The conservation lab at Shelburne Museum was established in 1983 as part of the Collections Division. In 1999, the division was split into three separate departments, with lab sitting within the department of Preservation and Conservation. In 2015, the Collections Department was re-established, and encompasses registration, art handling, installation, archives, library, and conservation. The department is currently directed by the staff conservator, an objects specialist. In addition to the staff conservator, the department is staffed by a registrar, an associate registrar, a collections manager, a librarian/archivist/registrar for the permanent collection, a preparator, and two art handlers. Preservation of the museum's historic structures is the purview of the Preservation and Landscape department while conservation of the movable artifacts and works of art is undertaken in the conservation lab.
Overview/Mission[edit | edit source]
Shelburne Museum’s mission is to broaden our audience, engage their curiosity, animate their creativity, and give them an extraordinary, educational museum experience.
The guiding principles of the museum are:
- Preserving, interpreting, and making broadly accessible the Museum's collections
- Celebrating American ingenuity, creativity, and craftsmanship
- Imparting a deeper understanding of New England's heritage
- Fulfilling the legacy of Electra Havemeyer Webb (1888-1960)
- Collecting art and artifacts of the highest artistic and historical merit
- Assuming a special responsibility for serving our Vermont community
- Valuing the contributions of Museum staff and volunteers
- Achieving and maintaining the highest standards of professionalism
Background of the Institution[edit | edit source]
Shelburne Museum was founded in 1947 by Electra Havemeyer Webb (1888-1960), one of the first major collectors of folk art and the only American woman to create and endow an art and outdoor history museum. She was the daughter of H.O. and Louisine Havemeyer, influential collectors of Impressionist and Old Master paintings and Asian art. Inspired by early-American ingenuity, Mrs. Webb amassed extraordinary holdings of quilts, hooked rugs, decorative arts, decoys, tobacconist figures, weather vanes, trade signs, folk art, paintings and sculpture, dolls, tools, toys, carriages, and 18th-20th century artifacts of every day life. In the 1950s, Mrs. Webb began collecting fine art, acquiring over 400 American paintings and finalizing plans for the exhibition of Impressionist works she inherited from her parents by Monet, Manet, Degas, and Cassatt. Mrs. Webb’s passion for early Americana included architecture, and she preserved and relocated 25 18th-19th century structures to the museum grounds. Shelburne Museum was among the first of a generation of museums including Winterthur, Historic Deerfield, and Colonial Williamsburg that focused on early American art, history, and material culture. In 1960 over 50,000 artifacts were exhibited in 30 buildings. Today there are 150,000 works in 39 exhibition structures.
In the 1980s Shelburne launched an education initiative that has grown into a multi-faceted blend of programs for youth, adults, general, and scholarly audiences. Practical preservation and conservation methods developed at Shelburne have become national models. An aggressive agenda for changing exhibitions was introduced in 2000, resulting in a richer visitor experience and improved opportunities to increase and broaden attendance and donor support. In August, 2013 the museum opened the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education which includes the Museum’s first auditorium and classroom, and two modern and technologically equipped galleries suitable for large-scale contemporary exhibitions. The Center has transformed Shelburne Museum from seasonal into a year-round resource, dramatically increasing public access to exhibitions and the Museum’s extensive collections and enabling year-round programs.
Milestones[edit | edit source]
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Museum founded |
| late 1940s-1950s | 23 Historic buildings relocated to Shelburne Museum property.(Shelburne Museum 1993) |
| 1960 | Newly-constructed building to display American paintings, Webb Gallery, opened to the public. (Shelburne Museum 1993) |
| 1960s | Circus Building, railroad complex, and Electra Havemeyer Webb Memorial Building constructed. (Shelburne Museum 1993) |
| 1986 | Ogden Pleissner Building, a new climate-controlled structure built to display the work and studio of painter Ogden Pleissner opened to the public. Round Barn moved to museum campus. Silo flown in by helicopter. (Shelburne Museum 1993) |
| 1993 | With funding from a Preservation Capital Campaign, a project manager and 5-member team are hired to restore the steamship Ticonderoga over a period of 5 years.(Shelburne Museum Annual Report 1993) |
| 2000-2002 | Collections Management building with spaces for the museum's library and archives constructed. (Kerschner 2007) |
| 2005 | Museum recognized for their contributions to historic preservation by the Preservation Trust of Vermont for the restoration of founder Electra Havemeyer Webb's Shelburne home, the Brick House.(Preservation Trust 2005) |
| 2009 | Shelburne Museum receives the AIC/Heritage Preservation Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections. (VermontBiz 2009) |
| 2012 | Construction of the museum's Center for Art and Education, first building designed to be open to the public year-round, begins. (Sutkoski 2012) |
| 2013 | Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education at Shelburne Museum opens to the public. It contains two exhibition galleries, an auditorium, and a classroom. |
Dimensions[edit | edit source]
The museum is situated on 40 acres and contains approximately 150,000 works of art and artifacts displayed in 39 buildings. The administrative offices sit apart from the museum, and, in addition to the conservation lab, include the museum's library and archives.
