Past Programs

Caring for Your Textiles
March 5, 2010
This illustrated lecture covered topics including: understanding the needs of your textile collection; preventing damage through appropriate care, handling, and storage practices; and the importance of collection monitoring. Presented at Heritage Hall, Marion, OH.
Sponsored by the Marion County Historical Society.


Caring for Your Textiles
February 14, 2010
This free illustrated lecture covered topics including: understanding the needs of your textile collection; preventing damage through appropriate care, handling, and storage practices; and the importance of collection monitoring. Presented at the Medina County District Library, Medina, OH.
Sponsored by the Medina County Genealogical Society.


Preserving Our Cultural Heritage
December 9, 2009
ICA and the Ohio Preservation Council jointly developed this FREE, statewide preservation outreach initiative. Topics covered included: a definition of preservation; the difference between preservation and conservation; appropriate types of supplies; disaster preparedness; print and online resources; and strategies for preservation fundraising. Presented at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH.
Funding provided in part by the generous support of the Ohio Preservation Council.


Pollock, or Not: A Story of Hubris, Money and the Love of Art
November 8, 2009
ICA Materials Research Director, and administrator of AMIEN, Mark Gottsegen presented this lecture on the controversy surrounding the authentication of a group of recently discovered "Jackson Pollock" paintings. Gottsegen offered an in-depth look at what happens when traditional art historical connoisseurship and modern analytical science collide. Presented at the Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH.


The Role of Science in the Rediscovery of Leonardo da Vinci
October 30, 2009
Maurizio Seracini, Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Science for Art, Architecture and Archaeology (CISA3) at the University of California at San Diego, presented this free lecture on his decades-long quest to discover a lost da Vinci work. Presented at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH.
Sponsored by the Department of Art History and Art, Case Western Reserve University; The Sculpture Center; and the Intermuseum Conservation Association.


Caring for Your Paper Treasures
October 22, 2009
This free illustrated lecture covered topics including: understanding the needs of your paper objects; preventing damage through appropriate care, handling, and storage practices; and the importance of regular collection monitoring. Presented at ICA member institution The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Beachwood, OH.


Akron Art Museum Appraisal Affair
October 17, 2009
ICA member institution the Akron Art Museum offered a day of appraisals and preservation advice to its members and friends. Wes Cowan, founder and owner of Cowan's Auctions in Cinncinnati, star of the PBS show "The History Detectives," and featured appraiser on "Antiques Roadshow" was the resident expert for the day. ICA staff was on hand to provide preservation tips to the public. Presented at the Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH.


25th Annual Fine Print Fair
October 10-11, 2009
The ICA was pleased to participate in the 2009 print fair, presented by the Print Club of Cleveland. ICA staff answered questions and presented information on preserving paper objects, including appropriate care, handling, matting and framing. Presented at Corporate College, Warrensville Heights, OH.


What's Wrong with This Picture? The Technical Analysis of a Known Forgery
October 6, 2009
Dr. Gregory D. Smith, Conservation Scientist at Buffalo State College, presented this free public lecture on the role of the conservator and conservation scientist in authenticity studies. Presented at Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH.
Funding provided by the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.


Beneath the Surface of Tintoretto’s Nativity
October 1, 2009
Curator Frederick Ilchman and conservator Rhona MacBeth from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, presented this free public lecture on the technical innovations that allowed Venetian Renaissance artists such as Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese to create a startlingly new approach to painting. Presented at Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH.
Funding provided by the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.


Caring for Your Paper Treasures
September 23, 2009
This free illustrated lecture covered topics including: understanding the needs of your paper objects; preventing damage through appropriate care, handling, and storage practices; and the importance of regular collection monitoring. Presented at Saint Ann's Catholic Church, Cleveland Heights, OH.
Sponsored by the Saint Ann's Seniors Group.


Celebrating Paper: The 25th Anniversary Ohio Preservation Council Symposium
September 17, 2009
The Ohio Preservation Council celebrated a quarter-century of protecting our shared heritage with a day of informative presentations, demonstrations, and panel discussions on the history, art and preservation of books and paper. ICA is a long-time OPC member, and paper conservator Jamye Jamison was one of the symposium presenters. Presented at the Msgr. Joseph Jessing Center, Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, OH.


