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> Choosing and working with a conservator
Choosing
and working with a conservator
Do you have an item or collection in your care or
ownership which is in need of professional attention? Do you want
to know more about how to look after it? Do you need advice on care,
packing or the conditions in which items are kept or displayed?
Choosing
the right conservator to look after a whole collection or one item
is an important decision; the wrong choice could result in permanent
damage affecting visual qualities, monetary value and historical
or cultural significance. The UK and Ireland have a long tradition
of producing highly skilled conservators. This has recently been
enhanced by the development of accreditation which now provides
a clear method of identifying technically capable and experienced
professional conservators. This document provides some practical
advice what to expect when working with a conservator-restorer.
Training, experience and
professional membership
Initial discussions
Treatment
proposals
Estimates and costs
References
Documentation
Facilities and procedures
Security and insurance
Valuations
Training, experience
and professional membership
Look for
evidence of appropriate training and experience. Conservators learn
their skills in a variety of ways. Nowadays most professional conservators
have a recognised conservation qualification from an established
training course, as well as several years of experience. However,
for some specialisms there are no formal training courses and the
conservator may have learnt their skills under apprenticeship to
an established and reputable practitioner.
In addition
to their initial training, a conservator may be accredited. Accredited
status recognises a combination of technical capability and experience.
The benefit of using an accredited conservator is the assurance
that the individual has met the high standards demanded by the conservation
profession, is committed to ongoing learning and development as
demanded by the CPD (continuing professional development) schemes
that are integral to maintaining accredited status, and works to
the professional guidelines and codes of ethics of the accrediting
body.
The Conservation
Register recognises several different accreditation schemes. The
most widely used is the PACR (Professional Accreditation of Conservator-Restorers)
scheme. This is a multi-disciplinary scheme which can be used to
accredit conservators of all specialisms. Conservators accredited
under this scheme may use the letters ACR (Accredited Conservator-Restorer)
after their name and the registered trade mark as shown below:
Information
on the training, experience, professional membership and accredited
status of individual conservators included in the Conservation Register
is available on the ‘staff’ page of each organisation’s
entry. The Conservation Register requires that the lead member of
each business seeking to join the Register is accredited; those
businesses already included in the Register are being reviewed to
ensure that their lead members are accredited by April 2007.
If there is
more than one person in a business, you may wish to ask if the work
will be delegated to a more junior member of staff. If this is the
case, you need to be assured that he or she has appropriate training
and experience and that he or she will be properly supervised by
the accredited conservator in the organisation. Similarly if part
or all of the work is to be subcontracted you should satisfy yourself
that the subcontractor is appropriately qualified and, if not themselves
accredited, that they are supervised by the accredited conservator.
Junior members
of staff may hold ordinary or associate membership of one of the
professional organisations or trade organisations specific to conservation-restoration.
This membership usually denotes a commitment to professional standards
and ethics and an interest in keeping up to date with new approaches,
techniques and materials. However, it does not provide an assurance
of expertise.
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Initial
discussions
The Conservation Register provides detailed information on each
of the organisations included. This information will give you an
idea of the type of work carried out by each business and will help
you decide who you wish to contact, but you will also need to talk
through your specific conservation problem before you can decide
who to work with. Depending on the size of your conservation project,
you may be able to make a decision on the basis of a telephone call
or you may need to get further information such as treatment proposals
from a number of conservators and compare their approaches.
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Treatment
proposals
In order to draw up a treatment proposal, the conservator will need
a description of the object and nature of the work you would like
to have carried out. In most cases the conservator will want to
see not only the item itself, but any documentation relating to
its history, storage or environment and any previous treatments.
They may ask for you to bring the item to their studio for examination,
or in some cases they may be able to visit you. At this point you
should take the opportunity to discuss the extent of the work with
the conservator. Be precise about how much work you want done. Sort
out the difference between essential and desirable work, and whether
the object needs to function (such as a clock or chair) or simply
look acceptable. The conservator will need to know what conditions
the object will be kept in in the future, how it will be displayed
and where, as this may affect the choice of treatment. The conservator
will be able to advise you on appropriate treatments and may give
you a range of options for treatment. The aftercare of the object
or collection should also be discussed.
You
should agree the work to be carried out and ask for a written proposal
to be submitted with the estimate. Depending on the size of the
project, you may also be consulted periodically during the course
of the work. It is reasonably common for conservators to make discoveries
whilst undertaking work which may change the direction or the cost
of the project. If this is the case, you should expect to be consulted
before the treatment proposal is altered or any additional work
is carried out.
