American Institute for Conservation (AIC) sets the standards for art preservation

What is the American Institute for Conservation?

The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) is the leading membership association in the U.S. for conservators as well as allied professionals who preserve cultural heritage. AIC represents about 3,500 individuals in more than 40 countries around the world working in the fields of science, art, and history through treatment, research, collections care, education, and more. All of them have the same goal: preserve our cultural heritage—our personal and collective memories—so we can learn from it today and provide a legacy for generations to come.

What is conservation?

Conservation encompasses all those actions taken toward the long-term preservation of cultural heritage. Activities include examination, documentation, treatment (including restoration), and preventive care, supported by research and education.

What is a conservator?

Conservators are professionals who work to preserve cultural property from the ravages of time, the threats of pollution, and the devastation brought by natural disasters. Working in museums, other cultural institutions, research labs, and/or in private practice, conservators combine unique skills gained through ongoing study and advanced training in art history, science, art and craft techniques, and related disciplines to care for and preserve our tangible history. Because of the increasingly technical nature of modern conservation, conservators usually specialize in a particular type of object, such as: paintings, works of art on paper, rare books, photographs, electronic media, textiles, furniture and wooden artifacts, archaeological and cultural materials from indigenous communities, sculpture, architectural elements, or decorative arts. How does conservation differ from restoration?

Sometimes confusion arises about the terms “restoration” and “conservation.”

  • Conservation is the overarching term that includes all aspects of examining, documenting, restoring, treating, and preserving cultural heritage.

  • Restoration is a type of conservation treatment. It specifically refers to an attempt to bring cultural property closer to its original appearance.

  • Stabilization refers to an attempt to maintain the integrity of cultural property and to only minimize deterioration.