BACC conservators are experienced in the treatment and care of artifacts composed of paper, paper-related, or parchment supports. We have successfully treated a broad range of objects, from eighteenth-century South Asian paintings delicately rendered in opaque watercolor to large-scale photos by Richard Avedon. Rembrandt etchings, Toulouse-Lautrec posters, historic artifacts, and drawings and prints by modern American masters such as Charles Burchfield have undergone successful treatment in our paper department.
Routine treatment procedures for works on paper include cleaning to remove surface dirt, or washing to reduce stains and to flush deterioration products from paper, mending of tears, removal of old repairs or adhesives, reinforcement to enhance stability, and re-housing with preservation quality materials.
Our paper conservators are trained to address both structural and aesthetic concerns in the development of appropriate treatments. BACC conservators are regularly engaged in technical analysis procedures, such as the study of paper composition and manufacture, which support art historical research. The variety of works on paper that are brought into BACC for treatment provide excellent learning opportunities for internships.
Collection-based institutions have utilized BACC’s paper conservators in the evaluation of environmental conditions and the design of storage facilities to ensure maximum protection for their holdings. Such projects have involved collections consisting of thousands of individual works.
Janet Ruggles, Executive Director/Chief Conservator of Paper, earned her M.A. in conservation at the Cooperstown Graduate Programs, New York State University College at Oneonta. Ms. Ruggles has been affiliated with BACC since 1982, first as Conservator of Paper and subsequently as Chief Conservator of Paper. Since 1993 she has also held the position of General Manager, then Executive Director. Prior to joining BACC, she was an associate conservator at the Newberry Library and assistant conservator in the private practice of Marilyn Kemp Weidner. Ms. Ruggles is a member of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. She has served as a grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Getty Foundation, and as a grant reviewer and panelist for the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Dawn Jaros, Graduate Intern of Paper Conservation, is completing her third-year of graduate studies at BACC in paper conservation. She is a graduate student with the Art Conservation Graduate Program at Buffalo State College, New York State University College. Ms. Jaros has earned her B.A. in art history at Colorado State University and has worked as a conservation intern at the Denver Art Museum, the Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts, and the National Archives of the United States. Ms. Jaros is a member of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, and the Institute of Conservation.
Painting Conservation | Paper Conservation | Frame Treatment | Western Regional Field Service
