17th Local Workshop on Materials Conservation held
Through various seminars and workshops, the Center for Conservation Science and Restoration Techniques provides information on knowledge and skills to individuals working to conserve materials in museums, art museums, and archives. The Local Workshop on Materials Conservation is conducted once a year in a specific region. Scheduled for 1 day, this workshop is for conservation specialists in that region. This year, the workshop was held in conjunction with the Committee of Okayama Prefectural Museums at the Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art on October 16th. The workshop had 56 attendees. Lectures were given by SANO Chie (Head of the Conservation Science Section), SATO Yoshinori (Researcher in the Biology Laboratory), and YOSHIDA Naoto (Senior researcher) from the Center, and these lectures covered topics such as General Theories on Conservation Conditions, Temperature and Humidity, Climate Control, Light and Illumination, and Pests. The workshop was well-received even by individuals who were unable to attend the 2-week Training for Museum and Art Museum Conservators conducted by the Center each year in Tokyo. The lectures tended to discuss topics such as recommended conservation conditions and facilities, but the question “What if we don’t have such a facility?” was often raised. Clearly, individual museums and art museums have their own unique conditions, so offering a single answer to that question is difficult. With this in mind, Center personnel will strive to enhance their usual research and formulate answers in response to different situations.