From the desk of... Dr. Noémie Etienne
"From the Desk of…" is a series in which guest bloggers from different fields, geographies, disciplines, and cultures offer perspectives on the notion and work of conservation. The following post, Conservation History: Notes Toward a Toolbox, is the first in this series, and its author, Dr. Noémie Etienne, contributes a fascinating history of the role of conservation in art historical research.
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Historic Preservation of The Lower East Side Tenement Museum
On Tuesday, November 19, 2013, Cultures of Conservation Postdoctoral Fellow Gabrielle Berlinger presented her research project on the occasion of the work in progress seminar entitled ‘Sometimes, Only Memory Holds It Up!’: Historic Preservation of The Lower East Side Tenement Museum.
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The Many Conservation Cultures: Lower East Side Tenement Museum

The last visit of the Fall 2013 course Cultures of Conservation took place on November 12 at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Our guest speakers Gabrielle Berlinger and David Favaloro discussed how conservation may relate both to the care of material fabric and cultural values. Student Ariel Rosenblum authored the following summary of this class.
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Conserving Motion
One of the site-visits of the Cultures of Conservation class in November was devoted to the conservation of kinetic sculpture and multimedia installation. On the example of Jean Tinguely's sculpture Narva (1961) at the Met our guest speaker Reinhard Bek discussed the complexities of conservation of motion-based works. Additionally, the class was offered an opportunity to meet with technical and curatorial staff of the Whitney Museum of American Art, discussing the installation by T.J. Wilcox In the Air (2013). Student Jaimie Luria offers an interesting insight into the topics discussed..

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"Conservation Conversation" Addresses Fashion
On November 12, 2013, the BGC hosted its second of four "Conservation Conversations" this 2013-2014 year. The new speaker series, part of the Cultures of Conservation initiative, pairs a material conservator and a professor of material culture for a public research dialogue around a particular theme. Fashion was the theme of this evening, and the room was packed to capacity to hear our distinguished guests share their ideas about issues in the conservation of fashion objects.