From the latest issue of the ACS Facts Newsletter from Arts, Crafts And Theater Safety (ACTS)

- Ralph

ART AND THEATER SAFETY COURSE AUGUST: 15 TO 19, 2022

DEAR READERS, most of you have subscribed for some years. You know we maintain a low subscription price and never ask for contributions (but are grateful to those who do), or engage in fund raising. However, there is a way you can help. This 40-hour course, taught to people who are either safety and health professionals or professionals in some aspect of art or entertainment, is designed to pass this information on to the next generation of people who will work is this small, specialized field. Below is a complete description of the course. We hope you will forward this article to your colleagues and friends, or to safety organizations to which you belong.

COURSE DESCRIPTION. Registration is open for the 7th annual Art and Theater Safety Course sponsored jointly by Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc., (ACTS) and the Art Conservation Department of the University of Delaware who will provide the Zoom and administrative services. Traditionally, the students include a range of safety professionals, industrial hygienists, professional artists, conservators, and theatrical and film professionals. The exchange of ideas between these groups is a vital component of the course which is structured to allow for collaboration.

The course was developed by Monona Rossol, who taught the first courses on art safety in 1980 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Over the years, she continued to expand and perfect the curriculum, keeping it current and relevant. For example, over the last two years, information on ventilation for infection control and other pandemic issues unique to art and theater were covered.

The course focuses on materials, processes, and equipment used in the arts and the laws, regulations, codes, and standards that apply to those uses. It will cover safety and health issues for professionals and teachers working in the creative arts, including requirements for professional studios and classrooms for all student populations (children, college-age, seniors, and art therapy patients).

Students who pass the final exam will receive a letter from Rossol certifying their training in certain OSHA regulations and fitness to consult in this area.

These letters have qualified many individuals for jobs in arts practice or education, and in some theatrical unions, they are accepted in lieu of OSHA training. Rossol is dedicated and passionate about art safety, and she remains a supportive resource to her students throughout their careers.

Tuition is $700 by check or money order payable in advance to the nonprofit corporation, Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety (ACTS), and sent attention to Monona Rossol at 181 Thompson St., #23, New York NY 10012. Contact Monona at actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com if you have questions or for a subject outline.

The course's virtual hours are tentatively 11 am to 6 pm EST (breaks for lunch, etc.) to accommodate students on both East and West coasts. But students can discuss these other options. Certified Industrial Hygienists may contact AIHA's Education Department at +1 703-849-8888 or by e-mail to obtain information on Certificate Maintenance Credits.

INSTRUCTOR'S BIO (2022)

Monona Rossol was born into a Vaudeville family, began working as a professional entertainer at age three, and continues to perform occasionally to this day. She has a BS in chemistry with a minor in math, an MS and MFA with majors in art and a minor in music. Monona worked seven years as a research chemist for the University of Wisconsin and a year with an industrial research laboratory.

From 1977 to 1987, she practiced industrial hygiene at the Center for Safety in the Arts in New York, a group which she co-founded. In 1987 she founded Arts, Crafts, and Theater Safety (ACTS). She has been a full professional member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association since 1984. Since 1995, she has been a Safety Officer for Local USA829, United Scenic Artists, IATSE, and since 2017, the Safety Consultant at SAG-AFTRA. Between 1983 and the present, she has specialized in safety and regulatory training in art and theater and has presented training lectures and courses to schools and universities in 48 states.

She also has consulted on the planning of over 80 buildings, specifying ventilation and safety features. She has three architectural awards for environmental planning and in 2020 she became a consultant to the ACGIH Committee on Industrial Ventilation and she is now a Member of this Committee. She has consulted in the US, Canada, Australia, England, Mexico, Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates, and written nine books, one of which won a 1996 Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award from the Association of College and Research Libraries. Two of her books are used as college texts today.

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