AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

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Let’s keep those neon-containing artworks in your care from gathering dust! Neon tubes are increasingly present in cultural heritage collections, and their display almost entirely relies on whether a conservation professional can bring the piece to an operational status. However, their care is virtually never covered in conservation training programs. This workshop will provide documentation protocols, strategies for problem-solving, and tips and tricks in care and handling.

The first half of the workshop will cover the technology of neon tubes, their mechanisms for operation, protocols for assessment and documentation, and considerations for installation environments and illumination. The second half will be hands-on assembly, care, handling and packing of neon artworks. The workshop will be team-taught by a neon conservator and a neon fabricator.
Following the workshop, participants will be able to:

• recognize common gases in neon units.
• describe the components and assess their operability.
• document the condition of neon artwork.
• advise on handling, assembly, packing, and storage.

This workshop is co-organized by the Getty Conservation Institute, AIC’s Contemporary Art Network, AIC’s Objects Specialty Group, and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation.

Diné (Navajo) apparel design is constantly evolving, often in response to historical events. After Spanish colonists introduced Churro sheep to what is now the Southwest United States in the late 1500s, Diné developed a Navajo-Churro breed that produced wool ideal for weaving. By the 1800s, Diné women were creating wool blankets, mantas, and other forms of apparel. After the 1868 Treaty of Bosque Redondo subjected Diné to US federal government rule, forced assimilation, and American capitalism, Diné apparel transitioned from woven wool textiles to sewn commercial fabrics. As non-Natives began collecting Diné textiles, Diné weavers also created designs for hanging on walls. The patterns woven by Diné women in the 1800s reflect Diné aesthetics and beliefs.

This case study looks at the exhibition “Diné Textiles: Nizhónígo Hadadít’eh,” on view at the RISD Museum from September 2, 2023 - September 29, 2024. The featured blankets and mantas have been displayed flat in previous exhibitions, a method of mounting that distances the garments from their intended use. Seeing these blankets on mannequins communicates the humanity of their original wearers and draws attention to the skill and precision of the weaver. Custom display forms were created or adapted for this show to facilitate the safe, three-dimensional display of blankets. This process was a collaboration between curator and conservators, involving archival research and insight from scholars, weavers, and stakeholders.

Pre-exhibition XRF analysis also provided insight into dyes, which may help assign dates to Diné textiles, and pesticides, which may be found on blankets in many Museum collections. This presentation will discuss the concerns inherent in mounting heavy, woven textiles and the steps taken to prevent damage and mitigate risks. Seeing the garments embodied radically changes the viewer’s experience, and the symmetry of the mounted blankets communicates a core concept of Diné culture, hózhó (pronounced HOZH-oh), that encompasses balance, beauty, and harmony.

Despite hardship, Diné resilience drives creativity forward. These remarkable weavings were and continue to be sources of design inspiration and objects of cultural appropriation. Nizhónígo Hadadít’eh means “they are beautifully dressed,” and mounting Diné garments on forms creates a more profound opportunity for appreciation and understanding. We honor and appreciate the generations of Diné weavers who, through hózhó, have designed beautiful garments for beautiful people.

