On Friday May 19, 2006 at 6:30pm, Christine Giuntini
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art department of the arts
of Africa, Oceania and the Americas will present an informal
talk an walk-through of the Museum's exhibit "Ikat: The Fabric
of Life". All interested parties should meet her at the entrance to
the exhibit by that time. Ms. Giuntini will discuss the decisions
that were made via-a-vis selection and installation of the pieces.
This talk has been organized by the Textile Conservation Group.
For further information, you may contact Rebecca Rushfield at
[log in to unmask] or 718-575-2702. Please note that each person
is responsible for his or her museum entrance fee.

Selection and installation decisions for "Ikat: The Fabric of Life"
  In a large institution like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the
conservator
is part of a team of professionals working toward the goal of a beautiful
and intellectually stimulating installation that also protects and
preserves the
artworks. When the idea of an installation of ikat textiles was proposed
to fill
an unexpected gap in the exhibition schedule, the curator and conservator
found
themselves working in close collaboration in order to make a four month
installation deadline. This informal talk will focus on the particular
installation
decisions that were made in order to minimize conservation treatment
prior to
installation.