The North American Textile Conservation Conference is an international forum to share research, theory and practice in the field of textile conservation. NATCC aims to improve the quality of textile conservation through discussion of current practices and research. It does this by organizing biennial conferences and publishing the papers presented there.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
CONSIDERING COSTUME: THE CONSERVATION OF APPAREL, ADORNMENT AND ACCESSORIES
14th North American
Textile Conservation Conference
October 22-26, 2023
Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
The registration process for the next conference will start in the spring of 2023.
Join us for the 14th biennial North American Textile Conservation Conference (NATCC) October 22-26, 2023 for ‘Considering Costume.’ The meeting will be held in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, at Colonial Williamsburg. Considered the oldest and largest living history museum, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has a long tradition of studying and collecting historic textiles, costumes and accessories to inform and create a more authentic costumed living history. With this in mind, participants are invited to submit long or short format presentations or tips on topics that include, but are not limited to:
What challenges face the conservator and how are they navigated when treatment is needed to support or complete an object? What successes and failures have you experienced with particular conservation materials and techniques?
From monkey fur to arapaima skin, modern plastics to ancient resins we want to hear about your encounters with the unusual.
How have you presented the form of a costume while safeguarding its construction? How can accessories, whether jewelry, shoes, hairstyling, or hats expand the contextual information in displays? And do they lend their own unique constraints to display? Have you had to modify mannequins or had to devise a new mounting system to accommodate strange forms or heavy weights?
Have you explored materials, designs, or techniques in a group or related pieces? Have you worked with colleagues at other institutions and/or other collections with similar works? Have you collaborated on projects with conservators in other disciplines? Have you found the solution to your problem? Might it be a solution for others? Please consider sharing it.
Do you store costumes dressed or boxed: How do you keep objects safe and ensure preservation for the long term? How do you pack and travel your collection over short or great distances?
How does one navigate between a desire to have longer exhibition durations and to travel shows? What innovations are next?
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 professions and especially institutions are encouraged. Projects already presented or published will not be considered and proposed projects must be completed by the end of 2022.
Abstracts for long format, short format, and tips session papers 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 Monday, June 20, 2022 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 will be notified by September 30, 2022. All speakers are required to submit the full publication-ready version of their paper in English or Spanish by February 1, 2023. Authors are responsible for obtaining rights and permissions to publish photographs and graphics.
All accepted presentations will be presented in person in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. Presentation formats will be 20, 10 or 5 minutes. Short presentations can provide the opportunity to showcase emerging professionals or for sharing tips or potentially crowd sourcing solutions. The papers will be published in either English or Spanish and distributed electronically 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.
A PDF of the 2023 Call for Submissions is available here.
NATCC 2021 PROGRAM
OUTSIDE INFLUENCES
13th North American
Textile Conservation Conference
October 4: Recorded Presentations Available
October 25-29: Live Round Table and Q&A Sessions
All of the presentations are subtitled with Spanish or English translation – we will also have translators available for the live Q and A sessions and the panel discussion. The schedule is available below and can be downloaded here.
SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTIONS
Each video presentation has a Disqus comment section, through which you will be able to submit questions ahead of the live Question and Answer sessions with presentation authors. You will also be able to submit questions live through Zoom chat as well.
Monday October 25th
12-1pm EST
A CONVERSATION ON EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN MUSEUMS
Moderators: Caterina Florio and Hector Meneses
Speaker: Leslie Guy; Leslie Guy Consultancy, Chicago, IL/ Philadelphia, PA, USA
Formerly Chief Curator at the DuSable Museum of African American History, Curator of Collections and, subsequently, Director of Curatorial Services at The African American Museum in Philadelphia as well as Conservator at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
1.30-2.30pm EST
QUESTION AND ANSWERS FOR SESSION 1 AUTHORS, POLITICS AND CONSERVATION (INCLUDING KEYNOTE SPEAKERS)
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Tuesday October 26th
12-1pm EST
ROUND TABLE SESSION - SUSTAINABILITY IN TEXTILE CONSERVATION
Moderator: Denise Migdail
Speakers:
Roxy Sperber; Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) at Newfields, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Suzanne Hargrove; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH, USA
Sarah Nunberg; The Objects Conservation Studio LLC/ Pratt Institute, New York City, NY, USA
1.30-2.30pm EST
QUESTION AND ANSWERS FOR SESSION 2 AUTHORS, GEOGRAPHY
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Wednesday October 27th
12-1pm EST
ROUND TABLE SESSION - WIRED TEXTILES AND FUTURE TECHNOLOGY
Moderator: Sarah Scaturro; Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, USA
Speakers:
Heather Hodge; Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY, USA
Barbara Layne; Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
Lauren Osmond; National Museum of the American Indian, Washington DC, USA
Despina Papadopoulos; Principled Design / New York University, New York City, NY, USA
