Yesterday I had the opportunity to tour the Delta Flight Museum with some members of the Atlanta ECPN (Emerging Conservation Professionals Network). We're hoping to arrange tours of all of the conservation labs in the area, and this is our second. Paper conservator Tina Seetoo works there as an Archives Associate, and while there is actually no lab for us to tour, she gave us a wonderful conservator-personalized tour of the museum's collection on display. The museum is made up of two 1940s aircraft hangars, one devoted to the propeller age and the other to the jet age, and includes objects such as paper ephemera and photographs, china sets, uniforms, and of course, airplanes. The jet age hangar actually holds an airplane that is a mini museum--you go upstairs and take the bridge over to enter the plane, where half of the seats have been replaced with display cases full of flight attendant uniforms, many of which were donated by former employees, and other items.
The museum was completely renovated and reopened last summer, and while Tina was not necessarily hired on as a conservator, many objects in the collection required treatment before they could be put on display after the renovation, and what Tina could not treat herself, she contracted other conservators to help. Tina discussed the specific environmental challenges present in the space, especially light and humidity, and explained how she was working with the museum to find creative solutions. She also described some of the differences between dealing with collections in a corporate museum versus, for example, the collection of state records at the Georgia Archives where she once worked (and where I am currently an intern).
This was such a great opportunity to get the inside scoop on a great Atlanta museum, and learn more about the myriad of challenges and opportunities presented to art conservators.
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