JAIC 1995, Volume 34, Number 3, Article 3 (pp. 187 to 193)

ARTISTS' INTENT: MATERIAL CULTURE STUDIES AND CONSERVATION

NANCY ODEGAARD

ABSTRACT—The practice of ethnographic and archaeological conservation in the United States is in the midst of change. Some of the factors influencing these changes are discussed, and the expansion of the traditional conservation methodology, which is founded on a materials-based perspective, is suggested. Also explored are topics such as the inclusion of indigenous ideas and the context of an object in its culture or through its collection; the object's museum life; and its changes due to display, loan, photography, and treatment. All this is discussed within the context of an exhibit called Paths of Life, organized by the Arizona State Museum in 1987.

Article Sections:

1. INTRODUCTION
2. BACKGROUND
3. NONTANGIBLE INFORMATION
4. MATERIAL CULTURE STUDIES AND CONSERVATION
5. INFORMATION AND THE PROBLEM OF BIAS
6. AN EVOLVING APPROACH
7. CONCLUSIONS
a: References , Author Information

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