Upcoming Workshops
In Person Guidelines for Cleaning: Focus on Native American Collections
Thursday, February 20th / 10:30 am – 5 pm and Friday, February 21st / 9:30 am – 4 pm
Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post, Onamia, MN
Thursday, March 20th / 10:30 am – 5 pm and Friday, March 21st / 9:30 am – 4 pm
Hocokata Ti, Shakopee, MN WAITLIST ONLY
Nicole Grabow, Director of Preventive Conservation, and Olivia Thanadabout, Preventive Conservation Educator
This two day in-person workshop is offered at two host location sites: Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post and Hoċokata Ṫi. Choose the location and dates that work best for you. The workshop will discuss the ethics, hazards, and benefits of cleaning cultural heritage items from a variety of different material types. With a mixture of lecture and hands-on practical exercises, the workshop will include conservation techniques for cleaning hide, glass beadwork, feathers, baskets, textiles, and silver artifacts.
Fee: $400 Register here
Fee for Minnesota Residents: FREE Register here
Thanks to funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.
In Person Guidelines for Cleaning: Focus on Decorative Arts and Historic House Collections
Thursday, March 6th / 10:30 am – 5 pm and Friday, March 7th / 9:30 am – 4 pm
American Swedish Institue, Minneapolis, MN WAITLIST ONLY
Thursday, April 17th / 10:30 am – 5 pm and Friday, April 18th / 9:30 am – 4 pm
Beltrami County Historical Society, Bemidji, MN
Nicole Grabow, Director of Preventive Conservation, and Olivia Thanadabout, Preventive Conservation Educator
This two day in-person workshop is offered at two host location sites, one in Minneapolis and one in Bemidji. Choose the location and dates that work best for you. The workshop will discuss the ethics, hazards, and benefits of cleaning cultural heritage items from a variety of different material types. With a mixture of lecture and hands-on practical exercises, the workshop will include conservation techniques for cleaning textiles, picture frames, ceramics, glass, silver, and iron artifacts.
Fee: $400 Register Here
Fee for Minnesota Residents: FREE Register Here
Thanks to funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.
On-Demand Workshops
These one-day events can be brought directly to your institution. Contact us for more details and pricing.
Emergency Preparedness
Emergency Response: Wet Salvage
Describing What You See: Condition Reports
Art and Artifact Handling (1/2 day)
Testing for Arsenic in Collections
Museum Environments 101
Recent Past Workshops
Online: Writing Grants for Preservation and Conservation Projects
Colin Turner, MACC Executive Director
Prepare for federal, state, regional, and local grant application opportunities. This two-part workshop will teach the essential grant writing strategies to gain funding for preservation and conservation related projects such as: obtaining supplies and materials for the basic re-housing of collections, buying storage upgrades, getting monitoring equipment, receiving a general preservation needs assessment survey, providing staff trainings, and having conservation treatments performed on your art and artifacts.
Learn the prioritized collections care protocol to make sure appropriate projects are developed in a logical progression and with an accompanying funding strategy. Learn how to: conduct an internal review, develop a long-range conservation plan, write an effective proposal, plan and substantiate a budget, and find matching funds. Descriptions and information will be presented on federal grants available from: the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Museum and Library Services; grants available through state agencies in the Midwest; along with funding from private and corporate regional foundations.
Online: Laws, Ethics, and Exceptions: Developing Your Collections Management Policy
Rebecca Kennedy, Curae Collections
A Collections Management Policy (CMP) is a core document that governs an collecting organization’s legal and ethical decisions for collecting practices and artifact care. Writing a policy of the first time or updating a policy can be overwhelming due to the complexities of constantly changing legal and ethical requirements. Using virtual lectures, case studies, and research tools, this course guides participants through the development process of their CMP. Learn the anatomy of a collections management policy, the tools for writing one, and the processes for implementing it. The course is designed to provide adaptable skill sets for all types and sizes of cultural institutions and the instructor provides one-on-one guidance for drafts developed during the course.
Integrated Pest Management
Patrick Kelley, President of Insects Limited, Inc.
Insects and other pests can do irreversible damage to objects of historic and artistic value. Preventing such damage is an essential element of best practice in collection care and requires the design and implementation of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) policy and plan. This workshop will introduce participants to multiples aspects of IPM: policy and procedure; preventing infestation; trapping and monitoring; remedial treatment; basic pest identification. It is designed for small to mid-sized institutions needing to establish or improve an IPM program but would be useful for anyone needing to develop or refresh basic IPM knowledge.
Online: Emergency Planning for Performing Arts Organizations
Nicole Grabow, Director of Preventive Conservation, and Melissa Amundsen, Assistant Preventive Conservator
Designed specifically for Performing Arts organizations, artist groups, and venues! This 2-session course will cover the fundamentals of Emergency Preparedness, explain the essential components of an Emergency Plan, and walk participants through the steps to develop a plan for their own organizations. Provisions for both major and minor emergencies will be discussed. Participants will work with an emergency plan template and will customize it for their own needs and risk factors. Each participant will be encouraged to complete a risk assessment questionnaire (time estimate 2-4 hours) and work on their own plan (time estimate 4-6 hours) between the sessions. They will conclude with a draft of their new Emergency Plan to share with their institution and board.
Identification and Care of Photographic Materials
This one-day, introductory workshop will provide an overview of the major photographic processes of the 19th and 20th centuries, how photographic materials deteriorate, and a 10-point strategic plan for the preservation of photographic collections including proper storage and display, surveys, conservation treatments, digitization, and advocacy. This workshop will incorporate both PowerPoint lecture and hands-on handling with study collection examples. A comprehensive binder of technical information and resources will be provided for each participant in addition to a digital copy of the PowerPoint.