Stabilizing a rare, coated silk fragment from a Confederate spy balloon called the Gazelle presented intricate and unexpected conservation hurdles.  The Gazelle was deployed by the Confederate Army during the American Civil War (1861-1865) to spy on Union battle positions.  Damaged and captured during a conflict in 1862, it was transformed into a souvenir by a Union balloonist, and a fragment was eventually donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM). NASM’s Gazelle fabric represents the largest intact example among the scarce remaining fragments of this air balloon.
The case study of the Gazelle fabric explores the complexities of treating a coated and shattered silk textile. The Gazelle fabric is constructed from ladies' dress silk that was coated with a polymeric material on both sides to achieve flightworthy characteristics. However, conflicting accounts of the historic coating’s composition raised questions about possible post-capture alterations. When the fabric was donated to NASM, it was mounted on a painted plywood panel using nickel-sized spots of hide glue around the perimeter. The fabric exhibited creases, folds, and losses in the silk. Additionally, the uniformly applied coating stiffened the silk, making it more susceptible to breaking, especially given its age and fragility. This coating’s incompatibility with traditional stitching methods prompted the adaptation of lining techniques from other conservation specialties.
While conventional practice involves stabilizing delicate silk with a complete adhesive lining, the presence of the coating raised questions about the appropriateness of this method. Concerns regarding the coating's potential interference with adhesive bonding, coupled with limited access to the fabric's reverse side, posed challenges in providing adequate support without obscuring the striped and floral patterns.
Analysis of the coating was carried out to compare its composition with historical manufacturing records and to inform the curatorial record. Characterization included microscopy, weave count, solubility, temperature response, ATR-FTIR, and Py-GC-MS. Various treatment methods were considered and tested, including experimentation with enzymes to remove hide glue, backing removal, adhesive testing, and full adhesive lining. Challenges encountered with the original support removal, solvent and heat sensitivity of the coating are discussed along with their solutions. A comprehensive understanding of the balloon’s history, condition, materials, and the proposed storage and display environment informed the final treatment methodology.

It is a challenging task to install tapestries or textiles of any large dimensions on the gallery wall with hanging devices. The installation often involves Velcro attachments on a slat or a frame in open display. This display method leaves tapestries exposed to constant mechanical stress that causes dimensional changes of tapestries over time: a cumulative force by gravity in combination with varying forces caused by tapestries reaction to the environmental changes. Although the mechanical impact of gravity is far much larger than the one caused by environmental condition, little is known to measure the stress caused by tapestries own weights for a duration of time.

A team of a textile conservator and an engineer/physicist developed an optical method to measure the deformation of textiles during hanging with a mockup tapestry. The method involves easily accessible tools, a digital camera and a computational program available in a common programing platform. Some preliminary results may explain and predict certain mechanical behaviors of tapestries during display as hanging. Based on the theoretical understanding with the mockup sample, the same method was applied to the tapestries hanging in the museum galleries. A case study will be presented to share the possible use of this method for monitoring dimensional changes of tapestries hanging in the galleries over time.

Convincing reproduction fabrics are often required for the treatment and interpretation of textile-based cultural heritage, from garments to historic house furnishings. The fabrication of such reproductions can require expertise and a significant investment of time and monetary resources. The recent opening of a gallery dedicated to historic dress at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (CWF) required the creation of a reproduction stomacher for a child’s gown, presenting the opportunity to explore low-cost and easily accessible methods for creating digitally printed reproduction textiles. Two avenues for digital printing were explored; yardage was custom printed by Spoonflower, an online print-on-demand company that permits custom designs to be uploaded for printing, and paper-backed cotton poplin marketed for use with home ink jet printers. Digital images of the gown’s damask textile were obtained by photographing a section of the skirt flat. The color-corrected images were uploaded to the Spoonflower website and printed yardage on two fabric types, cotton poplin and petal signature cotton, were ordered. Several options in a range of tones and saturations were printed on the paper-backed print-at-home cotton poplin fabric by CWF’s staff photographer. All three types of printed fabrics were evaluated for print quality, color match, ease and rate of acquisition, and overall cost. Oddy testing determined that all the digitally printed textiles were approved for permanent use with collections. The at-home printing option produced a higher quality printed textile with a finer resolution than the Spoonflower prints and working with in-house photography staff allowed for a quick turnaround time, rather than waiting for additional proofs to be printed and shipped by an out-of-state company. The material cost was roughly the same, though the print-at-home option provided greater flexibility for experimentation and color matching. Washing the at-home digitally printed textile according to the manufacturer’s instructions produced a slight shift in color, while the Spoonflower textiles had the same appearance before and after washing. The lightweight quality of the cotton substrates allowed the overall color of the digitally printed textiles to be manipulated by adding dyed cotton underlays to better match the original textile’s color. The print-at-home textile was successfully used to create a stomacher for short-term display with the gown.

