Framers and Conservators

Framar

WOW Framer
Joined
Jul 24, 2001
Posts
26,420
Loc
Buffalo, New York, USA/Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Whenever I have a customer with a problem needing the attention of a conservator I tell them to phone Buff State beacuse there is a school of conservation there and referrals can be made.

Why do I have no list of conservators working in my area? I don't know. I would think the FIRST thing a conservator would do when setting up shop in a new area would be to trot around to all of the area framers. Aren't we an automatic source of clientelle for conservators?

It seems to me, that with the laudable exceptions of Hugh and Rebecca, conservators are still holding framers at arm's length. This is a puzzlement to me. By now we should be on at least casual speaking terms if not outright "dating."

How is it in your area??? Did you have to become a detective to track down your conservator? Or did your conservator come to you with an introduction?

I would make much more use of them if I knew who they were and where to find them without conducting an intensive investigation.

All I hear from my customers, BTW, is that these conservators are "really busy."

Hmmmmm.....
 
There was an ad on television for a "chiropractor-approved" mattress the other night. I wondered out loud if chiropractors love the mattress 'cause it causes back problems that they get paid to fix.

Conservators should love picture framers. How much of their work consists of fixing problems that picture framers caused in the first place?
 
Mar it has been a long time but when I was active in my PPFA Chapter there where only a couple of well known Paper conservators in the New Orleans area and booth graciously gave lectures to our chapter and one Phyliss Hudson ( no longer active) gave seminars to the national when they held Natioanl confreances in N.O.

As you pointed out they are in short supply and as such are very busy .So soliciting business from framers isn't something they are want to do.
Also not EVERY framer frames by Consevation standards ( as framers understand them ,which has gotten better but wasn't always) and isn't up to Conservator's standards by any means. So the services of a Certified Conservator isn't always welcomed.
BUDDY
 
I've told this story on here before, but the chief paper conservator at the Art Gallery of Ontario, speaking with a group of us framers from a Toronto convention answered my "Who causes the MOST damage - framers or artists?" question with a swift reply, "ARTISTS - by far, ARTISTS! Artists are the WORST!"
 
It's probably a chicken and egg thing Mar. Not every framer wants or needs to work with a conservator. And not every conservator needs to work with a framer. I find my work overlaps a lot, so I have good working relationships with several local framers, and less frequent but still friendly contact with many more. They are a good source of work for me, and I hope I am for them too.

My clients (or as JRB would say, customers
)very often ask for referals to framers, so I have lists of those I know, according to geographic location, or specialty.

But you've probably answered your own question. If your local conservators are very busy, they're not hungry enough to go out and look for extra work. But, if you track them down and make the contact yourself, you might get referals from them - if you want them - and if you get really friendly with them, you may be able to jump the queue for most favored clients!

Also, framing might not be on many conservator's radar. I don't know how the schools are set up now, but when I was at Buffalo State, we learned very little about framing - just the basics. But that was a loooooooooong time ago, things may have changed. I know Hugh teaches framing at the Winterthur program, so if you find a Winterthur grad, you'll have a lot of common ground!

Those are my thoughts anyway.

Rebecca
 
I appreciate your input, Rebecca. Are there any stats on the percentage of graduating conservators who enter "private practice" vs. working for institutions like museums and libraries?
 
I don't know that there are any official stats on that, but just from talking to recent grads in Canada anyway, there are more going into private practice. There have been a lot of government cut backs since the early 90's and what with CCI not taking interns because of mold problems (or is it aesbesto??) many have no other choice.

I think it is the same, but not as severe, in the US.

Fortunately, there will be a rash of institutional retirements in the near future as the boomers age, and that will make room for the younger generation.

Rebecca
 
There is a paper conservator in our market who offered short seminars to framers on correct conservation practices within our trade. After this training, framers who pledged to "do it right" were added to the referral list given to her clients after their pieces were treated.
 
We work with two conservators in the San Diego area. One specializes in paintings on canvas or board, the other in paper. The paper conservator is backed up to, and beyond, one year.

The painting conservator will get most cleaning and light work out for us in a few weeks. We send a lot of work to both of them.

I have had at least one customer go and pick up her uncompleted work from the paper conservator because she got sick of waiting.

Both of these conservators have outstanding credentials and reputations. Neither one of them has to solicit work, they stay busier than they would like.

They are constantly sending their customers (clients) to us for framing. Myself, I like conservators, conservators are good.


John
 
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