The Midwest Regional Conservation Guild (MRCG) is a
professional conservation association in the
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
.
History
The MRCG was formed in 1980 by
art conservation
The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage), including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include preve ...
and restoration professionals with the purpose of bringing together those individuals in the Midwest region (and beyond) interested in the preservation of
historic
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
and
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
istic works and to promote fellowship and exchange of ideas on a professional level.
The first meeting of the Guild was held at the
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, the Gardens at Newfields, the Beer Garden, and more. It i ...
(IMA) on Saturday, October 25, 1980. Art conservation experts specializing in archive, painting, paper, object, and textile conservation from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio met that day to discuss conservation treatment issues, conservation techniques, and the "formation of an information network and cooperative disaster policy for the Midwest." (IMA) paintings conservator David Miller was the Guild's first president and presided over the first meeting of approximately 40 participants. The program consisted of an organizational meeting, museum tours, and two slide presentations.
The Guild was organized in recognition of the pressing concerns of "museum curators and private collectors alike to preserve great works of art against the ravages of time and the environment, as well as to uncover increasingly sophisticated forgeries."
The original purpose and character of the guild was defined by six principles:
# The Guild should provide a framework for knowing other conservators and laboratories in our region.
# The Guild should provide informal exchange of ideas with our colleagues.
# The Guild should serve as a "problem solving forum."
# The Guild could accurately represent our needs to national level agencies.
# Meetings could be held twice a year, rotating geographic location.
Meeting locations
For more than 30 years, the Guild has had annual meetings throughout the Midwest region, often at area
museums
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
. There have been at least 49 annual meetings in 12 different states. The museums that have hosted the most meetings are:
Publications
Starting in 1981, the Midwest Regional Conservation Guild Newsletter has been published bi-annually, highlighting environmental news gathered around the Midwest.
In 1993, the MRCG began producing its Membership Directory, which appeared yearly until it became an online resource with updates every few months.
Organisation and Governance
Current MRCG Officers
*President (2018): Claire Winfield
*Vice President (2017): Katherine Langdon
*Secretary (2018): Christine Gostowski
*Treasurer (2017): Crista Pack
See also
*
Art conservation and restoration
The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage), including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include preve ...
*
Conservation Associations and Professional Organizations
The following is a list of organizations associated with the professional field of conservation-restoration.
Professional conservators join and take part in the activities of numerous conservation associations and professional organizations with ...
References
External links
Midwest Regional Conservation Guild Website
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Conservation and restoration organizations
Arts organizations based in the United States
Heritage organizations
Arts organizations established in 1980
1980 establishments in the United States
Culture of the Midwestern United States