This small case study provided valuable insight into options for low-cost digital printing of textile yardage. Both methods of printing produced textiles that do not produce harmful pollutants, making them acceptable for use near cultural heritage objects. The Spoonflower textiles had a more pixilated appearance than the print-at-home option and color matching was more challenging due to limitations of the Spoonflower photo manipulation software. One major limitation of the print-at-home option is the size of the cotton poplin substrate available for printing; commercially available sheets are limited to 8 ½” by 11”, sized to be used with at-home printers. The printed fabrics may be seamed, but this is not acceptable for all uses. Future avenues for experimentation may include Spoonflower printing on lighter weight fabrics that can be manipulated with underlays or other surface embellishments like textile paints.

Custom-dyeing support fabrics to match textiles in need of treatment is standard practice for conservators, however the process can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, requiring multiple rounds of trial and error. The "Test Tube Method," an approach developed at The Met’s Costume Institute, streamlines dye formulation by reducing the number of dye sessions needed to determine the right recipe.

Before dyeing, recipes are approximated in test tubes using ten drops of up to three PRO Sabraset dyes diluted with water to simulate different depths of shade. The tubes are visually compared against the target textile and plotted on a dye triangle to narrow the range of potential recipes. Adjustments are made accordingly. Subsequently, swatches are dyed using the refined recipes and assessed for accuracy against both the target textile and their corresponding test tubes.

Despite some limitations such as the less accurate representation of especially deep colors and the unpredictability of different dyes’ exhaustion rates, the method provides a systematic and sustainable way to achieve accurate colors quickly without an extensive library of dye recipes. It drastically reduces the need for additional chemicals, fabric, and DI water associated with conventional dye processes, aligning with the growing demand for eco-friendly conservation practices in addition to cutting costs. Recorded test tube efforts also create a valuable resource for future projects, further promoting efficiency and sustainability.

This talk will focus on extensive testing undertaken to find a way to stabilize significant damage while maintaining the traditional hanging scroll format of a rare example of Japanese Buddhist embroidery in the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA). Shūbutsu, or Japanese Buddhist embroideries, are a very important form of religious expression popular in the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Muromachi (1392–1573) periods. Even within Japan, embroidered Buddhist icons are relatively rare (around 150) and there are very few examples in North America. Their rarity and their classification as a “craft” has resulted in very little research being published until recently and most of it written in Japanese.

The CMA has one example of shūbutsu, Embroidered Welcoming Descent of the Amida Triad (1966.513), from the Muromachi period (1400’s) that is in very fragile condition. Composed of two layers of silk, silk embroidery floss, and human hair, the piece is mounted in a traditional hanging scroll format. Due to the nature of silk, embroidery, and the action of rolling and unrolling the scroll the silk substrate and the embroidery have become fractured, leading to significant silk delamination and frayed silk embroidery floss with numerous losses. While these conditions necessitated treatment to stabilize the embroidery, it was important to the Curator that every attempt be made to maintain the hanging scroll format.

Because of the lack of published research and treatment experience outside of Japan it was decided to test possible treatment methods first. Six embroidery samples were created and artificially aged to mimic the characteristics of the Welcoming Descent of Amida Triad embroidery. Each sample was treated with a different method, varying from the traditional approach used in Japan similar to remounting a painting on silk to a conservative textile conservation approach using a crepeline overlay, with combinations of traditional and textile approaches in between. While none of these treatment tests were ultimately successful, they did reveal issues and flaws with certain methods while the semi-successful treatment methods offered some promise and guidance for further testing in the future. It is our hope that sharing these tests will promote discussion and solicit feedback on ways to move forward.

