Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Pest Odyssey Open meeting - bookings now open 2. RE: Input requested for proposed pressure-sensitive tape removal workshop 3. Global Warning: Targeted thefts of East Asian ceramics 4. RE: Input requested for proposed pressure-sensitive tape removal workshop 5. Survey: Conservation of African Art in U.S. Museums 6. Courtauld Alumni Gathering! (Montreal - AIC) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Jane Thompson-Webb Posted: Wednesday April 8, 2026 8:58 AM Subject: Pest Odyssey Open meeting - bookings now open Message: Hello everyone, Bookings for the open meeting are now live. https://www.icon.org.uk/events/pest-odyssey-open-meeting-2026.html <https://www.icon.org.uk/events/pest-odyssey-open-meeting-2026.html> There's still time to submit an abstract, see the details in my last post. Hope to see you there. Jane Chair Pest Odyssey group Jane Thompson-Webb Conservation Manager T:01213488211 | M: <tel:> www.birminghammuseums.org.uk <https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk> Birmingham Museums Trust Registered Address Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3DH <https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/support-us> Disclaimer: The information in this email is confidential. The contents may not be disclosed or used by anyone other than the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately. Birmingham Museums Trust cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this message as it has been transmitted over a public network. If you suspect the message may have been intercepted or amended, please contact the sender. Registered Office: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3DH Registered Company Number: 07737797 Registered Charity Number: 1147014 2.From: Noah Smutz Posted: Wednesday April 8, 2026 8:58 AM Subject: RE: Input requested for proposed pressure-sensitive tape removal workshop Message: Hi Jay, Thanks for your interest! We havent nailed down the exact timing yet but were looking at sometime in Fall of 2026 for the workshop. Best, Noah Noah SmutzBook Conservator314-810-9184www.nsconservation.com <http://www.nsconservation.com>he/him/his ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 4/7/2026 12:12:00 PM From: Jordan Tanner Subject: RE: Input requested for proposed pressure-sensitive tape removal workshop This is a fantastic idea, and now it my neck of the woods! I would absolutely be interested in taking part in this workshop and look forward to hearing more as things develop. I already have a few techniques for tape removal which I use regularly, but learning techniques of others or differences in how they assess and make decisions is always helpful. Please keep us posted! If I could make a suggestion: we are nearing the end of a fiscal year for many institutions-- perhaps this could be after July 1 to help with funding concerns? This is something I would happily pay for out of pocket, though I know many attendees might have access to institutional funds, etc. Just a thought! ------------------------------ [Jay] [Tanner] [He/Him/They] [Conservator, Special Collections and Archives] [University of Nevada, Las Vegas] [United States] [[email protected]] ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 04-04-2026 16:45 From: Seth Irwin Subject: Input requested for proposed pressure-sensitive tape removal workshop Dear Colleagues, The Univ. of Utah's Marriott Library is anxious to determine whether hosting a tape removal workshop would be useful to the profession. We have a sense that practitioners would benefit from and enjoy engaging with Seth Irwin and Noah Smutz (paper conservators in private practice) who work with a wide variety of pressure sensitive tape problems and are dynamic teachers. The Marriott Library's Dean has asked me to gather input from conservators about weather this topic would indeed fill a need. So, please be kind enough to respond to a two-question survey about a proposed tape removal workshop sometime later this year: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=5-AXUp1TY0Wxv3xtzwdPkYtFzqf8sq9Fn_pg36RibSNUQUk4SFRBMDRPM1I3M0JEMUxMSUM1WkpYMS4u&route=shorturl If there is sufficient interest expressed Marriott Library would be pleased to host this three-day course covering a range of treatment options for removing pressure-sensitive tapes and reducing tape stains. Your comments on this are also welcome and will remain anonymous, so I invite your comments which can also be included in the survey. For questions, please message me offline at [email protected] <[email protected]> Many thanks in advance for your help – thank you! Randy Silverman Head of Preservation University of Utah Marriott Library 295 South 1500 East, Room 5210 Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0860 