Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. CFP: Critical Conservation Assembly | Communities of Practice | HKB Bern Dec 3-4, 2026 2. MRCG-CACG joint meeting 3. Materials Science Pioneers in Art and Archaeology Webinar Series ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Hanna Holling Posted: Thursday May 14, 2026 6:46 AM Subject: CFP: Critical Conservation Assembly | Communities of Practice | HKB Bern Dec 3-4, 2026 Message: We are calling for contributions to: 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗬: 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘 Hybrid Conference | Bern Academy of the Arts (HKB) December 3–4, 2026 Deadline: June 30, 2026 What if conservation is not primarily about preserving objects - but about sustaining relationships, stories, rituals, memories, and communities? The first 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 invites scholars, artists, Indigenous custodians, conservators, activists, craftspeople, curators, community workers, and practitioners across disciplines to rethink conservation as a relational, pluricultural, and political practice. We are especially interested in contributions that challenge object-centered paradigms and the dominance of Western conservation's authenticism and scientism and explore how cultural continuity is maintained through care, renewal, transmission, repetition, performance, storytelling, and collective practice. Topics may include: • Community-led and Indigenous conservation practices • Reenactment, renewal, and conservation through transformation • Repatriation, decoloniality, and shared custodianship • Embodied knowledge and intergenerational transmission • Maintenance, care, and everyday conservation • Natureculture and more-than-human heritage • Digital communities, gaming, online archives, and networked stewardship Formats include: • 15–20 minute presentations • Duet talks • Storytelling and oral formats • Audio-visual submissions • "One-slide" interventions (5 min) We strongly encourage submissions from non-academic practitioners and members of historically marginalized communities. Submit a 300-word abstract + short bio (max. 200 words) by 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟯𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 to: [email protected]. Contact us for other forms of submissions. Selected contributions may be considered for publication. Please follow this link <https://centerforcriticalconservation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/call-for-papers-conference-poster-1.pdf> for a full version of our call. Consult our project's website <https://centerforcriticalconservation.com/> to learn more about its context. ------------------------------ Dr. Hanna B. Hölling, Research Professor Project Lead: SNSF Performance: Conservation, Materiality, Knowledge | SNSF Activating Fluxus Bern Academy of the Arts Research Division | Institute Materiality in Art and Culture, Fellerstrasse 11, 3027 Bern [email protected] https://performanceconservationmaterialityknowledge.com/ https://activatingfluxus.com/ ------------------------------ 2.From: Melina Avery Posted: Thursday May 14, 2026 6:48 AM Subject: MRCG-CACG joint meeting Message: The Chicago Area Conservation Group and Midwest Regional Conservation Guild are pleased to announce a joint symposium "Better Together" taking place October 16-17, 2026 at the University of Chicago. Registration and abstract submissions are now live. More information and instructions are on the attached flyer, as well as at this link: Midwest Regional Conservation Guild – MRCG <https://www.midwestconservation.org/>. Current CACG or MRCG membership is required to attend the symposium. In addition to the symposium, the McCrone Research Institute will present a fibers-focused Polarized Light Microscopy workshop for a select number of symposium participants on October 14-15, 2026. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain or hone your skills in fiber identification and analysis at a very reasonable cost! More information on how to apply to attend the workshop is on the attached flyer. You can also apply here: MRCG & CACG 2026 Workshop on PLM Fibers <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtd20QFFMUFeU-RegLx6VaMiY7izlxxRgF8kJ9LEXA0IC3Eg/viewform> We hope to see you there! Please feel free to reach out with any questions. ------------------------------ Melina Avery Interim Head of Conservation and Senior Conservator University of Chicago Library Chicago United States ------------------------------ 3.From: Celia Chari Posted: Thursday May 14, 2026 9:51 AM Subject: Materials Science Pioneers in Art and Archaeology Webinar Series Message: I am delighted to announce the fifth speaker of the Materials Science Pioneers in Art and Archaeology Webinar - a new series hosted by the Art, Archaeology and Conservation Science Division of the American Ceramic Society. Please join us on May 22nd at 12 pm ET (5 pm BST / 6 pm CEST) as we welcome Dr. Rosarosa Manca, who is a heritage scientist at the University of Florence, Italy. Rosarosa's talk is titled: Maiolica in a Changing World: A Non-Invasive Look Into 19th-Century Tin Glazes Registration is required to attend, but free of charge for all participants. We hope to see you there! Please register for this event: Art, Archaeology & Conservation Science Division - Materials Science Pioneers in Art and Archaeology Webinar Series <https://ceramics.org/course/art-archaeology-conservation-science-division-materials-science-pioneers-in-art-and-archaeology-webinar-series-maiolica-in-a-changing-world-a-non-invasive-look-into-19th-century-tin-glazes/> Abstract: Italian maiolica represents an enduring and influential ceramic tradition in European art, spanning from the Middle Ages to the present day and preserved in major museum collections worldwide. The study of these tin-glazed artifacts increasingly relies on non-invasive analytical approaches, which are essential for the investigation of museum collections, where sampling is often not permitted, and conservation histories are complex. The 19th-century revival of maiolica constitutes a particularly compelling field of investigation. A renewed interest in historical styles was driven by archaeological discoveries and the search for cultural roots within emerging nation-states. At the same time, major transformations in manufacturing practices were driven by chemical and industrial innovations. In her webinar, Rosarosa Manca will focus on the non-invasive compositional analysis of important 19th-century Italian maiolica productions, such as those by the Ginori Manufactory, the Cantagalli firm, and the ceramist Torquato Castellani. Objects from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (UK), and from private collections were analysed by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and ion beam analysis (IBA). Furthermore, an ultraportable Vis–NIR hyperspectral camera was employed at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence (Italy) to study and discriminate authentic archaeological fragments, 19th-century forgeries, and ceramics of uncertain origin. Overall, the presentation aims to highlight how non-invasive analytical techniques can contribute to a deeper understanding of 19th-century maiolica production. Speaker Biography: Dr Rosarosa Manca is a heritage scientist with a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Florence, Italy. Her academic career has taken place in an interdisciplinary and international setting, with a focus on the application of analytical techniques to the study and conservation of cultural heritage materials. Her research centres on the non-invasive analysis of geomaterials of cultural interest, particularly pigments, tin-glazed pottery and jewellery in museum collections. During her doctoral research, she investigated the impact of 19th-century chemical and industrial innovations on the production of revival gold jewellery and maiolica in Italy. More recently she investigated the past use of mercury-based conservation treatments in natural history museum collections. Dr Manca supervises and co-supervises BSc, MSc and PhD theses, and teaches at postgraduate level. She collaborates with several museums and research institutions in Italy and abroad, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Bargello Museum, the Italian National Research Council and National Institute of Nuclear Physics, the University of Seville, and Archéosciences Bordeaux. She is a board member of the National Association of Experts in Diagnostics, Sciences and Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage (ANEDbc) and a member of ICOM, AIAr, and SIMP. ------------------------------ Celia S. Chari Conservation Scientist Mapping Color in History, Harvard University Based in Washington D.C. 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. 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