History of the Laboratory/Studio[edit | edit source]
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Director Benjamin Mason contracts 4 eminent conservators to conduct a general conservation survey of the museum. All recommend that the museum hire a conservator. |
| 1982 | First conservator position created. |
| 1983 | NEA grant awarded to museum for initial purchase of laboratory equipment, including a binocular microscope, a microscope with a polarized light attachment, and a vacuum hot table. |
| 1986 | Second conservator position created. |
| 1990 | Conservation lab size expanded by 50% to 1400 sq. ft. Lighting and ventilation upgraded to include a fume hood and fume extraction trunks. (Shelburne Museum 1990) |
| 1989 | Electra Bostwick McDowell Fellowship in Conservation created, providing funding for summer work projects in the department. The fund is shared with the Education department and was begun in the memory of former museum president Electra B. McDowell (1934-1989), in recognition of her great interest in museum education and art conservation. |
| 1992 | Collections Care Specialist position created and added to the conservation department. |
| 1996 | 22 paintings deaccessioned and sold at auction to create a Collections Care Endowment. |
| 1999 | Department of Preservation and Conservation created. Collections Care Specialist position eliminated from the department. Collections Care Technician positions moved to a newly created Collections Management Department. |
| 2000 | UV attachment purchased for research microscope with funding from the Walter Cerf Foundation. |
| 2002 | The Adopt-a-Carousel Animal initiative begins in order to complete the conservation treatment of the menagerie from the museum's 1902 Dentzel Carousel. |
| 2014 | Conservation treatment of the 1902 Dentzel carousel's menagerie completed. Work on rounding boards, panels, and chariots continues. |
| 2015 | Department of Preservation and Conservation folded into a Collections Department that includes Registration, Art Handling, Installation, Library, Archives, and Conservation. |
Staff History[edit | edit source]
Conservators[edit | edit source]
Richard L. Kerschner, Director of Preservation and Conservation, 1983-2015
Valerie Reich Hunt, Objects Conservator, 1986-1998
Nancie Ravenel, Associate conservator, 1998-2002; Objects conservator, 2002-2021; Director of Conservation, 2022-2023; Director of Collections & Conservation, 2023-present
Grant-funded Conservators and Fellows[edit | edit source]
| Years | Name | Position/Project | Funding Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Sara McElroy | Paintings Conservator | NEA |
| 1989 | David Bayne | Wooden Artifacts Conservator/Folk Art | IMS |
| 1990-1992 | Katherine Hird | Paintings Conservator | IMS |
| 1992-1994 | Holley White | Paper Conservator | NEA |
| 1996-1999 | Cathy Coho | Textile Conservator/Bedcovers and Floor Covers | IMLS, Fidelity |
| 2000 | Gaby Keinitz | Textile Conservator/Samplers | IMLS |
| 2000 | Michaela Niero | Objects Fellow/Historic Interiors | Kress |
| 2001 | Jennifer Nichol | Objects Fellow/Dolls | IMLS |
| 2002 | Kirsten Kruse | Objects Fellow/Dollhouses | IMLS |
| 2003 | Melanie Brussat | Objects Fellow/Circus, Decoys, Dentzel carousel animal | IMLS |
| 2007-2008 | Rachel Penniman | Objects Fellow | IMLS |
| 2008 | Laura Brill | Objects Fellow/Gilded Age furniture and horse-drawn sleigh | Kress |
| 2009 | Pamela Betts | Paintings Conservator | IMLS |
| 2012 | Josiah Wagener | Objects Fellow/Painted Folk Art | Kress/FAIC |
| 2014 | Angela Duckwall | Textile Conservator/Hooked Rugs | IMLS |
| 2015-2017 | Kirsten Schoonmaker | Textile Conservator | IMLS, other funding |
| 2016-2017 | Lesley Day Mirling | Objects Fellow | Kress/FAIC |
| 2018 | Ava Freeman | Objects Fellow | Kress/FAIC |
| 2018-2019 | Gennifer Majors | Textile Conservator | IMLS, other funding |
| 2019-2020 | Lindsay Ocal | Objects Fellow | Kress/FAIC |
Lab Assistants[edit | edit source]
Barbara McMurray Rathburn, Collections Care Specialist, 1992-1999
- Three Collections Care Technicians, specialists who maintained the collections on view, assisted in the conservation lab one day per week from 1993-1999. In 1999, those positions were moved to the Collections Management Department.