USA w. 801-585-6782 // cell. 801-834-1878 [email protected] <[email protected]> ------------------------------ Seth Irwin Conservator Irwin Paper Conservation LLC Maynard United States ------------------------------ 3.From: Christian Mueller-Straten Posted: Wednesday April 8, 2026 12:47 PM Subject: Global Warning: Targeted thefts of East Asian ceramics Message: EXPOTIME! and MUSEUM AKTUELL have already reported since years on museum burglaries, for example on those in Hildesheim and Cologne. However, the gang of thieves has also robbed other locations across Europe, which is less well known. These include the Royal Museum of Mariemont in Morlanwelz (Belgium) on April 21, 2024 (completed burglary), the Museum Montserrat in Sintra (Portugal) on August 27, 2024 (completed burglary), and the Musée Adrien-Dubouché in Limoges (France) on September 3, 2025 (completed burglary). Furthermore, current surveillance and possible attempts at surveillance have been detected at German museums and a Dutch auction house (contact has been made with the museums and the local police). Please ensure increased security for exhibited ceramics from East Asia in the coming months. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) recommends: • Contact the crime prevention unit of the local police station as soon as possible regarding preventative measures • Raise awareness among security personnel and all museum staff regarding suspicious observations, e.g. (this list is not exhaustive!): Conspicuous, atypical visitors Spying on security equipment, access to the building via windows/balconies/doors Spying on the fastening/protection of relevant exhibits Insisting on cash payment for tickets Targeted searches for the relevant rooms or exhibits • If there is concrete suspicion, take photos or save the images from the surveillance cameras • Check the surveillance cameras in and around the building, especially in the affected rooms, for sufficient recording quality and storage duration • Review the security measures for the exhibits against unauthorized removal; if necessary, relocate the objects to secure storage • Check the response times when an alarm is triggered • Consideration of technical or personnel upgrades • Assessment of attempted break-ins as a serious warning sign • Detailed investigation into the causes of suspected false alarms or failures in electronic security systems, power supply, and telecommunications lines; these could already be preparations for a crime. Based on material from Bundeskriminalamt and Deutschem Museumsbund On April 8,2026, I have additionally written to the President of ICOM, Dr. Antonio Rodríguez, the following letter: Dear Dr. Rodríguez, dear colleague, I am writing to you as an art historian and member of ICOM Germany. Please help to re-errect something like a protected database and newsletter information center like the former Museum Security Network for all ICOM members. This proposal also comes from the German Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), Silvelie Karfeld, Kriminalhauptkommissarin SO11-1 Sachbereich Kunst- und Kulturgutkriminalität. Museum need to be informed fastest way by criminal action of any kind. With our media MUSEUM AKTUELL and EXPOTIME! we realize the existing limits to exchange information by depending on INTERPOL, EUROPOL, the Carabinieri, Bundeskriminalamt and German Landeskriminalämter, by depending on press news worldwide: this is not enough ‒ because all these institutions do not have an existing network. What we need again, is a protected museum security network. We are willing to feed this network with any urgent information. Kind regards Dr. Christian Mueller-Straten Art Historian, Publisher, Member of ICOM Germany ------------------------------ [Christian] [Mueller-Straten] [Researcher, Publisher, Art Historian] [Owner] [Verlag Dr. Christian Mueller-Straten] [Munich] [Germany] [0049-89-839 690 43] [https://www.museum-aktuell.de] https://www.museum-aktuell.de/CEO ------------------------------ 4.From: Valeria Orlandini Posted: Wednesday April 8, 2026 12:48 PM Subject: RE: Input requested for proposed pressure-sensitive tape removal workshop Message: Randy, Seth and Noah, I agree that offering a pressure-sensitive tape (PST) workshop as a refresher of previous trainings entitled "Removal of Pressure Sensitive Tape and Tape Stains" by Linda Stiber Morenus and Elisa O'Loughlin is a great idea. The Fix: Removal of Pressure-Sensitive Tape – Smithsonian Libraries and Archives / Unbound <https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2018/03/27/the-fix-removal-of-pressure-sensitive-tape/> Most conservators specializing in paper-based materials, books and photographs have encountered PST in their daily work. Different approaches and