I believe it is a false proposition that we have to choose between
preservation and access - and  there are always ways of finding
low-to-moderate cost solutions in everything we do in museums. A big part
of it is in having staff who are problem solvers with open minds and
imagination instead of just "resumes" and  the largest part lies in  the
culture of your organization  -we should all see preservation and access as
interdependent rather than mutually exclusive. Instead of thinking the
"old" way in planning and building a big expensive exhibit that takes years
and upteen dollars, is there another way to educate and engage the public?
Instead of waiting to hire contract conservators when things fall apart,
tarnish, or fade maybe invest in excellent  training for your staff or
hiring a collections manager or conservator who can work to prevent damage
before it becomes permanent  and expensive.

You should seriously look at your culture, policies, and procedures every
year instead of being on cruise-control. Are people happy working there? That
is just as important a question as - Are people happy visiting here? If you
are a manager - seriously examine "Would I want to work for myself?". Be
open to new ideas from anyone, be open to saying "thank you!" and telling
your staff when they do well at work, and have a sense of humor. We cannot
prosper if we go to work each day as if it's the Zombie-Apocalypse - a
little good humor and joy goes a long way. I started my career in an
organization with a culture of excellence and hospitality - where every
person on staff was expected to interact and be polite, helpful, and
informative to the public -where every employee was encouraged to
contribute -where the lowest person on staff could talk to a vice-president
about how to improve something. Now of course there were also managers
there who were like big black clouds who were negative -striking out at
others and generally being bastards - and I'm sure we all have met some -
they obfuscate, manipulate, battle, and ultimately drive good people away,
and since they thrive on conflict they take up tremendous energy and time
to deal with. Higher education programs in collections and conservation and
museums hardly devotes any time or training in how to be a manager and how
to work well with others in a professional environment. People learn
management on the job and it so very often turns into management by
personality, and we all too often see the results of that.

So examine carefully who you bring in, make sure you create the team and
culture you want and can be proud of, that can create all kinds of good
synergy - even visitors notice this when they walk in the door.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Senior Conservator & Museum Consultant
Los Angeles CA
www.cityofangelsconservation.weebly.com

On Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 11:04 AM, Elizabeth Walton <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> Working in both collections and curatorial, I have to agree with a whole
> lot of all sides of this. Curators get the attention, glamour and often
> donations.
>
> There are many curators out there who have a very sheltered and overly
> academic view of their work. We should all be seeking to make the
> information MORE accessible, not throwing crap up with no explanation or
> opportunity to educate (modern art museums do this far too often for my
> taste) and it is what create this elitist aura that turns people away.
>
> Collections people can be so focused on protection that they forget
> accessibility and visibility and the usefulness of the artifacts. If a
> curator has to unwrap tissue from 100 things time is being wasted an
> handling is increased and damage more likely.
>
> Money: I blame the fund raisers for the lack of collections funding, for
> failing to see that collections maintenance, tracking and care could be
> spun in a way to solicit donations, of stuff if not money. How many of us
> could use a donation of shelves from Home Depot or carts from Lowes? How
> many donors who really want to help are not being told that such and such
> donation will prevent 100 items from being damaged in a flood or from a
> mold infestation? Obviously the old systems are not really working, but it
> seems no one is really jumping on trying new things.
>
> Also, the refusal and inability to pay living wages, especially to the
> people handling the art the most, and needing the most experience and
> education, mean every museum has substandard work and staff that cannot get
> attached and stay an grow because they cannot afford to. I lost count years
> ago of how many hours of work I have had to do in order to fix enormous
> mistakes made because museums tried to use unskilled and unpaid and
> unsupervised interns in order to save money...
>
> Also, I am currently working for a for profit corporation that looks at
> the salary surveys and is thrilled that the pay rates are so low and use
> that to justify also keeping their rates insanely low.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 1:42 PM, Brian Rayca <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
>
>> In defense of Mike Diaz's point, because I know him and have shared his
>> experience.  There are a range of museums out there.  Just as many that
>> focus on research and collections care while providing little or no
>> interpretation and education.  Stuff just sits in display cases with little
>> attention paid how the information is put to the audience.  Little regard
>> to the audience.  In a complaint about a label that was written at to  high
>> a grade level I heard a curator remark that "if they are to stupid to read
>> they shouldn't be here."
>>
>> So yes, Collections care is important, because without the collection
>> there is nothing to interpret, but without interpretation the objects are
>> just chachkies collecting dust.
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 11:27 AM, Sarah LeCount <
>> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>> Marc,
>>>
>>> Thank you for bringing this out, and I agree wholeheartedly. In my
>>> career I've seen conservators and curators overworked, underpaid, and their
>>> positions left unfilled when they leave an institution. I admire what
>>> educators do (goodness knows I haven't the patience for it!) but I feel
>>> that the boards and administrators of many museums are forgetting what is
>>> important - collections care and preservation, and research - in an effort
>>> to get more bodies through the door.
>>>
>>> Just my 2 cents . . .
>>>
>>> Sarah
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ---- Marc A Williams <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>> > Deb, and all,
>>> >
>>> > If all of us are allowed to gripe for a moment, I would postulate that
>>> currently the bottom of the ladder are conservators.  How many small to
>>> medium institutions have staff conservators?  Virtually none?  How many
>>> such institutions would have anything to educate about if they did not have
>>> collections or historic buildings?  Why is preservation of such historic
>>> assets near the bottom of their agendas?  Everything lasts forever without
>>> planning and preservation actions?  In this era of digital collections, it
>>> just might be possible to have a "museum" without a collection.  But is
>>> this what most institutions want?  I was trained in the 1970s as a
>>> conservator.  In the nearly 40 years since then, there has been very, very
>>> little movement in museums/institutions hiring conservators on staff.  ALL
>>> museum professionals are having a hard time gaining employment, partially
>>> due to too many training opportunities being offered at all the
>>> universities/colleges across the country without consideration for the
>>> number of potential jobs.  However, the number of conservation training
>>> venues has remained fairly constant, excepting paper/library/archival
>>> programs, which have been a bit exuberant.  But, not that many more
>>> conservators are on staff at institutions.  Why?  Every survey that has
>>> ever been done indicates that preservation in our institutions is severely
>>> neglected at best.  And in smaller institutions, it is nearly non-existent.
>>> >
>>> > I suggest that every institution advocate for preservation of their
>>> collections, whether objects or architecture.  And I mean REAL advocacy,
>>> not an occasional mention.  With real physical objects being preserved,
>>> institutions can educate and tie their collections to their local history.
>>>  Without them, can they still do this?  Will a "collection" with virtual
>>> objects be the same?  Advocacy for preservation generates interest and
>>> excitement and a growth of the perceived need for educators, curators, and
>>> museum administrators.  And this leads to jobs and perceived worth.  What
>>> is the base of the pyramid, and what is the top?
>>> >
>>> > Marc
>>> >
>>> > American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
>>> >      4 Rockville Road
>>> >      Broad Brook, CT 06016
>>> >      www.conservator.com
>>> >      860-386-6058
>>> >
>>> > Marc A. Williams, President
>>> >      MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
>>> >      Former Chief Wooden Objects Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
>>> >      Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
>>> >
>>> > ----- Original Message -----
>>> >
>>>
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