Art-care is an interactive web site designed as a tool to aid art and artifact owners in making informed decisions when selecting a qualified conservator, appraiser, or any other necessary art related service provider.

It is also designed to aid conservators in private practice and augment the AIC membership directory and referral service, by providing a means for recognized professionals to market their services, advertising individually and as a group with a national presence.

Three Professional Directories; Conservation, Appraisal, and Art-related services appear as listings and have a layered structure for clients to sort by specialty, geographic location and study members individual promotional brochures. This “one stop shopping” allows owners and custodians to easily find a variety of specialists and service providers, often difficult to find and study by comparison.

A Posting Board to “Ask a Professional a Preservation Question” may be answered privately by any professional member.

Member Brochures for marketing services are encouraged to enhance individual on line listings. They are easily created by logging in and submitting descriptive text with images illustrating their services, ethics, and background with a link to their own web page.

Member’s Articles or on line essays are encouraged to educate the public by addressing preservation issues and answer client questions found on the “Posting Board”.

The Examination Room is a virtual meeting place where the treasure in question may be studied from digital images sent from the client’s portfolio.

II. Mission

To provide collectors one web site promoting comprehensive preservation services by recognized specialists in the Art field and preservation knowledge useful for sound collection management and informed decisions.

To provide recognized conservators, preservation specialists and art related services an on line marketing tool with a national presence, to easily advertise their services individually and as a group, encouraging professional conservation.

III. Process

Art owners review Art-Care member profiles and brochures to select up to two professional members at a time, to begin on line free consultations designed to lead to business negotiations for requested services.

Owners fill in an “Artifact Request for Services Form”, providing required descriptive information and upload representative digital images into the Virtual “Examination Room”, detailing the specific problems.

Programmed navigation, sequentially leads the client to the appropriate member referral lists, which may be sorted by specialty and geographic location. They select one or two professional members by sending them a secure password to view their collectible in the “Examination Room” to begin consultations for possible services. The examination room obviously has limitations and does not replace the need for the artifact to receive full hands on exam before a conservation treatment.

IV. History

In 2000 paintings conservator Judith Tartt, AIC PA, conceived Art-Care.

In Dallas 2001 it was introduced as a demo at the AIC Conference, to explore interest in the concept and gather suggestions.

In 2002 it was introduced as a conference demo to IIC in Miami and AIC in Baltimore.

By 2003 Art-Care was fine tuned from a concept to a reality, built with positive input, a new developer and considerable personal funding. The Web site was finally introduced live at AIC Convention in Alexandria. Members began subscribing.

At the 2004 Seattle AIC Conference it was displayed and also featured at the CIPP Business Dinner and in an article in the AAM Museum News.

In 2005 Art Care was featured on the PBS Antique Road Show and members reported immediate success as new clients surfaced as a result from the show, promoting the site.

August 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Art-Care brought Judith Tartt and Susan Blakney, AIC, IIC Fellow together to envision a program that would provide recovery for items damaged by the hurricanes. Since then, team effort continues to develop feasible plans, with many options dependent upon sponsorship. The use of Art-Care provides a giant foundation stone already in place.

April Art-Care 2006 Art-Care will host the Curator’s Committee Reception at the AAM – American Association of Museums Annual Convention. Judith Tartt and Susan Blakney will speak to the Committee’s membership describing Art-Care as a resource for museums response to public inquiries.

Art-Care is a vehicle that continually helps owners of damaged items select a conservator, appraiser, curator etc., view their collectible in the virtual examination room. The site is a necessary compliment to the AIC referral list. Art-Care provides members and clients information through its online “The Posting Board” and background information and service details that are found in a member’s online brochure.

V. Original Fees

Founding members enrolled for a fee @ $12.00 a month. Today Art-Care’s minimum subscription is still $12. This paid membership entitles you to promote your services in detail beyond a listing, with a descriptive illustrated brochure, secure access to answer questions on the Posting Board, and a virtual examination room.

VI. The Art-Care Membership Demographics

1. Conservators recognized by their national association:

The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works

· AIC Professional Associates (PA)

· AIC Fellows

2. Appraisers certified by their national associations:

· American Society of Appraisers (ASA)

· Appraisers Association of America (AAA)

· International Society of Appraisers (ISA)

3. Art Related Services & Professional Art Consultants:

· Archival / preservation framing, fine art insurance carriers, auction houses

· Firms providing collection management, exhibition design and installation

· Independent curators & registrars, legal consultation

· Companies specializing in lighting, fine art transportation and storage

AIC ART-CARE Artifact Recovery Program

A National Program To Save Collectibles

I. Introduction

Art-Care’s Artifact Recovery Program, will be built on to the existing Art-Care site. The intention of the Artifact Recovery Program is to provide care and treatment for artifacts damaged by natural disasters. Specifically, Hurricane Katrina and Rita. This program will become a feature on the art-care site and will be available to provide in the advent of future natural disasters.

II. Process

Art owners explore the Art-Care web site to discover it’s content and possible personal application to save their collectible. They read essays, post preservation questions and begin free online consultations with members of their choice, designed to lead to business negotiations for requested services.

Owners fill in an “Collectible Request For Services Form”, (see page12) providing required descriptive information and upload representative digital images into their personal portfolio in a Virtual “Examination Room”, detailing the specific problems.

If their item has not been damaged by a natural disaster the client will be charged a standard fee and will enter the pre-existing Art-Care site.

If their item was damaged by a natural disaster, the client will be directed to the " ARTIFACT RECOVERY PROGRAM ". In each case, the Client must fill out the “Collectible Request For Services Form” with contact information.

