AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

Monumenta Art Conservation and Finishing LLC holds the contract with the New York State Office of General Services to care for and maintain the sculptures in the Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection (ESPAC). of particular historical and artistic significance is the monumental outdoor sculpture collection that has occupied the plaza for more than half a century which includes works by George Sugarman, Louise Nevelson, Ellsworth Kelly, Claes Oldenburg, and Clement Meadmore. The contract, representing the largest financial commitment to art conservation in the history of the collection, includes treatment of 15 large-scale and monumental sculptures that require major structural and surface remediation. These generational treatments are enormous undertakings led by Monumenta conservators and fabrication staff, who have the unique opportunity to collaborate with the original fabricator of many of the sculptures: Lippincott’s LLC.

ESPAC is certainly unique among fine art collections generally, but more importantly it was meant to be distinct from other municipal art collections from its inception. Formed as part of Rockefeller’s vision of New York’s capital city, the collection was an ambitious mid-century architectural urbanscape, built to act as the central work-force location for state employees of New York State. The plaza environment was the State’s large-scale “blank canvas,” designed to be activated by monumental sculptures. Lippincott Inc. was at the forefront of the Abstract Expressionist interest in ever-larger sculpture as the fabricator of choice for many artists represented in ESPAC’s holdings.

ESPAC’s collection, rooted in a municipal mindset, differs in condition from that of outdoor sculpture of the same period held in private or museum settings. Competition for State funding, shifting priorities of elected officials, and poorly documented interventions by State-employed tradesmen have directly affected the current state of preservation of these works. The conservation decision-making process is further complicated by many years of insufficient traditional curatorial and registration oversight, which has resulted in the loss of critical information about artist intent for the sculptures' appearance and display. In some cases, even the most fundamental aesthetic questions (such as identification of original paint color) cannot be answered by traditional art historical investigation in the collection records. Now, in the midst of major conservation treatments, the inclusion of Lippincott in the conservation process has been instrumental in informing the path for treatment.

Of the eleven outdoor sculptures treated to date, five works were originally fabricated by Lippincott's. Their treatments were directly informed by Lippincott’s firsthand experience with their fabrication. From advising on the construction and disassembly of sculptures to helping to triangulate the appearance of original painted surfaces, Lippincott’s has provided key archival information as well as a working knowledge of fabrication during Monumenta-led conservation treatments. Lippincott’s involvement has brought greater understanding of the artist’s intent to both conservators and curators.

A.M. Art Conservation, established in 2009, has had the privilege of working with a diverse clientele, including private collectors, artist estates, museums, and galleries. While we offer our expertise for individual projects, our most gratifying experiences stem from cultivating enduring relationships with our clients and making a lasting impact on the preservation of their collections. In this paper, we aim to spotlight one particularly significant collaboration: a seven-year ongoing endeavor focused on the research, exhibition, and guardianship of the artistic legacy of Michael Richards (1963-2001). This collaborative initiative brought together A.M. Art Conservation, curators Melissa Levin and Alex Fialho, alongside other art professionals, and the estate of the artist.

Michael Richards, an artist of Jamaican and Costa Rican heritage, left a mark on the art world with his nationally and internationally exhibited works. His portfolio encompassed multi-part indoor and outdoor sculptures, time-based media, installations, and drawings. He garnered recognition in museum collections, earned prestigious awards, and participated in numerous residency programs. Tragically, his life was cut short on September 11, 2001, after working overnight in his World Trade Center studio.

In 2016, during the curation of a survey exhibition marking 15 years since Richards’ passing, Levin and Fialho contacted Dawn Dale, Richards' cousin, who had become the custodian of his work. Despite Richards' meticulous packing and Dale’s dedication to his legacy, the artwork had endured the ravages of a storage facility fire, multiple relocations, and suboptimal conditions. The resurfacing of numerous prescient and impactful sculptural artworks, along with fragments, molds, studies, drawings, photos, slides, and ephemera from his life, led to a sustained commitment to and advocacy for Richards’ art and legacy.

A.M. Art Conservation's involvement tracked a conventional path of stabilizing and preparing the works for display, carefully managing both time and budget constraints. We approached the holistic body of work in a triage format, prioritizing actions to benefit the most vulnerable pieces within the allocated time frame. Over time, fresh insights into the work emerged through archival photos, discussions, and recollections from Richards' friends and colleagues.

