Bringing Conservation to Scale

At the end of January, our chief document conservator Walter Newman gave the Restoration Center a test. Mr. Newman conducted back-to-back conservation workshops with staff of the Museo Hemingway one week, and then expanded his audience to include conservators from 6 other museums in Havana.

Specialists from the Consejo Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural, National Library, National Achieves, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Decorative Arts, and Museum and Library of Servando Cabrera Moreno attended.

Conservators brought samples of their own work to the Restoration Center at Finca Vigía for the workshop. Topics addressed included treatment documentation, surface cleaning, tape and adhesive removal, immersion washing, suction table washing, mending, creating inserts, and different techniques for lining. While mostly hands-on, the workshop also included discussions of the difference between treating archival material and art material and special problems of photomechanical plans and iron gall inks.

I was in Cuba three weeks after the training for other meetings and heard fantastic reviews from the participants and the director of Museo Hemingway. And of course, a plea for Mr. Newman’s return.