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Estimates
and costs
Conservation requires careful investigation and planning. The item
will have to be assessed before a plan of work is proposed and you
should therefore not expect an estimate to be given over the telephone.
If the conservator has to come to you, he or she may charge for
the visit, although this might be set against the final cost of
the work. Always ask for a written estimate, for which a charge
may be made. Is the estimate a fixed price quotation or an approximate
costing? Is it an estimate for the entire project or one stage of
it? Will VAT, materials, documentation, transport and other expenses
be added? There should be some indication of how long the conservation
work will take.
Some
conservators work on their own. Others operate as part of a practice
which employs large numbers of people, or in a co-operative group
where overhead costs are shared. Neither the size of the practice
nor the price charged is a guide of the quality of the work you
can expect; nor need the monetary value of the object have any influence
on the cost of the work. Conservation is a labour intensive and
time-consuming business and this is taken into account in the final
cost. Specialised equipment, material and expenses incurred in satisfying
safety-at-work standards also affect the price you are charged.
Expect to pay no less than you would for work carried out by other
professionals such as architects. Only you can decide whether the
object warrants the expense.
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References
It is wise to place objects with a conservator who has carried out
similar work in the past and it is quite normal to enquire about
previous work undertaken. You can ask to be put in touch with satisfied
customers for references. Alternatively, if you have more than one
item to conserve and are using a conservator for the first time,
have the least important object treated first to see whether you
are satisfied with the results.
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Documentation
The conservator should always keep careful records of work carried
out. This is what is expected of a professional and is vital if
the object requires work at a later time. You should expect a final
report which, along with any photographs, should always be kept
with the item or collection (see also Conservation reports). Additional
charges may be made for extensive documentation.
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Facilities
and procedures
Conservators work in a variety of locations and conditions, purpose-built
or adapted and many are small businesses operating from home. However,
the workspace should always be self-contained and fitted for the
purpose. Visit the practice before commissioning the work. Does
the workspace appear well-ordered, with careful handling and storage
of the objects undergoing or awaiting conservation? Does the conservator
operate within current health and safety legislation and guidelines?
(For example, you could look for toxic fume extraction apparatus,
enclosed varnishing areas and ask about the use of goggles and dust
masks.) Does the conservator have an emergency response plan in
case of fire, flood or building damage? Do they operate in a business-like
and efficient fashion?
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Security
and insurance
Ask about the security of the premises. It is normally expected
that the structure of the building or area in which collections
or items are being conserved should be capable of withstanding a
determined attack by a thief. Windows should be physically defended
so that an intruder is deterred from trying to get in, or is delayed
long enough to allow a supporting intruder alarm to trigger a response
before the intruder can enter, steal and escape. Doors should be
physically defended to the same standards as the windows, and storage
areas should be kept locked at all times. You also need to be assured
that the workshop is secured against fire as well as theft. Ask
about insurance arrangements. The conservator’s insurance
may be adequate, but if not, it should be possible to extend your
own policy to cover conservation including transportation to and
from the practice. Without any cover the risk is yours, so you do
need to consider this carefully.
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Valuations
Conservators
know a lot about conservation, about the history and composition
of objects and the long-term care of collections and items. They
will be able to advise you on the significance of the object, but
for a valuation you should consult an auction house or a valuation
expert.
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Conservator-restorer
The terms ‘conservator’ and ‘restorer’
are used differently by practitioners and clients depending on the
context, the materials being treated and the traditions in that
discipline. Broadly speaking ‘conservation’ is the proper
term for treatments which involve minimum intervention (and hence
the greatest respect for the integrity of the object), careful investigation
prior to any intervention, good documentation, the use of materials
and processes which as far as possible are reversible, and consideration
of the object’s future context. The term ‘restoration’
usually implies a greater degree of intervention and tends to be
used more when an attempt is made to return an item to what is thought
to have been something like its original appearance, or simply to
make changes which help in its understanding or interpretation.
Fine judgement is called for when restoration requires loss of original
parts or material and to ensure that replacements do not deceive
future owners or purchasers.
Restoration
is often called for in order to make an object function, for instance
replacing a chair leg, repairing a musical instrument or a clock.
Even so, a professional in these circumstances will try to respect
the principles of conservation as far as possible.
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Use the Conservation Register to Find a conservator.
© Icon, the Institute of Conservation 2006.
This article offers general guidance and is not intended to be a substitute for the professional advice of an accredited conservator. The views expressed are those of the author or authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Institute of Conservation. The Institute of Conservation and its partners accept no liability for any loss or damage which may arise if this guidance is followed.
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