Safeguarding Your Textile Treasures Workshop
with FAMSF Textile Conservators Sarah Gates and Anne Getts
Wednesday, May 1, 2019, 8:30am – 11:30am de Young Museum, Textile Conservation Lab
Admission: Workshop is open to members of TAC, $75. Pre-registration is required. The registration deadline is Wednesday, April 24. As a member, you are welcome to host one guest who need not be a TAC member.
FAMSF staff conservators Sarah Gates and Anne Getts will conduct a workshop on how textile collectors can best safeguard their textiles at home. This event will take place “behind the scenes” in the Museums’ expansive Textile Conservation Lab at the de Young museum. The first part of the 3-hour event will discuss what causes textiles to degrade, how you can identify these threats, and what you yourself can do about it – including the safest way to store and display your textiles in a non-museum environment. Following the lecture, there will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions about their own particular collection conundrums. This will allow attendees to learn how to apply and adapt conservation solutions, tailoring them to individual time, labor, space and funding constraints. Examples will be drawn from the museum’s permanent collection. Take home resources such as archival supplier lists and helpful web sites will be provided.
NOTE: This is not a workshop where attendees bring in their own textiles for specific treatment advice, but high-resolution color photographs are encouraged in order to illustrate your questions. Instead we will be providing guidelines by which you can extend the lifetime of your favorite textiles and for some, a way to protect your investment.
Sarah Gates has been associated with the FAMSF for over 35 years and head of the Textile Conservation Lab for over 20. She received her training from the University of London textile conservation program at Hampton Court. Anne Getts has been with the museum for 3 years, and is the Associate Textile Conservator. She is a graduate of the Winterthur-University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. Together they are responsible for the safekeeping of over 13,000 textiles in the Museums’ permanent collection.
Pre-registration is required. Please download the registration form and return to reserve your place. Send registration and payment to:
Textile Arts Council de Young Museum 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive San Francisco, CA 94118
Image: Associate Conservator Anne Getts examines shoes which are stored as part of the permanent collection. Photo taken by Sarah Gates.