An 18th century painted silk gown was selected as part of the fashion gallery rotation in Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, in 2022. The sack-back gown made of imported Chinese hand-painted silk is a significant object to the museum’s collection as it reflects how luxurious Chinese exported textiles were acquired by Europe. The painted silk gown featured back pleats stitched down to just above the waist and gradually flared out to a modest train. It has a closed-front bodice, with double-sleeves ruffles; concealed on the inside sleeves are roundels which probably function as weights to keep the structure of the sleeve stable when worn. The dress was structurally fragile and showed the characteristic damage of splitting silk ground in areas painted with the motifs of green leaves. Most conventionally encountered three-dimensional textile from the national collection did not exhibit such condition so therefore it is important to find out the pigments used and how the materials will react in formulating the conservation approach. Object documentation, and literature review including the history of the object were done to further understand its condition. Scientific analysis was carried out to find out the compositions of the painted surface, and to identify the material of the roundels. Results of the analysis was used to establish the treatment method as well as be informed of the precautionary health & safety measures required for handling.

Case studies of paper support successfully used in textiles treatment showed that the material would provide the necessary strength and firmness required. The treatment of this gown was, hence, an opportunity to evaluate Tengujo support casted with Klucel®G that has been researched suitable in conserving silk. Tengujo, a very thin Japanese tissue paper made from Japanese mulberry tree, has been evaluated suitable to stabilise structural damages on silk materials. The choice of adhesive- Klucel®G provided the required working properties for textile and allows treatment repeatability. While research showed the choice of paper and adhesive used in textile support treatment, the concentration of adhesive to the applied number of coatings was undefined, a less documented aspect in material preparation. It was of interest to establish their correlation for refinement of the technique. Various combinations of different weights Tengujo and adhesive concentrations were prepared and tested. Tactile attributes for thickness, stiffness, and homogeneity, of the samples were assessed by a panel of textile conservators through sensory evaluation. Sensory evaluation assesses sensory properties of fabrics through manipulation of the material to assess its handle. It makes use of human perception to measure the tactile attributes of fabrics. Findings from sensory evaluation have allowed objective data to be quantified and compared. The result revealed that the light and medium weight Tengujo samples had better adhesion. on the other hand, the heavier weight Tengujo samples were more rigid, and had less adhesion. Much can be drawn from sensory evaluation especially when working with less used conservation materials in textile conservation. Through the test and analysis carried out, tactile attributes and working properties of the non-woven adhesive support had been elicited to reduce uncertainty in conservation decision making.

The Language of Beauty in African Art, was a large, loan heavy, traveling exhibition organized by the Art Institute of Chicago. Encompassing nearly 200 loaned objects from 50 private lenders, in addition to over 100 loaned objects from 15 institutional lenders, the scope of the show was a massive, all-encompassing, tightly scheduled undertaking by the entire museum. With a staff of six objects conservators, two textiles conservators, and one mountmaker, the need for highly orchestrated communication, full transparency of our own strengths and weaknesses, as well as trust in our colleagues was required to reach a successful installation at the Art Institute.

The rapid flow and strict timeline of work was put to an extreme challenge with the incredible beauty and material fragility of a 19th Century Chokwe Mana Pwo mask. After reviewing the lender’s documentation, conservators expected to open the crate and be met with a serene and elegant woman’s face: delicately carved in wood crowned with a distinct woven, braided and twisted hairstyle of natural fibers with earthen decorations, and accentuated with glass beads. As incoming condition reporting started, one of the worst surprises for any conservator occurred. Uncrating revealed an unrecognizable, jarring sight: a bare mount, surrounded by an indiscernible pile of dust, fragments, and debris.

This paper will intertwine logistics of working across disciplines, building camaraderie through good communication in high stress working conditions between three specialists who had never worked together before, and managing expectations of treatment goals and results with private owners of artworks. These issues are explored through the lens of a treatment that required limiting handling, an integrated mount and structural support, considerable consolidation as well as sensitivity to the mixed media of the object. The Chana Pwo mask regained her structural integrity and graceful pose hours before install, as one of the last works to take its place before opening events began. Months later, while all involved waited with apprehension, the mask was shipped back to the lender, and was confirmed as arriving safely in one piece, with her head held high and secure on her mount.

