AZERBAIJAN     2009  

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Baku
September 13–20, 2009

Patricia Ewer, textile conservator and museum consultant with her firm Textile Objects Conservation, was asked by The Fund to conduct workshops on textile conservation in Baku. The idea for these workshops was initiated by Ward Mintz, Executive Director of the Coby Foundation, during his visit to Baku in 2008. Jahangir Selimkhanov, Director of the Arts & Culture Program of the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation in Baku, also asked for consultation assistance on the design of conservation laboratories at the State Museum of Azerbaijan Carpet and Applied Art’s (Carpet Museum) new facility, which is currently under construction. As a result, two separate workshops were given: one on textile conservation, and another on conservation laboratory design.

To facilitate the workshops, Ms. Ewer created over twenty-five computer flash drives for museum directors and conservators. They included a presentation containing images of laboratories, a textile conservation bibliography (from her forthcoming book), a list of conservation related websites, and an information packet from Icon, a United Kingdom conservation organization, outlining the roles and responsibilities for art conservation technicians. She also handed out product packets from Testfabrics, Inc., and product catalogues from several U.S. conservation equipment and materials suppliers.

The workshop on textile conservation was attended by twenty-five conservators from the Carpet Museum, the Museum of History, the Restoration Center, and the Institute of Art-Azerbaijani Academy of Science. With the aid of interpreter Gunay Rzayeva, Ms. Ewer and the workshop participants discussed topics which conservators of all disciplines and nationalities experience, such as agents of deterioration and preventive conservation methods. Photographs of cleaning and repair techniques showing before and after images generated great interest, and participants were eager to discuss issues of conservation vs. restoration and the use of natural (traditional) vs. synthetic (modern) materials. The presentation concluded with a brief overview of engineering studies being done on the hanging of historic textiles.

The workshop on conservation laboratory design was conducted for a group from the Carpet Museum and one painting conservator from the Restoration Center. This workshop was designed to address their specific conservation issues, which revolved around the creation of the new conservation laboratory in the Carpet Museum. Ms. Ewer reviewed the basic principles of laboratory design and equipment needed for textile conservation. The group discussion ventured into areas of analytical work, integrated pest management, dyeing technology, display methods, departmental staffing plans, and work processes. An interesting discussion of the definitions of the terms preservation, conservation, and restoration was initiated by the museum’s head of education.

In consultations with Dr. Roya Taghiyeva, Director of the Carpet Museum, they also discussed plans for the new museum, their conservation needs, and the laboratory for the new museum. Ms. Ewer agreed to supply Dr. Taghiyeva with a list of suggested analytical and technical equipment for the conservation laboratory, and a list of conservation laboratories and conservator contacts.

During her trip, Ms. Ewer visited several museums in Baku and toured their conservation departments. She also toured the Restoration Center, a facility dedicated to the use of traditional conservation materials and techniques that employs forty-five conservators. During these visits, Ms. Ewer fielded questions about methods and materials from conservators of all disciplines, including metals, glass, pottery, furniture and various types of textiles.

Future Activities

Ms. Ewer has proposed a one or two week hands-on workshop in Baku to allow conservators to see firsthand the variety of projects being worked on and various materials and equipment currently being used in Western Europe and the U.S.

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