Editorial

Abstract

I am happy to introduce the last issue in 2022 of the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. This issue features five manuscripts reporting on current conservation topics, which we hope will be of interest to our community. The topics covered in these papers align with this year’s 50th AIC Annual Meeting theme, “Reflecting on the Past, Imagining the Future.” In addition to featuring new treatment methodologies, analytical techniques, and conservation materials, the AIC Annual Meeting stressed the importance of reflecting on how the cultural heritage conservation field has evolved since the incorporation of the American Institute for Conservation in 1972. The lessons learned over the past 50 years will help us establish and achieve new goals for the future. The articles presented in this issue continue to expand on these issues. This final issue of the year starts with an article on the analysis of daylight fluorescent pigments by Schmidtke Sobeck, Chen, and Smith, specifically dealing with how to identify these materials with the goal of differentiating the pigment sources and making informed decisions at the time of selecting a conservation treatment. The second article in this issue demonstrates how enhancing the understanding of photographic materials and their degradation continues to be a priority in our field. Hiebert et al. report on the chemistry and degradation of glass photographic plates with the purpose of developing a preservation strategy for this important group of cultural heritage objects. Next is an article by Davis et al. that examines a group of Egyptian wood statues in terms of their wood type, pigments, binding media, decorative elements, and degradation. The authors then offer further details about the conservation treatment protocol, which focused on the consolidation of the substrate and paint layer together with gap filling. Sterp Moga and Sánchez Ortiz present an alternative method to traditional ones for fixing color and preparation layers in contemporary paintings that use neodymium magnets. This study builds on previous research by Spicer, who in 2016 published an article in JAIC that describes in detail the components of the magnetic system and the use of magnets in conservation (Spicer 2016). Of special interest to objects conservators may be the article by Chao, which presents an easy and inexpensive microchemical test for determining the presence of magnesium ion, which can be an indicator of magnesium corrosion. In this way, the author provides a way of identifying the alloy with the objective of selecting an adequate conservation treatment for objects containing magnesium parts such as satellites. I would like to thank the editorial board members and editorial staff for their ongoing commitment to the standards to which JAIC aims. Our goals can only be achieved through their continuous support. I hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to your contributions to the journal.