Programmed navigation sequentially leads the client to the appropriate member referral lists, which may be sorted by specialty and geographic location. Owners select one or two professional members by sending them an invitation through email to view their collectible in the “Examination Room” to begin consultations for possible services. The examination room obviously has limitations and does not replace the need for the artifact to receive full hands on exam before a conservation treatment.

III. Features

A. Subscription Fee

Waived in the ARTIFACT RECOVERY PROGRAM allowing fee entry and participation. The Public and listed members will have access to this program at no charge.

B. Directory Referral Lists By Profession

Navigate clients to contact information of each art-professional. *Each referral list has a geographic and specialty sorter to aid in matching people in need of advice or services to the right professionals.

· Art Owners & Custodians

· AIC Members

· ASA-ISA and AAA Appraisers members

· ART-RELATED Services members

C. Professional Categories Sort By Specialty

· Conservation

· Appraisal

· Art-related services

IV. Artifact Recovery Program Conservation Referral lists

The referral lists accessed through programmed navigation from the Request for Service Form (see separate sheet) provides contact information, email addresses, and the professional status of the member: AIC Fellow, PA, Associate or Associated Student. (All appraisers have to be certified by the ASA, AAA or ISA).

A. Entire AIC Membership Referral List

Including PAs, Fellows, Associates and Students. This list will correspond with items that are valuable collectibles, not insured and un-funded. (AIC Associates and Students must be mentored by a PA or Fellow,). Treatment of these items may be partially or completely subsidized by a Preservation Fund (to be established).

B. AIC Angels Referral List

Consists of any AIC members who wish to volunteer or donate some services. This list will correspond to all uninsured collectibles that seek funding, with or without any market value including sentimental mementos and family heirlooms (AIC Associates and Student members may volunteer as an Angel with a PA or Fellow Mentor).

V. AIC

The AIC managed Referral List and List of Volunteer Angels

wishing to donate services, will link to the Art-Care’s Home Page and the new “Artifact Recovery Program”.

A Service Provider Contact Form must first be filled in with information that will be displayed to a client from the directory referral lists. Eligible AIC Conservators will be given an Art-Care member password, necessary to participate in the “Artifact Recovery Program”.

AIC members with Associate or Student status may be a treatment volunteer if an AIC PA or AIC Fellow agrees to mentor them.

There may be conservators in private practice who are very experienced but have not as yet sought qualification as Recognized AIC conservators. These conservators will be encouraged to go through the PA process if they want to be eligible for the “Collectible Referral List”, "Collectible Examination Room"and on line brochure.

Free Art-Care membership good for one year and renewable throughout the “Artifact Recovery Program” may be upgraded any time to a paid subscription to add an illustrated on line brochure to their listing, for marketing purposes.

AIC Recognized Conservators will be encouraged to donate complete or discounted treatments, materials and time to mentor Angels of AIC Associate or Student status.

VI. Preservation Fund: Combined effort AIC and Art-Care

The Preservation Fund will be established to receive charitable donations from a variety of sources and grants to underwrite the proposed project and subsidized treatments.

The AIC/FAIC will operate and manage this fund, providing the not for profit status. Art-Care will assist in raising money for this fund.

The fund may provide complete or subsidized treatments, for damaged valuable collectible artifacts without funding.

VII. Two Virtual Examination Rooms (formerly Viewing Room)

Two virtual rooms will allow a client to ask selected conservators, appraisers or other art service providers to view the images of their item and to begin a consultation process. (See Process on page 1 of Art-Care’s Artifact Recovery Program).

A. “Collectible Examination Room”

For uninsured items that hold market or historical value. Only AIC Recognized Conservators who will be reimbursed by the Preservation Fund or AIC recognized Angels who donate services will have access to this portion of the site.

B. “Family Treasure Examination Room”

Devoted to noninsured objects of monetarily low value, but important in their own right as family heirlooms. It will be accessible to all AIC members including AIC students and AIC Associates, provided an AIC PA or Fellow mentors them. The mentor, who gives them a password to enter, must agree to guide them throughout the treatment. Services proposed in the Family Treasure Examination Room may be subsidized via the Public Preservation Fund or donated services.

VIII. Changes to Appraisal Functions

Clients must declare the perceived value of an item prior to the disaster. If the collectible has a perceived market or historical value and needs an valuation, the owner will be directed to the Appraisal Referral List, with a geographic and specialty sorter. The selected appraiser will request that images detailing the collectible and its condition be uploaded into the clients Examination Room to be assigned a Value Category:

1. Collectible asset by recognized artist

2. Collectible family heirloom of quality by unknown artist

3. Primarily historic value

4. Archival documents

5. No market value, but high sentimental or family heirloom

IX. Changes to Art-Related Service Functions:

If a client seeks any of the Art Related Services; Insurance, Transportation, Storage, Framing, independent curators, registrars and collection managers, legal consultation, auction houses, etc. they will be directed to the appropriate Referral Lists to invite a provider of choice into an examination room to view their portfolio for study.

X. Home Page (New Additions)

A Preview Area, linked from three categories;

A. Conservation:

Thumbnail before and after treatment photos with name of conservator and information as to how to care for items in each specialty

B. Appraisal:</

2105 R STREET, NW WASHINGTON, D.C. 20008 TEL: 202.588.0171 FAX: 202.588.6370 Judith Watkins Tartt

2105 R STREET, NW

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20008

TEL: 202.588.0171

FAX: 202.588.6370

_{Judith Watkins Tartt}