With funding from the Getty Foundation as part of its Conserving Canvasinitiative, the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (IPCH) at Yale University will hold an international symposium on the conservation of canvas paintings on October 15-18, 2019, in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. The symposium will address historical approaches to and theories of the structural treatment of canvas paintings; current methods, materials, and research, both practical and scientific; and the challenges facing the structural conservation of modern and contemporary works. The Symposium aims to add to the critical thinking cultivated by the highly influential conference on Comparative Lining Techniques that was organized by the International Institute for Conservation (IIC) and held at the Greenwich Maritime Museum in 1974, and the more recent United Kingdom Institute for Conservation (UKIC) conference Lining and Backing held in London in 1995.
Submissions for 20-minute presentations and posters are invited from relevant topics, with a special interest in the following:
- History, Principles, and Theory: evidence of early practice; evaluating past treatments; image/ object duality; decision making, etc.
- Research: tools, equipment, mechanical considerations and materials; effectiveness of treatments
- Present Practice: case studies; new approaches; non-western paintings; stretcher design
- Modern and Contemporary Works: early intervention; preventive treatments; unusual surfaces; working with artists, etc.
- Local Interventions: strip-lining; tear repair; consolidation
- Documentation: assessing change before and after treatment
Shorter presentations of case studies are also invited in order to represent the full range of current practices. There will be an opportunity to share practical equipment and techniques in a hands-on format as part of an afternoon session.
The deadline for submission of abstracts is November 12, 2018. Abstract text should be in English and no longer than 500 words. Please include the title, author(s) and contact details for the corresponding author. Please send proposals to cynthia.schwarz@yale.edu. Papers will be selected by the Symposium’s Advisory Committee and authors will be notified by December 20,2018. Authors of presentations and posters will be given the option to publish their work as an article in the Symposium postprints or to publish their images online. Completed papers will be due at the time of the symposium.
In order to reflect the wide range of practices worldwide, the Getty Foundation grant is offering limited funding for conservation professionals from underserved countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Asia among others, to attend the conference, share their knowledge, and build their networks.