Guidelines for the restoration of photography.
Dialogue tools for conservation.

MEETINGS

The Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture and the Fondazione Centro per la Conservazione e il Restauro dei Beni Culturali ‘La Venaria Reale’ (Venaria Reale, TO) promote, for the 2025-2026, the project Guidelines for the restoration of photography. Conservation dialogue tools, with the aim of producing a shared document on the conservation and restoration of photography in Italy. The project, which is the result of a comparison analysis, study and research, is aimed at the enhancement of photographic works and their preventive conservation and is intended not exclusively for the benefit of the scientific community but for all operators in the sector.

In October 2025, the activities of the technical-scientific table on the topics covered by the project and the meetings of working groups, broken down by the four thematic areas identified: lexicon and documentation, restoration work, planned and preventive conservation, first aid in crisis contexts.

The technical-scientific table is composed of: Barbara Bergaglio, Head of the archives of the CAMERA Foundation – Italian Centre for Photography; Silvia Berselli, Restorer and expert in the enhancement of photographic heritage; Enrico Biason, Conservative restorer of the Central Institute for the Pathology of Archives and the Book of the Ministry of Culture; Maria Francesca Bonetti, Art historian and former official of the Ministry of Culture as curator of the photography sector of the Central Institute for Graphics; Barbara Cattaneo, Conservative restorer of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of the Ministry of Culture; Maddalena Cerletti, Conservative of the MUNAF – National Museum of Photography; Alfredo Corrao, Photographer and professor of photography at the Central Institute for the Pathology of Archives and the Book of the Ministry of Culture; Emanuela Daffra, Superintendent of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of the Ministry of Culture; Alessandra Donati, Lecturer in Comparative Private Law at the University of Milano-Bicocca; Francesca Fabiani, Senior Curator and Collection Manager of Contemporary Photography of the Central Institute for Catalogue and Documentation of the Ministry of Culture; Laura Gasparini, Head of the Photo Library of the Panizzi Library and Professor of Photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna; Sandra Maria Petrillo, Restorer specialised in photographic works; Miriam Pitocco, Conservative Restoration Officer of the Central Institute for Restoration of the Ministry of Culture; Maria Speranza Storace, Head of the Laboratory for the Restoration of Paper and Parchment Artifacts of the Central Institute for Restoration of the Ministry of Culture; Silvia Trisciuzzi, Art historian and Head of the photographic collections of the Central Institute for Graphics of the Ministry of Culture; Simona Turco, Archivist and Head of the National Photographic Office of the Central Institute for Catalogue and Documentation of the Ministry of Culture; Roberta Valtorta, Art and Photography Historian and Lecturer; Serena Zuliani, Conservation Office of the MAXXI Department of Architecture and Contemporary Design – National Museum of 21st Century Arts.

Wednesday 22 October 2025
Réunion online the Technical-Scientific Table of the project

The meeting opens with the institutional greetings of the Director General of Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture Angelo Piero Cappello and the President of the Fondazione Centro per la Conservazione e il Restauro (CCR) dei Beni Culturali ‘La Venaria Reale’ Alfonso Frugis. Following the introduction to the work by the Director of Service II “Contemporary Art and Photography” of the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity Marta Ragozzino. The presentation of the project is entrusted to the Director of Restoration Laboratories and JRC Higher Education School Michela Cardinali, which introduces the technical-scientific group and the technical-scientific table involved in the elaboration of the Guidelines for the restoration of photography. Conservation dialogue tools. A first moment of discussion between the participants is moderated by the Head of the Operational Unit ‘Strategic plan for the development of photography in Italy and abroad. Programmes of study, training and research in the field of photography’ of the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity Carolina Italian. The meeting ends with the presentation of the four thematic areas of the project, in view of the subsequent meetings of the working groups.

Tuesday 11 November 2025
Réunion online the Technical-Scientific Table of the project

The second plenary meeting of the project Guidelines for the restoration of photography. Conservation dialogue tools It opens with the presentation of Thematic Working Groups in which the components of the technical-scientific table are divided. This is followed by a moment of discussion and choral discussion between the participants, which outline the thematic and methodological perimeters to be adopted when reconnaissance of the existing and elaboration of the Guidelines. Particular attention is paid to deontological, lexical and chronological aspects, in addition to tools for collecting conservative data. The meeting continued with the introduction of Federica Delìa, researcher and restorer selected to support the study and research activities of the project. In this context, Federica Delìa presents a tool she has put in place to monitor workflows, the progress of project activities and the achievement of objectives. The work concludes with the preparation of the operational meetings of the thematic working groups and the launch of research activities.

Thursday 11, Friday 12 and Monday 15 December 2025
Meeting of the Thematic Working Groups

From 11 to 15 December 2025, the restricted operational meetings who saw the protagonists 4 Thematic Working Groups the project ‘Guidelines for the Restoration of Photography. Conservation dialogue tools”. These sessions marked a fundamental step from the moment of preliminary research to the concrete planning of activities.

During the respective meetings, each Working Group presented and discussed the bibliographic and documentary materials collected for each of the 4 areas of the project: lexicon and documentation; restoration work; planned and preventive conservation; First aid. On this basis, the professionals involved have defined specific themes and contents to be included in the Guidelines, as well as the specific work programme for each Group and its time objectives.

A central aspect of the meetings was theidentification of cross-cutting issues. The discussion has led to the emergence of points of common interest between the different Working Groups, which will be the subject of further reflection during the plenary meetings, to ensure a coherent and integrated overview for the entire project.

The program of meetings will be constantly updated.

Wednesday 17 December 2025
Réunion online the Technical-Scientific Table of the project

The meeting was dedicated to discussing some of the central themes for the project, including the specialist vocabulary, the reference regulatory framework and the technical documentation currently available.
The discussion then focused on the structure of the future Guidelines, with the aim of making them a clear, shared and user-friendly tool. An approach consisting of critical contributions, in-depth thematic fact sheets and an adequate photographic apparatus has been outlined, designed to meet the needs of a plurality of professionals involved in the conservation and restoration of photography.

The next stages of work include the preparation of a proposal for an organic index, which will be developed by the representatives of the Working Groups as a first step towards the start of the drafting phase.

Thursday 15 , Friday 16 January 2026
Restricted Operational Meeting of Thematic Working Groups

Project activities have made significant progress in the first weeks of the new year. On 15 and 16 January, new restricted meetings of the thematic Working Tables were held.
The meetings focused on sharing the proposed index of the Guidelines and on the precise identification of the topics to be included in the final document.
Thanks to the contribution of the experts of the individual Groups, the collection of additions and scientific reviews has been launched, a fundamental step in view of the imminent start of the drafting phase.

During the sessions, a first session was also conducted on the operational division of the drafting of the texts and on the most suitable editorial format, elements that will soon be submitted to the institutional representatives of the project.
The path towards the definition of National Guidelines for the conservation of photographic heritage therefore continues with intensity, consolidating the dialogue between the different professional profiles involved.