Blogs

Midwest Microfading Tester Workshop, Mar 20

By Vincent Beltran posted yesterday
Registration is now open for the "Midwest Microfading Tester Workshop" taking place from 830am-3pm on Friday, March 20, 2026, at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. The audience for this practical training workshop includes prospective and emerging microfading tester (MFT) users, and those interested in alternatives to their current MFT setups. The workshop has a capacity of 18 persons and the registration fee is $85, which includes morning coffee and lunch. Registration c an be purchased from the following link (note: please do not add the "Meal Voucher" option as lunch will be provided): https://tickets.fieldmuseum.org/special-event-tickets?events=6967cccd3a63d6d037b6abe8&date=2026-03-20 ...

Highlights from COP30 – Culture Check-in

By adrian hernandez posted 3 days ago
February 17, 2026 Highlights from COP30 – Culture Check-in We are off to another busy year and continue to look back on global climate conversations. We recognize that the news moves at full speed, given the many local and global changes taking place. In the frenzy, you may have missed happenings at COP30, which took place November 10 to 21, 2025, in Belém, Brazil. In recent years, many have written off the COP (Conference of the Parties), since it has been inundated with fossil fuel lobbyists and inaction from world leadership. However, culture has demanded a seat at the table and is starting to be heard. We’ll share some big wins and some disappointments ...

It is interesting to hear that it is still THE “modern practice” in Italy where the conservation work was carried out

By Rebecca Rushfield posted 25 days ago
Each week in its weekend edition, The Wall Street Journal features a work of art in a column titled Masterpiece. The January 24-25, 2026 column features Giovanni Bellini’s “Pieta” (1470) currently on view at the Morgan Library & Museum in “ A Radiant Work Reborn ”. an article by Karen Wilkin. Along with a lyrical description of the work, Wilkin recounts its history of being moved from place to place, the toll that those moves took upon the work, and its restoration history. Of the painting's most recent treeatment she writes, “…discolored varnish was removed, holes and cracks were repaired, and, as is modern practice, restored areas were made congruent ...

Summer Internship in Textile Conservation at Peebles Island Resource Center

By Sarah Stevens posted 30 days ago
Summer Internship at Peebles Island Resource Center, Textile Conservation Lab 30 hours/week, Monday - Thursday, mid-June to mid-August (8 weeks total) at $21.57/hr Please forward your resume and cover letter to Textile Conservator Sarah Stevens at sarah.stevens@parks.ny.gov with the subject line “Parks & Recreation Aide 6 (Textile Internship)”. If you have any questions concerning the position, please email Sarah. A portfolio may be required upon interview. Resumes are due January 30th, 2026 Link for more information: StateJobsNY - Public Information: Review Vacancy From the job posting: Established in 1972, the Bureau of Historic Sites provides ...

Summer Internship in Textile Conservation at Peebles Island Resource Center

By Sarah Stevens posted 30 days ago
Summer Internship at Peebles Island Resource Center, Textile Conservation Lab 30 hours/week, Monday - Thursday, mid-June to mid-August (8 weeks total) at $21.57/hr Please forward your resume and cover letter to Textile Conservator Sarah Stevens at sarah.stevens@parks.ny.gov with the subject line “Parks & Recreation Aide 6 (Textile Internship)”. If you have any questions concerning the position, please email Sarah. A portfolio may be required upon interview. Resumes are due January 30th, 2026 Link for more information: StateJobsNY - Public Information: Review Vacancy From the job posting: Established in 1972, the Bureau of Historic Sites provides ...

Responders in Red Hook

By Katelin Lee posted 30 days ago
When a catastrophic fire burned through artists' studios and galleries, National Heritage Responders provided crucial support Following a devastating 5-alarm fire in Red Hook in September, hundreds of artists were left wondering what, if anything, would remain of their work. The 150-year-old warehouse in Brooklyn was home to artists’ studios, gallery spaces, and community organizations. The fire ripped through the building, creating one wave of damage, followed by the necessary work of putting the fire out, which leads to water damage and hazards like mold. To a community reeling from the possible loss of years, decades worth of artistic growth and practice, ...

Join us in Montreal, Canada, for our 2026 Joint Conference

By Bonnie Naugle posted 01-16-2026
The American Institute for Conservation welcomes our global colleagues to attend our 2026 joint conference in Montreal, QC, Canada , with the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC-ACCR)! This international conference is an excellent opportunity for you to connect with experts across North America! We are welcoming presentations and posters from authors in 40 countries, and for the first time will be offering real-time AI translation with Wordly. Both speakers and attendees can select from 60 or more languages to engage with the content in their native tongues. The meeting is hybrid and will be livestreamed and recorded. ...

