choice can be. Twenty-five years ago, I found myself in the position that many conservators have or perhaps will have when work opportunities and life goals do not line up. The result was the establishment of Museum Textile Services, which allowed me to combine my experience working at regional conservation labs with what I had learned growing up in a family full of self-employed academic and technical specialists. This presentation will cast a frank and occasionally humorous light on how to meet both the expected and unexpected challenges encountered by conservators in private practice, and how today’s post-pandemic economic and social climates are fuel for advancement and improvement in our practice. The newest statistical information about demographics in both emerging conservation professionals and experienced professionals choosing to temporarily or permanently turn to private practice, will be gathered in a survey to be released in January, 2025. These findings will build on the Summer, 2024, survey by the newly inaugurated Icon Private Practice Group in the UK, and the 2024 survey on Mental Health in the Conservation Workplace that was circulated by the AIC’s CIPP community.

Description for the Panel discussion on Thursday at 4:45: The Textile Specialty Group is excited to host a panel discussion on the joys, challenges, and logistical realities of working in private practice. The panel will follow and expand upon Camille Myers Breeze's presentation "Reflections on Twenty-Five Years in Private Practice" by including perspectives from different career stages and geographical regions. The panel will include Camille Myers Breeze, Paulette Reading, and Kris Cnossen and will be moderated by TSG's Program Chair, Callie O'Connor.

Barbara Rossi (1940-2023) was a preeminent member of the Chicago Imagists, a loose collective of artists associated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the mid 20th century who frequently exhibited together and produced a striking body of Surrealist-influenced art. Rossi is primarily known for her paintings, drawings, and prints, which she produced on substrates as diverse as paper, masonite, plastic, and textiles, often incorporating elements of collage and mixed media. Thematically, Rossi’s artistic style is characterized by grotesque abstractions, with figural representational components such as teeth, hair, hands, and feet rendered in her distinctive style of fine lines and subtle coloration. A recent acquisition of 24 of Rossi’s prints on a variety of synthetic fabrics were acquired by the Textiles curatorial department at the Art Institute of Chicago just before her death in 2023. These joined a selection of over 70 works on paper by Rossi in the Prints and Drawings department. A corpus of her work including a selection of these prints and textiles were brought together in the Four Chicago Artists exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in the summer of 2024. This presented an opportunity for conservators across the disciplines of textiles and paper to perform a technical analysis and comparison of her materials and methods on paper and textile substrates. 

Processes developed by fine artists and commercial printers have resulted in distinct combinations of methods, materials, tools, equipment, terminology, and traditions that are often disparate between printing on textiles versus paper substrates. Using equipment and materials intended for paper print production to print on textiles,however, does have recognized art historical precedents, including James Ensor’s influential 19th-century experiments with etching on satin weave silk. In the 1960s and 1970s, Rossi drew on these histories to produce several sets of monoprints using the same etching plates across widely varied textile and paper substrates. These series, created by mixing techniques and materials, resulted in unique impressions from the printing plates as they were worked and re-worked for each print. Our research explores the social and art historical context in which these works were made, complemented by a technical exploration of Rossi’s textile substrates as well as a comparison of the visual and aesthetic qualities of the prints on textiles with the more well-known prints on paper. Analytical methods include imaging, XRF, FTIR, polarized light microscopy, stereomicroscopy, and analysis of paper and textile manufacturing.

Among the hundreds of tapestries treated by the Textile Conservation Lab at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine was an unusual 18th-century example woven in China but incorporating some European tapestry techniques, in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection. The tapestry was to be featured in a 2023 CMA exhibition China’s Southern Paradise, Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. This tapestry had unusual features including a vertical warp and presented many challenges; a stitched treatment was not an option due to the extremely fragile raw silk warp and silk and wool weft. Previous darning and patching treatments created more losses and breaks; condition issues including tide lines and prior treatment campaigns were documented by CMA in summer 2022 and the tapestry photographed at that time. It was determined that an adhesive treatment was the only viable option. Extensive testing of adhesives and substrates resulted in the choice of BEVA 371 1mm film on lightweight cotton patches, reactivated with a heated spatula to consolidate the breaks. This presentation will cover the tapestry’s history, compare Chinese and French tapestry manufacture, and discuss prior treatments and current condition issues. Adhesive testing will be detailed and the treatment itself outlined.

