Yesterday was #AskAConservator day and I didn't really get any questions on my other platforms. Let's try the Fediverse!
What would you like to ask a conservator?
(I try not to say "art conservator" because I don't usually work with art in the traditional sense. I'm an objects conservator so it's easier to think of it as "all things old and crusty" rather than fancy art.)
@curatedjenny How do you deal with the dichotomy of 'preserving an object as-is' vs. 'restoring an (maybe imagined) original version'?
Add.:
Like, how do you decide which version / which condition at a specific point in time of an object is to be conserved?
@curatedjenny What's the oldest object you've every worked on? And what do you consider to have been the most unusual?
@curatedjenny @overholt do you ever give up on an artefact? Maybe try to obtain a very similar one that's easier/more likely successful to conserve?
@curatedjenny I saw exhibition objects made of wood, plant material, or textile fibers thousands of years old, astonishingly well preserved. And I see textiles of the 19th century falling apart. How does a conservator live with not being able to save even newer things? Or differently asked: How do you decide in which state of rescue an exhibit piece is then brought in?
@curatedjenny If an artefact has a functional use, do you conserve it so that it still works to the detriment possibly of its preservation? (eg. Old musical instrument)
@curatedjenny what’s your favourite thing you’ve taken care of?
@curatedjenny What mistakes do untrained people do when they try to "DIY" their special objects?
@curatedjenny Has there been artefact that you just couldn’t stop thinking about long after your work was done?
@curatedjenny P.S. I see you are my “neighbour” - I’m in Pembrokeshire
@curatedjenny If my giclee is pealing up all over the place, is it fixable? what caused it?
Nov 5, 2026, 2:27 PM@curatedjenny what do you say to people outraged when libraries don't use gloves to handle books, convinced that they know better than the professionals?
@curatedjenny is there a format / material / whatever that makes you go "oh *hell* no" and start drinking heavily as soon as it lands in your inbox?
How would you go about removing dried ketchup from very very thin gold veneer?
(Asking for a certain White House.)
@curatedjenny What's the "weirdest" thing you've had to preserve/restore?
@curatedjenny Do you have any resources for the hobbyist? (No Autocorrect, I did not mean hobbit, as much as I'd to be one)
I have a gown from ~1880 or so, that is starting to fail in a couple place. Thread rot, not shattering, so it can be stabilized.
Any recommendations on books or other resources?
The gown in stored in acid free archival boxes, carefully folded with tissue paper support.
@curatedjenny what’s your learning process like when you have an artifact that you’re totally unfamiliar with?
@curatedjenny Well, as someone who has quite a few objects (some of which are older and crustier than others), what are some things folks who don't have access to conservation labs can do to ensure their objects stay in decent condition and are there things we can do to fix minor issues when we find them? Or is the best thing just to bite the bullet and find a conservator for even a gently wounded-but-treasured object?
@curatedjenny @PapyrusBrigade what are some commonly-used DIY glues that end up doing more damage than good to artifacts?
Nov 5, 2026, 2:55 PMWhat materials are your favorite to conserve?
And are there materials for which conservation involves storing it in an inaccessible way, for example keeping a organic artefact in some kind of special gas, or liquid to maintain it for future generations?
@curatedjenny What do wish the average person knew about conserving objects? Something along the lines of "don't use wood polish on tin!" that sort of thing.
What is the tiniest object you've worked on?
And if we're allowed two questions: what is the largest object you've worked on?
Nov 5, 2026, 3:06 PM@curatedjenny How can i stop fungal decay on old photographs? I am afraid by using chemicals, I might do more harm then good.
Nov 5, 2026, 3:21 PMI know now that wearing gloves isn't recommended anymore.
How do you keep oils from your skin, or even skin particles from messing up objects?
@curatedjenny what's a conservator?
@curatedjenny What role do conservators have in repatriation conversations and actions, if any?
@curatedjenny Sorry about the lack of response elsewhere, and hello, new follow!
Totally selfish question for you: How can some average citizen even find out about conservation work or find/meet a conservator to consult or learn from? I have an accumulation of "stuff" left by previous generations, passed along for the next, which is too precious to someone to discard, but is or is at risk of deterioration for lack of knowing now to care for it.
@curatedjenny is there a time period that you don't like working on because they used some odd material to try and protect objects? Coatings that take paint with them instead of lifting off kind of thing?
@curatedjenny What is the process for requesting conserved objects for use in a curated exhibit? What limitations come with access to conserved objects?
@curatedjenny How often do you have dreams about your work?
@curatedjenny when you're restoring a painting, say, do you have a book that lists the approved techniques or do you rely mostly on experience? If there are books specific to this (I'm assuming yes) what are good ones? I'd like to read about it.
Nov 5, 2026, 4:41 PM@curatedjenny What's the hardest object you successfully confirmed a provenance for?
I’ve been thinking about objects that live through reversals of status; between useful and decorative, or in fashion to out of fashion and back, more than once. Does this show up in how things get to you? Can you conserve both statuses at once?
@curatedjenny what are some ways (institutional as well as hands on, if possible!) historians of material culture can collaborate with conservators?
@curatedjenny when the object is a photo, or are mounted in a way that's hostile yo the art, what do you do?
E.g. old photo album, or a painting/poster/print framed without acid-free materials, where these situations are integral to the object
@curatedjenny
You say "all things old and crusty", yet you do not work with me?
Hogwash.
@curatedjenny do you conserve stuff made with modern materials? How do craft supplies (stuff like acrylic paint) hold up?
@curatedjenny
Do you do 30-year evaluations of previous work?
@curatedjenny I moved from a damp place that was making me ill to somewhere dry. But I still react to everything from that previous location unless I clean it.
Many things can be washed but I have so much paper that I don’t know how to handle. Books, stamp collections, photos, documents, all in storage awaiting treatment. What can I do to remove the musty smell? Eventually it dissipates in fresh air but only with months of airing a few objects at a time.
I know that the idea the old bread can help remove foxing is a myth, but is there any easy (at home) method of removing foxing from paper? In the specific instance I'm trying to solve right now, it would be cartridge paper (I think) used for a litho. print
@curatedjenny My question is how are you coping with all of these questions?