Caring for Your Textiles
September 2, 2009
This free illustrated lecture covered topics including: understanding the needs of your textile collection; preventing damage through appropriate care, handling, and storage practices; and the importance of collection monitoring. Presented at the Lakewood Public Library, Lakewood, OH.
Sponsored by the Lakewood Historical Society.


Woodstock 40th Anniversary Weekend
August 22-23, 2009
The ICA was invited to highlight some of the many conservation treatments performed on the Rock Hall's collections over the years. These include guitars, lyric notebooks, tour posters, concert costumes, and personal items belonging to iconic performers such as Elvis Presley, John Lennon, David Bowie and Bono. Presented at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland, OH.


Caring for Your Paper Treasures
August 5, 2009
This free illustrated lecture covered topics including: understanding the needs of your paper objects; preventing damage through appropriate care, handling, and storage practices; and the importance of regular collection monitoring. Presented at the South Euclid Community Center, Euclid, OH.
Sponsored by the South Euclid Historical Society.


Ingenuity Festival
July 10-12, 2009
ICA conservators were among the exhibitors for the 2009 Ingenuity Festival, demonstrating the very real ways in which art and technology intersect in the labs every day.  Common investigative techniques used by conservators include infrared reflectography, x-ray radiography, and examination under infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) light sources. Presented at the Halle Building, Cleveland, OH.


Preservation of Sacred Artifacts: Care and Handling of Cultural Materials in Religious and Spiritual Institutions
June 4, 2009
This full-day program was designed to help religious and spiritual institutions understand the basic care of cultural materials of which they are stewards. Each talk addressed the topics of caring for, displaying, and storing materials found in religious collections and buildings. Presented at the Msgr. Joseph Jessing Center, Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, OH.


Fashion Forward: Caring for Your Textiles Now for the Future
May 8, 2009
The ICA was pleased to welcome Fashion Week Cleveland attendees and the public to a free open house at our Detroit Avenue facility.  Textile conservator Jane Hammond made a brief presentation on issues of preservation around modern clothing materials.


Museum Marauders: Integrated Preventative Pest Management
May 6, 2009
Nationally-known insect expert Dr. Thomas Parker explained how to identify, understand the habits of, and non-chemically prevent or control various insect populations. This full-day workshop also included practical suggestions for developing an effective, low-cost, in-house pest management program. Presented at Fenn Tower, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH.
Sponsored by Cleveland State University Library Special Collections. Funding provided in part by the generous support of the Ohio Preservation Council.


Form to Finish: Strategies in Outdoor Sculpture Preservation
April 25, 2009
This free, full-day symposium featured speakers from across the country speaking about understanding finished surfaces and developing strategies and funding options for the preservation of outdoor sculpture. Presented at the Cleveland Museum of Art and The Sculpture Center, Cleveland, OH.
Sponsored by the Department of Art History and Art and the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities, Case Western Reserve University; The Sculpture Center; the Intermuseum Conservation Association; the Cleveland State University Art Department; and the Cleveland Museum of Art.


Fire! Recent Trends in Suppression And Mitigation
April 6, 2009
What are the latest trends in fire suppression technology? What steps should you be taking to protect your collections from fire and its associated dangers? And what can you expect to happen to your objects if they are exposed to a fire? Presented at the 2009 Ohio Museums Association Conference, Cuyahoga Falls, OH.
Sponsored by the Northeast Ohio Alliance for Response and the Ohio Preservation Council. Funding provided in part by the generous support of the Fidelity Foundation and Mr. Rapid/Water Out of Canton.


How to Make it Last: Choosing Materials that Will Stand the Test of Time
March 26, 2009
ICA paper conservator Jamye Jamison, ICA paintings conservator Wendy Partridge, and ICA Materials Research Director Mark Gottsegen offered this free program on artists’ materials and how to use them. Health and safety considerations were also discussed. Presented at Utrecht Art Supplies, Cleveland Heights, OH. (Watch excerpts on varnishing and adhering artists' papers.)


