Page 74 - Tata-Trusts-Annual-Report-2021-22

OF
HOPE

Ramping up conservation efforts to preserve

India’s rich art and cultural heritage

India’s rich and varied art and cultural heritage—whose evolution sculptures at the Himalayan Society for Heritage and Art
spans many centuries—is reflected in the thousands of heritage Conservation, Ranibagh. Ten conservators were trained during
sites located across the country and in the art and artefacts on these two courses, who upon completion of their training,
display therein. However, the preservation of this crucial symbol undertook month-long internships at di erent institutes. A
of the country’s cultural legacy has su ered due to a stark deficit training course was also organised at the Museum of Art and
in the number of trained art conservators and conservation labs. Photography in Bangalore in March this year, which focused on
the conservation of paper (prints, drawings, and maps).
Opportunities for formal training in art conservation are also
lacking, with one government-aided post-graduate programme in Each training course is developed and led by an expert
art conservation available, along with a handful of post-graduate conservator in that material, and is supported by an academic
diploma courses that focus on museology, conservation, and consultant from the Art Conservation Initiative. A course anchor
curation. The courses currently o ered by universities or private is engaged on-site for three months to supervise the work of
museums focus on preventive and remedial conservation of participants, report on, and document the course. Visiting faculty
artefacts, and not specifically on conservation of materials, such is engaged as required for specific technical sessions.
as paper, oil paintings, stone, or metals.
“Our perception of conservation changed quite a bit after taking
The Tata Trusts’ Art Conservation Initiative develops and o ers this course; including how to think critically and evaluate the
intensive training courses in the conservation of specific materials, step-by-step process of conservation, how to use photography
facilitating the creation of a network of art conservation and other computer-based applications to improve conservation,
professionals. Conceptualised in 2018 to create a formal framework and how to incorporate locally sourced materials and simple
for art conservation in India that focuses on infrastructure, training, techniques,” says Kartick Kayal, a conservator who took part in
and outreach, the Trusts have partnered with five art institutes across the KIAC’s course on conservation of oil paintings.
India to establish and upgrade their conservation labs. The
partnership involves hiring and training three conservators at each Other training courses for the conservation of manuscripts and
institute: conducting field surveys for smaller collections, imparting miniature paintings, stone, wood, metals, wall paintings, etc. have
preventive conservation training, and in particular training 30 also been organised at museums across India. By the end of the
conservators, annually. The programme will also support the project period, the Trusts
establishment of a master’s programme in art conservation at an hope to have built a network
Indian university. of enthusiastic, well-trained
conservation professionals.
As part of the ongoing initiative, the Trusts have conducted three
month-long training courses in the conservation of oil paintings at
the Kolkata Institute of Art Conservation (KIAC) and a training
course in the conservation and restoration of stone objects and
Students insert dowels in a sandstone sculpture
to re-join its broken pieces during the
Conservation-Restoration of Stone
8 DECENT WORK AND Sculptures and Objects course held at the
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Himalayan Society for Heritage and Art
PROJECT ALIGNS WITH SDG Conservation, Ranibagh

67