This paper presents initial findings from a study of dyes in textile fragments found at the ancient town of Karanis—a small, rural, farming village in Egypt's Fayoum Oasis. University of Michigan (U-M) excavations in the 1920s and 30s uncovered thousands of textiles at the site, and today approximately 3,500 of these are housed at U-M’s Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. Although dates for the textiles are imprecise (Karanis was occupied from the 3rd c BCE to the 5th c CE), the collection is important because of its age, size, secure provenance, and character as a collection of textiles from domestic versus funerary contexts. Scholars have written about various aspects of the collection: contexts of its discovery, decorative techniques represented in it, and evidence of domestic cloth production at the site. Our study adds new information by investigating dyes in the collection. Although most of the fragments are small, worn, and constructed using simple techniques, they are highly colorful. To date, more than 50--including fragments of garments, furnishing fabrics, and baskets--have been examined with three relatively simple and affordable techniques: multispectral imaging (MSI), optical microscopy, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Results indicate the use of indigo for blues and greens, tannins for browns, and madder for reds and oranges, while yarns spun with indigo- and madder-dyed fibers produce pinks and purples. No evidence of insect or mollusk based dyes has been found. Dyed fibers include wool, linen, raffia palm, and goat hair. While these results are not necessarily unexpected for the time period, the range of decorative techniques and highly skillful color modulation is surprising; it suggests a sophisticated level of production and a widespread desire for colorful, patterned items—not just for special occasions (like one’s funeral shroud), and not just for elite individuals, but also for every day wear and use in the lives and homes of residents in a rustic agricultural town. While MSI and optical microscopy have been most useful for investigating dyes, fibers, and production techniques, XRF has allowed us to look at evidence of pesticide use in the collection. As part of this paper, we also briefly discuss the treatment and research history of the textiles, from the field to the present day.

Removing stains from dyed textiles is a big challenge in conservation treatments as it can cause bleeding of the dyes and tidelines especially when use uncontrolled media like solvents and detergents.

This research presents synthesis of a Nano magnetic sponge loaded with oil in water (O/W) microemulsions for removing rust stains from natural dyed protein-based textiles Samples.

Magnetic nanoparticles of CoFe2O4 were incorporated into a copolymer based on cross-linked polymer to obtain Nano magnetic sponge. It was loaded with two (O/W) microemulsions: the first one is based on poly (HEMA): Poly (methyl methacrylate/2hydroxyethyl 1 methacrylate); and, the second is based on SDS (sodium dodecyl sulphate).

A practical study was done in order to characterize changes in dyes of treated wool fabrics before and after thermal ageing and evaluate the composition of the cleaning. Different type of analysis methods such (SEM-EDX) unit, FTIR, the colors are given in Commission internationale de l’éclairage (CIE L*a*b*) coordinates and mechanical properties.

This article presents interesting results concerning the effect of cross linked polymers Loaded with the prepared emulsions used for removing rust stains and study its effect on natural dyed textile before and after ageing.

Textile materials constitute the majority of various market products due to their unique properties. However, the high combustibility of the material used in textile fabrics and fibers made them highly flammable and thermally less stable. This defect will threaten the human life of textile consumers and reduce the lifetime display of historical textiles. Therefore, flame-retardant materials should be added to textile fabrics to reduce their flammability properties. Treatment of textile fabrics with these materials can be through different ways such as impregnation, back coating and layer by layer self-assembly. Various materials have been used as flame-retardant to textile fabrics. Recently, various nanomaterials have been used as flame retardants for textile materials. TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles have been used extensively in flame-retardant treatment of textile fabrics. on the other hand, the historical importance of archaeological textiles in museums force the scientists to find a solution to various challenges, such as high combustibility, ease of ignition, light, relative humidity and temperature effects.

