Conservation Ethics

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The principles and codes of ethics that guides professional art conservators on how to handle ethical issues like the treatment of culturally sensitive objects.

Preservation Ethics: This topic studies the principles underlying the preservation of cultural heritage and the values associated with it.
Cultural Heritage: This topic examines the various forms of cultural heritage, including archaeological sites, monuments, paintings, sculpture, textiles, manuscripts, and more.
Restoration: This topic focuses on the processes of conservation and restoration of artworks, including technical imaging, cleaning, and repair.
Preventive Conservation: This topic concerns measures taken to prevent damage to cultural heritage, such as environment adaptation, pest management or managing risks.
Ethics in Conservation: This topic explores ethical issues that arise in the field of conservation, such as the balance between preservation and access or the tension between authenticity and aesthetic.
Materials Science: This topic studies the properties of materials used in art conservation, including their aging and deterioration.
Conservation Techniques: This topic involves the study of techniques used in conservation, such as inpainting, skimming, and glazing.
Documentation: This topic involves the documentation of cultural heritage, including record-keeping of interventions, and photographic or analytical methods for identification of damaged or deteriorated areas.
Conservation Science: This topic concerns the application of scientific methods and analyses in conservation, such us material identification, analysis, and diagnostics.
Collection Management: This topic concerns the management of collection including conservation, storage, exhibition, and movement/recirculation of artwork.
Disaster Management: This topic examines measures taken to prevent or minimize the impact of natural or human-made disasters on cultural heritage, such as disasters management planning and emergency interventions.
Global Perspectives: This topic explores the different approaches and practices found in conservation management from different countries, cultures, and socio-economic settings.
Preventive conservation: This type of conservation aims to prevent deterioration and damage to art objects through measures such as proper storage, handling, and environmental control.
Curative conservation: This type of conservation involves treating existing damage or deterioration on an art object to restore its original appearance and prevent further damage.
Restoration: This type of conservation involves returning an art object to its original state by replacing or repairing missing or damaged parts that are crucial to the artwork concept.
Reconstruction: This type of conservation involves rebuilding missing or damaged parts of an art object with new materials, often with modern methods or materials, to make it functional or more visually appealing.
Preservation: This type of conservation involves maintaining the original state of an artwork without altering it in any way, even if it means that the artwork won't be used or displayed.
Authenticity: This type of conservation focuses on preserving and maintaining the authenticity of an artwork, which includes its historical, cultural, and artistic significance.
Minimal intervention: This type of conservation involves making the least possible changes to an artwork to prevent deterioration or damage.
Reversibility: This type of conservation involves using materials and methods that can be easily removed or undone. This is to prevent irreversible changes to the artwork and allow for future modifications if necessary.
Authenticity as an evolving concept: This type of conservation acknowledges that the concept of authenticity can change over time, and conservation decisions must incorporate this understanding.
Material and methodologically specific conservation: This type of conservation focuses on specific types of artwork and requires specialized knowledge and skills to properly care for them.
Honesty in conservation: This type of conservation advocates for transparent communication about the conservation process, including any restoration, reconstruction, or replacement of materials involved.
Community-based conservation: This type of conservation incorporates the beliefs, values, and perspectives of the local community in the conservation process, particularly in cases where the artwork is culturally significant.
"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 preventive conservation, examination, documentation, research, treatment, and education."
"Conservation activities include preventive conservation..."
"Conservation activities include... examination..."
"Conservation activities include... documentation..."
"Conservation activities include... research..."
"Conservation activities include... treatment..."
"This field is closely allied with conservation science, curators and registrars."
"This field is closely allied with... curators..."
"Conservation activities include... education."
"This field is closely allied with conservation science..."
"The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property..."
"The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on... care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage)..."
"The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on... museum collections."
"Conservation activities include... examination, documentation, research, treatment, and education."
"The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on... archaeology..."
"The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on... tangible cultural heritage..."
"The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on... architecture..."
"The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on... protection and care of cultural property..."