As the collaboration progressed, additional artworks surfaced, and with the curators preparing for a traveling retrospective, we assumed a leadership role in establishing comprehensive museum practices and engaged fellow professionals to address the collection's requirements. Working with the curators we proposed treatments and budgets, and they ultimately secured a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation. The funding facilitated continued treatment, improved storage conditions, enhanced packing and transportation protocols, and the design of a collection management database. This paper will discuss the challenges and successes of managing an ongoing collaboration in a private practice context.

Since 2016, Michael Richards' work has been exhibited at five national venues including The Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami. Through our collaborative efforts, we have reduced the collection's risk and empowered the estate to better preserve the work while increasing the artwork's exposure to wider audiences.

Since 2004 the American artist Wade Guyton (b. 1972) has used Epson inkjet printers as one of his main artistic tools to create both small and large-scale abstract and figurative paintings. Guyton’s process involves the feeding of a primed linen canvas through an inkjet printer, allowing ‘mistakes’ such as low toner, misalignments, creases, and ink pooling to generate the final image.

The use of a primed canvas rather than a substrate created specifically to receive inkjet ink (e.g. coated inkjet paper or PET) creates on one hand the artist’s recognizable and loved style; on the other hand, it presents a variety of unique preservation and conservation challenges. For example, due to the pigment ink droplets not being absorbed into the material but sitting on top of the oil-based primer, the surfaces are not only water soluble but also extremely sensitive to the touch: any pressure causes irreversible change to the surface, making handling and packing of these works very challenging. Consequently, most surface changes are irreversible and treatment options are limited.

As the machine-made surface gives the illusion that we are faced with a durable and stable artwork, understanding that this inkjet-printed canvas is highly sensitive and prone to damages is an essential to the process of caring for these paintings.

I have worked closely with the artist’s studio since 2010, and throughout my career in private practice, I have had the opportunity to examine or treat more than 80 inkjet paintings. This long-lasting relationship with the artist has given me the possibility to collaborate with him, to observe his creative process and to conduct interviews specifically pertaining to conservation. Because the materials and the printing technique Guyton employs straddle a broad range of material specializations; discussions, and collaborations with professionals from other conservation specialties and disciplines have been crucial to my current treatment approach.

This presentation will illustrate the artist’s process and many of the treatment challenges specific to this manipulated material, as well as reflect on a theoretical framework of how to approach works composed of subverted materials.

The concept of “expecting the unexpected” is essential to the art conservator. We must carefully test and be prepared to adjust our treatments in accordance. However, we are also required to give cost and time estimates to the client before even touching an artwork. This leads to challenging situations particularly for complex, aged, technological artworks from the 1980s.

Sometimes, we find ourselves asking simple questions like “have they tried turning it on again?”, or “can we SAFELY turn it on again?”, or “what is it even supposed to do?”. Oftentimes records are scarce, so you gather what little information you can from residents or employees that have been around the longest. Once a treatment proposal has been established, there is always the issue of finding spare parts that are often not produced anymore. These challenges must be overcome since these artworks are truly starting to show their age and desperately require restauration [conservation].

Olga Zeldakova created “L’horloge” in 1983. It consists of painted steel pillars with an aluminum cube structure standing 30 feet high above an air vent. The cube contains four quadrants with light bulbs arranged in circular patterns. The artwork is part of the “one-percent initiative” and is located outside in a very busy area of Montreal. There were no videos available of the clock functioning, but the general information is that the clock would indicate time with red lights and chimes. However, the noise apparently bothered the residents, so it was turned off decades ago. The cube containing the electrical parts of the clock is only accessible through a trap door and carefully built scaffolding. We were called to propose a treatment without knowing the current condition of the artwork. Obviously, this led to a lot of surprises, such as the extent of the corrosion beneath the layers of paint, the reality of just how busy the area around it is and the actual functional state of the clock itself.

André Mongeau created the “Horloge solaire” in 1983 to be integrated into a building. This artwork, also part of the “one-percent initiative”, is composed of glass fiber optical cables running through the wall of the building that capture the light outside and shine through a plexiglass disk located in a now abandoned staircase. An additional element to the artwork is a laser canon located inside the building across the street that was intended to shine a red laser beam into the glass exterior captor, which allegedly turned the light specks red at night. Again, no videos of this artwork in action were available. Accounts from the artist say the laser beam never worked properly. Examination of the artwork after deinstallation revealed the fiber optics were fractured and had shrunk. In addition to this, the laser canon had caught fire. Now the challenges we faced were “where can we find glass fiber optic cables?”, “can we reinstall a new safer laser canon?” and “will it work?”.

