 By: Taryn Nurse, Summer 2024 Graduate Intern, WUDPAC Class of 2026
As a graduate intern from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC), I embarked on my first year Summer Work Project with BACC with the goal of widening my understanding of treatment and care in a real-world setting. I was absolutely thrilled to be gaining experience in a regional center, and it was such a treat to work under so many WUDPAC alumni! As a rising paintings’ major, my summer was tailored to broadening my working knowledge of paintings and painted surfaces. My traditional easel paintings projects all involved various cleaning and varnish removal treatments which not only introduced me to multiple new approaches but also helped build my confidence on the decision-making aspect of choosing an appropriate cleaning approach. I credit this new skillset to having the opportunity to revamp BACC’s Modular Cleaning Program as well as through working hands-on with a variety of media including oil, acrylic, PVC and even black gesso. I also had the opportunity to develop my inpainting skills through projects with both the paintings and objects departments of BACC. I picked up many new tips and tricks for working with dry pigments and adjusting the sheen of acrylics with glass platelets. Some of my projects also introduced me to more technical treatments like humidification, thread by thread tear mending with a variety of adhesives, corner consolidation of works on canvas board and mending losses with inserts for works on canvas. These are skills that I will no doubt be calling on for the rest of my career. My major project involved a technical study on a polychrome sculpture of St. Joseph which came to BACC from the Mission San Louis Rey. This project turned out to be a dynamic learning experience involving both research and hands on-treatment components. I was able to perform many technical analyses on the sculpture including X-Ray fluorescence Spectroscopy, X-radiography, microscopic fiber identification, and cross section analyses to learn more about the object’s construction and history. Working with the sculpture introduced me to multiple techniques for paint consolidation and I had the opportunity to work with several materials and techniques. Some of these included direct Aquazol injection, gelatin consolidation through tissue, heat setting through mylar and creating gelatin fills. My time at BACC was not limited to bench work, however. Through attending meetings and spending dedicated time with BACC’s Conservation Services Manager, I was able to build my understanding of the inner workings of a regional center from a business standpoint. Some of my projects also involved direct communication with curators and artists which further added to my understanding of the working relationship between conservators and the people we serve and how this affects our approaches to treatment and writing treatment proposals. In the span of 8-weeks, I can confidently say that I built many new skills under the conservators at BACC. And of course, San Diego was an adventure in itself! My summer allowed time to visit sea caves, get a tin-type portrait in Old Town, try many churros and so much more! Thank you BACC for a dynamic summer! San Diego Students Are Learning About Art Conservation Thanks to Local and National Philanthropy8/16/2024
 BACC conservators work with students at Hoover High School to clean a statue by Donal Hord in the school library. The Balboa Art Conservation Center (BACC) is gaining significant support for its Art Conservation Train-the-Trainer Program for educators. San Diego-based Price Philanthropies has awarded the nonprofit conservation center $25,000 to support the program, now in its second year. This comes on the heels of a $16,000 grant from Washington DC-based Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC).
The Art Conservation Train-the-Trainer Program is part of BACC’s larger workforce development initiative, which is committed to building awareness among educators and students about conservation and its role in the larger arts ecosystem. By increasing knowledge of and access to preservation knowledge, BACC hopes to introduce a broader audience to the field and ultimately foster a more diverse conservation workforce. Building on Previous Successes The program was successfully piloted during the 2022-2023 academic year. With funding from the Prebys Foundation, BACC partnered with three schools in San Diego to introduce students of varying ages to conservation principles. BACC conservators partnered with Hoover High School’s Sustainable Academy of Building and Engineering to work with students directly in the research and conservation of a Works Progress Administration (WPA)-era sculpture located in the school’s library (read more here). In partnership with Freese Elementary, BACC engaged with teachers in a train-the-trainer model, teaching them conservation and preservation principles and collaborating to integrate these concepts into their curricula. The third partnership, with Mesa Community College Museum Studies Program, was a hybrid in which BACC conservators worked with professors to develop curricula but also taught students directly (read more here). All three of these projects were highly successful, and BACC received the Creative Leadership Award from the San Diego Unified School District Visual and Performing Arts Department for the collaborations with Freese and Hoover High. Now in its second year and building on the success of training teachers BACC will expand the train-the-trainer model and develop and formalize curricula in conservation and preservation education for elementary and highschool classrooms in collaboration with teachers from Freese Elementary, High Tech High, and Hoover High. Participating educators will attend a conservation “bootcamp,”and be introduced to the field of conservation and preservation and collectively explore best ways to integrate cultural heritage preservation concepts into their curricula throughout the school year. During the academic year, students will have the opportunity to visit and tour BACC’s laboratories and put their new knowledge to use. BACC Executive Director Leticia Gomez Franco summarizes the urgent need for this programming, “It is critical that our region's youth understand the power they have to ensure the survival of our unique cultural heritage. From family heirlooms to public art sculptures, the culture that surrounds us will be safeguarded by the next generation. This program is inviting our youth to learn about the technical practice of art conservation and the fascinating intersection of art, history, and science through our most capable partners- teachers! This investment by Price Philanthropies and FAIC is an investment in preparing the future to safeguard our past.” About Balboa Art Conservation Center The Balboa Art Conservation Center (BACC) provides art conservation and cultural preservation services for cultural institutions and the general public. The San Diego-based nonprofit is one of only eight regional nonprofit art conservation organizations in the country and the only one in the western region. Founded in 1975, BACC provides art conservation and cultural preservation services to cultural institutions and the general public, focusing on the care of works of art, cultural objects, and historic artifacts, technical imaging, and analysis while also providing educational opportunities for emerging conservators. Learn more at bacc.org. About Price Philanthropies The Price Philanthropies Foundation is a private family foundation working to improve life opportunities for underserved youth and families, and their communities. It was founded by retail entrepreneur and philanthropist Sol Price and his wife Helen and led today by Sol and Helen Price’s son and daughter in law, Robert and Allison Price. About FAIC The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) supports conservation education, research, and outreach activities that increase understanding of our global cultural heritage. Our mission is to save cultural heritage for future generations, protecting it from decay and destruction. We advance research and education, lead treatment and collection care initiatives, and deploy conservation expertise to where it is most urgently needed. Our work empowers conservation professionals, strengthens cultural institutions, and engages diverse audiences as we work together to protect cultural heritage for humanity. Learn more at culturalheritage.org and follow FAIC on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. |