Episode 12: Crowd-sourcing Green Conservation Solutions with Soraya Alcala
Soraya Alcala of the MFA Houston joins Roxy for a conversation about her institution’s involvement in the multinational project: HORIZONS Greenart. MFAH joins the TATE, LACMA and the MET in a crowd-sourcing experiment of new materials for paintings, paper, and objects conservation, often trialing the same treatment on works by the same artist.
From establishing a collective agreement on the meaning of a ‘green’ solution to sharing feedback for the research and development team, she describes the value found in networks, collaboration, and clear communication. Soraya and Roxy excitedly discuss what it is like being on the assessment team of the project, reformulations of past recipes for gels vs brand new ones, and when the greater conservation field will have access to these trialed materials for their own labs.
"I firmly believe that we, as cultural heritage conservators, must not just acknowledge the issue but actively embrace sustainable thinking and work practices. It's not just a professional statement; it's a commitment that the conservation community needs to embrace to the extent of its possibilities. It's incongruous for me to spend my professional life trying to slow down the degradation of human artifacts, testimony of our culture and history of humanity on this planet, and at the same time deny the care of the planet. Museums, as cultural and educational institutions, have the potential to be the leaders in implementing more sustainable practices and showing more care for the planet." - Soraya Alcala
Resources from this episode:
Greenart Project
Greenart LinkedIn
CSGI
Go Green Conservation
Moxy
AIC 2024: "A Darkened Canvas and a Mysterious Hand: Analytical Investigation and Sustainable Approaches to the Cleaning of Morris Louis ‘Slide’ (1962)"
TATE
LACMA