- Prior to 1993, there was a Housekeeping Department charged with the task of maintaining the collections on view.
Conservation Interns[edit | edit source]
Shelburne Museum has welcomed pre-program and graduate-level interns in its conservation lab since its inception, but prior to the establishment of the conservation lab, the University of Delaware/Winterthur Museum conservation program sent students to the museum to conduct condition surveys/rehousing projects. Graduate-level interns have come from Canada, England, Switzerland, Taiwan, Bhutan, Germany, and the United States to work in the lab.
3rd or 4th year graduate-level interns[edit | edit source]
| Year | Name | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Ingrid Newman | State University College of New York/Cooperstown |
| 1990 | Keith Bakker | CAL Furniture Conservation Program |
| 1992 | Jennifer Baker | CAL Furniture Conservation Program |
| 2003 | Lawrence Shutts | State University College of New York at Buffalo |
| 2007 | Laura Brill | NYU |
| 2015 | Emily Wroczynski | University of Delaware/Winterthur Museum |
Summer work project, pre-program, & other interns[edit | edit source]
The following lists the interns who have worked within the department since its inception.
| Year | Name(s) | Project | Funding Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-4 | Scott Fulton | pre-program intern | |
| 1984 | Valerie Reich, Neil Cockerline | Condition survey and treatment of Circus Posters | NEA |
| 1985 | Valerie Reich | Condition survey of folk art | IMS |
| 1986 | Eliza Jorgensen, Cynthia Kuniej | Examination and consolidation of 6 scenic wallpapers | IMS |
| 1987 | Elizabeth Wamsley, Annette Ruprecht | Conservation of Dentzel carousel animals | Funding from the National Gallery of Art in support of preparations for the traveling exhibition "American Sampler" |
| 1988 | Chris Lavergne | Survey of the Arnold Circus Parade | |
| 1988 | Catherine Anderson | Conservation treatment of Dentzel carousel animals | |
| 1989 | Rebecca Johnson | Conservation treatment of Folk Art | Electra Bostwick McDowell Fellowship |
| 1990 | Meredith Montague | Condition survey of Beadwork and Stumpwork | Electra Bostwick McDowell Fellowship |
| 1991 | C. Mei-An Tsu | pre-program intern | |
| 1991 | Nancie Ravenel | Condition survey and treatment of Horse-drawn Vehicles | Electra Bostwick McDowell Fellowship |
| 1992 | Mary Jo Davis | pre-program intern | |
| 1992 | Jennifer Baker, Lori van Handel, Betsy Baten | Condition survey and treatment of Horse-drawn Vehicles | Electra Bostwick McDowell Fellowship |
| 1993 | Holly Anderson | Survey and treatment of Bandboxes | Electra Bostwick McDowell Fellowhip |
| 1994-6 | Pamela Betts | pre-program intern | |
| 1994-7 | Nicandra Galper | pre-program intern | |
| 1995 | Karen Pero | Lighting survey of 27 collection buildings | Green Mountain Power |
| 1995-7 | Robyn Woodworth | pre-program intern | |
| 1996 | Stephanie Conforti, Diane Russell | Conservation treatment of the Concord Coach | Freeman Foundation |
| 1999 | Betsy Geiser | Conservation treatment of Dolls | Electra Bostwick McDowell Fellowship |
| 1999 | Kerith Koss | pre-program volunteer | |
| 2000 | Melissa McGrew | Conservation treatment of stencil painted walls | Electra Bostwick McDowell Fellowship |
| 2001 | Rachel Witt, Janelle Borig | Conservation of the Million et Guimet Berlin | Walter Cerf Foundation |
| 2002 | Cary Beattie | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Electra Bostwick McDowell Fellowship |
| 2003 | Peggy Olley | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2003 | Miriam Wells | pre-program volunteer | |
| 2004 | John Thomas Riddoll, Sandra Hons | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2004 | Diana Haraya | pre-program volunteer | |
| 2005 | Rachel Penniman, Pei Shan Lee | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2005 | Emily Gardner, Bridget Barrett | pre-program volunteer | |
| 2006 | Amelia Bagnall | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2006 | Katrina Bartlett | pre-program intern | |
