From Sharks to Sugar: Addressing Conservation Issues of ... - incca

the latter is a tool for planning and performing object treatment.
(Demeroukas, 1998, p. 53)
Nevertheless, both disciplines should become more familiar in each
other’s practices. In fact, Jill Sterrett, Director of the Collections at
SFMOMA, observes that at some museums the two fields are beginning to
merge. In the next section of this paper, I delve further into Sterrett’s
thoughts on this topic.
Collecting and archiving artist intent can be delicate business, and
conservators first consult documentation from any prior interviews or
written exchanges. It is important to research prior documentation to
prevent the redundancy of interviewing artists several times about the
same piece. According to Wharton, these documents exist in registration
files or collection databases. (Wharton, 2005, p.174) Are collections
managers involved in this information exchange?
In Reinventing the Museum, Carol Milner, in her essay “Who
Cares? Conservation in Contemporary Context” discusses roles and
responsibilities for conservation in the museum:
At one end of the spectrum we have the bench conservator
working on his or her object in the conservation laboratory, state or
private. Further up the chain we have the person at the other end
who pushes the button which sets this process off and enables it to
happen. (Milner, 2004, p. 298)
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