The internship requirements for Master of Applied Science in Materials Conservation were completed in the Materials Conservation laboratory of the Australian Museum under the direction of Miss Sue Walston between November 30th, 1981 and July 9th, 1982. The work programme focused upon the preparation of artefacts for a permanent gallery display entitled "The Abelam, a people of Papua New Guinea". Wooden carvings, shell ornaments, bone implements, ceramic and coconut bowls, and wooden spears were the most common artefact types requiring treatment, prior to display. Many objects were decorated with pigments, shells, beads or feathers and were secured with plied fibre string. Artefacts were photographed , condition and proposed treatment reports were written, practical work was carried out and final treatment reports were finished. Upon completion of the gallery, the Materials Conservation laboratory staff reviewed their role in the overall gallery plan. As a group, the problems affecting the conservation and display of artefacts were identified and analysed. A flow chart of exhibition guidelines for Materials Conservation was prepared for use when planning future galleries. The relative humidity and temperature were monitored regularly in various areas throughout the museum. Accurate readings were obtained using a sling psychrometer and thermohygrographs. Each week the modes of the relative humidity charts were calculated, analysed and recorded. While treating objects for the Abelarn gallery, the need for specifically coloured support materials became evident. Dye types capable of permanently colouring a diverse range of cellulosic materials were investigated. Trichromatic colour cards were prepared for each material. A flood occurred in the Aboriginal gallery which required immediate action by the conservation staff. Affected artefacts were transported to the laboratory, stabilized and reports on their condition were written. A workshop on microscopic examination of cellulosic materials was organized by Mary-Lou Florian, Conservation Scientist with the British Columbia Provincial Museum, Canada. She also gave a lecture at the Forestry Commission of N.S.W. on Conservation of Aboriginal carved trees and Canadian totem poles. Dr. P. Casey presented information on fungi to the Australian Museum Conservation staff. A technical meeting on the topic of interlaboratory co-operation was attended at the conservation unit of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. The conservation facility at the Art Gallery of N.S.W. and the Nickleson Museum, University of Sydney, were viewed.

Unprovenanced and undocumented antiquities play a large roll in the international trade of antiquities, a billion dollar sector of the art market. The removal of these antiquities from their source countries creates many problems for the academic community and the standards put in place to eliminate illegal activity. An analysis of an ancient Roman statue head of Livia was used to demonstrate the usefulness of such an legally acquired undocumented antiquity. A visual analysis was first conducted on the Scripps Livia residing within the Scripps Permanent collection by creating comparisons to other known portraits of Livia. A chemical analysis was then conducted to continue verifying authenticity. With the use of a Scanning Electron Microscope, four samples removed from the sculpture were analyzed for elemental composition. Based on the data gathered from these analyses recommendations for new acquisition policies were created for the purpose of ethically researching and displaying the Scripps Livia.

Three primary mechanisms of paper deterioration in library and archival collections are driven by climatic conditions of excessive relative humidity. These are chemical reactivity, mechanical stress and biological deterioration. It is the view of the researcher that the role of chemical reactivity has not been adequately assessed in relation to the deterioration of paper. The significance of an autoxidative phenomenon, similar to the brown tideline staining at the wet/dry interface, has not been previously recognised as a cause of deterioration as an accelerated function of time under humid conditions of the macroclimate, and as a function of the unstable equilibrium moisture content of materials in a microclimate, but has been obscured by the accepted explanation of biological deterioration. An analytical procedure was developed to enable the comparison of oxidative degradation products found in stained areas of naturally aged samples with those formed during a dynamic simulated ageing programme to induce cellulosic discolouration. A relationship between the degradative mechanism and humid climatic conditions was established. Based on the findings of the analytical investigation, this study forms a contribution towards the development of a theory of deterioration. Evidence is presented of a chemical process of degradation in the oxidation of paper at the wet/dry interface, following the condensation and evaporation kinetics induced by cycling relative humidity (RH) driven by temperature fluctuations in diurnal and seasonal ranges. Sites of moisture accumulation at which the oxidative reaction readily take place, and which constitute a wet/dry interface, are identified at surface areas exposed to atmospheric exchange, in physical defects, in uneven adhesive lamination, in local wet treatments, in impervious storage enclosures or adjacent to an impervious surface which acts as a vapour barrier to the transudational force of capillary action. In advancing the theory of a chemical response of library and archival materials in the fluctuating moisture content as an explanation for the causation of cellulosic staining, the evidence of foxing is redefined. Librarians, archivists and conservators are thus assisted in the identification of the basic chemical reactions involved in the process of deterioration, and in recognising the role of oxidative degradation relation to environmental conditions. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

This thesis explores the display of Roman floor mosaics in museums and in situ. Taking the original mosaic to museums for display and protection, and replacing them on site with replicas, is best for the preservation of the original material and its context.