1.30-2.30pm EST
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR SESSION 3 AUTHORS , GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS AND TRAINING
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Thursday October 28th
12-1pm EST
QUESTION AND ANSWERS FOR ROUND TABLE SESSION - PATHWAYS TO PUBLICATION: THREE DIFFERENT APPROACHES
Moderator: Gretchen Guidess
Speakers:
Yadin Larochette; True Vue Inc. Berkeley, CA, USA
Ksynia Marko; Textile Conservation Consultant (formerly the textile conservation adviser at the National Trust) Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Gwen Spicer; Spicer Art Conservation LLC, Delmar, NY, USA
1.30-2.30pm EST
QUESTION AND ANSWERS FOR SESSION 4 AUTHORS, PRESSURES FROM/ON THE WORKPLACE
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Friday October 29th
12-1pm EST
ROUND TABLE SESSION - ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS: HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY LIAISE WITH CONSERVATION SCIENTISTS
Moderator: Joel Thompson
Speakers:
Jocelyn Alcantara-Garcia; University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
Jennifer Poulin; Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
1.30-2.30pm EST
QUESTION AND ANSWERS FOR SESSION 5 AUTHORS, INFLUENCE ON TREATMENT
TWO KEYNOTES
A Conservation Paradox: Preservation as Patriarchy? / Cybele Tom; University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Text-ile. The Personal is Political / Restauradoras con Glitter; Restauradoras con Glitter, Mexico
VIDEO PRESENTATIONS
Confronting Hate: Care and Display of Objects Representing the Oppressor / Emma Schmidt; National Institute for Holocaust Documentation, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC, USA
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Ethical Flexibility and the Principles of Preserving Genocide Clothing / Julia M Brennan; Caring for Textiles, Washington, DC, USA / Jacquelyn Peterson-Grace; The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, USA
Textile Conservation as an Emerging Field in Indonesia: Challenges and Opportunities / Kristal Hale; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA / Saiful Bakhri; Bali Cultural Heritage Preservation Office, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia / Sandra Sardjono; Tracing Patterns Foundation, Berkeley, CA, USA
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From Mexico and France – Approaches for the Conservation Treatment of a Textile from Oaxaca / Léa Voisin; Freelance conservator, Paris, France / Hector Manuel Meneses Lozano; Museo Textil de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
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The Tillett Tapíz: A Tale of Impact and Intent / Allison McCloskey; Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO, USA
The Effects of Textile Conservation on ‘Outside Influences’ / Christina Margariti, Katerina Efthimiou, Christina Prili, Panagiotis Kostaloupis; Directorate of Conservation of Ancient and Modern Monuments, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Athens, Greece / Amani-Christiana Saint, Vasiliki Dritsa, Maria Koui; National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Under Pressure: Rediscovering, Treating, and Pressure Mounting the USS Taylor National Ensign / Yoonjo Lee, Karl Knauer, David Krop; Naval History and Heritage Command, Richmond, VA, USA
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Professional Training in Preventive Conservation within the Peruvian Reality / María Ysabel Medina Castro; Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
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The Definition of a Profession: The Tapestry Conservation Workshop at the Royal Tapestry Factory / Verónica García Blanco; Real Fábrica de Tapices, Madrid, Spain
Dismantling Antiquated Practices at the Field Museum: Stakeholders, Challenges and Solutions / Erin E. Murphy, Nicole Passerotti, Stephanie E. Hornbeck; Field Museum, Chicago, United States
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Challenges and Possibilities at the Rui Barbosa Historic House Museum: Preservation of Textile Collections / Gabriela Lúcio de Sousa; University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil / Márcia Pinheiro Ferreira; Rui Barbosa Historic House Museum, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Textile Conservation Lab, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, Washington DC, USA / Maria Fusco, Esther Méthé
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Accompanying the paper, No Lab is an Island: Influence in and Influence Out in Equipping New Textile Museum Labs / Maria Fusco, Esther Méthé; The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, Washington DC, USA
Drawing a Fine Line: Ethical Ramifications in Replacing the Shattered Silk Linings on Two Callot Soeurs Dresses / Laura Garcia-Vedrenne; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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The Characterization of Three Conductive Fabrics/Threads Used for Do-it-yourself (DIY) Electronic Textiles / Heather Hodge, Dr. Aaron Shugar, Dr. Rebecca Ploeger; Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY, USA
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COMBining Accessories and Costumes: Reproduction of Tortoiseshell Combs for Costume Exhibits / Nhat Quyen Nguyen; Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, VA, USA
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Needlefelting as a Solution for Textiles with Wool Yarn Fringe / Kathleen Martin; National Museum of the American Indian, Washington DC, USA
Traditional presentations will be 20 minutes long. Short presentations will be 10 minutes longs. Keynotes and the virtual tour will be 40 minutes long. Round table discussions will be 60 minutes long.
The papers and short presentations will be published in either English or Spanish and distributed via electronic download to all registered attendees. Please email any questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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NATCC must be considered as a mandatory reference for those of us dedicated to textile heritage. It is a forum that promotes exchange and updating through collective reflection.
