What is Conservation?

Conservation is all actions aimed at the safeguarding of cultural heritage for the future.  The purpose of conservation is to study, record, retain, and conserve as appropriate, the culturally significant qualities of an object with the least possible intervention.  Conservation includes examination, documentation, preventive conservation, preservation, restoration, and reconstruction.

Based on their training and experience, and guided by a Code of Ethics, conservators are able to propose how best to care for and treat an object in a given situation, and how far a treatment should go.

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Conservators employ the principles of preventive conservation which includes actions taken on the object’s surroundings to prevent damage from the agents of deterioration. The most prevalent causes of deterioration are from physical forces, thieves and vandals, fire, water, pests, pollutants, light, ultraviolet radiation, incorrect temperature, incorrect relative humidity, and dissociation.

Conservators practice the philosophy of less is more. Too much conservation work may lead to a loss of information about how an object was made and what has happened to it. Conservation does not imply putting the object back into pristine condition. The degree of intervention is decided in consultation with the owner or custodian.

Conservators respect the object’s history. Preservation of the object is not necessarily limited to the original materials. Early repairs and modifications, or traces of use such as wear marks on tools, may have historical significance.

Conservators understand materials.  Materials used by a conservator must, as much as possible, be removable in the future and must not contribute to future damage. Many materials, including many plastics, papers, adhesives, fillers, coatings, and detergents do not meet these criteria.

Conservators will distinguish conservation repairs from the original. Although treatments are often inconspicuous, it should always be possible to recognize, upon close examination or by other means, the difference between the original material and a repair. Treatment documentation plays an important role in denoting something original to the work and something that has been added.

Conservators produce written and photographic records of their work to document the condition of the object before and after a treatment, as well as the treatment itself. This information serves as a reference for the owner, custodian, researchers or future conservators.

Become a Conservator

A conservator has the education, knowledge, ability, and experience to formulate and carry out conservation activities in accordance with an established Code of Ethics.  Practicing conservators are often designated according to areas of specialization, e.g. objects conservator, paintings conservator, textile conservator, paper conservator, furniture conservator, as well as conservation scientists.  In Canada, training in conservation is typically pursued at an academic institution, with further experience acquired through internships and professional development opportunities.

Conservation Training Programs in Canada

Academic programs in Canada may focus on conservation exclusively or may include courses on collections care as part of a broader program of study. A successful career in conservation requires a thorough understanding of art and material history as well as sciences (chemistry and physics in particular), which form the basis of decision-making within the context of accepted conservation ethics. Program focus may vary in terms of experience in conservation treatment, overall collections care, and other associated activities. Admission requirements and enrolment numbers vary by educational institution; CAC recommends exploring the different areas of conservation and evaluating each program individually to decide on a course of study.

• Algonquin College:  Advanced Diploma, Applied Museum Studies
• Athabasca University: Certificate, Heritage Resources Management
• Athabasca University:  Post-Baccalaureate Diploma, Heritage Resources Management
• Carleton University:  Graduate Diploma, Architectural Conservation
• Fleming College:  Graduate Certificate, Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management
• Fleming College: Graduate Certificate, Museum Management and Curatorship
• Montmorency College: College degree Diploma, Museology Techniques
• Queen’s University:  Master of Art Conservation, with specializations in Paintings, Paper, Artifacts, or Conservation Science
• Toronto Metropolitan University:  Master of Arts, Film + Photography Preservation and Collections Management
• University of Victoria:  Professional Specialization Certificate, Collections Management
• Willowbank School of Restoration Arts:  Diploma, Heritage Conservation

Find a Conservator

Conservation professionals are specifically trained in the preventive care and active stabilization of objects in their chosen specialization.  When selecting and employing a conservator, choose a conservator that you feel confident will provide the best possible care for your object or collection. CAC recommends that those seeking the advice of a conservator visit the website of the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC), which is a non-profit organization that conducts a peer-reviewed accreditation process as a requirement of membership.

