Conservation 101

Do you ever have those days where you just can’t stop smiling? As a fellow history nerd, let me tell you, today was one of those days. Today was my first full (i.e. 9 hour day) at the museum. Unfortunately I don’t think every day will be like this but a girl can dream, can’t she?

So it just so happened that there was a volunteer conservator – Caroline – at the museum this week working on the restoration of a few pieces in our collection. And can I just say, she is AWESOME. She was telling stories and cracking jokes – she has one of those magnetic, boisterous personalities that you can’t help but like. Caroline spent a good part of the morning teaching me all about the work of conservators. (Although, before you get too excited and start planning your future career as a conservator, she did add the caveat that there is little money in such an occupation. She was only volunteering at the museum this week, not getting paid for any of her work – sounds like an exciting career but the monetary benefits appear a little bleak – just something to keep in mind).

Below is a photo of one of the Anasazi moccasins that she was restoring. Using q-tips that she makes herself, she used a laundry detergent to clean each of the beads individually. Later she used water to rub off the dirt. And in order to initially work with the stiff moccasins, she had to humidify them in order to make the leather more malleable and easier to work with. In such a dry climate in Las Vegas, this requires a little leg work. Using the materials she had on hand, she placed a water into a small cup and sealed the moccasins in the bag. The water evaporates and becomes trapped in the bag which creates humidity and those softens the leather so she could clean it. Viola!

Another piece that she told me about (but that I unfortunately did not get the chance to see) was a silk dress. Due to aging and the silk had started to deteriorate around the neck of the dress. She hand-dyed thread with watercolor paint and sewed them into the garment to support the original fibers. All of her work requires a keen attention to detail and of course a steady hand!

One of the key tenets of conservation that she kept chanting to me was “cool, dark, dry”! These are the conditions that an artifact is best preserved in. Caroline mentioned the caves in Germany where Nazis had kept artwork that they had confiscated from the Jews. Due to the perfect blend of “cool, dark, dry” the paintings, when found many years later, were in impeccable condition. Reminds me of another favorite movie of mine – “National Treasure.” Remember how the National Archives stores the original Declaration of Independence? It is in a glass case that is precisely calibrated to protect against intense head – “dry” and “cool” and the lighting is pretty darn dim in the large room where it is shown to the public – “dark.” Seems to be a recipe for success.

But by far one of the sure highlights of the day, among many, was seeing a pair of 1,000 year old Anasazi agave moccasins. I got to see them close up, not behind a three inch slate of solid glass. Call me a sucker for anything old and historic, I know.

Next time I’ll finish up and tell you about the rest of the day with Caroline so stay tuned!

Allison