NILES — Twenty-five local residents gathered Sunday to learn the fundamentals of preserving family artifacts for the next generation.
Organized by Warren’s Sutliff Museum and held at the Boscov’s Community Auditorium at the Eastwood Mall, the “Caring for Your Treasures” program featured Holly Witchey, director of education and outreach at Cleveland’s ICA-Art Conservation, a nonprofit offering free consultations on preservation practices.
“Sadly, we live in a time period that values minimalization,” Witchey said. “People don’t want to acquire thing. … I talked to an auctioneer in Mansfield who said, at this point, items that aren’t being purchased are simply going into the dumpsters.”
In this environment, those motivated to preserve material culture could play a significant role in reversing this trend. In some cases, though, people are unaware of steps they need to take to protect fragile artifacts.
Witchey pointed out that such artifacts are especially vulnerable to damage from natural disasters, poor storage and handling, and inappropriate preservation efforts. A common misstep involves the placement of artifacts in basement areas, where water damage and mold often take their toll.
Other would-be preservationists store books, papers and photographs in areas where they are exposed to high levels of natural and fluorescent light, which causes rapid deterioration and fading. Meanwhile, others choose to laminate old documents, a practice that effectively destroys them.
“Encapsulate; don’t laminate,” Witchey warned, noting that mylar sleeves are a perfectly viable alternative.
Other people, she added, find themselves drawn to popular home remedies for the cleaning of older paintings. These homespun approaches include wiping the paintings down with sliced potatoes and onions, or pieces of white bread, methods that actually increase the risk of pest infestations.
Witchey recommended that books, documents, and photographs be placed in alkaline corrugated cardboard boxes, as opposed to plastic bags, which emit harmful gases as they degrade. She also advised that paintings can be cleaned safely with makeup applicator sponges or soft paintbrushes.
Participants in Sunday’s program were invited to bring along some of their family treasures to display in a pop-up museum. Kerry Roberts of Leavittsburg brought a “middy” that was once worn by her father, Sidney Marlin, when he served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II.
Cindee Mines, another area resident, displayed the 1870s marriage certificate of her third- great-grandparents. Other attendees brought fragile documents and newspapers, which Witchey recommended they scan, given that there is no way to ensure their long-term preservation.
“This kind of program is for people who want to preserve things but don’t have the knowledge to take care of them,” she said. “People know a little bit, but they want to know more. Often my encouragement not to fold things is new to people. If they’re going to fold items, they should at least tuck some tissue paper in there as a buffer.”
Melissa Karman, director of the Sutliff Museum, said her organization sponsors two lecture series each year.
“Our spring program focuses on the Underground Railroad, and, in the past, we’ve done more about Victorian collections,” she explained. “This year, I wanted to take a new spin on it and bring the topic home. I know there are a lot of members of the older generation who want to pass things on, and they’re looking for ways to do that.”
The Sutliff’s upcoming programs on Oct. 9 and Nov. 13, respectively, will focus on the preservation of photographs, documents and textiles.
The Sutliff Museum is open 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. It is located on the second floor of the main branch of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library.