Northern States Conservation Center is proud to announce a
new online course on care of baskets:

MS225: Care of Baskets **NEW**
Dates: Feb 1 - Feb 26, 2010
Price: $475     
Instructor: Helen Alten
Location: online at http://wwww.museumclasses.org


Description:
Baskets are an important part of nearly every world
culture. Caring for baskets requires an understanding of
why and how they deteriorate. Care of Baskets provides a
simplified explanation of the chemistry and structure of
basketry materials. Starting with an overview of the
history and function of baskets and how they are made, Care
of Baskets will cover guidelines for handling, labeling,
exhibiting and storing baskets, including condition
assessments and an introduction to integrated pest
management. An overview of treatments used on baskets and
how appropriate they are for the long-term preservation of
the basket will help students make care decisions when
consulting with conservators.

Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. The biology and chemistry of materials used for basketry
3. Basket Styles and Structures
4. Documentation and Condition Report Writing
5. Baskets and Their Environment
6. Handling Basketry
6. Treating Baskets
7. Care of Baskets in Storage
8. Care of Baskets on Exhibit
9. Conclusion

Logistics:
Participants in Care of Baskets work through sections on
their own. Materials and resources include online
literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and
the instructor through online forums.

Care of Baskets runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the
course, please pay at
http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have
trouble please contact Helen Alten at
[log in to unmask]


The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States
Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For
nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects
conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the
Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of
the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in
Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the
Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in
England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in
Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a
broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and
their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly
Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular
www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the
United States on collection care topics, was instrumental
in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response
in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and
reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local
foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is
always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has
published chapters on conservation and deterioration of
archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and
the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different
mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A
Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation
planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small
museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums'
Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the
penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in
process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten
has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff
trainer. She began working with people from small, rural,
and tribal museums while as the state conservator for
Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation
treatments and operates a conservation center in
Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.

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