Novel flame-retardant back coating layer for historic textile fabrics was developed. Silica nanoparticles originated from agriculture waste rice husk were prepared through one pot thermal method. Rice husk is considered as agricultural waste products. The abundance, low price and high yield of silica in rice husk encourage the scientists to produce cost-effective silica particles from rice husk for various applications. In this study, we report for the first time the use of silica nanoparticles prepared rice husk (RH-SNP) along with organic borate in flame-retardant back coating formulations. Then the obtained composite used as back coating flame retardant layer to linen fabrics which used as an inner layer and support to the historical textiles. The morphological and structure properties of nanoparticles were studied. The silica nanoparticles were further impregnated with organic borate producing flame-retardant composite. The obtained composite incorporated with the binder by mechanical mixing providing flame-retardant coating paste. The coating paste spread on the back surface of textile fabrics. Varied compositions of nanoparticles, binder and organic borate were studied in the back coating layer. The flammability, thermal stability and mechanical properties of the blank and treated samples of linen fabrics as an inner support to the historical textiles were investigated. Flame retardancy of the back-coated linen samples has improved achieved high class of flame-retardant textile fabrics of zero rate of burning compared to 80.3mm/min for blank. The synergistic effect of flame retardancy between nanoparticles and organic borate was investigated. The tensile strength of the flame retardant fabrics was enhanced by 27% and elongation was improved. The effect of industrial aging on the flame retardancy and mechanical properties of flame-retardant back coating textiles was studied.

Historic textiles in museums and also in the burial environment are exposed to many different manifestations of damage, which may cause damage and loss of rare textile pieces. One of the most important manifestations of damage is dirt and stains, which are abundant on historical textiles. These stains and dirt cause physical deformation of the surface of historical textiles, damage and chemical decomposition, change in pH, attraction to insects and fungi, and also be a catalyst for irreversible damage. Traditional methods of getting rid of stains and dirt are sometimes ineffective and harmful to historical textiles. This study presents the use of a new effective and safe method by using bio-cleaning process (using pure enzymes) to get rid of stains in historical textiles. An experimental study prepared in the laboratory to study the efficiency, degree of safety, and application conditions of the new method.

Because of the high price of commercial carriers that are used in enzyme immobilization, there is a persistent need to find cheap ones. Alginate and carrageenan are two polymers that are found naturally and are also cheap. Moreover, they can be used in many industries, such as food, pharmacy, textiles, and nutrition. Hence, the interaction between alginate and carrageenan polymers can improve the stability and activity of newly formed gel beads. Aiming at their biotechnological and industrial applications, amylase and lipase should be stable enough and can be used several times, reducing the final product cost. This can be done by immobilization technologies that improve stability and catalytic properties, leading to higher catalyst efficiency. Covalent immobilization has a great advantage in that it prevents enzyme leakage because of the strong bond that forms between the support and enzyme. So that immobilization via covalent bond is widely preferred in industry as it reduces product cost by using immobilized enzyme many times.

Alginate/carrageenan complexes were used for covalent immobilization of α-amylase and lipase and in the cleaning and restoration of historical textiles. Lipase and α-amylase were immobilized on nanoparticles of the alginate/-carrageenan complex and used in historical textile cleaning. The preparation of nanoparticles, activation, and enzyme immobilization were characterized. Optimization of loading times and units of the two enzymes was done. It was found that the optimum time and units of immobilized amylase enzyme were 4 hours and 25 U, respectively. While the optimum time and units of immobilized lipase enzyme were 3 hours and 15 U, respectively, this method does not cause any staining or colour damage to the antique cloak. This method preserves the tissue from continuous disintegration. Close examination by using FT-IR, SEM, and TGA instrument.... Etc. was done in order to study and evaluate of nanoparticle preparation, activation, and enzyme immobilization.

Finally, the treatment was applied to a historical scarf (dating back to 750 years ago), the scarf is made of cotton, and there is an opening in the front along the scarf. The historical scarf is located in a private room attached to Al-Sayyid Al-Badawi Mosque in Tanta, Egypt.