Midwest Regional Conservation Guild
Encyclopedia
The Midwest Regional Conservation Guild (MRCG) is a professional conservation association
in the Midwestern United States
.
and art
istic works and to promote fellowship and exchange of ideas on a professional level.
The first meeting of the Guild was held at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
(IMA) on Saturday, October 25th, 1980. Art conservation experts specializing in archive, painting, paper, object, and textile conservation from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio met that day to discuss conservation treatment issues, conservation techniques, and the "formation of an information network and cooperative disaster policy for the Midwest." (IMA) paintings conservator David Miller was the Guild's first president and presided over the first meeting of approximately 40 participants. The program consisted of an organizational meeting, museum tours, and two slide presentations.
The Guild was organized in recognition of the pressing concerns of "museum curators and private collectors alike to preserve great works of art against the raves of time and the environment, as well as to uncover increasingly sophisticated forgeries."
The original purpose and character of the guild was defined by six principles:
For more than 30 years, the Guild has had annual meetings throughout the Midwest region, often at area museums. There have been at least 49 annual meetings in 12 different states. The museums that have hosted the most meetings are:
In 1993 the MRCG began producing its Membership Directory, which appears yearly.
Vice President (2007–2009) Marissa Racht Ryan
Secretary (2008–2010) Kathryn Campbell
Treasurer (2008–2010) Peter Mecklenburg
Conservation Associations and Professional Organizations
The following is a list of conservation organizations associated with the professional field of art conservation.Professional conservators join and take part in the activities of numerous conservation associations and professional organizations with the wider conservation field, and within their...
in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
.
History
The MRCG was formed in 1980 by art conservation and restoration professionals with the purpose of bringing together those individuals in the Midwest region (and beyond) interested in the preservation of historicHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
istic works and to promote fellowship and exchange of ideas on a professional level.
The first meeting of the Guild was held at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
(IMA) on Saturday, October 25th, 1980. Art conservation experts specializing in archive, painting, paper, object, and textile conservation from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio met that day to discuss conservation treatment issues, conservation techniques, and the "formation of an information network and cooperative disaster policy for the Midwest." (IMA) paintings conservator David Miller was the Guild's first president and presided over the first meeting of approximately 40 participants. The program consisted of an organizational meeting, museum tours, and two slide presentations.
The Guild was organized in recognition of the pressing concerns of "museum curators and private collectors alike to preserve great works of art against the raves of time and the environment, as well as to uncover increasingly sophisticated forgeries."
The original purpose and character of the guild was defined by six principles:
- The Guild should provide a framework for knowing other conservators and laboratories in our region.
- The Guild should provide informal exchange of ideas with our colleagues.
- The Guild should serve as a "problem solving forum."
- The Guild could accurately represent our needs to national level agencies.
- Meetings could be held twice a year, rotating geographic location.
Meeting locations
Main article: List of meeting locations of the Midwest Regional Conservation Guild.For more than 30 years, the Guild has had annual meetings throughout the Midwest region, often at area museums. There have been at least 49 annual meetings in 12 different states. The museums that have hosted the most meetings are:
| Name of museum | Number of meetings hosted |
|---|---|
| Nelson-Atkins Museum | 3 |
| Detroit Institute of Arts Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars... |
3 |
| Cincinnati Art Museum Cincinnati Art Museum The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. Its collection of over 60,000 works make it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.Museum founders debated locating... |
4 |
| Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000... |
5 |
| Indianapolis Museum of Art Indianapolis Museum of Art The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The... |
5 |
Publications
Starting in 1981 the Midwest Regional Conservation Guild Newsletter has been published bi-annually highlighting news gathered around the Midwest.In 1993 the MRCG began producing its Membership Directory, which appears yearly.
Current MRCG Officers
Interim President (2008–2009) Barbara HellerVice President (2007–2009) Marissa Racht Ryan
Secretary (2008–2010) Kathryn Campbell
Treasurer (2008–2010) Peter Mecklenburg
See also
- Art conservation and restorationArt conservation and restorationConservation-restoration, also referred to as conservation, is a profession devoted to the preservation of cultural heritage for the future. Conservation activities include examination, documentation, treatment, and preventive care...
- Conservation Associations and Professional OrganizationsConservation Associations and Professional OrganizationsThe following is a list of conservation organizations associated with the professional field of art conservation.Professional conservators join and take part in the activities of numerous conservation associations and professional organizations with the wider conservation field, and within their...