AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

In partnership with The Utah Museum of Fine Arts, AIC’s Sustainability Committee and Preventive Conservation Network will host a full day practical seminar exploring some of the multitude of factors in consideration when providing holistic recommendations for sustainable practices at a collecting institution.

Morning talks by experts would provide examples of what everyone can do to make their institutions more sustainable; this would be followed by greetings from the institution’s staff and an introduction to the three areas covered in the workshop: 1) energy usage from the operation of HVAC systems and lighting; 2) materials and waste, specifically around packaging and transport for loans and exhibitions; and 3) regional environmental adaptation for the institution to protect the collection in a rapidly changing climate.

Participants would then be guided through the process of applying the concepts to the host institution during an onsite visit. The seminar would conclude with time to record findings and report out, with the goal of generating a preliminary checklist for collecting institutions to examine these areas and identify opportunities for advancement beyond the workshop.

The contextual framework of this seminar, which would consist of one day broken into lecture, discussion, and onsite practicum, is that collection and conservation professionals are one part of a larger system and must work in conjunction with other specialists and colleagues across disciplines. Discussions would be held on cooperative, people-centered approaches where the role of the conservator or collections manager is to facilitate and aid discourse and innovation, rather than strictly observing and enforcing standards.

Lunch is included in the $109 Registration fee