This presentation documents the evolving treatment of an early 18th century Indian palampore in the Saint Louis Art Museum collection. The palampore depicts a tree of life motif, executed in silk chain stitches on fine cotton twill weave ground. It is an impressive example of ari (hook) embroidery, and would have taken many expert hands and hours to complete at this size (132.5 in. x 98 in.). Most palampores are printed; only two other embroidered palampores have been identified in western collections (Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Victoria and Albert Museum). 

When acquired in 1922, this palampore was considered an exceptional example. It likely hung on display at the Saint Louis Art Museum for many years, until it was sent out for treatment in 1939. An independent textile restorer, Helene Fouché, was hired to stabilize the ground fabric that had torn with the weight of the embroidery. The palampore was both stitched and adhered to a full backing, using an adhesive which she described as “liquid thread.” Once returned to the museum, the curator Thomas T. Hoopes expressed his dissatisfaction, noting that the adhesive had already discolored, and fearing further damage. 

In 2022, the palampore was chosen as an ongoing graduate summer internship project. By then the palampore was in extremely poor condition and required an in-depth treatment. With further aging, the adhesive deposits had stiffened, causing fracturing and breakage of the ground fabric. The entire ground had lost flexibility and yellowed, in addition to the brown spots of adhesive residue throughout the textile. That first summer, treatment focused on solubilizing the adhesive and removing it with a suction plate.

In 2024 treatment shifted to restabilizing the splits and areas of loss. The adhesive removal had brightened and softened the ground, but the fabric remained too fragile to stitch into. It was therefore determined that another adhesive treatment was the best course of action. An overall support could not be used, as distorted “excess” ground fabric remained puckered within the embroidery motifs. Small localized adhesive supports were instead custom cut for each area of damage, and laid perpendicularly on flat ground to bridge splits and support the edges of losses. 

Though much was accomplished during these two ten-week internships, treatment of the palampore is ongoing. There is more adhesive stabilization to be completed, as well as compensation for loss, and development of a mounting plan. It has proven to be a complex, yet rewarding collaboration thus far, and the authors welcome reflections and suggestions before its continuation.

At the 2024 American Institute for Conservation (AIC) Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, the AIC Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN), Utah Field Services (UFS), and AIC Textile Specialty Group (TSG) joined forces to describe, assess, and rehouse a collection of ski fashion history objects at the Alf Engen Ski Museum in Park City, Utah. The 2024 service day, or Community Partnership Project (CPP), brought together UFS and AIC members  to serve a local audience in the conference host city.

The Barbara Alley Simon collection comprises 350 separate items and accessories spanning 30 years of ski clothing history (1968-1998), and it is a cornerstone of the Alf Engen Ski Museum. Until recently, the collection featured in an annual fashion show, demonstrating a heavy use of collections in a community-focused way, but in opposition to preservation “best practices.” Textile conservators had not previously consulted on this collection of objects as few conservators work in the region, with even fewer textile-focused conservators available. 

Utah Field Services is a partnership among the Utah Division of Arts & Museums, Utah Humanities, and Utah Historical Society. Together, UFS supports the preservation and access of collections by assisting Utah’s museums and collecting institutions. UFS staff facilitated a community-centered approach, avoiding the extractive/negative associations a host site might feel when allowing strangers to directly handle and address  their collections. TSG was brought into the project, providing specific necessary textile expertise and insight to materials. TSG, is a subset of AIC; conservators interested specifically in the care and preservation of textile materials. AIC and USF ordered supplies and coordinated logistics to support the success of this new interdisciplinary partnership, from conservators to service providers, to host site staff. 

 On May 21, 18 volunteers, spanning from pre-program to professional levels with varying textile experience, broke into production teams. The volunteer teams worked side-by-side with UFS and Alf Engen Ski Museum staff to photograph, assess, label, and fabricate custom protective covers for this unique collection. More than 40 objects were addressed, including  vacuuming furs, creating quality, long-term storage solutions for ski suits, and completing condition documentation for a significant representation of the collection.  

This project helped provide Alf Engen Ski Museum staff the knowledge to continue to care for this collection for the future. Conservation volunteers gained first-hand experience with a very unique collection, with a museum without conservation staff, and with colleagues outside of their region and direct networks. One of the visiting conservators remarked, “This site and project scope allowed conservators to connect, learn, and teach, all while making lasting connections outside of our day-to-day jobs.”  Further, ECPN officers were able to successfully plan and execute collaborative programming, typically outside the scope of their career stage. When practitioners and service providers come together to collaborate with a host site on a project, as participants did at the CPP, the potential for growth and learning, meaningful connections between communities and practitioners, success and productivity, and the long term stability of collections is increased.

