The 45th Annual Meeting. The meeting theme is Treatment 2017: Innovation in Conservation and Collection Care.
APOYOnline Workshop "Preservation on a Budget" at the AIC Chicago
May 29, 2017, Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel.
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| Paul Giudicelli at work in his studio. |
In the Dominican Republic, funding initiatives in the field of cultural heritage are very limited. This reality forces us to rethink the importance of cultural heritage and the role it plays in society, integrating new strategies and ways of preserving it. Forms and concepts that must be immersed and incorporated into the current social and economic changes that our country is experiencing.
In this context, the actions undertaken by the Dominican government, through the “National Call for Cultural Projects”, a program that stimulates and supports the development of artistic and cultural projects, could play an important role in heritage conservation, which can benefit communities. This initiative is framed within the cultural goals established in the National Development Strategy 2012-2030, and has the budgetary support of the Presidency of the Republic.
In this context, the actions undertaken by the Dominican government, through the “National Call for Cultural Projects”, a program that stimulates and supports the development of artistic and cultural projects, could play an important role in heritage conservation, which can benefit communities. This initiative is framed within the cultural goals established in the National Development Strategy 2012-2030, and has the budgetary support of the Presidency of the Republic.
Considering that this initiative is a powerful instrument for the conservation and preservation of heritage, it can and should be taken into account, and conservators should participate actively in the design of an integrated sustainable development and management strategy. An example of this is the project Physical-chemical characterization of materials used in the ceramic wall murals by Paul Giudicelli: diagnostic analysis, conservation proposal and treatment.
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| Ceramic wall mural by Paul Giudicelli located in San Juan de la Maguana |
This project was started in 2015, and has been developed with partial financial support of the Ministry of Culture, the collaboration of the municipal authorities, the communities involved, as well as actors working in the field of art (critics and art historians). This has resulted in a connotation of collective participation, with the aim of all parties involved converging into a common denominator of preservation, dissemination and enjoyment of the cultural legacy.
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| Residents of the city of Oviedo carry out cleaning around the building where there is mural of Paul Giudicelli. |
In the development of the project, a combination of research techniques has been proposed that will allow the achievement of a complete panoramic view that guarantees optimum effectiveness in the execution of each of its phases. It includes a comprehensive plan that involves the following phases:
1) Evaluation and diagnosis on the state of conservation. The most important alterations observed were the result of diverse factors, such as those caused by human action, by the agents of deterioration (alterations induced by ultraviolet rays, variations in temperature, water, oxygen and atmospheric pollutants), and by inherent vice (the construction characteristic such as materials used and execution techniques).
2) Documentary research. (Research in archives, bibliographic sources, graphic documentation and recorded interviews). A great amount of information has been obtained on the historical aspects of the murals under study, from the time of their execution until today, as well as many technical elements. This is one of the main pillars supporting of our work methodology.
3) Dissemination. A program of dissemination has been designed that has integrated the diverse communities where the works are located, high school students, art schools, authorities, municipal officials and employees, mass media, social networks and other cultural institutions.
4) Study and analysis of materials. Both the mineralogy and chemical composition of the ceramic pastes have been studied, as well as the chemical-mineralogical characterization and microstructure of the pigments used in the decoration of the enamels, pictorial techniques and varnishes. This phase has contributed to the scientific knowledge of the materials, as well as the techniques used by the artist.
Additionally,, different studies have been carried out to identify the alteration factors.
5) Conservation. The selection of the treatments was based on a series of laboratory test carried out, parallel to the previous phases. Bibliographical sources have been consulted to include other experiences at the international level. Two noteworthy aspects of this project are that the treatments chosen were based on international treatment protocols, and that the work being carried out is open to public view.
The development of each one of these phases has not been an easy task, due to budgetary constraints. This has forced us to design strategies that reduce costs. Among the difficulties encountered, the following can be mentioned:
• The murals are located in three different locations, distant from each other, a factor that makes the project more expensive.
• The nature and characteristics of the damages are very dissimilar.
• Analytical tests are conducted outside the country.
• Materials must be acquired abroad.
Several strategies were designed to develop and make viable each phase with small sums of money as follows:
• Implementation of strategic alliances with different organizations and civil society actors, cultural managers and city Mayors, among others.
• Revaluation of the patrimonial dimension and sense of belonging of the community through their active involvement, so they become stakeholders.
• Empowerment of volunteers as an expression of the philanthropic commitment, integration of students of artistic baccalaureate (Artistic High School), coming from each school in their communities. Their participation is credited as part of the mandatory internship they must complete during the Senior year.
• Use of equipment and instruments as in-kind counterpart contribution of the project developer.
• Integration with the media to disseminate values and practices, highlighting its informative value.
