Dear Colleagues,
The inquire by Joanna Baker, Registrar and Collection Manager at the Kreeger Museum in the C2C Care forum (considering this audience and to only include information appropriate to non-conservators) re: recommendations on proper conservation framing and museum-quality fine art framers in the Washington, DC area; brings an important issue of discussion and worth mentioning here.
I would like to bring to the attention of all the AIC membership and especially Professional Associates and Fellows that are trained conservators something that I've experienced for many years. During the years that I've practice paper conservation as an independent and freelance conservator (in Washington, D.C.; Oberlin, Ohio and Omaha, Nebraska); I've noticed that framers and many framers' shops are doing our work of conservators -- when dealing with valuable artworks, historic and irreplaceable documents and sometimes museum pieces/ projects.
Therefore, I urge this C2C Care forum to look up mainly at conservators and "Find a conservator" at the AIC website when you are dealing with objects (e.g. paper-based artworks and historic archival materials on paper; parchment; easel paintings on various media; textiles; and photographs among others) so that you can get the advice and services from trained and qualified professionals. Not just a framer and a framer's shop in your area.
Joanna mentioned "We [The Keeger Museum] have some rehousing projects coming up and was wondering if anyone had recommendations for museum-quality fine art framers in the Washington, DC area. Looking for someone that specializes in framing or restoring frames of paintings and works on paper- 19th c through contemporary works and frames." This work should be handled only by a frame conservator and a conservator and not just a framer and someone who sell frames in a shop, (as it was already mentioned by other colleagues in this post).
Please, let's help raise the standards of framing conservation in this country and especially for valuable and vulnerable paper-based materials, parchment, photographs and textiles that most likely are framed, mounted, adhered and handled inappropriately by folks that didn't attend any art conservation program. Many conservators in private practice rely in these (item-level) project or projects that are being served by people that do not have the knowledge, skills and understanding of preservation of museum objects. I had over the years some issues and "conflict of interest" with private clients calling me to find out if it was all right that the framer for example will trim an oil painting in a stretcher to fit into a frame; since "he cut it to short and doesn't fit the artwork." This often happens that clients go to framers because they think it is much cheaper than working with a conservator.
I wrote to my client "you need a conservator. He does not have the capacity to amend ("treat") conservation problems in original artworks. The addition of a stretcher-bar-joint should be documented, written in a report (properly) and photographed by a conservator, before and after interventions. Not just carried out by a framer adding this bar in order to fix the warped stretcher. We have a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice in the profession, that conservators follow it when treating artworks."
Please, I would like to hear comments and suggestions on how to address these problems of communication and awareness with other AIC members that are conservators and non-conservator. If possible, to discuss the work that framers are doing in DC and elsewhere on artworks and/or collections without the appropriate training and education.
Thanks.
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Valeria Orlandini
Conservator of Works on Paper and Photographic Materials
Chevy Chase, MD
P: 301-657-2682 / C: 240-507-0797
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