This study offers comparative results concerning the effect of bio polymer as gellan gum and synthetic polymers as polyacrylamide Loaded with different cleaning agents as protease enzyme and siloxan D5 according to type stain on dyed wool fabric before and after thermal ageing and different periods of application time.

Dyed textiles in museums sometimes are exposed to various types of stains which contributing degradation of fabric and effect on dyes. Using of uncontrolled treatment can cause dye bleeding and shadow lines, therefore, this study presents a practical stain reduction on dyed wool fabric mock-ups using gel poultice cleaning treatment by Protease enzyme and siloxan D5 cleaning materials separately loaded poultices of 2% gellan gum or acrylamide carrier. The protease enzyme poultices target to reduce animal glue stain where siloxane D5 poultices target to reduce the blue ink pen stain. 

The main purpose of this practical study to evaluate the efficiency of bio and synthetic polymers loaded with cleaning materials in reducing ink and animal glue stain and characterize changes in red dye of treated wool fabrics before and after thermal ageing through three different periods (zero ageing, 72 hrs and 144 hrs) at 100 oC taking into consideration that, the application of each poultice on the stained samples was tested for different periods of application(30,60,90 min) through different type of analysis methods as color measurements according to CIE lab system. SEM analysis is used to study the surface morphology of dyed fabric before and after treatment. EDX analysis is used to study gel cleaning efficiency by detecting the presence of residues.             

KEYWORDS: Bio polymer – Synthetic polymer – Ink stain – Animal glue stain – Gel poultice – Dyed wool.

Trello is a kanban style project management tool that allows teams to visualize their work. Kanban was first developed in the manufacturing industry and later adapted by the software development industry, where the emergence of kanban boards led to wide applications for project management. Kanban boards generally consist of columns, which delineate steps in a workflow, and are populated by cards that represent work items and advance through the workflow. Four case studies, spanning three specialties and three institutions, will demonstrate how Trello and similar kanban products have great potential for adaptation and use in conservation.

Windsor Conservation was contracted to treat Olga de Amaral’s El Gran Muro (1976), a multi-panel large-scale textile wall hanging composed of a woven ground and thousands of free-hanging “shingles” attached to the surface. The treatment process included four stages of mechanical cleaning with suction, chemical sponge, and damp Evolon. An asynchronous and accessible communication and project management system was needed to coordinate the process across a staggered technician team. Trello, accessible through a phone application or web browser, allowed technicians to track the progress of predefined sections through the treatment workflow, note and photograph condition issues, and track time spent per section.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (ISGM) has a unique mandate that “nothing in the galleries should be changed.” To maintain the thirty-three galleries and thousands of objects carefully arranged by Isabella, a team of five Collections Maintenance Technicians cleans artworks one day a week in a rotation that takes 4-6 months. Previously, paper records were kept in a binder and were later entered into a spreadsheet. The introduction of Trello revolutionized how cleaning progress was tracked, assisted technicians in remembering their place week-to-week, stored useful information for returning to galleries in subsequent rotations, and served as a communication method between the technicians.

The 16th-century Italian coffered ceiling painting in the Dutch Room of the ISGM will be cleaned in spring 2025 for the first time in over 120 years. The painting spans 50 m2 with 15 recessed bays. Each bay contains 29 separate painted elements depicting biblical and mythological scenes with decorative floral and fauna motifs, currently obscured by a yellowed surface coating and heavy layers of soot and grime. Trello will be used as the management framework for the treatment and will consolidate archival notes employing multiple numbering systems for the painted components. The multi-step treatment will take place on public view with a cross-disciplinary team of paintings and objects conservators, and requires a high level of coordination, timing and method of evaluation to ensure a unified result.

Lab and exhibit project management have been improved at the Colonial Williamsburg Textile Conservation Lab through the adoption of Planner, a Microsoft kanban tool. Exhibit boards are populated by object cards that progress through workflow steps (such as treatment, mounting, and photography), visually representing the exhibit components and states of progress. An overarching board tracks progress on loan, exhibit, and other projects that provides a holistic view of the current lab workload.

