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

References

External links

Midwest Regional Conservation Guild Website
{{Authority control 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