AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

Collaborative projects have the potential to uncover new perspectives and the ongoing exploration of leather by the Leather Discussion Group (LDG) is no exception. The group, established in 2016 to discuss the effects of leather dyes on leather, has evolved into a much larger project with many facets. What started as a discussion among a small group of book conservators now includes conservators in multiple disciplines as well as leather researchers, suppliers, and leatherworkers in both the US and Europe. The group has learned a great deal about the ways in which people view leather, the philosophies behind its use, and how variations in training and region affect outlooks.

Additionally, recent broad-scale explorations of health and safety concerns, sustainability, and the environmental impact of leather production have led to a reduction in leather use due to a need to perform more research in some of these areas. This, combined with a need for further research on the long-term effects of recent leather treatments and the relative longevity of modern skins compared to traditional (stable) and industrial age (highly unstable) skins has tabled leather use in many cases where this is of paramount importance. Meanwhile, explorations of non-traditional leathers and leather substitutes have added new aspects to the practice that also need further study to establish their relatively stability, or lack thereof, in comparison to traditional leather. The project has led to many surprising discoveries and unearthed copious avenues for future collaborative study, such as with experimental tanning and metagenomic testing. From explorations of the potential effect of animal husbandry on skin quality to historic leather testing methods, research into various aspects of leather longevity is nothing new.

Shifting institutional and client priorities play a large role in the place leather has in any given setting. Where it was once ubiquitous as a bookbinding material, changes in the tanning process, ostensible longevity issues, training, and the availability of alternative materials have created a divide between typical institutional and private client trends. Institutional focus on rehousing or minimal treatment is economical yet often fails to return a book to its fully functioning potential. Meanwhile, individual clients often opt for more leather use with future handling in mind.

Come join the Leather Discussion group and our invited panelists for a lunchtime overview of the most recent undertakings in this explorative project. Among topics to be discussed are the group’s experimental tanning project designed to assess modern leathers’ microbial characteristics in differing tanning environments, the ways previous conservation treatments affect leathers’ conditions, and the launch of a georeferenced database intended to serve as a global repository for past, current, and future leather use and research.

Wake up with a star-studded cast of conservators and discuss the state of emerging conservators at all levels and ways to improve and keep moving on Friday, May 24th, 2024 at the AIC Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City.

Breakfast will be available before the session courtesy of Naoma Tate. Stop by the breakfast station on your way into the room.

As a reminder, maybe you participated in one of the three surveys painfully crafted and sent out by your hosts and their irreplaceable squad (names at the end)? Maybe you are or recently were an emerging conservator and are encouraged by some recent changes and/or frustrated by continuing concerns? If any of these things are true, and even if you’ve been emerged for a while, this session is for you.

Our program will feature speakers followed by larger discussion-based panels related to 1) the current state of emerging professionals, 2) the recent changes to formal training programs, and 3) periods of transition from one career stage to another. We hope for participation from attendees as well and will be soliciting feedback before, during, and after the event.

Session Outline
Introduction: A session introduction and quick survey result overview will be given by Michaela Paulson & Stephanie Guidera.

Session 1: This introduction will also include a moderated panel consisting of 6 Emerging Conservation Professional (ECPs) panelists to discuss current thoughts and concerns of emerging professionals. Topics covered will include compensation, efficacy of training, employer and program expectations, equity in opportunities, accessible (and non-accessible) pathways, the role of AIC, and more.

Panelists: Ella Andrews, Nylah Byrd, Minyoung Kim, Rebecca Rosen, Sarah Freshnock, Nora Bloch

Session 2: Kaeley Ferguson and Katharine Shulman will then share their experiences as students during the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioning us into the theme of education and training.

The second moderated panel will discuss current training and internship practices within the U.S., focusing on how things have (or have not) changed recently, success stories, and areas for growth. Insights on mentor/mentee relationships, training practices and expectations, core competencies, and more - from both sides - will be shared.

Panelists: Angie Elliott, Lauren Fair, Casey Mallinckrodt, Kaeley Ferguson, Katharine Shulman

Session 3: Ellen Carrlee will talk to us about her career path, transitioning us into the theme of career stages in the field, followed by a third moderated panel talking about unions, private practice, and career transitions. Compensation, advancement opportunities, and the role of AIC will also be discussed.

Panelists: Samantha Springer, Jen Munch, Elena Bowen, Stephanie Hornbeck, Greg Bailey, Ellen Carrlee

Closing: Fran Ritchie & Ameya Grant will end the session with “We were wrong about: lesson learned,” a conversational presentation focused on action items based on their mentor/mentee relationship.

We look forward to broadly sharing what is working, collectively brainstorming on how to make things better, and having honest conversations about what desperately needs to change.

If you can’t make it in person or virtually, please know all of the information from this session - including results of the surveys (and more!) - will be synthesized into a report to be released at a later date.

Thank you for your time and attention and support/constructive criticism.

Annabelle Camp
Kaeley Ferguson
Kacey Green
Stephanie Guidera
Michaela Paulson
Caitlin Gozo Richeson
Ashley Stanford
Caroline Shaver
Keara Teeter
Céline Wachsmuth

This lunch session will include a discussion about emerging/early career conservators and their work in private practice. This is a unique opportunity for you to learn from an informal panel of early career professionals in dialogue with established CIPP members. During the panel, we'll hear about their experiences working in private conservation studios during pre-program, graduate school, and post-graduate school internships. We'll also learn what students seek in private practice placements and how these experiences have influenced their career goals. Following the panel, there will be a Q&A session where we'll explore how we can facilitate connections between early career conservators looking for private practice experience and established studios looking to host interns.

To show our appreciation for our ECPN membership and to encourage participation and engagement with our ECPN colleagues, we'll be offering a significant reduction in the cost of the lunch for ECPN members. We value your contribution to our community and hope this offer will make your participation in the lunch session even more rewarding.

Join us to close our meeting together with our 7th Annual Mistakes session. We will have small nibbles and a cash bar as we close the meeting together. Kari Rayner will open the session, then eight people will present their topics:

• Ingrid Neuman, "A collections care - less story"
• Catherine Cooper, "Why did my Fossils Change Color? Sample Degradation During a Research Delay"
• Steve Koob, "3 Mistakes that I made preparing Paraloid B-72 as an adhesive"
• Anikó Bezur, "Much more than zero: Mistakes that led to the world’s most expensive XRF zero background plate"
• Jennifer Clarvoe, "Failure"
• Tony Sigel, "Accidents Waiting to Happen"
• Madeline Corona, "How Not to Freeze Webbing Clothes Moths"
• Ellen Carrlee, "An Emerging Professional Blunder"

Tony Sigel will close the session and bid everyone farewell.