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The artist discusses the concept, imagery, and research influences behind a body of work entitled What We Give, for the completion of her Bachelor of Arts Degree and undergraduate research for the Fine and Performing Arts Scholars branch of East Tennessee State University’s Honors College. The artist used this body of work to explore her personal relationships with the ocean, Aspergers, and information. Particularly, the artist’s pseudo-mystic beliefs about the ocean, her frustrations with her life struggles, and fascinations with scientific facts and libation vessels are discussed. Dysfunctionality is cited as the driving force behind the thought process of the project. Her work includes two sculptural vessels, rendered in ceramics and painted with house paint. The artist cites gastropod shells, ancient libation vessels, and contemporary artists Marcel Duchamp, Beth Cavener Stichter, and Alison Evans as inspirations.

This dissertation is an account of an internship in paper conservation undertaken at the Auckland City Art Gallery during the period July 1982 to March 1983. It opens with a description of the organisation and functions of the gallery, with particular reference to its management, staffing, financing, displays and acquisition procedures. This is followed, in Part 2, by a general account of the conservation department, its history, staffing, laboratory and tasks. Part 3 details all the conservation work undertaken during the period of internship. It describes the various techniques and procedures employed and the results achieved or observed. It contains a list of 119 objects treated followed by 26 case studies to illustrate the problems encountered and the action taken. It also includes a list of the equipment and materials used. Set out in Part 4 are details of conservation laboratories visited in Wellington. Part 5, after a brief description of conservation services in Christchurch and Dunedin, details the activities of the Interim Committee for the Conservation of Cultural Property and the principal recommendations contained in a report submitted by Dr Nathan Stolow, a conservation consultant engaged by the Interim Committee. This is followed by a report on the New Zealand Conservators' Meeting which took place in Wellington in March 1983.

The sculpture of German-born American artist, Eva Hesse (1936-1970), presents many conservation challenges. Hesse’s experimentations with latex and fiberglass created stunningly innovative works of art in the late 1960s bringing these unorthodox materials into the world of fine art; but now these materials are creating major conservation problems. Her artwork is an extreme example of the conservation challenges of contemporary art. This thesis examines the challenges surrounding the conservation and replication of Eva Hesse’s large-scale latex and fiberglass sculptures. The latex and fiberglass materials that captivated Hesse are compromising the structural integrity of her large-scale sculptures today. Hesse’s art forces conservators to establish conservation practices specific to modern and contemporary art. Although replication pushes conservators to re-examine their usual practices and violates the standard notion of minimal intervention, the replication of Hesse’s sculptural works is necessary to represent her artistic vision.

This research project examines and documents the collection of Islamic ceramics at Scripps College from an art conservation standpoint. The main objectives were to establish provenance for these objects, assess their current conditions, propose recommendations for future preservation, and discuss the importance of preventive conservation and general collections care methods. Based on my survey and research, I demonstrated which objects in particular should be prioritized due to their states of conservation and significant educational value. Such objects raise further points of departure regarding authenticity and conservation ethics.

This thesis examines the collection of Cypriot glass stored in the basement at Scripps and its context throughout history. The first chapter focuses on the collection itself and includes a brief summary of the founding of the Mudd family’s Cyprus Mines Corporation, which led to the collection of the glass. The repatriation of the collection is also detailed. The second chapter examines the history of Cyprus, and how valuable resources such as copper led to trade on the island. A history of glass is given: how it was made, what it was made out of, and how it was used and appreciated at different times in history. The third chapter addresses the history of the glass trade and production on Cyprus. Island-specific shapes and production are explored. This chapter also looks at how glass was valued and used by different levels of society as glass production evolved and led to a saturated market. The fourth chapter focuses on five pieces selected from the Scripps and Mudd collections. These case studies include conservation condition reports. Physical description, condition, use, and similar examples in other collections are detailed. The final chapter addresses glass conservation. It contains an analysis of previous conservation interventions, descriptions of different types of weathering and degradation, and tips for stabilizing, storing, shipping, handling, and displaying the collection.