The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) is pleased to announce the upcoming Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) workshop for conservation professionals, led by Aaron Shugar (Queen’s University) and Kirsten Travers Moffitt (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation). This four-day workshop (June 24-27, 2025), hosted by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, VA, will provide participants with an intensive hands-on re-introduction to the theory and practice of PLM, focusing on historic pigments found in heritage objects. Workshop attendees will be equipped with Leica DM750P petrographic microscopes provided by the National Center for Preservation Training and Technology (NCPTT).
PLM is an important tool for the study of cultural heritage objects, but its effective use is dependent on the skill and experience of the user. During this workshop, attendees will be reacquainted with the polarizing light microscope and refresh their microscopy knowledge and skills through lectures and hands-on exercises to recognize key optical and morphological properties of pigments, such as relative refractive index, pleochroism, and anisotropy. Participants will move beyond pigment references and work through unknowns collected from actual artifacts to reflect ‘real world’ applications encountered in conservation practice. Participants will collect samples from heritage objects, prepare those samples for microscopic examination, identify unknowns, and learn how best to document their results. Case-study lectures will explore actual projects in which PLM played a pivotal role. The limitations of PLM and the application of supplementary analytical techniques will also be discussed.
Attendees will receive a small slide reference set for use during class, printed and digital reference materials, as well as a packet of self-teaching worksheets designed for future use. During the workshop, attendees will have the opportunity to prepare a pigment reference set to take home. This workshop is designed to be a safe space for conservation professionals to refresh their microscopy skills, re-train their eye, and better articulate their findings. Participants will come away with a refreshed understanding of PLM, its relevance to the study of art materials, and the confidence to apply this critical technique to their own work.
Interested individuals must apply here by April 22, 2025: culturalheritage.secure-platform.com:443/a/solicitations/…
Free registration and a $1,000 travel stipend will be provided to a limited number of participants upon request in their application.
Funding for this program comes from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (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 workshop.
