Johanna Rivera

Senior Conservator
Collections Manager
Adjunct Professor

Email: jrd123@clemson.edu

Office: 843-730-5091

Education:

2011 Graduate Certificate. Museum Collections Management and Care. George Washington University. Columbian College of Arts & Sciences.

2005 MA in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage. Thesis: “Conservation and Restoration of Marine Archaeological Metal: Silver and Bronze. Objects from the Spanish Shipwreck El San Diego”. Graduate Honors. Universidad de Chile. Escuela de Postgrado Facultad de Artes. Santiago, Chile.

2001 Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Major in Art Theory and History. Thesis: “Illegal Trade of Cultural Heritage”. College Honors. Universidad de Chile. Escuela de Pregrado Facultad de Artes. Santiago, Chile.

Responsibilities:

Before graduating Johanna worked for a variety of museums and conservation laboratories in Chile, including the National Library in Santiago, where she conserved and restored books, maps, and documents from its vast collection of archival materials. Johanna also conducted preventive conservation of ceramics and metals in the collection of pre-Columbian artifacts at the Archaeological Museum of Santiago, and the Maritime Museum in Valparaíso, where she initiated an assessment of metal artifacts. Her thesis research, which addressed conservation of marine artifacts, took her to Switzerland, where she participated in the conservation of metal artifacts from El San Diego, a Spanish galleon lost off the Philippines in 1600.

Johanna joined the H.L.Hunley Submarine Project in 2005. She is currently the Senior Conservator responsible for leading and establishing conservation procedures for the submarine as well as examination and treatment of artifacts for the WLCC. She is also responsible for the upkeep of the collection and storage areas.

Johanna is an adjunct professor at Clemson University currently teaching a course in Collections Management and Preventive Conservation to graduate students in Historic Preservation for the Clemson-College of Charleston dual Master Program. She has also taught classes for Clemson’s undergraduate students in archaeology; in Denmark at the Royal Danish Academy School of Conservation for undergraduate and graduate students in conservation; and classes in conservation of underwater materials for graduate students in the Program of Underwater Cultural Heritage from the Universidad Externado de Colombia.

In addition, she has participated in archaeological excavations in Peru (Chimu-Inca period) and in various Stone Age and Neolithic waterlogged sites in Denmark where she has also taught students and trained local staff in conservation field techniques. 

Johanna has also worked as a consultant performing tasks as an instructor, conservator and assessor of collections for several institutions in South Carolina such as the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, Berkeley County, Dorchester County, as well national and international institutions.

Research interest:

Her work at the WLCC has included research and study of the degradation of materials from underwater sites, as well as methodologies and treatment protocols for the conservation of waterlogged textiles. Her current research involves desalination treatments, impressed current systems for metals, and future display methods for the Hunley submarine.

Publications:

Forthcoming peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings

Rivera, Johanna; Scafuri, Michael; DeLong Nicholas. “The H.L.Hunley Submarine Project: Two Decades of Research and Discovery”. TINA Maritime Archaeology Periodical. Journal of the Turkish Underwater Archaeology Foundation (TINA). Expected publication: June 2021.

Rivera, Johanna. “The conservation and deconcretion process of the American Civil War submarine H.L.Hunley (1864)”. 1st Symposium of Conservation for Underwater Archaeology (ISCUA). Organized by the Institut Balear d’Estudis en Arqueología Marítima (IBEAM). Formetera, Spain 2019. In press.

Peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings:

Kasprzok, Lisa; Boussert, Stéphanie; Rivera, Johanna; Cretté, Stéphanie. “Characterization of 19th century candles from maritime archaeological environments with FTIR, NMR, and GC–MS”. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 35, 2021.

Rivera, Johanna; Mardikian, Paul; Scafuri, Michael; Näsänen, Liisa; González-Pereyra, Nestor. “Revealing the H.L. Hunley: The strategic planning and deconcretion process of an American Civil War submarine”. Proceedings of the ICOM-CC Metals Working group conference. Switzerland 2019.

Rivera, Johanna; Scafuri, Michael. “The Sea, the Sub, and Maritime Collaboration: How conservators and archaeologists worked together to recover and conserve the H.L.Hunley submarine”. Engaging Conservation: Collaboration across Disciplines. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Nina Owczarek, Molly Gleeson and Lynn Grant editors. Archetype Publications 2017

Rivera, Johanna. “The use of refurbished marine containers as a permanent storage solution for the maritime collection of the H.L.Hunley submarine”. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. Special Edition on Collections. Vol. 56:2. 2017

Rivera, Johanna; Kasprzok, Lisa M.; Boussert, Stephanie; Crette, Stephanie. “Restoring the Light to a 19th Century Candle Lost at Sea: Conservation and Chemical Analysis of a Candle recovered from the H.L. Hunley Submarine”. Proceedings of the 13th ICOM-CC Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference. May 2016 Florence, Italy. 