Unintentional dye migration is a critical problem that textile collections and the conservators that care for them are facing. Early synthetic organic dyes (ESODs) include some of the most fugitive dye classes used on historical textiles in collections today and are characterized by their makeup and manufacture throughout the second half of the 19th century.1 Bleeding dyes can have both aesthetic and structural implications; though impacted textiles are often precluded from traditional treatment methods due to the ongoing volatility of the materials present.2 Several key case studies have proven the efficacy of removing natural dye migration through aqueous cleaning methods in the form of solvent gels.3 However, these methods are exclusive to natural dyes that predate the mid 19th century despite the common bleeding problems exhibited by early synthetic organic dyes.4

This pilot study – a collaborative effort between the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) – presents an investigation into the novel application of gel-based cleaning methods for the removal of unintentional ESOD migration. The project focused on a Chinese Woman’s Jacket from the 1920’s. The sumptuous silk jacquard woven jacket exhibited severe staining at the armpits, where dyes from the green inner lining had migrated outward onto the surface of the outer pink layer. After confirming the identity of all dyes present using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a variety of traditional and new sustainably-focused gels were tested to deliver a solution that targeted the pH-dependent bond between the fugitive dyes and the jacket’s silk fibers. This project considers the ethical parameters of dye bleed removal and works to develop sustainable and accessible methodology for stain reduction. A culmination of expertise across departments, institutions, and regions of the world is represented in this project resulting in an emblem of this year’s conference theme about “the power of working with others.”5

1: J. Barnett, “Synthetic Organic Dyes, 1856-1901: An Introductory Literature Review of their Use and Related Issues in Textile Conservation,” Reviews in Conservation, no. 8 (2007): 68-69.; A. Scharff, “Synthetic Dyestuffs for Textiles and their Fastness to Washing,” ICOM Committee for Conservation 2, (1999), 656.

2: Barnett, Synthetic Organic Dyes, 1856-1901,” 72.

3: A. Smets, K. De Vis, and N. Ortega-Saez, “A Challenging Treatment of an 18th Century Embroidered Textile Using Gel Cleaning in Combination with Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) Silicone Solvent Barriers,” Conservar Património 31, (2019).; K. Sahmel, L. Mina, K. Sutherland, and N. Shibayama, “Removing Dye Bleed from a Sampler: New Methods for an Old Problem,” Textile Specialty Group Post prints 22, (2012). 

4:  Note that early synthetic dyestuffs, known as ESODs, can be found in textiles dating between 1856 and the 1930s, as they were slowly replaced by more stable dyestuffs throughout the early 20th century.; Barnett, 74.

5: “AIC/FAIC: Upcoming Meeting 2025,” accessed September 4, 2024.

This study presents a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to conserving and displaying the high-quality linen Shroud of Thutmose III, which bears a rare section of the Book of the Dead. Traditionally, these texts were written on papyrus, but in this case, they were written on fine linen fabric, dating back to 1450 BC. The shroud will be displayed for the first time at the Grand Egyptian Museum-Conservation Center (GEM-CC) collection, which requires an innovative conservation approach in preparation for its first public display since its discovery. Upon arrival at the GEM-CC, the conservation team faced several challenges. It was attached to old, acidic cardboard, and its large size (4.5 m) made it difficult for conservation and display efforts. These challenges necessitated the development of a conservation strategy for the shroud using the principle of least invasive treatments, drawing on multidisciplinary expertise in conservation and scientific research. Using non-destructive techniques such as multispectral imaging, optical microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and FTIR, the team could comprehensively assess the properties of the fabric, pigments, and overall condition of the shroud. The results revealed that the manufacturer used yellow Orpiment and Egyptian blue pigments in the upper decorative frame for the writing, and carbon black ink was used for the inscriptions. The analyses also revealed that the old cardboard backing and adhesive used had caused damage to the fabric, resulting in discolouration and darkening of the fabric. These scientific analyses informed key decisions in the conservation process, ensuring the careful removal of the acid support and reinforcement of fragile parts. The conservation team also designed a customized and secure textile mount for the shroud’s large dimensions. The innovative use of non-invasive techniques, combined with specially designed and multidisciplinary solutions, ensures the long-term preservation of this unique artefact and its proper display and beauty in the exhibition at the Grand Egyptian Museum. The study highlights the combination of scientific progress and expertise in the field of heritage conservation, demonstrating the power of collaboration in overcoming the complex challenges of studying, conserving, and exhibiting ancient textiles.

The Anatolian kilim collection of Murad Megalli, most of which is now at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, is one of the foremost in the US.  Anatolian kilims, particularly those woven by local nomadic tribes, are poorly understood and almost no provenience information is available.  Much of the current literature is based on stylistic assumptions, with little to no technical information to confirm.  Significant loss of traditional lifestyles in Anatolia means that anthropological research is not feasible, and no written records exist about their original manufacture.   Object-based data collection is the only viable option to advance our understanding of these dynamic and graphic textiles.

