His lecture described the planning, logistics, technical studies, treatments, and outcomes of this six-year (2003-08) conservation project, which was supported by the WMF and the Palace Museum in Beijing, China.McClintock is the head of the Massachusetts-based conservation firm Studio TKM.
McClintock oversaw architectural conservation treatment; planning and developed a collaborative partnership with professionals from the Palace Museum to ensure that the project maintained a balance of the museum’s traditional techniques with a Western conservation approach. McClintock found that traditional practices used by museum staff were often restoration-based, addressing outward appearances rather than the retention of original materials, a practice popular in Western conservation. When original materials could not be salvaged with conservation treatment, McClintock encouraged the use of traditional techniques and materials to produce replacement materials as close to the original as possible, based on material studies and the Palace Museum’s historical records. McClintock described his collaboration and information exchange with Palace museum professionals and local artisans as the most engaging and valuable aspect of the Juanqinzhai project and is crucial to the continued support of the Qianlong Garden Complex within the Forbidden City.
The event was co-sponsored by Hawai'i Museums Association, Bishop Museum and the University of Hawai`i Museums Studies Graduate Certificate Program.
