Art and Me
Art and Me: Become a Conservator!
Saturday, September 14, 11am– 12:30 pm and 1:30–3:00 pm
Sackler, B2, ImaginAsia studio
Visit the Freer Gallery of Art’s permanent collection and explore how art and science collide when conservators preserve precious works of art. Then, return to the ImaginAsia studio and work with Ellen Chase, a Freer|Sackler conservator to learn about the process of repairing a work of art. This program is designed for children ages 3–5 with adult participation. This program is part of a year-long program series with the Lunder Conservation Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Free registration required. Email AsiaWorkshops@si.edu with the following information:
• name
• session
• number of registrants (include youth and caretakers)
We will respond with your registration status within forty-eight hours.
Workshop 1 – What is Conservation
Like environmental conservation, conservation in a museum works towards preserving our world and history, but focuses on cultural heritage. At the Freer and Sackler we focus on the conservation of art works, but conservators also safeguard architecture, historic objects and other things important to our cultural heritage. Conservators are the people who carry out this work, together with the collection, design, exhibition, and curatorial departments of the museum. In art conservation we first try to prevent damage from happening to art and will take action if any damage occurs. Along with conservation scientists, we also study the materials and techniques used to create works of art. This helps us understand the history of the object, as well as the best way to conserve it.
For more information about conservation, check out our conservation page.