The following announcement I recently received may be of interest to this
list.
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The CBC and the Department of Canadian Heritage have signed an agreement
with Wallace Cove Productions, St. John, New Brunswick to produce thirteen
1-hour episodes of a national television series, the Canadian Antiques
Roadshow (CAR). The partners in this special collaboration include CHIN,
the Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the
Canada Science and Technology Museum, and Canadian Conservation Institute
(CCI). The first year will be
English only, although CBC owns the French rights and intends to produce a
French version later.

Seven locations have been identified: Halifax (Pier 21) on May 5, 2004;
Saint John (Imperial Theater) on May 10; Ottawa/Gatineau (CMC) in mid May;
Toronto (ROM); Saskatoon (Western Development Museum); Calgary; and
Vancouver (where venues and dates are missing, they have yet to be
determined). Shooting at each location will likely last an entire day with
the intent of producing two 1-hour shows. The producers hope to cover the
following categories: porcelain, pottery, and glass; silver and metalwork;
jewelry; pictures (oils and watercolor) and prints; arms and militaria;
clocks and watches; furniture; books; miscellaneous. The emphasis will be
on Canadiana, with Aboriginal material scattered throughout categories. In
addition to the filmed shows, there will be short on-air ads and editorial
segments from the partners, as well as a CAR Web site with a link to the
CCI Web site.

CCI has proposed three ways in which conservators could be involved in this
project:

1) in the filmed portion of the show commenting on the condition of an
artifact, explaining how and why deterioration had taken place, and giving
advice on how to care for a particular artifact;

2) in booths scattered among the evaluators where owners of objects could
go for advice as above; these booths would be open for the entire day at
each location but these interactions would not be filmed;

3) producing separate film clips on specific preservation topics that could
be inserted in the final programs.

CCI is also advocating that conservators in the regions be involved in
addition to CCI staff, although there is no guarantee that this will
happen.  What role conservation will ultimately play in the shows has not
yet been decided.

The Canadian Association for Conservation (CAC) Board has expressed interest
in a role for regional conservators in
the shows and has asked to be kept informed of the process.   Even if there
are, in the end, no opportunities directly connected to the shows, the
local interest in cultural property that these shows will create should
offer opportunities for advertising and media attention that will
ultimately benefit local conservators.

Iona McCraith
AAO Preservation Consultant
Tel: (705) 277-1309  Fax: (705) 277-2091
e-mail: [log in to unmask]