Rivera, Johanna; Quinn, Raegan. "Preserving the past through public outreach: The H.L.Hunley and a decade of discovery". Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Conference "Playing to the Galleries and Engaging New Audiences: the public face of conservation". Williamsburg, Virginia. November 2011. 

Rivera, Johanna; Jacobsen, Maria; Mardikian, Paul; Scafuri, Michael; de Vivies, Philippe.

“A new approach to excavating and handling waterlogged textiles from the American Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley”. Proceedings of the 11th ICOM-CC Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference. Grenville, North Carolina. May 2010. 

Rivera, Johanna; Mardikian, Paul; Cretté, Stéphanie. “Waterlogged textile recovered from the Civil War submarine H.L.Hunley: Identification and conservation of textile belonging to Lieutenant George Dixon”. Textile Specialty Group Postprints. Volume 19, 2009 (29-144). American Institute for Conservation 37th Annual Meeting. Los Angeles, California. May 2009.

Rivera, Johanna; de Vivies, Philippe; Hacke, Marei; Ballard, Mary; Drews, Michael; Mardikian, Paul. “Conserving a Unique Waterlogged Silk Bandana from the H.L Hunley Submarine (1864)”. Textile Specialty Group Postprints Volume 18, 2008 (38-55). American Institute for Conservation 36th Annual Meeting. Denver, Colorado. April 2008. 

Rivera, Johanna; Mardikian, Paul. “La Responsabilidad en el Rescate de Artefactos Marinos: El Caso del H.L. Hunley (1864), un Proyecto Desafiante en el Campo de la Conservación Subacuática”.  Revista de Arqueología Americana. Journal of American Archaeology. Instituto Panamericano de Geografía e Historia. Vol. 26 2008 (87-130).

Rivera, Johanna; Berger, Olivier. “Restauración y conservación de metal arqueológico subacuático: plata y bronce. Objetos provenientes del galeón español San Diego (1600)”.  Proceedings of the 2nd Latin-American Conference in Metal Restoration. Rio de Janeiro. Brazil. July 2005.

Posters:

Rivera, Johanna; Crette, Stephanie; Kasprzok Lisa “A Crystal Clear Conservation Problem: The Formation of Sulfur Based Crystals on Waterlogged Organics”. ICOM-CC Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference. Portsmouth, UK 2019.

Rivera, Johanna; Kasprzok Lisa. “Mass treatment of waterlogged rubber gaskets and seals from the American submarine H.L.Hunley (1864)”. Poster and Preprints of the 18th ICOM-CC Triennial Conference. Copenhagen, Denmark 2017.

Rivera, Johanna. “Preliminary analysis of a candle recovered from the H.L.Hunley submarine”. Poster and Proceedings of the 12th ICOM-CC Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference. Istanbul, Turkey 2013. 

Stroud, Sarah E.; Rivera Johanna. “Revolutionary Preservation at Drayton Hall”. Poster presented at the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) conference. Austin, Texas. January 2011.

Rivera, Johanna; Mardikian, Paul; Nied, Daniel. “Conservation of Lt. Dixon's Pocket Watch Recovered from the H.L Hunley Submarine (1864)”. Poster and Preprints of the ICOM-CC Metals Working group conference. Charleston, South Carolina. October 2010.

Rivera, Johanna. “El uso de mecanismos de absorción de oxigeno para el almacenaje de objetos compuestos provenientes de ambientes subacuáticos.”  Poster presented in the third Latin-American Conference in Metal Restoration. Ciudad de México. September 2009.

Watters, Chris; Blouin, Vincent; Brocard, Typhaine; de Vivies, Philippe; Mardikian, Paul; Rivera, Johanna. “Remove it or lose it!  Removing of the forward and aft ballast tank pumps and the strategic planning for the long term preservation of the H.L. Hunley submarine.” Poster, American Institute for Conservation 37th Annual Meeting. May 2009. Los Angeles, California.

Rivera, Johanna. “Descubrimiento, reflote y excavación del submarino norteamericano H.L.Hunley”.  Poster presented in the third Chilean Conference in Conservation and Restoration. Santiago, Chile. October 2007. 

Rivera, Johanna. “Deterioro y conservación de materiales orgánicos provenientes del submarino norteamericano H.L.Hunley”. Poster presented in the third Chilean Conference in Conservation and Restoration. Santiago, Chile. October 2007.

Newsletters:

Rivera, Johanna. “Conserving the CSS PeeDee artifacts” University of South Carolina, Maritime Research Division, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology – Quarterly Reporter, Volume 6, Issue 4 January 2016. 

