Objects conservator

An Objects conservator is a professional, working in a museum setting or private practice, that specializes in the conservation of three-dimensional works. They undergo specialized education, training, and experience that allows them to formulate and implement preventative strategies and invasive treatment protocols to preserve cultural property for the future. Objects conservators typically specialize in one type of material or class of cultural property, including metals, archaeological artifacts, ethnographic artifacts, glass, and ceramic art. Objects conservation presents many challenges due to their three-dimensional form and composite nature.

The diverse nature of artifacts that fall into the category of three dimensional objects presents a unique challenge to compiling a set of common procedures. However, preventative measures and treatment methodologies involve similar considerations that need to be addressed, regardless of the object's composition. In the words of Cesare Brandi, "Restoration must aim to reestablish the potential unity of the work of art, as long as this is possible without producing an artistic or historical forgery and without erasing every trace of the passage of time left on the work of art." This means that an Objects Conservator needs to know when to draw the line, and communicate that limit to the object's custodian.

While not as glamorous or hands-on as the other steps in this process, collections care, or preventative conservation, is arguably the most important. To truly preserve cultural heritage for the future, it is imperative to minimize deterioration by developing and implementing procedures to minimize the amount of physical and chemical stress an object encounters. This includes its environmental conditions (relative humidity, temperature, exposure to light), integrated pest management protocols, use of specialized storage containers, strategies for packing and shipping, exhibition conditions, and an emergency preparedness plan. The initial expense of such measures often causes institutions and private collectors to balk, but in comparison to the expense of the invasive treatments that will be needed if one does not take such preventative measures, the benefit outweighs the initial investment.

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