Conservation Hiring Resource for Heritage Institutions

The CAC and the CAPC have jointly developed a Conservation Hiring Resource  to help Canadian heritage institutions determine the level of qualifications they are seeking when hiring preservation professionals and obtain appropriate terminology to accurately describe job titles and duties used in the conservation / preservation field.

The Conservation Hiring Resource for Heritage Institutions is composed of an introduction and a document describing eight conservation/preservation positions:

• Introduction
• Position descriptions

If you require further help through the hiring process or have any questions/comments about the Conservation Hiring Resource, please contact us.

Advocacy

The CAC Ad-Hoc Advocacy Committee is an ad-hoc committee which seeks to promote awareness of heritage conservation at local, provincial, and federal levels, in an effort to provide new opportunities to emerging and established conservation professionals through the creation of new legislation, policies and funding programs.

The Advocacy Committee also works to advance the museum and heritage-related articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) (Articles 5, 11, 12 and 31) and the museums, archives, and commemoration calls-to-action of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) (calls-to-action 67 to 70, “Museums and Archives”; and 79 to 83, “Commemoration”.

The Advocacy committee engenders a conservation advocacy strategy founded on public awareness campaigns, outreach to related communities and stakeholders, as well as public and private lobbying. The committee works on a system of community collaboration by providing advocacy tools and programming that empower CAC members to advocate within their own communities.

Advocacy Toolkit

It takes a whole community to effectively increase public awareness, make an impact with stakeholders, and be heard by our elected policymakers. For this reason, the CAC Ad-Hoc Advocacy Committee has put together a collection of resources for CAC members to support their own personal advocacy efforts within our field.

The Advocacy Toolkit will provide you with a range of tools and resources to help you reach out to others about conservation. Whether you are giving a public presentation and want to supplement it with advocacy talking points, are wanting to speak out to your local councilors or MP about a conservation issue you are concerned about, or are simply looking for ideas on how you can make the importance of conservation heard, you will find resources here to support you.

The Advocacy Toolkit includes [Member login required]:

• A list of “25 Ways to Advocate for Conservation”
• Presentation Slides on Conservation and Advocacy
• Federal Lobbying – Letter to MP Template
• Municipal Lobbying – Letter to City Councilor Template
• Examples of Elevator Speeches
• Guide to Using Social Media to Highlight your Conservation Department or Practice
• Guidelines for Writing Press Releases 
• Useful External Resources
• Tips for Writing a Land Acknowledgement

Advocacy Initiatives

February 2024 – CAC-CAPC Compensation Survey

The Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC) have jointly developed this compensation survey to gather data on compensation for conservators and people involved in the care of cultural heritage in Canada. This is the first compensation survey specifically for conservation professionals in Canada. It has been made possible thanks to the generosity of funds from the Ministry of Canadian Heritage.

Link to the survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7592116/Conservation-Comp23-Web

Who can complete this survey?

• Anyone engaged in the field of conservation in Canada in 2023, including:
  • Those employed full-time or part-time in public institutions or private practice,
  • Those undertaking education or training,
  • Those undertaking unpaid or volunteer work
  • Those who previously studied or worked in conservation but have since left the field.
• Respondents can include Canadians and permanent residents working and/or studying abroad.
• Respondents are not limited to CAC and CAPC members.

In this survey, the term, “conservation,” defines “all actions aimed at the safeguarding of cultural heritage for the future. The purpose of conservation is to study, record, retain, and conserve as appropriate, the culturally significant qualities of an object with the least possible intervention. Conservation includes examination, documentation, preventive conservation, preservation, restoration, and reconstruction.” (CAC and CAPC Definitions).

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete for each job you held in 2023. If you held more than one job in 2023, you will be asked to respond to certain questions more than once. You will have an option to enter responses for up to three employment situations.

A PDF version of the survey is provided to give respondents an opportunity to review what questions are being asked before starting the survey: https://www.cac-accr.ca/download/cac-capc-compensation-survey/?tmstv=1707180548.

Please refer to your 2023 tax information to complete income-related questions.

Link to the survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7592116/Conservation-Comp23-Web. Please share this survey with your current or former colleagues who may not be members of CAC and/or CAPC.

Our objectives are to:

• Collect data about compensation for conservation work in Canada
• Help individuals make informed decisions for themselves regarding whether their compensation is appropriate and commensurate with their training, experience and level of responsibilities
• Create transparency and equity within the conservation field.

We are collecting data about the following aspects of compensation:

• Salary, wages and their sources
• Type of workplace
• Type of position / job title
• Geographic and demographic information
• Workplace benefits
• Unionization status
• Years of employment in the field
• Type of training
• And other aspects of your work

CAC and CAPC respect the confidentiality of the information collected from this survey. All data will be compiled by an independent third party research firm, Bramm Research Inc., who will ensure that all responses will be analyzed and presented in an aggregate format so that specific details will not be tied to a particular individual, organization or institution.

The final survey report will be shared in the members-only sections of the CAC and CAPC websites. The survey results may be used in conservation advocacy efforts.

Questions in this survey were designed to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. If there are any questions that could not be filled or completed due to lack of accessibility, please email compensation@cac-accr.ca. If you are experiencing technical difficulties and / or would prefer to remain anonymous, please contact Paul Stewart, the Bramm Research Inc. survey administrator (pstewart@brammresearch.com).

Link to the survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7592116/Conservation-Comp23-Web

March 2023 – Canadian Museum Policy Renewal

The Department of Canadian Heritage is undertaking the renewal of the Canadian Museum Policy which informs the government’s response to the heritage sector through legislative, financial, and administrative measures.

The Department of Canadian Heritage is seeking public feedback via a survey that we encourage you to fill.

The Ad-Hoc Advocacy Committee has created a document with key advocacy points to provide CAC members with information and data that can be useful in answering the survey. You can find this document here.

December 2022 – Conservation position layoffs at the National Gallery of Canada and across the country

The Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC) have delivered official letters to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and also to the Board of Trustees and Interim Director of the National Gallery of Canada (NGC). These letters were in response to the elimination of numerous conservation positions at heritage institutions over the last three years, with most recently the termination and potential position elimination of the Director of Conservation and Technical Research at the NGC. This represents a serious risk to collections and a devaluation of the conservation profession. As such, the Boards of Directors of CAC and CAPC have asked the Minister of Canadian Heritage to support the conservation of Canada’s cultural heritage by including conservation perspectives in the review of the Museums Act and by providing funding allocated for conservation projects. These letters were written with contributions from many CAC and CAPC members, approved by the Boards of Directors, and sent to their recipients on December 6, 2022.

If you would like to send letters on your own behalf to the Minister of Heritage, letter templates are available here.

Update: The original letter contained a section entitled “Barriers to Reconciliation,” the content of which both Boards were alerted to for its potential for misinterpretation. Upon reflection and in discussion with the (Re)conciliation Working Group, and under their counsel, the CAC and CAPC Boards have removed the section in order to align with our commitment to reconciliation and decolonization efforts. The CAC and CAPC are grateful for the engagement of their members as we continue to learn and work together.

The letters are available here:

Letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Letter to the NGC Board of Trustees
Letter to the NGC Interim Director

October 2022 – Surveys Assessing The Impact Of Covid-19 On Canadian Conservation Professionals  Final Report

The Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC) present the Final Report of the four Surveys Assessing The Impact Of Covid-19 On Canadian Conservation Professionals.

June 2022 – Summary from the Survey Assessing the Impact of Covid-19 on Canadian Conservation Professionals: Part IV

The Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC) present a summary of the data collected from conservation professionals regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives and careers. Responses were collected using an online survey software between January 26 and March 4, 2022. 

A one-page summary of the results is available here.

September 2021 – Call to Action: Young Canada Works Program

In 2021, the Ad-hoc Advocacy Committee and Emerging Conservators Committee have been working jointly to lobby the Federal Government to modify the Young Canada Works (YCW) program age requirement. This advocacy initiative included sending a letter to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, the Prime Minister, and all other party leaders. 

The program’s current terms of eligibility limit candidacy to those between the ages of 16 and 30. These terms desert many new graduates by failing to acknowledge the time required for specialized studies and ultimately contributes to less diversity, resilience and inclusion within our industry, which relies on YCW funding.

We are now asking you to participate in our advocacy efforts during and after this federal election. We have created a letter template to personalize and send to your local Member of Parliament or local candidates.

Download the letter template. 

April 2021 – Summary from the Survey Assessing the Impact of Covid-19 on Canadian Conservation Professionals: Part III

The Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC) present a summary of the data collected from conservation professionals regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives and careers. Responses were collected using an online survey software between January 28 and February 28, 2021.

A one-page summary of the results is available here.

March 2021 – Sponsored Memberships

Thanks to donations from CAC-ACCR members, 31 memberships were gifted to students and emerging conservators, the equivalent of $1,590!

The Covid-19 Pandemic Surveys have shown these demographics to be those most financially impacted by the pandemic. 58% of recipients are conservation students, 38% are emerging conservators, and 3% are pre-program students. 55% of recipients self-identified as members of one or more of the following communities: BIPoC, 2SLGBTQIA+, PWD, or another underrepresented group.

There are still more sponsored memberships available to those in need! Apply by following this link.

January 2021 – Summary from the Survey Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Canadian Conservation Professionals: Part II

The Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC) present a summary of the data collected from conservation professionals regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives and careers. Responses were collected using an online survey software between September 30 and October 31, 2020. A follow-up survey will be distributed in January 2021.

A one-page summary of the results is available here.

September 2020 – Summary from the Survey Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Canadian Conservation Professionals: Part I

The Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC) present a summary of the data collected from conservation professionals regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives and careers. Responses were collected using an online survey software between May 4th and June 7th 2020. A follow-up survey will be distributed the last week of September 2020.

A one-page summary of the results is available here.

August 2020 – Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM)

In August 2020, CAC received a request from the Friends of the RSM for support in their efforts to advocate for a suitable facility to house their Research and Collections department. In response, CAC wrote to the Honourable Gene Makowsky, Minister of Parks, Culture and Sports, to urge him and the Government of Saskatchewan to take the necessary steps to provide the RSM with an efficient and accessible collection care facility.

See CAC’s letter to Saskatchewan Minister of Parks, Culture and Sports.

July 2020 – Statement in support of the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement

The Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property would like to make a public statement in support of the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement that began in the US and has since spread globally. The CAC condemns all forms of racial injustice, including police brutality and the systemic racism that permeates our society. 

Over the past several weeks, the CAC Board members have taken time to listen and to educate ourselves, and we make a commitment to continue our education. We are aware that there is significant underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour throughout the conservation field, and we make a commitment herein to do our best to support, and to actively encourage, wider inclusion in any way we are able. 

Furthermore, we acknowledge that conservation, like other allied fields such as museology and archaeology, is a profession founded on a legacy of colonialism. Indeed, specific concerns relating to conservation are often used to justify the continued division of peoples and their cultural heritage, by the denial of access to heritage material and by refusing repatriation requests. This is unacceptable. The CAC Code of Ethics requires that we, as conservators, be governed by informed respect for the integrity of all cultural materials, while also recognizing our limitations. There must follow the recognition that people from different cultures and backgrounds should be taking part in the preservation of their material heritage. Barriers to the conservation profession (including financial, educational, institutional, etc.) create clear deterrents to diversification and to decolonization. CAC must no longer accept this status quo at the expense of Canadians of Colour and promises to engage in activities to increase the diversity and equity of our field. 