| 2007 | Kim Crozier | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2007 | Sarah Milton | pre-program volunteer | |
| 2008 | Eileen Sullivan, Lauren Bradley | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2009 | Diana Larabee, Laine Kirkhoff | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2009 | Rose Daly | Treatment of Dentzel carousel, preventive conservation | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2009-11 | Linzy Vos | pre-program volunteer | |
| 2010 | Utsha Gurung | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2011 | Megan Salazar-Walsh, Sydney Beall | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2011 | Caitlin Chan | pre-program volunteer | |
| 2011-13 | Hillary Mishcon | pre-program volunteer | |
| 2012 | Courtney Sanborn, Hannah Mancil, Rossella Fevola | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2013 | M. Abbott Nixon, Emily Brown, Ellen Nigro | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2014 | Samantha Owens, Megan Salas, Kendall Trotter, Kelsey Wingel | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2016 | Annie Schrandt, Lesley Day Mirling | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
| 2017 | Rachel Childers | Treatment of Dentzel carousel | Adopt-a-Carousel Animal funding |
Conservation Volunteers[edit | edit source]
Up to13 volunteers have work on projects in the conservation lab in any given year, ranging from filing documentation and database management, to assisting with conservation treatment, including on the museum's Locomotive 220.
Facilities[edit | edit source]
Analytical Equipment[edit | edit source]
- Leitz research microscope with polarized light and UV light attachments.
- Wild binocular microscope
- handheld long wave and short wave UV lights
- infra-red web camera
Pest Eradication Equipment[edit | edit source]
- Chest freezer
Photo-documentation Equipment[edit | edit source]
- Nikon D50 camera
- Nikon D3100 camera
- VioStorm VS-60 ultraviolet lamp
- various lights and filters
References[edit | edit source]
Kerschner, R.L. 2007. "Providing Safe and Practical Environments for Cultural Property in Historic Buildings -- and Beyond" Contribution to the Experts’ Roundtable on Sustainable Climate Management Strategies, held in April 2007, in Tenerife, Spain.http://www.getty.edu/conservation/our_projects/science/climate/paper_kerschner.pdf
Preservation Trust of Vermont. Preservation Awards 2005.
Shelburne Museum. 1990. Annual Report. Shelburne, VT: Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum. 1993. Annual Report. Shelburne, VT: Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum. 1993. A Guide to the Collections. Shelburne, VT: Shelburne Museum
"Shelburne Museum receives award for Preservation and Care of Collections" 25 September, 2009. Vermont Biz http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/september/shelburne-museum-receives-award-preservation-and-care-collections
Sutkoski, Matt. 2012. “Shelburne Museum Announces $14M Arts and Education Center.” Burlington Free Press. http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111013/NEWS02/111013017/Shelburne-Museum-Arts-and-Education-Center.
Further Reading & Viewing[edit | edit source]
Social Media[edit | edit source]
Conservation posts on Shelburne Museum's blog
Shelburne Museum Conservation on Flickr
Shelburne Museum's Dentzel Carousel on Facebook
Articles by Staff[edit | edit source]
Betts, P. 2013. "Alice Dibble and Painting Restoration in the Early Days of the Shelburne Museum". Postprints of the AIC Paintings Specialty Group, vol. 23. Washington, DC: AIC, 7-17.
Carlson, N. and R.L. Kerschner. 2011 "Leveraging Preservation Funding to Enhance a Museum's Reach." Museum Computer Network 2011, Atlanta, GA. http://youtu.be/aqyOukG8cHU
Hornbeck, Stephanie, Nancy Pollak, Nancie Ravenel, and Kathy Francis. 2011. “Another Perspective: Voices from Outside Textile Conservation.” The Textile Specialty Group Postprints: Papers Delivered at the Textile Subgroup Session, American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, 39th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jun3 2011 21: 1–7.