Couriers are a vital part of the cultural heritage ecosystem, ensuring the safe movement and installation of artworks across multiple locations. The additional skills and experience conservators bring to the courier role tangibly benefit the lender, borrower, and cultural heritage object. From a business perspective, adding this service offering provides the conservator with an additional income stream and can be a valuable tool for expanding their network. The Bookend Courier Model, a form of contract or third-party courier, is particularly relevant in the light of the global climate crisis as it significantly reduces the environmental impact of loans.
Recent research suggests that lenders are reluctant to use contract couriers because it is difficult to find trusted people to fill the role. In seeking a way to overcome this issue, the authors have identified three primary barriers to finding a suitable bookend courier: a scarcity of training opportunities for private practice conservators, a lack of recognition that private practice conservators can serve as independent couriers, and the unreliability of personal networks in a desired geographic region.
This talk will focus on addressing training opportunities and highlighting this service offering by private practices. The authors will discuss a workshop they have developed based on internationally accepted registrarial standards to train independent conservators to successfully act as contract couriers and integrate this service into their business model. Concurrently, the authors have been raising awareness of the Bookend Courier Model through presentations to allied professionals. To further support both conservators who would like to offer this service and those looking for trusted professionals to serve in that role, the authors are working on the development of a Collections Courier Network (discussed during the Toward Art in Transit 2.0 symposium). The network will address the need for a database of collections care professionals who can serve as independent couriers.

The National Park Service (NPS) is responsible for the conservation, maintenance, and preservation of over 50 million artifacts, 36 million of which reside in the 82 Parks and Historic Sites that are part of the Northeast Region. The region’s area extends from Virginia to Maine and includes historic structures and collections that represent countless facets of American history. While conservation as a field is highly specialized, navigating the many rules and regulations surrounding government work and government contracting also requires a specialized skill set. This talk seeks to demystify some of the complexity surrounding federal work and to ensure that independent conservators are able to navigate the solicitation process.

The Historic Architecture, Conservation, and Engineering Center, based in Lowell, MA, is home to the regional conservation lab where conservators with a variety of specialties work on materials ranging from 15th century works on paper to 21st century bronze monuments. Even with a robust group of conservators carrying out both bench work and administrative work, the needs of the NPS collections easily outnumber the capacity for in-house work. As such, NPS often requires outside conservation assistance, most commonly when an unexpected or detrimental event occurs.

Working for and with the federal government to ensure that our nation’s cultural resources are “preserved unimpaired… for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations” in accordance with the NPS mission statement, is both a great challenge and a great responsibility, but can also be lucrative and professionally rewarding. Understanding the expectations of and requirements for government contracting enables both NPS and independent conservators to successfully work together to ensure that our nation’s historic artifacts are preserved and protected for generations to come.

Lynda Benglis, an artist with a prolific career spanning over several decades, has left an indelible mark on the art world with her innovative and unconventional approach to materials and techniques. Spanning several decades, her work has consistently pushed the boundaries of artistic expression. Notably, her pioneering use of non-traditional materials has presented distinctive challenges for conservators seeking to preserve her ground-breaking artworks.



This paper focuses on Benglis' iconic latex artworks, particularly those created between 1968 and 1970. These works involve the artist pouring pigmented latex rubber onto the floor, yielding distinctive aesthetic and tactile qualities. Conserving Benglis' latex pieces entails addressing the unique challenges stemming from the materials and techniques utilized during their creation. The inherent nature of latex necessitates specialized conservation approaches that balance preserving the original appearance of the artworks while mitigating further degradation.



This study examines the latex works from this period held in public institutions, with a specific focus on "Contraband" (1969) in the Whitney Museum of American Art and "Planet" (1969) in the Detroit Institute of Arts. Close collaboration with Benglis and her studio is also crucial to comprehending the precise timeline and methods employed in producing these works. A technical study was also undertaken to compare the materials used in these two sculptures, which include natural rubber latex and various fluorescent pigments. Based on these results and Benglis’s description of her processes, reproductions of pigmented latex were prepared and aged under elevated temperatures to assess how the materials properties are affected with exposure to different humidity conditions. Results were then connected with the condition issues noted in Benglis’s latex artworks.



