Hispanic Society Of America

THE HISPANIC SOCIETY MUSEUM AND LIBRARY WILL UNDERTAKE A PROJECT TO ASSESS, CATALOGUE, AND REHOUSE ITS SIGNIFICANT WORKS ON PAPER COLLECTION, COMPRISING OVER 10,000 OBJECTS INCLUDING RARE DRAWINGS BY FRANCISCO DE GOYA, COLONIAL-ERA WORKS BY JUAN RODRÍGUEZ JUÁREZ, AND WATERCOLORS BY PANCHO FIERRO. CURRENT STORAGE CONDITIONS POSE CRITICAL PRESERVATION CHALLENGES, WITH MANY WORKS STACKED IN DRAWERS AND NON-ARCHIVAL BOXES, CREATING UNNECESSARY PRESSURE AND POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO THESE INHERENTLY FRAGILE MATERIALS. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE CONDUCTING CONDITION ASSESSMENTS, CREATING PHOTO DOCUMENTATION, PREPARING CONSERVATION REPORTS, UPDATING COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT RECORDS, PERFORMING URGENT CONSERVATION TREATMENTS, AND IMPLEMENTING PROPER ARCHIVAL STORAGE SOLUTIONS. A GRADUATE CONSERVATION STUDENT SPECIALIZING IN WORKS ON PAPER WILL ASSIST WITH ASSESSMENT AND REHOUSING ACTIVITIES. PRIMARY BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE MUSEUM CURATORS AND SCHOLARLY RESEARCHERS WHO WILL GAIN IMPROVED ACCESS TO THESE SIGNIFICANT MATERIALS FOR EXHIBITION PLANNING AND ACADEMIC STUDY.

THE HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA WILL IMPROVE THE LONG-TERM CARE AND CONSERVATION OF ITS TEXTILE COLLECTION. A CONSERVATION RESEARCH FELLOW/ADJUNCT TEXTILE CONSERVATOR WILL WORK WITH MUSEUM STAFF TO PHOTOGRAPH AND REHOUSE TEXTILES WITH ARCHIVAL MATERIALS AS WELL AS UPDATE THE ASSOCIATED COLLECTIONS DATABASE RECORDS WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF TWO PAID INTERNS. ADDITIONALLY, PROJECT STAFF WILL GENERATE CONDITION REPORTS FOR OBJECTS, IDENTIFY OBJECTS IN NEED OF CONSERVATION, AND CONDUCT CONSERVATION TREATMENTS. AS A RESULT OF THE PROJECT, THE MUSEUM WILL ENHANCE ITS ABILITY TO USE THE TEXTILE COLLECTION TO SUPPORT ENGAGEMENT WITH HISPANIC ARTS, LITERATURE, AND CULTURE THROUGH PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITS DESIGNED FOR DIVERSE AUDIENCES. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO MAKE THE COLLECTION MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR RESEARCHERS AND THE PUBLIC BY CREATING ONLINE ACCESS TO THE ASSOCIATED DIGITAL RECORDS.

FROM LIMA TO CANTON AND BEYOND: AN AI-AIDED HERITAGE MATERIALS RESEARCH PLATFORM FOR STUDYING GLOBALISATION THROUGH ART

THE HISPANIC SOCIETY MUSEUM AND LIBRARY WILL UNDERTAKE A TWO-YEAR PROJECT TO ASSESS, CATALOGUE, AND REHOUSE ITS COLLECTION OF 45 HISTORIC RUGS AND TEXTILES, INCLUDING 28 AL-ANDALUSIAN PIECES. CURRENTLY, THESE ITEMS FACE PRESERVATION RISKS DUE TO UNSAFE STORAGE METHODS, WITH MANY AT RISK OF STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. LED BY THE HEAD OF CONSERVATION, THE TEAM WILL CONDUCT MONTHLY CONDITION ASSESSMENTS, CONSERVATION TREATMENTS, AND REHOUSING OF 2-3 ITEMS AT A TIME. RECORDS AND HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS WILL BE UPDATED IN THE MUSEUM'S DATABASE AND MADE ACCESSIBLE ONLINE. THE PROJECT WILL IMPROVE SAFE HANDLING, FACILITATE FUTURE EXHIBITIONS AND LOANS, AND BENEFIT MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC ALIKE. SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED BY THE COMPLETION OF CONSERVATION MILESTONES AND ENHANCED ACCESS TO THESE CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT WORKS.