Rivera, Johanna. “Removing the concretion: it isn’t easy”. The Blue Light. Friends of the Hunley newsletter. Volume 46, summer 2015

Rivera, Johanna. “Deconcreting the H.L.Hunley submarine”. University of South Carolina, Maritime Research Division, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology – Quarterly Reporter, Volume 6, Issue 1. April 2015

Rivera, Johanna. “Conserving a waterlogged leather shoe from Mars Bluff”. University of South Carolina, Maritime Research Division, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology – Quarterly Reporter, Volume 5, Issue 4. January 2015

Rivera, Johanna. “New storage for the H.L.Hunley artifacts”. University of South Carolina, Maritime Research Division, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology – Quarterly Reporter, Volume 5, Issue 3. October 2014

Rivera, Johanna; Quinn-Smith, Raegan. “The 150th anniversary of the H.L.Hunley submarine”. University of South Carolina, Maritime Research Division, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology – Quarterly Reporter, Volume 5, Issue 1. April 2014

Rivera, Johanna. “The next step in the H.L.Hunley submarine conservation treatment”. University of South Carolina, Maritime Research Division, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology – Quarterly Reporter, Volume 4, Issue 4. January 2014

Rivera, Johanna. “Conserving a small fragment of textile from the Hilton Head Wreck”. University of South Carolina, Maritime Research Division, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology – Quarterly Reporter, Volume 4, Issue 3. October 2013

Rivera, Johanna. “Treating a Lignum Vitae Sheave from the Hilton Head Wreck”. University of South Carolina, Maritime Research Division, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology – Quarterly Reporter, Volume 4, Issue 2. July 2013

Rivera, Johanna. “Conserving a unique set of binoculars from the H.L.Hunley submarine”. University of South Carolina, Maritime Research Division, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology – Quarterly Reporter, Volume 3, Issue 4. January 2013

Conference presentations- Invited speaker:

Invited speaker. “The H.L.Hunley Submarine Project”. History for Lunch series. South Carolina Maritime Museum. May 2020

Conference presentation. “Excavation and conservation of waterlogged archaeological textile from the American Civil War Submarine H.L.Hunley”. Society for Historical and Underwater Archaeology annual meeting. Boston January 2020

Invited speaker. “The conservation and deconcretion process of the American Civil War submarine H.L.Hunley”. South Carolina Relic Room and Military Museum. Columbia, South Carolina October 2019.

Conference presentation. “Revealing the Hunley (1864): The deconcretion process of the American Civil War submarine”. I Symposium of Conservation for Underwater Archaeology. Organized by The Balearic Institute for Studies in Marine Archaeology. Formentera, Spain September 2019. 

Conference presentation. “A Crystal Clear Conservation Problem: The Formation of Sulfur Based Crystals on Waterlogged Organics”. ICOM-CC Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference. Portsmouth, UK 2019

Conference presentation. “Treatment and drying challenges in the conservation of waterlogged rubber gaskets and seals from the Civil War submarine H.L.Hunley”. Johanna Rivera, Stephanie Crette. American Chemical Society Conference. Symposium: Polymers in Cultural Heritage. Boston, 2018

Invited speaker. “Conserving a North American Civil War Era Submarine. The story of the H.L Hunley submarine (1864) and its crew”. Langeland Bibliotek. Langeland, Denmark. September 19th, 2017.

Invited speaker. “Conserving the H.L.Hunley submarine”. Rotary Club of Mount Pleasant. June 8th, 2016

Conference presentation. “The Digital Hunley, from Excavation to Conservation: Digitizing and writing metadata for collections of artifacts from the Civil War-era submarine H.L.Hunley”.  Johanna Rivera, Bradley Blankemeyer. Presentation as part of the session “Digitization of Cultural Heritage. One Size Fits All: South Carolina Digital Library Partnership Opportunities”.  South Carolina Library Association Conference. Columbia, South Carolina. October 2015

Invited speaker. “Conserving artifacts from the H.L. Hunley”. National Civil War Museum. Harrisburg Pennsylvania.  September 2014

Invited speaker. “Conserving waterlogged materials from the H.L. Hunley”. Archaeological Society of South Carolina’s Annual conference on South Carolina Archaeology. University of South Carolina. Columbia, April 14th 2012.   

Invited speaker. “Artifacts Found Aboard the H.L. Hunley Submarine: Conservation and Analysis”. Guest speaker as part of the “Maritime Archaeology Lecture Series”. Organized by the Sport Diver Archaeology Management Program. South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina. Charleston County Library.  October 12th. 2011 

Conference presentation. “A new approach to excavating and handling waterlogged textiles from the American Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley”. Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference. Ocean City, Maryland. March 2011.

Professional society activity:

Associate member of the “American Institute for Conservation”. Textile and objects Specialty group.

Associate member of Southeast Regional Conservation Association.

Vice President 2016-2018 South East Regional Conservation Association.

Board member 2014-2016 South East Regional Conservation Association

Honors and awards:

George Washington University. Tuition scholarship.

Additional Information:

Ms. Rivera is a PADI certified Advanced Open Water diver.