By Arlene Christiansen

Read the full December issue of Viewpoints.

This past October, Becky Fertitta and I were fortunate to be allowed to attend the Mountain Plains Museum Association’s annual meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska. There were approximately 400 museum professionals from the ten-state area that encompasses the association in attendance. Much like our own Texas Association of Museums, the annual meeting is held as a forum for members to participate in sessions and share knowledge as well as to network with colleagues from across the region.

Becky spoke on volunteers to the group in Lincoln, sharing what it is like to volunteer at the McFaddin-Ward House and to coordinate such a group. I belong to the membership committee, a that group promotes the association and makes potential members aware of the benefits of membership. We were also there to promote the house, and of course, our own upcoming conference.  It was a fun and exciting experience.

Speaking of our own conference, the McFaddin-Ward House hosted a three-day conference; “Conservation Savvy: From Expert to DIY” November 7-9, 2013 covering a broad range of conservation topics. Dr. Karen Pope of Baylor University Allbritton Art Institute led off the conference with her keynote speech “Perspectives from Art History” on how conservation relates to art history.

Ten speakers addressed various and sundry conservation tricks on how to best conserve glass, furniture, paper, and paintings and frames as well as how to digitize records and photographs. The speakers also offered guidance on how to decide if it is possible to do the project in-house or if an expert should be consulted. There were also sessions on structures and disaster planning. The participants spent a pleasant afternoon at McFaddin-Ward House enjoying tours of the house, carriage house, and the curatorial office building with conservation demos in all three areas.

The eleventh conference in the McFaddin-Ward House series was a collaboration between Dr. Karen Pope, Baylor University Allbritton Art Institute; Judith Linsley, McFaddin-Ward House Curator of Interpretation and Education; and Allen Lea, Director of McFaddin-Ward House.

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