Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair & Essential Documentation

[Harriete E Berman]

In this ongoing series about Preservation, Conservation, Experimentation, I'd like to make a recommendation for all artists and makers  -  design for repair.

I am sure everyone would like to think that damage doesn't happen, but 30 years of experience has taught me that accidents do happen, even to the most valuable of items.

In the post, Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair ASK Harriete suggests artists and makers anticipate the possibility of damage and not just ignore the possibility.

Read and think about how you can make this a viable approach from the beginning and during your construction to that your art or craft can be repaired.

 

Preservation, Conservation - Essential Documentation When Working With Alternative or Unproven Materials

While the temporal nature of the materials may be a critical characteristic that makes your work interesting, the documentation may be the only aspect that survives for posterity.

The photo can also establishexactly how the artist visualized the work, fresh - before it ages, degrades, or disappears.

For example, Andy Goldsworthy frequently works with seasonal materials like leaves, ice, or twigs.  While the work of Andy Goldsworthy may be an extreme example for temporal materials, it demonstrates the importance of documenting your work. If you haven't seen the movie "Rivers and Tides" (affiliate link)I highly recommend it! It is my favorite artist video of all time.

Andy Goldsworthy's work is a superb realization for making art from alternative materials and still creating a market for the workselling the photographic images in books, calendars, etc. The marketing of the photographs even produces a lower priced, democratic way for a larger audience to support and appreciate his work.

 

 

Preservation, Conversation, Restoration - To Polish or Not To Polis...

As I was writing the previous post in the series Preservation, Conservation, Restoration,it occurred to me that San Francisco jewelry maker, Merry Renk, could offer some experienced perspective and opinions about the issues of preservation, conservation and restoration. At the age of 92, Merry Renk is enjoying a renaissance of renewed interest in her metalwork from the mid 20th century.  Just within the past year, numerous exhibitions at major museums have included Renk's jewelry and wedding crowns.

How would Merry Renk want her decades of work to look in an exhibition?Restored with a pristine finish or with the more subdued appearance from 50 years of hand polishing? Since I've known Merry Renk for years as a San Francisco Bay area kindred spirit, I went right to the source and asked Merry.

READ what Merry Renk has to say....

 

 

 

Preservation, Conservation, What is Appropriate Restoration?

At the 2003 SNAG Conference in San Francisco, I listened to one of the most surprising lectures I've ever heard. Between the hours of 8:00 - 9:00 in the morning a collector, Steven Cabella, gave a lecture titled, "Twenty-five years of Collecting Studio Craft Jewelry: Insights, Observations and Historical Patina". His collections are mid 20th century objects including furniture, though this lecture focused on his collection of mid 20th century jewelry.

or over an hour Cabella offered strong opinionsfrom his unique perspective as collector that I have never heard before. It seems that he often loans objects from his collection to exhibitions -- his support of the arts community is commendable. What shocked me though was his STRONG opinions about preservation and conservation of mid 20th century objects.

Read the entire post on ASK Harriete...what do you think about preservation, conservation and restoration of your own work?

THE SERIES CONTINUES BELOW:

A reader who is also a curator raises a profound question about the use of impermanent materials in an artists' or makers' work.

Harriete,
I have a question about how far a maker's responsibility goes for the 'lastingness' of a product. This was brought to mind recently because someone had a museum-quality bowl by a famous artist that was developing serious finish issues due to the use of polyethylene glycol as a soak to preserve the color in the material. We also sometimes see pieces put together with questionable adhesives, etc. I understand the importance of experimentation, but it troubles me as my responsibilities include preservation and conservation of artworks.
Is this a question that has gotten much or any attention? 

I was really hoping that this was a question that artists were asking themselves (and each other) on some level.

Signed, A Concerned Curator

Dear Concerned Curator,

Issues of impermanence of materials, experimentation with materials, and long term preservation and conservation of artworks are really complex.

The use of experimental or untested materials is a reflection of our society in a way.We applaud artists that use new materials, or untested methods. The tried and true may be perceived as boring, been there, done that. Even the idea of "permanent" anything isn’t given very high regard. Buy cheap, express the "now," and throw it away seems like a pervasive trend of our culture.

Let's expand on the issues swirling around the use of alternative, untested, or experimental materials.Conservation becomes a concern of the owner, collector or museum. I am betting that museum curators and professionals need more solutions.  To buy, or not to buy...to exhibit or not to exhibit when just the act of putting work on display (even in a  controlled environment) may cause further damage. 

Let's itemize some of the profound issues:

• impermanence of materials,
• experimentation with alternative or unproven materials, and
• long term preservation and conservation of artwork.

Conflicting perspectives abound on these issues which would provide topic material for endless debates.  So here are my dueling opinions. 

The artist has a responsibility to consciously choose how the work is made and what is intended for long term display (if any). Basicly, I think this leads to four possible scenarios from the artist's perspective:

1) Consciously choose to make impermanent work and know it will not last. The work of Andy Goldsworthy or of Eva Hesseare just such examples.

2) Consciously choose to make permanent work and use the best materials available.  e.g. Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel.

3) Consciously choose the risk of using unknown materials and accept whatever the outcome.

4) Ignore the impermanence or untested aspect of your materials and pretend indifference.

The first three are valid approaches and should be honestly communicated to any audience or potential purchaser.  The fourth scenario is questionable.

The materials used in a work will certainly affect its long term conservation and preservation -and possibly its value.

Raise awareness
This question should certainly be on the minds of all artists who want to have their work purchased.  Artists have every right to choose how to make their work.  

What is the responsibility of the artist during fabrication?

What is the responsibility of the artist/owner? For storage? For display?

What is the responsibility of the exhibitor?Lighting? Hanging? For some work, just the fact that it is on display is destructive? 

What about care and maintenance?
Is polishing to restore the original finish a destructive act?
Is refinishing, removing grunge, old varnish, crackled surface a restoration or destruction?

If you ever watch Antiques Roadshow you hear the voice of the experts.Each material seems to have it's own definition for proper care and maintenance.

As an artist, do you think about how to care for you work? 

Should the collector/curator have the same responsibility? It might surprise the artist to consider that a collector/curator may not have the same expectation for care and maintenance, or original finish as the original maker.

Please tell us what you think?

Have you ever thought about this before? 

Harriete

 

 

Next posts include:

Preservation, Conservation, Experimentation - Practical Recommendations

Yes, before work leaves the studio for a show, gallery, or exhibition I think artists and makers should take concrete actions by including unpacking, display, functional use, maintenance and packing instructions with their work.  This post includes examples.

Preservation, Conservation, Experimentation with Alternative or Unproven Materials

It seems to me the primary question is the intent of the artist. "Do you want the piece to last . . . or be an ephemeral phenomenon?" Does a time varying patina add to the piece . . . or is sustained color a critical characteristic? Will aging enhance the work . . . or will disintegration contribute to the conceptual theme? This post looks at the impact of these decisions.

More comming... I've heard opinions from collectors. I have practical recommendations for my work.  Do you have any ideas for archival options and maintenance issues for protecting your work that you can share?
Please leave a comment.

[Larry Berger]

As a artist that uses recycled and vintage material for most of my work, I have on occasion had problems with that material, not that often but it has happened, All I can do is stand behind my work and refund a customer their money, or repair the work at my expense. I would not make art that I know has a short life spans for some reason with out sharing that info with the purchaser. I love what I'm doing and want others to feel the same.