 

This collection was chosen as a pilot project to develop a methodology for analyzing textiles in-house at The Textile Museum, using methods that are non-invasive, non-destructive, and can be operated by conservators in the absence of a conservation science department.  As permanent staff are unable to consistently devote time to research within the demands of an exhibition schedule, a full-time research fellow position allows the rapid integration of new analytical techniques and equipment.

 

Now in its second year, this project spans the fields of conservation, conservation science, technical art history, and experimental archaeology and incorporates microscopy, fiber-optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), UV/Vis transmission spectroscopy, multiband imaging, and x-ray fluorescence (XRF).  A combination of structural and stylistic analysis with more technical information on dyes and mordants has resulted in a new, data-based method of establishing the age of Anatolian kilims. Consistent information sharing and collaboration between technical researchers and curators and art historians allows for targeted analysis and focuses the direction of the research towards what will be helpful for the end user.  Data analysis in RStudio has allowed us to disprove many assumptions previously made about these objects and how their characteristics change over time and space.   This project has also allowed the museum to develop connections with other researchers within The George Washington University, to offer research experience for undergraduate chemistry students, and to help train emerging conservation professionals on non-invasive analysis techniques that are increasingly applied to textiles.

 

Lastly, the results of this research highlight the value of thinking creatively about the resources available to smaller institutions, and adapting the use of analytical equipment to gather data that at first glance requires much more expensive and specialized instrumentation.

The Art Museums of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation display exquisite examples of needlework, but not every textile in the collection is expertly crafted and beautifully finished. A recent exhibition titled The Art of the Quilterpresented the opportunity to showcase three such pieces ambitious projects that ultimately entered the Foundations collection as UFOs (unfinished objects). The gallery in which large scale, flat textiles are generally displayed consists of large wall cases fitted with slanted boards of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) encapsulated with Marvelseal and covered in dark polyester show fabric. Textiles have previously been hung with headers of hook-side Velcro stitched along the top back edge of the object. The hook Velcro marries well with the coarse, napped show fabric, eliminating the need for custom loop-side Velcro hanging mechanisms. This allows for expedient rotation of objects and offers tremendous flexibility during installation but significantly limits mounting options beyond the traditional Velcro header, a system that is not suitable for all textiles.The three UFOs each required a different approach. A group of 25 appliqud quilt blocks, all square but varying in size, were mounted in the lab before installation. Individual padded boards were created for each block and the textiles were secured with entomological pins. Each padded board was fitted with Velcro tabs on the back, and installation required tiling the boards together on the slant board within the case. To mount 45 fragments of an unfinished pieced-over-paper hexagon quilt top, heavily modified Velcro headers marked with the corresponding accession number were secured with pins to 41 of the fragments. The four remaining fragments were pin-mounted to a single padded board. The fragments were positioned to imply the intended spacing if the quilt had been completed. The third UFO consists of 20th century printed tobacco pouches pieced into a quilt top, many of which retain fragments of paper tax stamps. The lightweight nature of the object and the fragility of the paper fragments limited options for stitching or pinning into the object, so rare earth magnets were used to secure the object to a custom header that included a ferrous metal bar. The magnets were covered and toned to match the textile, and the header was constructed to both facilitate mounting and provide protection and support to the object. These objects, never completed by their makers for whatever reason, provide valuable insight into the art of quilt making. Details that would have been removed or obscured in the final construction, like repurposed pieces of paper or differing bobbin and top thread colors, shed light on the context in which these objects were created and tell the story of their makers. Creative modifications to existing gallery casework and infrastructure allowed for these non-traditional quilts to be safely displayed and ethical considerations about the display of the fragments necessitated collaboration with curators and exhibition designers to strike a balance between honoring the original intent of the maker and expanding visitors' understanding of the art of quilting.

Join us at 3:00 on Saturday, immediately following the last TSG session, for a Wiki edit-a-thon! The TSG Wiki Coordinators will give a brief update of Wiki progress from the past year. You’ll have the chance to learn more about how to get involved and share your ideas for upcoming projects! Then we’ll have dedicated working time to make improvements to the Wiki. We’re going to focus on adding textile terms to the overall Wiki Lexicon. No previous Wiki experience is necessary, but please bring your laptop if you’re able!