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ICA News Online
April, 2016
Vol 10, No 2
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| This month ICA is pleased to announce the return of our Executive Director, Albert Albano, from a prolonged absence, and highlights another iconic costume object visiting our ICA labs from the Rock Hall. Read on to see all of the ways we're working to improve the preservation of this region's artistic and cultural heritage. |
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News from ICA's Executive Director
I am extremely pleased to report that I have returned to my post as Executive Director of the ICA, after a length of time on medical leave.
I have always tried to extract something positive, even from the most challenging of circumstances.
I now share with ICA's friends, professional colleagues, and project partners that I have a renewed purpose, and a number of newly focused objectives to help the ICA move forward to the next level of professional activity.
I have had a good deal of time to consider and review these renewed goals and objectives, and intend to bring them to fruition as the agency goes forward in 2016. I will be renewing contact with already established associates of the ICA, and fostering new relationships as well. Thanks to all of the ICA's staff and board members for enduring and working to overcome the operational challenges, both anticipated and unexpected during my absence.
Sincerely,
Al Albano
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The Village People!
Two 1970s era costume components from the iconic disco group
The Village People are currently at ICA for treatment - the Native American chaps and the cowboy hat. Clothing worn on tour often has condition issues from the rigors life on the road, performing in shows night after night. Once outfits are retired from their touring career, many end up stored for years in less than ideal conditions.
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hese objects are being resurrected to live again in the exhibition
Louder than Words: Rock, Power and Politics
opening at the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum
in Cleveland in May 2016. The chaps and hat both had mold issues and the chaps also had stains and broken seams. ICA conservators vacuumed the objects to remove mold spores and repaired the seams so the chaps can safely be displayed on a mannequin. Get ready to do your best YMCA!
ICA would like to thank the Rock Hall and the Village People for allowing us to share the story
of this unique project.
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Shakespeare First Folio Coming to Cleveland in June!
ICA will provide practical support in the way of both physical assistance in preparing for, installing, and deinstalling the exhibition, as well as program support in the form of classes and workshops for library and archive professionals, collectors of rare and old books, and interested members of our community.
Cleveland Public Library is hosting a series events in conjunction with the opening of the first of its Shakespeare exhibits. The First Folio exhibit from the
Folger Library doesn't open until June 20th, but many other programs begin on April 23rd, "Shakespeare Day."
Download a PDF of the Shakespeare program flyer here.
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The stained and faded original curtain is on the left, color-corrected test runs are pictured in the center and at right. KSU is still working to achieve the perfect match.
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Malabar Farm
For the past two years, ICA conservators have been working with Malabar Farm
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located southeast of Mansfield, Ohio,
to improve preservation of selected pieces from the historic home of Louis Bromfield, the famous author and early soil conservationist.
One ongoing initiative is the reproduction of a unique set of curtains from
Louis Bromfield's study.
The large original curtains, with their distinctive 1940s Jimmy Reynolds design of horse portraits, are too deteriorated after decades of light exposure to withstand continued use. These originals were expertly photographed and then prepared for long-term storage, as work on a set of reproductions began. First,
the digital master image of the Malabar Farm curtain pattern was "cleaned and restored" to its original unstained and unfaded appearance. With that process complete, the Kent State University Tech Lab is printing test-runs of the new image on fabric, and will soon print the required 12 yards of cotton sateen to be sewn into the reproduciton curtains.
For more information about Malabar Farm, or to plan a trip visit their website:
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ICA Paintings Conservator Wendy Partridge Featured
on One Art Nation
One Art Nation, a trusted source of education and information for art enthusiasts, collectors
and professionals recently
launched a new section on their website called "5 Questions."
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NEH Preservation Assistance Grant Application Deadline is May 13th!
There's still plenty of time to get your project plans together, and ICA's conservation staff will review your grant application before final submission, if we receive a draft by the end of April.
Preservation Assistance Grants help small and mid-sized institutions-such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, cultural organizations, town and county records offices, and colleges and universities-improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections.
These may include special collections of books and journals, archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, moving images, sound recordings, architectural and cartographic records, decorative and fine art objects, textiles, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, furniture, historical objects, and digital materials.
For more information on eligible projects and how to apply, visit
NEH's Preservation Assistance Grant website.
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