000 - "Christopher Clarkson: Legacy and Influence of a Conservator": Introduction

To celebrate the publication of the Volume of the Journal of Paper Conservation in memory of the late Christopher Clarkson (https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/yjpc20/20/1-4), on the 28th January 2021, IADA (International Association of Book and Paper Conservators) organized an online launch during which authors of the published papers were invited to present their research in a series of 10 min lightning talks and Q&A.

Christopher Clarkson devoted most of his working life to the study and understanding of manuscripts and early printed books. As an archaeologist of the book, his teachings focused on honing craft-based skills and visual observation and combined them with an acute historical awareness that created a deeper degree of understanding and respect for the integrity of a historical artefact. His extraordinary knowledge and his dedication to passing on that knowledge to others have left an indelible mark on many institutions around the world, as have his innovative approach to his work and his seminal publications, which remain an essential part of a book conservator’s repertoire. The exacting levels of craftsmanship to which he worked have set a high standard in the field of book conservation. These articles by a wide range of eminent scholars and conservators from many different countries reflect the influence Christopher Clarkson has left on the discipline. 

The JPC volume 20 (issues 1–4) was released as a single volume dedicated to Christopher Clarkson. This volume contains contributions written by scholars and practitioners who wanted to share research and work influenced or prompted by Clarkson’s philosophy. The volume also collects a number of biographical submissions on his influence and work as well as Clarkson’s last unpublished paper. 

The authors presented in the following order:

First session
Nicholas Pickwoad
Mirjam Foot
Claudia Benvestito
Jedert Vodopivec Tomažič
Miha Zor
Stuart Welch

Second session
Jiří Vnouček
Abigail Quandt
Élodie Lévêque, Cédric Lelièvre, Claire Chahine
Nicole Gilroy, Marinita Stiglitz, Robert Minte
Georgios Boudalis 
Nancy Turner

The event was chaired by Rhea DeStefano and Alberto Campagnolo, editors of the volume.

This video includes the introductory remarks and acknowledgements by Rhea DeStefano e Alberto Campagnolo.

Acknowledgements
Marie-Luz Beltran De Guevara, Linda Blaser, Kevin Cilurzo, Sharn Clarkson, Oonagh Clarkson, William Davis, Dana Josephson, Jennifer Murray, Nicholas Pickwoad, Peter Verheyen, Heather Wacha, Rene Wolcott, and many anonymous reviewers and colleagues who helped with translations.

Rhea DeStefano has served as the Senior Paper Conservator at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC, USA since 2002. She graduated from the European School for Book Conservation in Spoleto, Italy and interned under Christopher Clarkson in the conservation of Rare Books and Manuscripts at West Dean College, England in 1997. She began her career as a conservator at the Deutsches Historisches Museum and then worked at the Berlinische Galerie, both in Berlin, Germany, prior to moving to take her post at the Folger. She is a practitioner with a special interest in parchment and archival document treatment as well as wax seal repair. She recently has been researching the use of yellow colourants on paper in European books from the late 16th century.

Alberto Campagnolo trained as a book conservator at the European School for Book Conservation (1998-2001) in Spoleto, Italy and has worked in that capacity in various institutions, amongst which the National Museum Wales, London Metropolitan Archives, St. Catherine’s Monastery (Egypt), and the Vatican Library. He studied Conservation of Library and Archive Materials (2001-2006) at Ca’ Foscari University Venice, Italy and then read for an MA in Digital Culture and Technology (2007-2009) at King’s College London. He pursued a PhD (2010-2015) on an automated visualization of historical bookbinding structures at the Ligatus Research Centre (University of the Arts, London). He is an adjunct professor of Digital Humanities at the University of Udine, Italy (2018-ongoing), and Visiting Scholar at the Venice Centre for Digital and Public Humanities (VeDHP - Ca’ Foscari University Venice). He has directed the Digital Medievalist community of practice since 2015. Since 2018 he has been an acting member of the IADA board. He has been part of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Paper Conservation since 2016, and he is now co-editor in-Chief with Aurélie Martin.

DeStefano, Rhea, and Alberto Campagnolo. ‘A Tribute to Christopher Clarkson’. Journal of Paper Conservation 20, no. 1–4 (2 October 2019): 1–1. https://doi.org/10.1080/18680860.2019.1743559.

Campagnolo, Alberto, and Rhea DeStefano. ‘Christopher Clarkson’s Bibliography’. Journal of Paper Conservation 20, no. 1–4 (2 October 2019): 10–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/18680860.2019.1743556.

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The volume is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/yjpc20/current. Individuals may buy a copy of the special Chris Clarkson volume (JPC vol.20, 2019) at a rate of €90 / £80 / $105. If you would like to order a copy, please contact subscriptions@tandf.co.uk stating the journal, volume, publication year and currency. See: https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=societyInformation&journalCode=yjpc20.