"The Artifact, its context and their narrative"
Los Angeles, Nov. 6-9, 2012
DEMHIST, the international ICOM committee for historic house museums, and three ICOM-CC working groups - Sculpture, Polychromy, and Architectural Decoration; Textiles; Wood, Furniture, and Lacquer - are presenting a conference from November 6-9, 2012 in Los Angeles. This four day conference will be co-hosted by the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Research Institute, the University of Southern California School of Architecture/Heritage Conservation Programs, and The Gamble House.
The theme of the conference will focus on managing the inevitable deterioration of structure and materials in historic house museums, while balancing the need for public access with current standards of practice in conservation. Historic houses remain in constant use throughout their lifespan and their interiors consist of diverse materials often altering dramatically due to change imposed by society, their environment and function. The proper care for historic houses and their interiors draws from many conservation specializations as well as from many other fields.
Therefore it is essential to approach each project in a holistic manner using a multidisciplinary collaborative approach involving all stakeholders.
Papers selected for the upcoming symposium focus on the following key
issues:
- The House Museum as a Significant Historic Artifact: How to balance public access with current standards of practice in conservation.
- The Artifact Within Its Context: The historic house museum as the setting for the presentation of a collection; meeting the conservation needs of individual objects in the context of an integrated collection and its setting.
- Conservation and the "Narrative" of the Historic House: How the conservation process and its discoveries can play a role in engaging and educating the public, both in the narrative presented on public tours and by demonstration of conservation techniques to the public.
You find more information and you can register on the conference website:
https://www.uscarchitecture.com/demhist
Dr. Peter Keller
Chair
Historic House Museums (DEMHIST)
c/o Dommuseum zu Salzburg
Postfach 62
5010 Salzburg
Austria
peter.keller@museum.kirchen.net