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Recent Advances and Future Directions in the Education and Training of Photograph Conservators by
Debra
Hess Norris
and Nora
Kennedy
Graduate and post- graduate educational programs continue to be evaluated and modified to accommodate the changing needs and attitudes of our field, including the urgent need to prioritize and effectively communicate preservation actions, the development of less invasive treatment protocols and strong research agendas, the establishment of productive partnerships between artists, curators, scholars, and scientists, and the use of new technologies for analysis and documentation. Today, photograph conservation educators collaborate actively, sharing resources, teaching joint seminars, encouraging research, supporting publications, and working to establish agreement on the minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities required of all practicing photograph conservators. Full abstract: The conservation of photographs is a unique, challenging, and exciting field; the education and training of photograph conservators has evolved considerably during this discipline's brief 30-40 year history. Thirty years ago the accepted course of study for a photograph conservator included training in paper conservation supplemented by the study of photographic science and the history and practice of photography and/or apprenticeship with a practicing conservator of photographs. In 1976, specialized training for photograph conservators was formally established at the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. Since that time, we have graduated 13 conservators of photographs who are currently responsible of the care and preservation of national and international photograph collections, including the Library of Congress, the US Memorial Holocaust Museum, National Archives and Records Administration, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The need for additional qualified conservators of photography is clearly evident and within the past ten years additional graduate and undergraduate training programs (such as those at Buffalo State College and New York University) have offered photograph conservation as a major area of specialization. Over the course of the past 25 years our graduate curriculum in photograph conservation has been modified significantly to meet the changing attitudes, philosophies, and practices within the conservation field. In doing so, the value of preventive conservation and the urgent need to prioritize and effectively communicate preservation actions has been recognized, conservation treatment practice has become less intrusive and more thoroughly grounded in scientific research, the importance of a photograph's contextual or informational value is better understood, electronic media have fostered new approaches to our documentation and information systems, procedures and productive partnerships between scientists, curators, and scholars have been further encouraged, and specific research needs have been identified with careful attention paid to the practical and real issues of economics and feasibility. Teaching methodologies have also evolved with increased emphasis on experiential and problem-based learning methods. Opinions about what constitutes the ideal education in photograph conservation vary considerably, yet most photograph conservators agree that a knowledge of photographic history, technology, and chemistry, preventive conservation, and treatment practice are mandatory coupled with strong hand skills, decision-making, critical thinking and communication abilities. Over the years we have strived to insure that our graduates have these vital skills as well as an appropriate balance of caution and courage, compromise and excellence, a deep respect for the knowledge and experience of others, the ability to work cooperatively, and a commitment to continuing professional development. During the years 1994-97 the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation engaged in a study of current and future priorities in fine art conservation. A consensus emerged regarding urgent needs in photograph conservation relating to the scarcity of training opportunities. Two pivotal initiatives, both funded by the Mellon Foundation, developed. The first was the establishment (1999) of the a two-year Advanced Residency Program in Photograph Conservation under the auspices of the George Eastman House with collaboration of the Image Permanence Institute in Rochester New York. The second initiative involved the creation of a series of week-long, intensive workshops and seminars that have offered an opportunity for collaborative study by leaders in the field (including photograph conservators, curators, art historians, scientists, and artists) and young professionals deeply committed to photographic preservation. Both unique educational programs have benefited the photograph conservation field and serve as important models for other conservation fields and disciplines. Graduate and post- graduate educational programs continue to be evaluated and modified to accommodate the changing needs of our field. Photograph conservation educators collaborate actively, sharing resources, teaching joint seminars, encouraging research, supporting publications, and working to establish agreement on the minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities required of all practicing photograph conservators. Such actions are vital as we move toward professional certification. |