MFT-IDG Webinar, Jan 29: "From Data to Decisions: Interpreting, Sharing, and Acting on Microfading Tester Results"

By Vincent Beltran posted 01-13-2026
The Microfading Tester International Discussion Group (MFT-IDG) will host its second webinar titled “From Data to Decisions: Interpreting, Sharing, and Acting on Microfading Tester Results” on Thursday, January 29, from 9-1030am (San Francisco) / 12-130pm (Philadelphia) / 2-330pm (Buenos Aires) / 6-730pm (Paris) / 1-230am (next day, Manila) / 6-730am (next day, Auckland). Attendance is free, but requires event registration at the following link: https://getty.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JpfplSB7QYCmeWdE9xXGKw Lighting choices for an exhibition may be affected by different criteria, including the desired color temperature and color rendering quality of the ...

Moving homes is quick and easy in comparison.

By Rebecca Rushfield posted 12-25-2025
The December 24, 2025 issue of The New York Times contains an article by Catherine Porter titled “ A Front-Row View of the Emptying of the Pompidou Center " which discusses the nine month process of deinstalling, packing, and trucking away almost 120,000 works of art in the Pompidou Center's collection prior to a long renovation of the building in which heating systems will be replaced, asbestos removed, and the lower floor redesigned. The complexities of packing “Magazin de Ben”, by Ben Vautier and “Salon Agam” by Yaacov Agam-- the latter of which took five weeks to carry out-- are described. Anyone reading this will think that moving homes is quick ...

Sustainability News in Heritage Conservation & Committee Updates

By adrian hernandez posted 12-22-2025
December 22, 2025 Sustainability News in Heritage Conservation & Committee Updates We don’t know about you, but 2025 has gone by SUPER fast for us here on the AIC Sustainability Committee! As the year draws to a close, we look back on some of the great work being done across the globe. It has been inspiring to see challenges turned into opportunities as relationships build across disciplines, geographies, and perspectives. Highlights: In April, The International Museum Conference on Climate Change took place in Vienna, Austria. The meeting, organized single handedly by Dr. Pascal Querner, an independent entomologist, brought together ...

These times call for greater connection through AIC membership

By Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe posted 11-05-2025
These times call for greater connection—and that’s exactly what AIC membership is built on. Across the conservation field, we’re all navigating rapid change: new technologies, evolving roles, tighter budgets, and the constant need to balance care for collections with care for ourselves. Through it all, connection is what keeps us steady. It’s what turns individual effort into collective progress. Connection Is Our Strength AIC isn’t just a professional association… it’s a community of people who know what it means to show up for this work and for one another. Being a member means you’re not doing it alone. You’re part of a network that continues to ...

Make professional development accessible to all!

By AIC Official posted 11-05-2025
A central part of our work at FAIC is providing professional development resources to the conservation field. We provide scholarships and workshops year-round to people like you who want to grow their skills. But we also recognize that the cost of many professional development programs can make them out of reach to many in the field. with this year's loss of federal grant funds and institutional budget cuts, conservators are facing increased barriers to professional development. This is why, even as we face our own budget restrictions, FAIC remains committed to our pledge to support access to our workshops with complimentary registration and a travel stipend ...

These Times Call for Greater Connection - AIC Membership

By Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe posted 11-04-2025
By Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe, Executive Director, AIC These times call for greater connection—and that’s exactly what AIC membership is built on. Across the conservation field, we’re all navigating rapid change: new technologies, evolving roles, tighter budgets, and the constant need to balance care for collections with care for ourselves. Through it all, connection is what keeps us steady. It’s what turns individual effort into collective progress. Connection Is Our Strength AIC isn’t just a professional association… it’s a community of people who know what it means to show up for this work and for one another. Being a member means you’re not doing ...

Your Conservation Advocacy Action Items for Fall

By Katelin Lee posted 10-22-2025
Advocating for conservation is a year-round activity! You may be in regular contact with your elected representatives and local government about a wide variety of interests and concerns. We collected resources, talking points, and action items to help build conservation and preservation into your advocacy. Here are a few current topics as well as some upcoming opportunities: Federal Government Shutdown The government shutdown directly impacts many people in the cultural heritage field, causing financial strain and uncertainty individually as well as restricting access to key services in the community. Our thoughts are with our furloughed colleagues and ...

