CAPC Emerging Conservator Grant Awarded
Charlotte Parent reports on her attendance at the workshop, "Spot Testing for Material Characterization," led by Nancy Odegaard at Shenkar College in Tel Aviv, Israel
On July 24, 25 and 26, 2018, I attended the workshop Spot Testing for Material Characterization, led by Nancy Odegaard at Shenkar College in Tel Aviv, Israel. The workshop was organized by the Israel Society for the Conservation and Preservation of Cultural Property (ISCPCP) and the Israel Antiquities Authority (AIA). The workshop was meant to give practicing conservators more tools to identify organic and inorganic materials through specific spot tests. The workshop was based in part on Odegaard, Carroll and Zimmt’s book Material Characterization Tests for Objects of Art and Archaeology, which is a staple in many conservation labs.
On the first day, we went over health and safety issues. We also learned about the basics of using spot tests for material characterization, notably the necessity of comparing our results to known positives and known negatives every time we did a spot test if we want the results to be conclusive and reliable. We started each day by making all the reagents for the spot tests that we would try on that day.
We learned about various spot tests for inorganic and organic materials involving chemical reagents, but also about spot tests involving test papers, pyrolysis and electrolysis. I am glad that we got to try the tests involving electrolysis – those tests, which require the use of a battery and jumper wire with alligator clips and aim at identifying different metals, always seemed complicated to me. It turns out that they are very easy to do! I will make sure to pass on that information to colleagues in the future.
On the evening of the second day, Nancy Odegaard also gave a very insightful presentation about her experience caring for human remains, which I found extremely interesting and inspiring.
This workshop was immensely useful and enjoyable. I am very grateful to the CAPC for their financial support. I feel more confident now when it comes to characterizing materials using spot tests.
Charlotte Parent