Workshop for practices related to a revised formulation of Beva 371

We are pleased to announce two canvas painting lining workshops that will take place in the summer of 2023. The first will be held in New York City from May 30 – June 2 at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and the second will be held on July 4-7 at the Centro per la Conservazione ed il Restauro dei Beni Culturali “La Venaria Reale” in Torino, Italy. Registration is free for the workshop, and a travel stipend will be available to those accepted who require financial support to attend. There is no cost to attend the workshop, and a travel stipend will be available to those accepted but who require financial support. Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 8 students at each workshop.

The workshops are intended for students and junior conservators who have experience and interest in the practice of lining paintings, the same material will be covered in each one and focus on using a newly reformulated version of Beva 371. This new formulation has the same attributes as the original formulation, which ceased production about 15 years ago. The four-day workshops will include lectures and discussions with experts involved with the project and three days of practice and demonstrations utilizing the reformulated version. In addition to the traditional methods of the lining that have been enabled by the original formulation, where tack development starts at 52 °C, the workshop will also discuss the development of aqueous dispersions of the same adhesive.

This project is a collaboration between the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University and the University of Akron’s Polymer Chemistry and Polymer Engineering program. It has been generously supported by the Getty Foundation as part of its Conserving Canvas initiative.