[NHCOLL-L:5229] Care of Baskets online class starts Monday

[Helen Alten]

*MS 225: Care of Baskets*
Instructor: Helen Alten
Price: $475
Dates: Feb 7 - Mar 18, 2011
*
Description:*
Baskets are an important part of nearly every world culture. Caring for 
baskets requires an understanding of why and how they deteriorate. Care 
of Baskets provides a simplified explanation of the chemistry and 
structure of basketry materials. Starting with an overview of the 
history and function of baskets and how they are made, Care of Baskets 
will cover guidelines for handling, labeling, exhibiting and storing 
baskets, including condition assessments and an introduction to 
integrated pest management. An overview of treatments used on baskets 
and how appropriate they are for the long-term preservation of the 
basket will help students make care decisions when consulting with 
conservators.

*Course Outline:*
1. Introduction
2. The biology and chemistry of materials used for basketry
3. Basket Styles and Structures
4. Documentation and Condition Report Writing
5. Baskets and Their Environment
6. Handling Basketry
6. Treating Baskets
7. Care of Baskets in Storage
8. Care of Baskets on Exhibit
9. Conclusion

*Logistics:*
Participants in Care of Baskets work through sections on their own. 
Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and 
dialog between students and the instructor through online forums.

Care of Baskets runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please 
pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble 
please contact Helen Alten at helen at collectioncare.org
*
The Instructor:*
*Helen Alten*, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center 
and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been 
involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at 
the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the 
University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological 
Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at 
the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation 
laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has 
a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their 
deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, 
maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures 
throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental 
in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small 
Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and 
IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, 
and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has 
published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological 
glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological 
Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in 
Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), 
preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small 
museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection 
Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering 
museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in 
Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, 
and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and 
tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. 
Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a 
conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
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