Preventive Conservation for Textile-Based Practices

Lecture by Valerie Soll

Those engaged in working with textile and associated materials in an expressive making practice are most often guided by their inspiration with less reflection on practical aspects. This talk will look at how preventive conservation can be a long term ally in considering materials, exhibition and storage choices with longevity of the object in mind, as well as the intersection with ephemeral work and sustainability goals.

Bio:

Valerie Soll has worked as a textile conservator at the Textile Conservation Lab at St. John the Divine since 1995. She has a background in weaving (and ceramics) and was introduced to the field through objects conservators while working on a ceramics project on a dig in Turkey, where she later did training in rug restoration. Since 2004 Soll has also been an adjunct faculty at the Fashion and Textile Studies program of the Graduate Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology teaching Collections Management and Conservation Theory and Practice for first year students. She teaches conservation dyeing and rug reweaving classes for advanced conservation students and has led workshops in preventive conservation for textile objects as well. She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation.