Intermuseum Conservation Association
The Intermuseum Conservation Association ( doing business as ICA-Art Conservation or ICA) is the oldest non-profit art conservation center in the United States, currently located in Cleveland, OH. The ICA offers conservation and preservation treatments for paintings, murals, works on paper, documents, objects of all media, outdoor sculpture, monuments, and textiles.[1]
History
The Intermuseum Conservation Association (ICA) was founded in 1952 on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH. Six directors of major Midwestern museums wanted to create a professional art conservation laboratory. Richard Buck from the Harvard Art Department was the first director of the ICA and served for 20 years.[1] In 2003, the ICA left Oberlin and moved to its current location on the Detroit Shoreway in Cleveland. The new building was once the headquarters of the Vitrolite Company, manufacturers of a popular opaque glass used in 1920s-1950s interior and exterior design. The Vitrolite Building is on the National Register of Historical Places. The ICA is currently restoring the last surviving Vitrolite glass-decorated showroom in the country, for use as an educational and public meeting space.[2]
Services
The ICA has an open 8000 square foot laboratory space for all four conservation specialties: objects, textiles, works on paper, and painting conservation. Beyond conserving and restoring pieces of art, the ICA offers educational programs for learners of all ages, disaster response services, fine art storage, insurance claim assistance, custom mounting and framing, and installation services.[3]
Selected List of Member Institutions
Selected examples of ICA projects
- Saul Steinberg’s mural of Cincinnati [5]
- Carnegie Museum of Art’s Hall of Architecture
- Indiana State Museum’s 92 County Walk [6]
- RagGonNon "Journeys" Quilt by Aminah Brenda Lyn Robinson at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
- Model Ship from Allen County Museum
- Joan Miró Mural from Cincinnati Art Museum[7]
- Playhouse Square’s State Theater mural by James Daugherty[8]
- William Sommer's and Ora Coltman's murals in the Cleveland Public Library
- Restoring and conserving multiple murals from the Federal Art Project in the region.[9][10][11]
- Stored a large portion of the Akron Art Museum’s collection during its renovation, doing conservation work on the sculpture "The Inverted Q" [12][13]
References
- ICA website History Section. Accessed 2007-07-28
- Abington Foundation Grant to for restoration. Accessed 2007-08-01
- Regional Alliance for Preservation Description of members. Accessed 2007-08-01
- ICA website . Accessed 2009-10-22
- Cornwell, Lisa. "Museum to display artist's 1940s view of Cincinnati." [NE Ohio] News-Herald 17 June 2007
- Indiana State Museum Press Release on Renovation. Accessed 2007-08-01
- Washington Post Article on Cincinnati Renovations. Accessed 2007-08-01
- Von Glahn, Michael. "Polishing Gems: Playhouse Square Center and Local Conservators Return James Daugherty's State Theater Murals to Their Original Splendor." Cleveland Magazine Oct 2003: 84-87.
- Chatman, Angela. "Saving Art from the Wrecking Ball: Effort Aims to Preserve Murals and Other Local Pieces in Valleyview Homes." Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 24 Dec 2004: B1, B10.
- Kline, Benjamin. "Mural from Old Dunbar Installed." Dayton Daily News 10 July 2004: B1.
- Tinsley, Jesse. "Bedford Cheers Return of Beloved Mural." Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 20 Aug 2003: B3.
- Shinn, Dorothy. "Query: where's 'Q'?" Beacon Journal [Akron] 12 Dec 2003: E1, E6.
- Tunstall, Arnold. "Akron Art Museum Paintings Get an 'Extreme Makeover." Akron Art Museum: Exhibitions and Events Dec 2004-Feb 2005: 4.