CALL FOR PAPERS AND POSTERS
‘Outside Influences’
13th North American Textile Conservation Conference
Nashville, Tennessee, USA, October 23 - 29, 2021
The thirteenth biennial North American Textile Conservation Conference (NATCC) will be held in Nashville, Tennessee and will focus on the theme of ‘Outside Influences.’
In today’s interconnected society few things happen in isolation. Our work as conservators is no exception, and is subject to myriad outside influences, macro to micro. Subjects to be explored can include but are not limited to:
Geography
Conservation work can vary greatly from country to country - does a museum’s location influence how objects are conserved? What Western conservation methods have been adapted in places that have their own traditions of object care? And vice versa, what can program-trained conservators learn from traditional custodianship?
Climate change
Many countries now experience seasonal temperature extremes as well as fires, floods or drought. How has this affected disaster planning or the way collections are stored? Have conservators noticed an associated impact on pests registered in museums?
Politics and economics
From Brexit and government shutdowns to local community involvement, politics can have a big effect on a conservator’s work, both in terms of philosophical views and treatment expectations. How can conservators effectively navigate politically charged situations? How is the economy affecting museum conservation departments and private practices? Has a lack of resources led to unusual treatment solutions or materials?
Ethical flexibility
How do we address outside pressures and still try to adhere to accepted guidelines? How are training programs preparing students to deal with the inevitable obstacles and problems they will face?
Stakeholders, creators and risk
Does the nature of an object’s owner (art museum, history museum, commercial archive, private client) affect how it is conserved? What are the difficulties or advantages of dealing with living artists, designers and creators? When museums entertain, how do we contend with damages, event set-up, and food and drink policies? What approaches are taken to minimize the risks and costs of transporting pieces/exhibitions?
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Conservators, curators, conservation scientists, art historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, collection managers, designers, preparators and others engaged with these topics are invited to submit proposals for presentations. Collaborations among professionals are encouraged. Projects already presented or published will not be considered, and proposed projects must be complete by the end of 2020.
Please note that due to financial constraints the NATCC board of directors has decided not to provide simultaneous translation services for the 2021 conference. All presentations for the 2021 conference will be in English—this decision will be re-evaluated before each future event.
Abstracts for papers and posters may be submitted in English or Spanish as a Word document (no PDFs). Abstracts must have a title, be a maximum of 300 words, and accompanied by a short author(s) biography (100 words maximum). Title, abstract and biography should be included as a single document along with author(s) contact information. Contact information should include: name, postal and email addresses, telephone numbers. Abstracts should not include images or other attachments.
Abstracts must be submitted by May 29, 2020 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Please send a message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you do not receive prompt confirmation of abstract submittal.
Abstracts will be peer reviewed by the NATCC board. Authors of selected papers and posters will be notified by September 30, 2020. All speakers are required to submit the full publication-ready version of their paper in English by February 1, 2021. Authors are responsible for obtaining rights and permissions to publish photographs and graphics.
Presentations will be 20 minutes long. The papers and posters will be published in either English or Spanish, and distributed at the conference along with printed abstracts in both languages. Please email any questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
