Hi all,
The Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN), the Canadian Association for Conservation's Emerging Conservator Committee (CAC-ECC), and AIC's Sustainability Committee are leading a Community Partnership Project (CPP) preceding the AIC/CAC Annual Meeting on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. We are seeking volunteers to assist with this collections care initiative.
Partnering with the Redpath Museum at McGill University, volunteer conservators, pre-program, students, and professionals at all levels will work together to deliver direct and lasting benefit to the museum, equipping staff and volunteers with skills and resources to continue holistic and environmentally responsible collections care practices.
The project volunteers will be broken up into two teams, rotating between two focuses:
1. Sustainability Team (10 volunteers, 2 Team Leaders): focuses on reviewing environmental conditions in Redpath's gallery and storage spaces, with the aim of making recommendations that can address priorities while providing groundwork for the museum to apply for a sustainability grant from McGill University. This would be a great opportunity for volunteers interested in learning strategies for interpreting environmental data and making informed recommendations to improve collections environments through sustainable approaches.
2. Collections Team (10 volunteers, 2 Team Leaders): focuses on hands-on rehousing, condition assessment, and triage treatment as feasible for a wide variety of materials in the museum's collection, including woven baskets, taxidermy, and armor. The goal of this team is to establish practices that address priorities and are repeatable by the Redpath's conservation technician for future projects. In so doing, this team may also recommend or identify next steps for several key objects. This would be a great opportunity for conservators of any career level to get hands-on volunteer experience in addressing holistic object care.
The program will run from 9:00am to 3:30pm on Wednesday, April 29th, 2026.
Lunch will be provided. While transportation to and from the hotel will not be provided, the Redpath Museum is within walking distance and accessible via public transportation. Please note that the Redpath Museum is located within a historic building that does not offer accessibility aids.
Applications are due Saturday, February 28, 2026 and decisions will be made by March 14, 2026. The application is linked here, and should only take a few minutes to complete: https://forms.gle/4q8ZteEkEY7E43T86
About the Redpath Museum
The Redpath Museum is an independent unit of the Faculty of Science at McGill University. Its mission is to foster an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of our biological, geological and cultural heritage through scientific research, collections study and education. Built in 1882 by Canada's foremost Victorian naturalist, Sir William Dawson, it has its own faculty and offers courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as a minor in natural history.
Each year, more than 5,000 schoolchildren and students interact with the Museum's educators, and nearly 80,000 visitors view its exhibitions. Thanks to its dedicated staff, the Redpath Museum is more active and productive than ever. Research projects at the Museum focus on evolution, whether it's detailing some 3.5 billion years of life on the planet or examining how creatures and systems are changing today.
Scientific research at the Museum is based on a total collection of over half a million objects, including fossil, animal and mineral specimens, as well as artifacts from various cultures. This material is used daily in a multitude of university courses and research projects, and many specimens are loaned to other institutions to contribute to research.
For questions please reach out to Kate Lee, FAIC Outreach Manager (klee@culturalheritage.org)
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Ashley Stanford
Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Photography Conservation
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
ashley_stanford@moma.orgChair, 2025-2026
Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN)
ecpn.aic.chair@gmail.com------------------------------