Frequently asked questions

What is WACC?
The Williamstown Art Conservation Center (WACC) is a nonprofit regional conservation center offering a wide range of services for the preservation and conservation of cultural and historical materials. WACC serves museums, libraries, historical societies and archives, as well as corporations, independent art professionals and private collectors.

What objects does WACC treat?
WACC conservators can treat an extraordinarily wide range of materials. Among these are paintings in all media on canvas, wood, glass and metal, as well as murals, frescoes and other works in situ; works on paper including prints, drawings, pastels, photographs, documents and ephemera; varnished, painted and gilded wood, upholstered furniture, picture frames and architectural interiors; and fine art sculpture, outdoor monuments, and archaeological, decorative and historic objects in a variety of materials, including ceramics, glass, stone, plaster, metal, ivory, wood, feathers, leather and fur.

How can I get something treated at WACC?
Works of art are accepted at WACC by pre-arrangement only. To have an object in your collection treated or examined, or to arrange for a consultation, please contact the Center's main office for an appointment at 413-458-5741 or by e-mail at wacc@williamstownart.org. If you have further questions, you will be referred to the appropriate conservator.

How much do treatments cost?
Treatment cost is based on time and materials required, not on the value of the object. A full description of costs and expenses is on our rates page.

How do I pack and deliver my object to WACC?
Staff members are available to advise on shipping objects to the Center. If an object is too large, heavy or fragile to be safely transported to WACC, ask about a site visit. We cannot accept shipments without pre-arrangement, and strongly recommend that private owners personally deliver their works. If third-party delivery is necessary, we recommend the use of professional shippers.

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Glossary of Terms

The term conservation is used to describe a broad range of actions involved in the preservation of works of art and historic artifacts. In practice, conservation encompasses these explicit functions:

Examination determines the nature and method of manufacture or properties of the materials used in making works of art, and identifies the causes of their deterioration.

Documentation records the condition of an object before, during and after treatment, and presents a detailed description of treatment methods and materials.

Preservation prevents or retards deterioration and includes both the stabilization of the condition of a work of art and the stabilization of the environment surrounding the object through preventive conservation. Preventive conservation seeks to minimize the effects of such agents of deterioration as light, pollutants, pests, extremes of humidity and temperature, and improper storage, handling or display.

Restoration reconstructs missing parts in an effort to reintegrate the appearance of a damaged object.  In this process, the conservator uses only those materials and follows only those procedures that will not alter or aversely affect the original structure, appearance, or effect intended by the creator.  Responsible conservation requires the exclusive use of materials of known behavior and stability and only those procedures that may be readily reversed.

Treatment denotes the totality of work performed on an object. A treatment report documents the work process step by step, and includes a list of materials used over the course of the procedure.

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