CAC is committed to the following actions with the goal of driving positive change in our community: 

• The financial support of the Reconciliation Working Group and the enactment of its findings and recommendations with the goal of including Indigenous peoples and perspectives in conservation. 
• The development of financial aid initiatives aimed at supporting conservation students from underrepresented backgrounds.
• A commitment to support institutions in the creation of paid internships through advocacy initiatives.
• The development of an awareness campaign of conservation as a profession aimed at student groups from underrepresented backgrounds.
• The sharing of resources relating to anti-racism and cultural heritage through our website and various social media platforms. 
• An open invitation to all Canadian conservation professionals to share their experiences of racial injustice anonymously so that CAC might continue to learn and develop initiatives to counter systemic racism within the conservation field.

March 2020 – Solidarity for the Wet’suwet’en People

The Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property would like to express respect, and offer our solidarity to the Wet’suwet’en people who, in accordance with their laws while living in their territories, are carrying out their responsibilities to protect the natural world and the cultural heritage inextricable from this world.

See full letter

November 2019 – Canadian Collections Care Survey Summary Report

The Canadian Association for the Conservation of Cultural Property and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators are pleased to announce the release of the Canadian Collections Care Survey Summary Report. The online survey was launched in May 2018 and collected data from 389 cultural heritage institutions. The survey collected information relating to human, financial, and material resources available to collections care; collection policies and procedures; threats to collections; collection access and use; and issues related to Indigenous cultural heritage collections. The survey results highlight the many valuable ways Canadian collections are utilized, as well as alarming gaps in resources required to ensure that these treasuries of cultural memory are preserved for present and future generations. The data from this survey can be used freely for advocacy, fundraising, and programming purposes. PDFs of the English and French versions of the Summary Report can be downloaded for free here.

Canadian Collections Care Survey Summary Report (English)

Canadian Collections Care Survey Summary Report (French)

November 2019 – Ask a Conservator Day 

Conservators around the world are participating in Ask a Conservator Day, which will take place on November 4, 2019. This is a significant day: on November 4, 1966, the Arno river flooded Florence, damaging priceless cultural heritage. However, in response to the catastrophe, incredible efforts were made—and are still being undertaken—to conserve the items impacted by the flood.

Ask a Conservator Day follows in the spirit of that international collaboration and exchange of knowledge. We’ll be acknowledging and celebrating the growth of the field inspired by the response to the flood by creating an opportunity for people to engage with conservators on social media.

By using the hashtag #AskAConservator on social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), we can provide a holistic view of what conservation entails—everything from individual conservators working in private practice to multiple departments at large institutions.

To truly show a representative picture of conservation, we need your help! Please promote this event on your social media accounts and participate in any way that feels appropriate. This could include:

• making yourself available to answer questions about conservation on your personal social media;
• working with your institution to use their social media handles to engage with their audiences; or
• answering questions on a livestream from your lab

Use these sample social media posts to get started.

August 2019 – Interview on Kids Conservation lab featured in Muse magazine

In the July/August issue of the CMA’s Muse magazine, CAC’s Ad-hoc Advocacy Committee published an interview with Mauray Toutloff, conservator at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The interview focused on Mauray’s work collaborating with MOA’s public programming team and volunteers to create a Kids Conservation Lab as a part of Family Day activities. With the CMA’s permission, we’re pleased to share a copy of the article here. Click the link to learn more about MOA’s Kids Conservation Lab. We hope sharing stories like this one can act as inspiration for more collaborations between conservation and public programming departments!

February 2019 – New Brunswick Museum

In December 2018, the Provincial Government of New Brunswick cancelled the $50 million in funding committed to building new facilities for the New Brunswick Museum. Seeing as this decision puts both the heritage collections and museum staff at risk, CAC felt the need to write to the Honorable Blaine Higgs, the Premier of New Brunswick, as well as other members of the Executive Council, to urge them to reconsider.  

See CAC’s letter to the Premier

Download the letter template to personalize and send to the recommended parties

Reconciliation Working Group (RWG)

The (Re)conciliation Working Group (RWG) has been implemented by the CAC to keep pace with UNDRIP and the TRC Calls to Action by developing a formal position for the CAC membership on the care of materials of Indigenous origin, and to reflect this position in CAC documents, including the official Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice. 

For more information on the objectives, aspirations, and activities of the RWG, please visit the project blog.