Exploring Ethics: From practice to philosophy and back again (January 10)

Online, January 10, 2024 with one live session at 12:00-1:30 p.m. ET
Facilitators: Laura Mina, Jacquelyn Peterson-Grace, Natalya Swanson

This workshop will provide space for conservation professionals at all career stages to consider and discuss professional ethical principles. While ethics are foundational to all of our professional activities, it can be difficult to make time to have focused conversations about ethical theory and practice. The facilitators will make space for reflection and dialogue about the role of professional ethics as well as the intersection of these frameworks with the realities of daily practices.

The workshop is structured as a facilitated conversation with time for small and larger group discussions. There will be a small amount of pre-workshop preparation for participants so that we will all be ready for meaningful conversation. This will include reviewing the AIC code of ethics and journaling two personal experiences when the code of ethics was highly and minimally helpful. During the workshop, the group will compare the AIC code of ethics with similar codes from allied and adjacent professions. The goal is to consider the qualities that make these codes effective tools that shape and support professional practices.

The facilitators hope to inspire dialogue about the ways ethical codes can be practical, sustainable, and relevant by dedicating time to reflect on multiple frameworks for decision making. The intention of this workshop is to create an inclusive space for conversation and reflection that leaves participants with an expanded understanding of ethical codes, and to empower them to continue these discussions with peers.

This workshop is free for participants. The live session for the workshop will take place in Zoom and automated captions will be available. The workshops will not be recorded and participants are expected to be present for the live session and contribute to the discussions.

Interested individuals should complete an application by December 31. The application will allow for a more inclusive registration process and a more diverse group of participants who will disseminate the information amongst their communities. Below are the criteria for review. All interested conservation professionals are encouraged to apply! This workshop is free for participants. 40 spaces are available and applicants will be notified on January 3.

Criteria for Review

Plan for dissemination of information gained
The program seeks to support a diverse set of participants and will consider geographic location, place of employment type, profession, and career level

Funding for this program comes from the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) Endowment for Professional Development and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The FAIC Endowment for Professional Development, which was created by a grant from The Mellon Foundation and is supported by donations from members of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) and its friends. Workshops are made possible with the assistance of many AIC members, but no AIC membership dues were used to create or present this course.

FAIC relies on your contributions to support these and its many other programs. Learn more about donating to the foundation.

Laura Mina

Conservator of Textiles

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture

Laura Mina (she/her) serves as Conservator of Textiles with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. Previous institutions include a joint appointment with Winterthur Museum and the University of Delaware, the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She received her BS in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and her MA in Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice (conservation focus) from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Her research interests include: conservation ethics, mannequins, and aqueous cleaning for textiles.

Jacquelyn Peterson-Grace

Associate Conservator of Textiles

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Jacquelyn Peterson-Grace (she/her) is the associate conservator of textiles at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. She holds an MS from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation with concentrations in textile and preventive conservation, and a BS in Conservation Studies from Marist College. Her work experience includes internships at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Peebles Island Resource Center and Newfields, formerly the Indianapolis Museum of Art. She also worked at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Cambodia, teaching collections care practices and helping to establish textile preservation protocols.

Natalya Swanson

Assistant Conservator of Objects

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Natalya Swanson (she/they) is an academically-trained heritage conservator, educator, and community organizer based in the Bay Area of California. They are the assistant conservator of objects at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and have ten years of professional experience in museums, universities, artist-endowed foundations, and private conservation-restoration studios. Natalya believes that dialogue and discourse are basic tools of collective action and is actively exploring how to embed anti-capitalist and anti-colonialist practices within professional spaces. Her values are grounded in building relationships and making decisions that center compassion and care. She actively publishes and lectures, co-organizes the online platform WhatIsConservation.com, and previously co-hosted the podcasts Conservators Combating Climate Change and The Ethics of Caring.