COSE Arts Network Social
March 19, 2009
The ICA was pleased to welcome the Council of Smaller Enterprises and the public to an evening of arts education and networking. Conservators answered questions and showed examples of recent treatments.


Preserving Our Cultural Heritage
October 27, 2008
The ICA and the Ohio Preservation Council co-produced this free program, the first in a series offered across the state. The program is open to anyone who owns or is responsible for a collection and covers topics including selecting appropriate supplies and materials, disaster preparation and response, and fundraising for preservation. Presented at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, Akron, OH.
Funding provided in part by the generous support of the Ohio Preservation Council.


Photographic Processes: History and Identification
April 11, 2008
Paper and photograph conservator Gary Albright taught this full-day workshop on the history of photography, the hands-on examination and identification of various photographic types, and the appropriate care and handling of historic photographs and negatives. Presented at the Cleveland Public Library Lakeshore Facility, Cleveland, OH.
Funding provided in part by the generous support of the Ohio Preservation Council.


Digital Photography 101
February 4-5, 2008
Yosi Pozeilov, head of conservation photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, taught this two-day class for conservators. Poseilov outlined the basics of color correction, file conversion, and naming conventions for managing digital conservation images. Presented at the Kelvin Smith Library, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH.
Funding provided in part by the generous support of the Ohio Arts Council.


Textiles: From Household Goods to Museum Artifacts
February 2, 2008
Nationally-known educator Camille Myers Breeze of Museum Textile Services was the instructor for this full-day workshop on the care and handling of historic textiles. Topics included basic fiber identification, agents of deterioration and how to arrest them, and proper storage methods for various textile types.
Funding provided in part by the generous support of the Richard Horvitz and Erica Hartman-Horvitz Foundation.


A Race Against Time: Preserving Our Audiovisual Media
October 24–25, 2007
The ICA was a local co-sponsor of this CCAHA/PALINET conference, intended for those involved in managing machine-based media collections in cultural institutions. Presented at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland, OH.


Preservation Strategies for the Care and Storage of Photographic Collections
September 20, 2007
This Ohio Preservation Council 2007 Symposium featured four speakers, including the ICA’s Paper Conservator Emily Helwig and Associate Preparator Charles Eiben. Topics included humidification and flattening of photographs; historic photograph albums; surface cleaning of photographs; and archival framing methods. Presented at Ashland University, Ashland, OH.


Reading the Book: How Preservation Impacts Interpretation
September 7, 2007
This free, one-day symposium featured four scholars presenting a broad historical overview of the evolution of the book as an object, with a nod to how the physicality of the book, and actions such as conservation, can impact its use as an historical/literary tool. Presented at Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH. (Read a review of the symposium.)
Sponsored by the Friends of the Oberlin College Library. Funding provided in part by the generous support of Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency, Inc.


Art Conservation Principles Applied at Home:  Care and Handling for the General Public
April 17–May 22, 2007
This free, six-part lecture series introduced the public to the field of conservation and the wide range of materials and information that conservators work with, while highlighting care and handling of personal artifacts and family heirlooms. Presented at the Carnegie West Branch of the Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland, OH.
Funding provided in part by the generous support of the citizens of Cuyahoga County.


Preservation of Sacred Artifacts: Care and Handling of Cultural Materials in Religious and Spiritual Institutions
February 8–March 8, 2007
This five-part lecture series examined the principles of caring for, displaying, and storing materials found in religious collections and buildings.  ICA conservators explained preventive conservation and provided information on practical ways to ensure the long-term stability of artifacts and documents. Presented at Trinity Cathedral Commons, Cleveland, OH.
Funding provided in part by the generous support of the citizens of Cuyahoga County.


Emergency Response and Recovery of Wet Cultural Materials
November 10–12, 2006
This three-day workshop provided intensive hands-on training and information on recovery of objects after a disaster.  Instructors Barbara Moore and M.J. Davis are nationally recognized experts in the field.
Funding provided in part by the generous support of the citizens of Cuyahoga County.