By delving into the intricate interplay between aesthetics, materiality, and conservation, this paper dissects the multifaceted challenge of conserving the latex paintings. It investigates the technical aspects of her distinctive artistic process, dissecting the complex composition of the latex medium and its interactions with environmental factors that contribute to degradation. Furthermore, the study elucidates the novel conservation techniques required to preserve both the visual and tactile elements of these works, given their three-dimensional surfaces. By unraveling the intricacies of Benglis’ artistic process, analyzing material behavior over time, and developing innovative conservation methodologies, this paper offers insights into the nuanced world of conserving Benglis' latex artworks, honoring her legacy and adding to the scholarship of art conservation.

The Harvard Art Museums are focusing on the preservation of their Barbara and Peter Moore Fluxus Collection after a recent survey revealed most of the works of art contain plastics, many of which are unstable. The Moores’ collection consists of 121 editions from the early 1960s through the late 1970s and includes prototypes, rare works, and variations of the same work.

Fluxus emerged in the early 1960s as a loosely organized international group of about 40 artists who challenged conventional ideas of what constitutes art. Fluxus rejected the notion that a work of art is unique and can only be created by a single artist. They produced collaborative works in a wide range of media including poetry, music, film, newspaper, books, performances, and objects mostly consisting of Fluxkits. The original group of Fluxus artists dissolved by the 1970s, but Fluxus continues today.

The majority of objects in Harvard’s Collection are Fluxkits, which are multiples produced in unnumbered, unlimited editions. Most take the form of small boxes with various contents, usually low-cost ready-made objects, and printed works on paper. The boxes were intended to be inexpensive alternatives to unique and valuable art objects and are interactive requiring the viewer to open them and handle the contents.

Caring for the Fluxus Collection is challenging because over 70% of the objects contain plastics. One Fluxkit can contain over 10 different plastics, and often includes one or more of the five most at-risk plastics that are deteriorating at an accelerated rate (cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, rubber, plasticized polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane foam). These plastics are failing and their interactions with each other are causing damage. One of Fluxus’ main premises is that artwork is in constant flux so deciding how much intervention is acceptable for these objects is difficult.

The Museums’ preservation strategies will be presented and are driven by the Collection’s need to remain accessible for teaching and research. The bulk of the work is preventive to improve housing and separate different plastics from each other with Mylar to prevent further damage. Components are being kept together whenever possible, and only in a few rare cases have any been removed and housed separately. In addition, works of art are being filmed to capture their interactive nature, and existing and new artist interviews are being used to help inform how to care for the Collection. Finally, over 20 objects have been treated, some recently, but the majority were completed almost 20 years ago. These treatments will be revisited to see how both the repairs and the plastics have aged. Highlights will be presented from the treatments, which include surface cleaning, adhering broken elements, stabilizing cracks, and consolidating lifting veneers and paint. Case studies where no treatment was carried out will also be discussed. The high number of plastics in the Fluxus Collection makes its preservation challenging, but the work being undertaken at the Museums will allow the continued use of these objects and extend their lives further into the future.

With the second industrial revolution (1870-1914), materials typically used in the making of art underwent a substantial transformation in order to meet new expectations that would fulfill the needs of the artist. In sculpture, traditional processes were used until the very end of the 19th century. Traditionally, softer materials such as wax or clay would be used for producing the original sculpture models by the artist, that would then be transferred into a more durable material.

The sculpture models made in clay were inconvenient in that once the clay would dry the artist could not make modifications to the model. Using wax also proved problematic, as it does not resist high temperatures very well and also lacks ductility. By the mid 19th century there are records of recipes that were being developed to modify waxes in order to impart more ductile proprieties. These hand-mixed, homemade formulas came to be known as modern modeling materials. However, it is not until the end of the 19th century that modeling pastes were being developed in a more industrial manner.

