ARTH 398 - Special Topics in Art and Society: Art Conservation

• F - 12:15-14:45
• EV-1.605
  
• INSTRUCTOR: JESSICA VEEVERS
  

The evolving theory and practice of art conservation is a reflection of shifting cultural values, technological advancement and changing art-making practices. As a result the field of art conservation is inherently interdisciplinary and is intricately linked with art history, technical art history and conservation science. For art historians knowledge of the field of art conservation is invaluable because it attends closely to the specific materiality of art, the process of art making, and the narrative of the work of art – where it has been and how its different component material properties have altered or deteriorated across time and within differing environments.

This course will look at the history and ethics of art conservation and how approaches to conservation have adapted to changes in art making, art materials and cultural philosophy.  Specific case studies will be introduced to illustrate the intricacies of different theoretical and technical problem solving that surface during conservation treatment. The course will attend closely to the complexities that have arisen in relation to the preservation of contemporary ephemeral, time-based, and digital art. Students in this course will gain an appreciation of conservation principals and theory, and an understanding of the practice and value of conservation. Moreover, students will acquire a deeper understanding of the materials and objects of art history and how the object-centered approach of art conservation is both different and complimentary to the more subject-centered approach of art history. Some attention will be given to non-western art practices, such as Indigenous art, but the focus of this course will be western art.