Hunt, V. R. 1998. “Conservation of Folk Art: Shelburne Museum’s Collection and Approach.” In Painted Wood: History and Conservation. Proceedings of a Symposium..., Williamsburg, Virginia, 11-14 November 1994, Valerie Dorge and F. Carey Howlett, eds. Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute 424–436. ISBN 9780892365012 http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/paintedwood.html
Kerschner, R. L. and V. Reich. 1987. "Conservation Notes" in An American Sampler: Folk Art from the Shelburne Museum. Washington DC: National Gallery of Art Washington. 208-211. ISBN 9780894681042
Kerschner, R. L. 1992. “A Practical Approach to Environmental Requirements for Collections in Historic Buildings.” Journal of the American Institute for Conservation: 65–76. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/3179613; http://cool.conservation-us.org/jaic/articles/jaic31-01-008_indx.html
Kerschner, R.L. 2000. “Implementation of Practical Climate Control Strategies at the Shelburne Museum.” In The Conservation of Heritage Interiors: Preprints of a Conference Symposium 2000, Ottawa, Canada May 17 to 20, 2000= La Conservation Des Intérieurs Patrimoniaux: Les Prétirages De La Conférence Symposium 2000, Ottawa, Canada Du 17 Au 20 Mai 2000, 161–166. http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/resources-ressources/publications/Downloads/Symposia/Eng/ConsHeritage_Chapter7.pdf
Kerschner, R.L., and N. Ravenel. 2006. “Here We Go ’Round Again: Cleaning Linseed Oil from Carousel Animals at the Shelburne Museum.” Journal of the American Institute for Conservation:Volume 45, Number 3: 201–210. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40026691
Kerschner, R.L. 2007. "Providing Safe and Practical Environments for Cultural Property in Historic Buildings -- and Beyond" Contribution to the Experts’ Roundtable on Sustainable Climate Management Strategies, held in April 2007, in Tenerife, Spain. http://www.getty.edu/conservation/our_projects/science/climate/paper_kerschner.pdf
Kerschner, R. L., and J. Baker. 2008. “Practical Climate Control: A Selected, Annotated Bibliography.” Accessed March 17, 2013. http://cool.conservation-us.org/byauth/kerschner/ccbiblio.html.
Kershner, R.L. 2008. “Providing Safe and Practical Environments for Cultural Property in Historic Buildings… and Beyond.” Http://www. Ischool. Utexas. Edu/kilgarlin/gaga/proceedings. Html. http://eprints.sparaochbevara.se/492/.
Kerschner, Richard L., and Nancie Ravenel. 2013. “Challenges in Art Conservation at the Shelburne Museum : Middlebury College.” Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT, October 9. https://archive.org/details/mcdla_NancieRavenelRichardKerschner10092013.
Ravenel, N. 2003. “Conservation Before Conservation at the Shelburne Museum: The Doll Collection.” Ed. others. Objects Specialty Group Postprints: Volume 10, 2003 10: 62–66.
Ravenel, N. 2004. “Technical Tidbits.” In The Dolls of Shelburne Museum, by Jean Burks. Shelburne, VT: Shelburne Museum. ISBN 9780939384280
Ravenel, N. 2005. “‘There Is a House That Is No More a House’ Conservation of the Painted Wall Paneling in Shelburne Museum’s Stencil House.” In Wooden Artifacts Group Postprints. Minneapolis, MN: American Institute for Conservation. http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/wag/2005/ravenel_05.pdf.
Ravenel, N. 2010. “Pemulen TR-2: An Emulsifying Agent with Promise.” Western Association of Art Conservation Newsletter 32 (3) (September): 10–13. http://cool.conservation-us.org/waac/wn/wn32/wn32-3/wn32-304.pdf
Ravenel, Nancie, and Richard L. Kerschner. 2014. “Balancing the Preservation and Restoration of Shelburne Museum’s Artizan A-2 Band Organ.” Carousel Organ: The Journal of the Carousel Organ Association of America, January. http://www.academia.edu/5899630/Balancing_the_Preservation_and_Restoration_of_Shelburne_Museums_Artizan_A-2_Band_Organ.
Ravenel, Nancie. 2016. Decoys x-rayed: What VolumeRAD tomosynthesis and computed tomography contribute to technical study. In Objects Specialty Group Postprints, vol. 23. Montréal: American Institute for Conservation. http://resources.conservation-us.org/osg-postprints/postprints/v23/ravenel/
Ravenel, Nancie. 2017. “Decoys Inside and Out.” In Birds of a Feather: Wildfowl Decoys At Shelburne Museum, by Thomas Denenberg, Kory W. Rogers, and Cynthia Byrd, 27–39. New York, NY: Skira Rizzoli. ISBN 9780847860609
Stulen Jr, F. L. 2000. “The Restoration, Preservation, and Reinterpretation of the Steamboat Ticonderoga.” In The Conservation of Heritage Interiors: Preprints of a Conference Symposium 2000, Ottawa, Canada May 17 to 20, 2000= La Conservation Des Intérieurs Patrimoniaux: Les Prétirages De La Conférence Symposium 2000, Ottawa, Canada Du 17 Au 20 Mai 2000, 45–50. http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/resources-ressources/publications/Downloads/Symposia/Eng/ConsHeritage_Chapter2.pdf
Wroczynski, Emily, Nancie Ravenel, and Chip Stulen. 2018. “‘Derailing’ the Myth of Gilded Age Decoryation in the Grand Isle Private Railcar: A Case Study of the Painted Ceiling Panels.” In Macro to Micro: Examining Architectural Finishes, edited by Mary A. Jablonski and Kristin Travers Moffitt. London: Archetype Publications.