The materials used to form these original positive models were often recycled and repurposed for other sculptures after being cast in plaster or transferred directly to another more durable material. Therefore, it is very rare that they would have been preserved. However, some do survive, such as the collection at the Rodin Museum in Paris. These extant original positive models are so important because they are often the only pieces produced that were made directly by the artist’s hands. They often still have the artist’s fingerprints and can give clues into the artist’s creative process. After being modeled, these models were often taken by others to be transferred into plaster, stone, metal, etc., with some possible final intervention of the artist. In these instances, one can note the changes from these original models to the final sculpture. Even rarer, some works only exist as these original positive models.

This paper will affirm that there are three (3) different modeling pastes with similar characteristics but different formulations that were invented during the period of 1879 and 1897. These new modeling pastes were dry to the touch, permanently malleable, and resistant to heat. It is known that artists like August Rodin, Edgar Degas, and Ismael Smith had used these new formulated modern modeling materials to produce their original models.

The goal of this research was to better understand the origins of these modeling pastes and their chemical characteristics which could then be used to positively identify them at various artwork original models. In addition to identifying these materials, the research also involved observing the main issues of the aging material and how they interact with other materials over time, as well as providing tools to fellow conservators in order to help them with the conservation process of these rare artwork models made with early modeling pastes.

This presentation will present the results of the thesis research, concerning itself with the considerations of replication as a tool for the preservation of an integral hologram, focusing on a case study Angel (1976) by performer Simone Forti and holographer Lloyd Cross. Angel is an installation, the main part of which is a 360° integral hologram, showing a recording of Forti’s choreography - movement of breath and flight. Angel is one of the few collectible works by Forti, embodying high performativity, and a playful spirit, characteristic of the artist’s oeuvre. The light and heat exposure during the display is of concern, as it accelerates further deterioration of the materials, jeopardizing the image’s quality and longevity. There is not many interventive treatment options, emphasizing the need for preventive care. Angel’s susceptibility and intriguing appearance lead to higher safety display policies, limiting the recipient’s accessibility to the work. The owner’s initiative was to try to look for alternatives that would enable longer and safer display, considering replication as one of the options.

The research investigated the problematics from both technical and ethical sides, considering the features defining the work’s identity. According to the artist, the hologram was determined as a vital part of the work, accentuated by its characteristic nature inviting the recipient to move and interact. To achieve this, it is essential for the work to be freely exhibited in space, to invite the viewer to an interaction, orbiting around it on a loop and performing unusual and repetitive movements. This ‘hologram dance’ hologram is meant to metaphorically reflect the repetitiveness of a movement, which is strongly related to Forti’s studies of movements of animals in captivity – and their repetitiveness. Based on that, Simone Forti marked the correct presentation of the work in space as essential for shaping the work’s meaning. Thus, any precautions muting the performativity and interactivity of the work, vital for its metaphorical and expressive nature, are contrasting the work’s intended identity.

It was found the replication can be executed by photochemical means, though there are only a few specialized studios left capable of making an integral hologram copy. As there is no other known existing version of Angel, it is suggested to be referred to as a master hologram. In the past, Forti expressed her concerns about the future display of one of her holograms, consenting to the creation of an exhibition copy. This evidence suggests that material authenticity and/or singularity can be assessed as auxiliary to conceptual authenticity. Considering practices with masters in other conservation fields, the suggestion is to approach the holographic film in the same manner, presuming the presentation of an exhibition copy would not diminish the recipient’s experience, nor decrease the original’s value. Replication can therefore be seen as a tool for the preservation of master holographic film, enabling longer display without compromising its longevity, and an option for looser display policies helping to regain the work’s interactivity.

