Conserving the Museum’s Collection

The University Museum invites you to support the ongoing conservation work in the collection. Any collection as old as the Museum’s, that’s 143 years old, has works that came to it in poor condition. Often the damage was inadvertent, and often it was caused by many years of use. Sometimes it was damaged by environmental problems – a smoking environment, exposure to water, exposure to high light levels.

In April 2016, the Museum invited two conservators from the nationally respected Chicago Conservation Center. They spoke to our Museum Studies classes and then examined some of the works in the collection. Come see what it costs to conserve different kinds of work – from University President Delyte Morris’ Eames chair to a Civil War drum rich in Southern Illinois history. In this exhibit we present their professional critiques of the works’ condition, what is needed, and what it will cost.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

Whether or not you go, Conservation Treatment Methodology presents a systematic approach to decision-making for conservation treatments. The methodology is applicable to all cultural property, independent of object type or material, and its use will enable conservators to be more confident in their treatment decisions. 

The book is illustrated with numerous examples that emphasize the equal importance of the physical and cultural aspects of objects for decision-making. The book also explains how the history of an object and the meaning that it holds for its owner or custodian contribute to determining its treatment. 

Conservation Treatment Methodology