BIOGRAPHY
Maria Rosalia Carotenuto graduated in Conservation of Cultural Heritage at the University of Palermo in 2013 obtaining the license to practice as a conservator in Italy, according to national legislative decree 42/2004. Since 2008 she works as restorer in Sicily and abroad.
In 2010 she has contributed to found the company Lab CP s.r.l. – Laboratory for the preventive conservation of Cultural Heritage of which she was a partner until 2012.
In 2011, she took a Master in Nanotechnology applied to the Cultural Heritage, testing the effectiveness of some nanostructured water-proof products on wooden samples to evaluate their potential use in the conservation field.
Currently she is a fellow at INAF- Astronomical Observatory of Palermo where is involved in the development of an environmental monitoring project to evaluate the microclimate effects on the historical collections kept in the "Museo della Specola" with the purpose of planning timely solutions and sustainable long-term strategies through a risk management approach.
ABSTRACT
A preventive conservation project for the "Museo della Specola" of Palermo, INAF-SiMuA_UniPa
The "Museo della Specola" of Palermo preserves the valuable historical assets collected by the Astronomical Observatory "G. S. Vaiana" during its centuries-old activity.
Closed since 2010, the museum has undergone some renovations and great efforts have been made to enhance its environmental conditions. Recently the Observatory has launched a new monitoring campaign to evaluate the impact of these actions on the displayed items. A risk management approach has been adopted to assess collections care priorities in relation to their value and use and to plan timely solutions and sustainable long-term strategies, as well given the forthcoming reopening to the public.
The present contribution reports on the first taken steps, the chosen methodology and intends to stimulate a discussion with other experts that face daily the management of historical collections.
