C2CC Care of Industrial Artifacts
Channel: AIC & FAIC
Date: 2018-08-03

Do you have a big machine that you don’t know how to handle or display? What are the special considerations for hazardous components and modern materials like plastics and rubber? Is it ok to restore museum objects and if so, who should or can do it?

This webinar will address care issues common to Industrial Collections. We will cover how to safely move large objects, how to best store them, and address topics related to machinery on exhibition both indoors and outdoors. We’ll touch on the ethical issue related to restoration, if it is an option, or when ongoing functional use is a driving concern. Topics will include expected materials to look for and what to do when you find hazardous materials when examining and documenting objects.

The goal is to give participants the confidence to do what they can, to learn how to formulate reasonable intervention strategies, and to know when to hire contractors. The focus will be on industrial collections like machines and steam engines, although we will touch on items like communications equipment, agricultural implements and to some extent on general transportation collections.