In paper conservation, students work on fine art prints and drawings, historic posters and maps, and many other diverse paper artifacts. Photographs and books are also treated. Recent projects have included a large-scale chalk drawing by Keith Haring, prints by Käthe Kollwitz and other twentieth-century artists, a nineteenth-century traveler's guide booklet with attached map, and movie posters from the 1950s and 1960s.
In addition to their conservation treatments, students also learn techniques for the preparation of a diverse range of housings for paper artifacts, including folders, encapsulations, window mats and sealed framing systems for paper artifacts they reinstall in the original historic frames. Students also carry out special research projects many of which result in presentations or publication in professional venues. Recent projects include the history and treatment of photo buttons, the use of paper splitting for the preservation of books and archival materials, and the use of reducing agents in paper washing and bleaching.