techniques for optimal treatment strategies-including removing tapes (acrylic vs. rubber-based) and using recently formulated rigid solvent-gels alongside traditional solvent/ reagent application methods-will be really beneficial. Also, I'd highly recommend focusing on water-sensitive media found in documents and artworks, such as those with iron gall ink corrosion, pigments, dyes, as well as friable media. ------------------------------ Valeria Orlandini Conservator of Works on Paper and Photographic Materials Chevy Chase MD (301) 657-2682 ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 04-04-2026 16:45 From: Seth Irwin Subject: Input requested for proposed pressure-sensitive tape removal workshop Dear Colleagues, The Univ. of Utah's Marriott Library is anxious to determine whether hosting a tape removal workshop would be useful to the profession. We have a sense that practitioners would benefit from and enjoy engaging with Seth Irwin and Noah Smutz (paper conservators in private practice) who work with a wide variety of pressure sensitive tape problems and are dynamic teachers. The Marriott Library's Dean has asked me to gather input from conservators about weather this topic would indeed fill a need. So, please be kind enough to respond to a two-question survey about a proposed tape removal workshop sometime later this year: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=5-AXUp1TY0Wxv3xtzwdPkYtFzqf8sq9Fn_pg36RibSNUQUk4SFRBMDRPM1I3M0JEMUxMSUM1WkpYMS4u&route=shorturl If there is sufficient interest expressed Marriott Library would be pleased to host this three-day course covering a range of treatment options for removing pressure-sensitive tapes and reducing tape stains. Your comments on this are also welcome and will remain anonymous, so I invite your comments which can also be included in the survey. For questions, please message me offline at [email protected] <[email protected]> Many thanks in advance for your help – thank you! Randy Silverman Head of Preservation University of Utah Marriott Library 295 South 1500 East, Room 5210 Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0860 USA w. 801-585-6782 // cell. 801-834-1878 [email protected] <[email protected]> ------------------------------ Seth Irwin Conservator Irwin Paper Conservation LLC Maynard United States ------------------------------ 5.From: Pilar Brooks Posted: Wednesday April 8, 2026 1:29 PM Subject: Survey: Conservation of African Art in U.S. Museums Message: Hello, my name is Pilar Brooks. I am conducting an anonymous survey as part of my Master's Thesis at the UCLA/Getty Conservation of Cultural Heritage program. The survey is directed towards conservators and other collections staff in the U.S. working on collections of African art, artifacts, or other cultural heritage to gauge the extent to which cultural considerations and community input are employed in treatment and preventive care. Participation is voluntary (and appreciated!) The survey is 21 questions (14 required), will take 10 – 20 minutes to complete, and will be open through June 3rd, 2026. If you have any further questions about my research, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. Cultural and Community Considerations in the Conservation of African Art <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIxq339zAMkJlfp1itta3XZkRjhMNTx8oB_I2325Lcrnpcow/viewform?usp=header> ------------------------------ Pilar Brooks Graduate Fellow (Class of 2027) UCLA/Getty Interdepartmental Program in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage Los Angeles United States ------------------------------ 6.From: Sakeenah Montanaro Posted: Wednesday April 8, 2026 9:44 PM Subject: Courtauld Alumni Gathering! (Montreal - AIC) Message: 🍸✨ Calling all Courtauld alumni heading to Montreal! ✨🍸 Join us on Friday, May 1st, for a Courtauld Alumni Drinks Reception during the AIC conference. Location: Bar Furco, 425 Rue Mayor, Montréal, QC (about a 15-minute walk from the conference centre) - www.barfurco.com Time: 6:30–8:30 PM Reconnect with fellow alumni you haven't seen in a while, make new connections, and enjoy some drinks together! RSVP: [email protected] <[email protected]> We hope to see you there! Any questions? Feel free to reach out :) ------------------------------ Sakeenah Montanaro Post Graduate Fellow in Paintings Conservation Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library Wilmington, DE United States ------------------------------ You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. To change your subscriptions, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to https://community.culturalheritage.org/HigherLogic/eGroups/Unsubscribe.aspx?UserKey=d16eaa87-0f69-494b-9f2f-303dbc1222e1&sKey=fab9aa4f27a04c5d876e&GroupKey=757a8f16-505f-4323-8e74-e376757aa9f7.
