On 26–28 September 2016, the programme of the Hermitage Days in Vladivostok was opened by a master class on the restoration and conservation of works of graphic art that was held in the Maritime State Picture Gallery as part of the joint project between the State Hermitage and the Coca-Cola system – “Let’s preserve our cultural heritage”.
Aliona Alexeyevna Datsenko, Director of the Maritime State Picture Gallery, introduced the master class by speaking about the gallery’s plans regarding the opening of the Hermitage–Vladivostok Centre and noted the importance of collaboration with the State Hermitage for the development of the Maritime Territory and the whole of the Russian Far East. At the start of the master class there were expressions of gratitude to the Coca-Cola company, whose support has made it possible for restorers from the State Hermitage to obtain experience working in some of the world’s greatest museums, after which they share the knowledge and skills acquired with colleagues from other Russian cities. Over six years, the programme for the restoration of museum items has included nine museums, with master classes being held in Kazan, Veliky Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Rostov-na-Donu, Kaliningrad, Ulan-Ude, Omsk and Vladivostok.
The master class was conducted by members of the Hermitage staff: Tatyana Anatolyevna Sabianina, an artist-restorer of the 1st category and head of the Laboratory for the Scientific Restoration of Graphic Art, Darya Anatolyevna Smirnova, an artist-restorer of the 1st category, and the artist-restorer Yelizaveta Vladimirovna Mzhagina. On the first day of the master class, in the theoretical part, the Hermitage restorers presented the history of the creation of the laboratory, showed a film about backing tracings and also spoke about the restoration of works on graphic art on various sorts of paper. On the second day, in the practical part of the master class, the Hermitage restorers showed the method of making good losses of paper by refilling with paper pulp by hand, a method of backing paper supports and also various methods of removing a backing and detaching paper labels. On the third day the practical sessions were devoted to methods of conserving graphic works, such as encapsulation and the addition of new margins. The master class was attended by restorers and museum curators from Vladivostok and the regions.
On 28 September, the Maritime State Picture Gallery hosted a round table devoted to current issues in the restoration and conservation of works of graphic art. The Hermitage restorers told their colleagues about the main pre-restoration studies carried out on works, demonstrated modern equipment and materials, spoke about the principles for the storage and transportation of graphic art, and also discussed with colleagues aspects of compiling a restoration passport and preparing documents for attestation.
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