Check out this interview with conservator Emily Derse Pellichero in the Seattle times 'Cool Jobs' Section.
Bhutan: Thangka Conservation Workshop
In November of 2014 I had the great privilege of traveling to Bhutan assist the extremely talented monk conservators of Thimphu in their ongoing mission to preserve the cultural heritage of their country.
Thangkas are stunning Buddhist scroll paintings; they are highly colorful, intricately painted, and include borders and curtains of rich hand-dyed silks. These historic and irreplaceable paintings are used as tools of teaching and meditation and are extremely important cultural heritage objects for the Kingdom of Bhutan. Natural aging, poor storage, repeated handling, and other unfortunate incidents have left many in a highly damaged state.
Fine art conservation is a relatively new concept in the Kingdom of Bhutan. In 2005, to respond to the growing need for preservation, a center for conservation was established in Thimphu where monks would train and work to conserve the thangkas of their temples and monasteries to the highest professional standard. A successful kickstarter campaign with 53 generous backers allowed me to be able to spend three weeks conserving Bhutanese thangkas at the Thangka Conservation Center.
The experience was extremely rich and rewarding. I toured monasteries, worked on beautiful artworks, learned about the country and cultural practices and made lasting connections with the Bhutanese conservators. Work in Bhutan is ongoing and I hope to return in 2016 to continue the work started. Some projects projected for future visits include:
- Developing local materials for conservation as well as working on protocols for producing consistently high quality paste in the high altitude environment
- Conservation of Scriptures. Large collections of gorgeous scriptures on indigo paper are badly damaged due to insects, poor storage and handling, as well as the drastically fluctuating environment.
If you are interested in learning more visit: http://drukpreservation.org
Preserving the Past
A conservation project for Johns Hopkins Homewood House Museum. This handcolored intaglio print suffered from a wide variety of damages; from natural aging, dirt and grime, light damage, planar distortion, to extreme brittleness. Click the link for a short video describing the particular method of infilling chosen for the hairline fractures.
-----> Preserving The Past
Before treatment showing losses, tears, dirt and grime, overall discoloration and tape damage.
After treatment photograph in repaired original frame with new conservation quality materials.