Conservation scientists and conservators at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) collaborated on a project to better understand the scented components used to create Montien Boonma’s (b. Thailand, 1953 – 2000) large scale installation, House of Hope. Conceived in 1996, the piece is comprised of more than 400 painted wooden stools, over 1,300 strings of scented prayer beads, and an enormous steel grid which are assembled together to create a structure meant to evoke a Buddhist temple. The installation is finished by a custom painted mural, made using glutinous rice powder and various spices, that encircles the temple on three sides and must be recreated for each installation. The minimum space required for the installed piece is 13’(H) x 23’ (W) x 29’ (D) (4m x 7m x 9m). A major feature of the installation is the olfactory experience generated by the beads and mural. The team at MoMA took on the task of identifying the spices used to create the beads as well as those found in 8 bags of powders shipped to the Museum with the rest of the piece since limited information was provided. Written reports indicated the beads were made from herbal medicines and email communications with foundations and individuals previously involved with the work indicated that powders shipped along with the piece were either pure materials or blends of colorants and spices. Various methods were used to identify the composition of the beads and powders, including consultation with purveyors at Asian spice shops in Manhattan and Queens, communication with the artist’s former assistant, and technical analysis including solid phase micro-extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), optical microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Several unexpected obstacles were encountered during this project: analyzing spices and powders that were nearly 30-years-old and had perhaps lost their scent, changed color, or chemically degraded; incomplete documentation; cross-contamination of materials; and language barriers. It was determined that the beads and wall painting were made using different spices. Beads were bound using pine cone honey, turmeric, ginger, and thyme, and other natural foodstuffs. One of the powders used to create the wall painting was identified as Yaa hom, a traditional Thai medicinal mixture used to treat nausea and dizziness. Unfortunately, some of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the Yaa hom permeated the other powders stored in close proximity, making it difficult to identify them. This project explores the unique challenges that arise when working with contemporary artwork, especially those where a key facet is scent, an element that requires thoughtful consideration to recreate. With a greater understanding of the materials, the work completed here will hopefully guide future installations of the piece.

Franco-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle created the Tarot Garden (Il Giardino dei Tarocchi), a sculpture park which is considered her lifetime biggest achievement, over a twenty-year period between 1978 and 1998. The Tarot Garden is located in southern Tuscany near the town of Capalbio, on a site with a rich archeological history dating back to the Etruscan period. The structures and sculptures within the Tarot Garden are inspired by the main 22 figures from the Tarot Major Arcana, and are often monumental in size; in fact, de Saint Phalle lived inside one of these structures –The Empress – intermittently during the Garden’s creation. The sculptures and structures are made of various materials including painted fiberglass-reinforced polyester resin, cement, and thousands of ceramic tiles and mirrors in the manner of Anton Gaudi’s Parc Guell. De Saint Phalle referred to herself as “the architect” of the garden while acknowledging the centrality of collaboration to the project,1 producing the structures in conjunction with prominent artists such as her husband Jean Tingueley, and with local residents, particularly in the fabrication of the colorful ceramic tiles, which were handmade on site.

After de Saint Phalle’s death in 2002, stewardship of the Tarot Garden was passed to the Fondazione il Giardino dei Tarocchi, with support of the artist’s estate, The Niki Charitable Art Foundation. Given the varied materials used in the creation of the sculptures and their constant exposure to the environment, comprehensive documentation and a maintenance plan were deemed necessary to promote efficient management and care of both the sculptures and the park at large. The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) has committed to provide support in the Tarot Garden’s preservation through an ongoing project in conjunction with the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) of Carleton University.

This paper will address the interdisciplinary collaboration between the Fondazione, GCI, and CIMS in creating a robust long-term preservation plan for the Tarot Garden, including various forms of digital documentation, condition assessments, and interviews with living collaborators and current site caretakers. A variety of recording methods were used to document the site, including terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), aerial, terrestrial, and panoramic photography, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) surveying, and total station (TS) surveying. Significant challenges for documentation were posed by the large size, irregular shape, and immersive siting of the structures, in addition to the specular reflection of the ceramic and mirrored tiles on their interior and exterior surfaces. Methods were specifically developed to overcome these challenges utilizing solutions from point cloud and photogrammetric processing. Furthermore, these comprehensive documentation strategies resulted in the creation of tangible digital assets including measured line drawings, orthorectified images, a Geographic Information System (GIS), and a photographic record portfolio. This paper will investigate how this cache of digital assets actively functions in tandem with the site maintenance plan and the training of onsite caretakers to promote holistic conservation efforts of both physical and intangible aspects of the site. 

[1] Niki de Saint Phalle, The Tarot Garden (Berne: Benteli Publishers, 1997), 5-6.

