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Submit a Proposal for a Presentation on Plastics in Conservation!

Plastics Across Specialties and Round-table Discussion– SERCA Annual Meeting 2027

March 5–7, 2027 | Savannah, Georgia
Material Uncertainty: Complexities of Plastics

The Southeast Region Conservation Association (SERCA) invites presentation proposals for two distinct programing sections of our 2027 Annual Meeting in Savannah, Georgia! Material Uncertainty: Complexities of Plastics will explore how plastics and polymers shape the work of conservators across specialties, bringing together diverse perspectives, practical knowledge, and shared approaches to working with complex and often unstable materials—and we want to hear from you!

Opening programing titled, Plastics Across Specialties, will be a series of short presentations followed by a Q&A panel, and Round-table Discussions, will bea collaborative, case-based exchange of conservation challenges and potential solutions.

Plastics Across Specialties

Formal Presentations | 20 minutes, followed by a Q&A panel

How do plastics intersect with your work? From modern and contemporary art to historic objects, photographs, textiles, furniture, and beyond, plastics appear across collections in treatment & care scenarios that are as varied as the materials themselves. Their complex compositions, evolving & often proprietary formulations, and unpredictable aging behaviors present shared challenges, but also opportunities to expand our thinking and learn from one another.

We are curating a dynamic series of brief, 10–20 minute presentations followed by a Q&A panel, bringing together perspectives from across the conservation field and related professions. We encourage proposals from a wide range of specialties, including (but certainly not limited to!) objects, paintings, paper, photographs, textiles, time-based media, and architecture.

Presentations might explore material identification, deterioration, condition assessment, treatment approaches, preventive strategies, case studies, or practical experiences working with plastics and other unstable materials. We also welcome unexpected discoveries, emerging questions, and lessons learned from challenging cases. Whether you’re sharing technical research, a treatment dilemma, a preventive care strategy, or an observation from your own practice, your perspective can help expand our collective understanding.

The goal is to create a dynamic, cross-disciplinary conversation that expands our collective understanding of plastics in cultural heritage collections and encourages the exchange of practical knowledge.

Round-table Discussions

Collaborative Case Studies | Closing Section of the Workshop

SERCA also invites proposals for case studies and conservation challenges to bring to the round-table discussions, which will serve as the closing section of the hands-on plastics workshop co-led by Joy Bloser and Kate Wight Tyler.

This session will provide an informal, collaborative setting in which participants can bring real-world examples, case studies, or unresolved conservation questions for group discussion and collective brainstorming. Rather than formal presentations, the emphasis will be on peer-to-peer exchange, exploring possible approaches, considering practical constraints, and learning from the experiences of colleagues across specialties.

Participants may bring examples involving plastics or other unstable materials, including objects exhibiting deterioration, uncertain material composition, difficult treatment decisions, preventive care concerns, or other challenges where additional perspectives would be helpful.

We encourage submissions that identify a specific question, challenge, or decision point for the group to consider. Participants should be prepared to briefly introduce their example and share relevant context, images, observations, or previous approaches, as appropriate.

The goal is not necessarily to arrive at a single definitive answer, but to generate ideas, compare approaches, and identify practical options through collaborative discussion. These conversations will create space for questions that may not yet have clear solutions and allow participants to benefit from the collective knowledge of the conservation community.

Help us bring the many perspectives on plastics into conversation! By sharing our diverse experiences, we can build connections, exchange practical knowledge, and better understand the complexities of plastics in our care.

We look forward to hearing your ideas and learning how plastics intersect with your work!

What Happens After You Submit a Proposal

Proposal submissions are due by December 1st, 2026.  SERCA will notify presenters if their presentation has been selected by January 10th, 2027.  Presenters will receive tiered discounted registration.  Don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of this dynamic event and to share your knowledge with colleagues from across the region.