The people, landscapes, and histories that I observed during my time in Port of Spain, Trinidad were echoed in the artwork which I grew to intimately know. My close observations through condition reporting revealed the artworks as reflections of these people and spaces. The goal of condition reporting was ultimately to provide data to Trinidad and Tobago’s National Museum and Art Gallery (NMAG), data on the statuses of the art objects, providing much needed information on how these objects interact within the museum environment. These reports are essential in the museum’s preventative conservation efforts, as their information can be used to justify the purchase of climate regulation systems, storage and display procedures, and the restoration of art objects. Though the purpose of condition reporting was to gather observational data on the statuses of these objects, my relationships to the space and people of Port of Spain drove my research to explore condition reporting as a form of intimate observation of the themes within the artworks, while ultimately working as a form of cultural preservation. This talk would investigate two artworks, Trinidad Folklore by Alfredo Codallo and Weavers of the Dust by LeRoy Clarke. By looking at the subjects and condition reports of these objects, I will illustrate how the continued preservation and conservation efforts of NMAG is ultimately a means for preserving Afro-Caribbean identities. Katherine is a senior Art History student. Since transferring to BGSU in fall of 2021, Katherine has served as President of the Art History Association, is a recipient of a BGSU CURS grant, and has worked at the National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad Tobago as an art conservation intern. Katherine is passionate about art and cultural conservation and is looking forward to a future in the field of art conservation! This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at [ Ссылка ]