MFT-IDG Webinar, Nov 14: "Microfading Testers in Use: Whitmore, Fotonowy, and Retroreflective"

By Vincent Beltran posted 10-14-2025
Update (2026 January 6) : The MFT-IDG team is happy to share the recording of our 2025 November 14 webinar “ Microfading Testers in Use: Whitmore, Fotonowy, and Retroreflective ”. Many thanks to our speakers f or graciously sharing their knowledge with us, and the Getty for their support in organizing the webinar. ---------- The Microfading Tester International Discussion Group (MFT-IDG) will host its first webinar titled “Microfading Testers In Use: Whitmore, Fotonowy, and Retroreflective” on Friday, November 14, from 8-930am (Los Angeles) / 11am-1230pm (New York) / 1-230pm (Rio de Janeiro) / 4-530pm (Edinburgh) / 8-930pm (Dubai) / 12-130am (next day, ...

The past really is another country and we can never live there; at best we can pay a courtesy call

By Rebecca Rushfield posted 10-13-2025
The September 29, 2025 issue of The New Yorker contains an article by Anthony Lane entitled “ Cinema Paradiso ” about the Il Cinema Ritrovato film festival held each year in Bologna and the restoration of 20th century films at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in that city. Lane describes the work that goes on in the lab, discussing how such issues as “vinegar syndrome” are treated. But, his article is also a meditation on artists’ rights and artistic intent and the impossibility of recapturing the original. Describing the issues that are raised by a screening of the restored version of Charlie Chaplin’s 1925 silent film, “The Gold Rush” he notes that in ...

Paul Whitmore: FAIC Oral History

By Vincent Beltran posted 10-07-2025
When describing the Microfading Tester International Discussion Group (MFT-IDG), conservation scientist Paul Whitmore is mentioned early and prominently as the originator of the microfading tester (MFT), which can assess the in situ light sensitivity of an object. While an aspiration of the MFT-IDG had been to interview Paul, he efficiently pointed us to an FAIC oral history conducted in 2020 with Kelsey Wingel, and housed at the Winterthur Museum, Library, and Archives. This fascinating three-part oral history covers the breadth of Paul’s career: Part 1 documents his discovery of conservation and conservation science and his early work at Caltech and the Fogg ...

Intro to MFT-IDG Officers

By Vincent Beltran posted 10-02-2025
Organizing and launching the Microfading Tester International Discussion Group (MFT-IDG) has been the definition of a team effort and we wanted to briefly introduce you to the amazing MFT-IDG officers working behind the scenes. -------------------- Kirsten Dunne ACR, MFT-IDG Information Repository Officer ( Senior Projects Conservator, National Galleries of Scotland) • How were you introduced to MFT? I started Microfading in 2012, when we purchased an MFT for our Conservation Department. Our Director of Collections Care Jacqueline Ridge trained as a paintings conservator and, having worked with Dr. Paul Whitmore on the Rothko paintings ...

Call for Papers for AIC-CAC 2026 Now Open!

By Bonnie Naugle posted 09-16-2025
AIC + CAC-ACCR Call for Papers: Propose a presentation, workshop, or symposium by September 30, 2025 Our 2026 joint conference will be held at the Palais des congrès in beautiful Montréal, Québec, Canada, from Tuesday, April 28, through Saturday, May 2 . The portal is open and accepting submissions in both English and French for presentations, posters, pre-conference (workshops, symposia, sessions) and luncheon programming, and networking events. The proposal forms are linked below. You will need to create an account to begin your submission: Abstracts for presentations, panels, or posters - Due Sept. 30 Proposals for pre-conference or luncheon ...

Tue 8/26 10am ET MOXY: Plasma-generated Atomic Oxygen for the Cleaning of Sensitive Cultural Heritage Surfaces

By Cristiana Acerbi Ginatta posted 08-14-2025
A reminder to register for the upcoming virtual presentation on a new technology for the cleaning of delicate surfaces. Hope to see you next week! Link to register: https://learning.culturalheritage.org/p/moxy Registration is free for AIC members and students (you still need to register and go through the "purchase" at $0); $20 for non-AIC members. The speakers are generously volunteering their time and the funds raised will be used to support programs at the annual conference. Recordings will be available for registered participants. MOXY: Plasma-generated Atomic Oxygen for the Cleaning of Sensitive Cultural Heritage Surfaces Tuesday, August 26, 10-11:30 ...