Online Projects[edit | edit source]
Ravenel, Nancie and Mirling, Lesley Day. 2017. Inside Decoys at Shelburne Museum. http://scalar.usc.edu/works/inside-decoys-from-shelburne-museum/index, accessed February 28, 2019.
Interviews & Media Appearances[edit | edit source]
Lavin, J. 2004."Sustainable Access: A Discussion about Implementing Preventive Conservation" Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter. 19/1 http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/newsletters/19_1/dialogue.html
O'Grady, E. 2017. "Shelburne interns gain valuable experience" Shelburne News. August 11. http://www.shelburnenews.com/2017/08/10/shelburne-interns-gain-valuable-experience/
Thurston, J. 2008. "Meet the Museum's Rescue Squad" WCAX News. April 1. http://www.wcax.com/story/8102259/meet-the-museums-rescue-squad
"Interview with Richard L. Kerschner." 2010. Image Permenance Institute Newsletter. Volume 11. https://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/resources/newsletter-archive/v11/interview-richard
Westley, L. J. 2011. "The Shelburne Museum Shuts Down for Winter, But Not Everything Hibernates." Seven Days. November 23. http://www.7dvt.com/2011shelburne-museum-shuts-down-winter-not-everything-hibernates
Links[edit | edit source]
Support[edit | edit source]
Conservation and collections care initiatives at Shelburne Museum have been supported by federal funding agencies and foundations. Summer internships have been supported by the Electra McDowell Fund and the Adopt-a-Carousel Animal initiative. Grants, other than those which have supported the work of conservators and fellows contracted to work in the lab, awarded to the department include:
| Year | Funding Agency | Project Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | IMS | Conservation treatment of quilts at a regional conservation facility |
| 1988 | IMS | Purchase and installation of storage shelves for prints, paintings, and folk art objects |
| 1991 | NEH | 5-year multi-faceted environmental improvement for 27 collection buildings |
| 1994 | IMS | Storage improvement project for conservation technician to work 3 days per week to survey and improve storage areas |
| 1999 | NEH | 5-year project to upgrade fire and security sensors, re-wire, and install new exhibition lighting in 6 historic structures |
| 1999 | IMLS | Purchase storage shelving for new Collections Management building |
| 2003 | IMLS | Environmental improvement for Decorative Arts storage by insulating building and installing residential HVAC equipment |
| 2004 | NEH | 2.5-year project to improve collection environments, mitigate fire and security risks and improve lighting in 3 exhibition buildings. |
| 2008 | Shumway Foundation | Conservation treatment of 30 Circus posters |
| 2009 | Save America's Treasures | 2-year project to improve infrastructure, upgrade security, fire-detection, and HVAC control systems. |
| 2014 | NEH | Sustaining Humanities Collections 2-year project to improve collection environment, mitigate fire and security risks, and improve lighting in the Dorset House. |
| 2019 | NEH | Preservation Assistance Grant to conduct condition assessments and produce treatment proposals for 10 large paintings in the collection and their frames. This work was undertaken by conservators from the Williamstown Conservation Lab. |
| 2019 | IMLS | Museums for America Grant to conduct conservation assessment of 313 printed works of art on paper housed in boxes. This work was undertaken by paper conservators in private practice M.J. Davis and Carolyn Frisa. |
| 2019 | NEH | Sustaining Humanities Collections 2-year project to improve HVAC system, mitigate fire and security risks, and improve lighting in the Stagecoach Inn. |
| 2020 | IMLS | Museums for America Grant to inventory and perform a condition assessment of the Museum's pharmaceutical collection. |
| 2021 | IMLS | Museums for America Grant to inventory, perform a condition assessment, and design a display methodology for a group of 2000 commemorative handkerchiefs in the Museum's collection. |
