AH 174 - Intro to Art and Artifact Conservation

Lower Division

Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.

Humans are the only animals who have extensive material culture: meaning that we love to make and use a wide variety of “things.” We make tools, we build houses, we wear clothes, we create art, and much, much more.

This course aims to introduce students to the science that lies behind the protection and preservation of such art and cultural objects that might be found in archives, museums, libraries, or even in your own home! In this class, we will learn about the chemical, physical, and environmental processes that are responsible for art and artifact degradation. We’ll learn how to analyze the conditions in spaces where cultural materials are kept or displayed, and we’ll practice evaluating and recording the condition of objects. We will discuss best practices for the storage, cleaning, stabilization, and labelling items, and we’ll train to “disaster-proofing” objects against things like floods and fires. We will focus specifically on the scientific principles that determine how and why these decisions are made, for the sake of the preservation of cultural resources.

If you’ve ever had a favorite sweater get a moth hole, a precious book get faded or eaten by silverfish, or a treasured handbag or shoes get moldy and have to be thrown away, this course is for you! It’s also for you if you hope to build a career in museums, archives, or libraries.

Course credits: 3