"The word conservation is used to describe a broad range of practices involved in the preservation of historic and artistic works as well as the day-to-day practice of conservation which has a concentrated focus. The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) identifies the principles and practices that unite conservators as a professional group whose members treat objects as diverse as oil paintings, steam engines, and wedding dresses.
Conservation encompasses actions taken toward the long-term preservation of cultural property. Unstable conditions occur in a painting such as tears, flaking paint and cracks. Conservation activities include the following explicit functions:
Examination is a procedure to determine the nature, method of manufacture or properties of objects, and the causes of their deterioration.
Documentation procedures record the condition of an object before, during, and after treatment, and outline in detail treatment methods and materials used.
Preventive Conservation is action taken to minimize further deterioration. This process includes the stabilization of the environment surrounding an artifact by methods which minimize the effects of agents of deterioration.
Treatment includes the stabilization of the condition of a work of art or artifact to retard or stop deterioration processes. Treatment may also include restoration.
Restoration is an attempt to bring cultural property closer to its original appearance or its appearance at a particular period in time..." from their website: wccfa.com
Video from Rocky Mountain PBS
Conservators Return a Painting to its Former Glory
"The Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts has been treating paintings by some of the most prolific artists for the past 40 years. But what came through their door in 2022 — and what they’re still working on — was unlike anything they have ever received.
Read more at rmpbs.org " from the video introduction
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