The artist Yve Laris Cohen installed and performed his work, Studio/Theater, at the Museum of Modern Art in the fall of 2022. Using the charred and twisted remains of the Doris Duke Theatre, destroyed during a devastating fire at the dance center Jacob’s Pillow, Laris Cohen created a kinetic sculpture and architectural installation for the museum’s performance studio. In a series of alternating performances, Preservation and Conservation, the artist set the sculpture in motion while conversing with performers in a series of interviews. The Preservation cast included the Jacob’s Pillow archivist, a former director of the center, and the architect of the burned building. Preservation explored how choreography and dance performance are recorded and transmitted, and the role of place within history and stewardship. The Conservation cast included the conservators and co-authors Zycherman, Marincola, and Kroll Hassebroek; a theater consultant who had worked on the MoMA studio; and a gastroenterologist. Their conversations consisted of sequential individual interviews that were unique to each performance; Laris Cohen rarely repeated his questions over the course of the twelve performances, and never in the same way. Cast members were not privy to conversations other than their own and were asked not to discuss their responses with other members of the cast during the run of the show to avoid cross “contamination” of answers. The unexpected became the norm: the artist and other performers were constantly surprised by what one asked and the other answered, and (in retrospect) by the common themes that nevertheless emerged between interviews and across performances.

The artist organized a detailed plan for preservation of the work that reinforced and intertwined with its central themes. The plan included a court reporter recording every performance on an antique stenography machine, transcriptions generated from those steno notes, and the stewardship of the sculptural materials themselves: over one ton of metal and wood theater fragments. Laris Cohen’s careful plans, however, were upended by an unfortunate series of events. This talk will present Studio/Theater as considered a year later by its creator and some of its actants. We will address: what is the relation between documentation - in this case, still photography and a single video recording of the dress rehearsal - and preservation of the work? Can a conservator act as collaborator and component in a work of art, and also function as a conservator of the work? How did the novel role of performer impact the conservators’ professional perspectives, particularly when encountering the unexpected? and how does the artist now regard the preservation and conservation of his fragile and complex work of art?

Sarah Sze’s Timekeeper (2016) is a multifaceted installation work consisting of 46 video projectors, 38 video files, 3 computers, live access to the Flickr photo-sharing platform, 6 loudspeakers, 6 Arduino microcontrollers, and 7 servo motors—in addition to more than 1,000 different sculptural components such as tables, chairs, ladders, powered household objects, books, rocks, food, inkjet prints, tape, and paper. These elements are assembled through the aid of a 525-page installation manual that details over 375 independent attachment points and follows a numbering and tagging system developed by the artist’s studio to track each element. The complexity of Timekeeper’s preservation needs, and installation parameters were difficult to fully anticipate at the time of acquisition. The more staff investigated the work, the more questions surfaced. This necessitated multiple in-depth, cross-departmental research projects and continual dialog with the artist.  
Beginning at the time of acquisition in 2017, a broad group of collections care staff at the Guggenheim Museum evaluated the material components of the work and developed solutions for the short- and long-term viability of its technologies. This work was carried out by conservators in objects, time-based media, and paper; art handlers; registrars; media arts staff; and included invaluable contributions from graduate student interns, fellows, and other staff within the museum. Through a six-year process, this work culminated in the exhibition Sarah Sze: Timelapse (March 31 –September 10, 2023) at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, NY. 
 
Even with a meticulously well-documented installation manual and direct communication with the artist and studio staff, it became clear that the artwork would need to be fully installed in order to make necessary repairs and modifications, and to complete a comprehensive documentation of all the elements of the work. A month-long treatment installation in 2022 allowed time for staff to rework the software-based elements; service, repair, or replace video projectors; re-print or replace paper elements; develop a new way to attach these elements to prevent further damage; replace unstable food elements that are part of the work; leverage new single board computer hardware; build a multi-channel open-source playback system and network-based projector control; and further articulate the installation manual with greater detail. 
 
For staff involved in the preservation and installation of Timekeeper, it was the invaluable time spent learning the artist’s language that was most unexpected and rewarding. The participation of the artist and her studio throughout these activities taught the team her visual and conceptual language, which was translated into documentation resources. The installation of Timekeeper provides a model for the collaborative and multi-faceted effort needed for the preservation of complex installation works and demonstrates the need for flexibility when faced with unfolding questions. 

The Heritage Conservation Centre (HCC) was founded in 2000 under the Singapore National Heritage Board (NHB) to serve as a repository and conservation facility for the management and preservation of Singapore’s National Collection. The collection is highly eclectic and comprises over 250.000 items ranging from traditional ancient artefacts to complex contemporary time-based media (TBM) installations. In the past twenty years, the TBM National Collection has increased exponentially and is currently counting more than 230 media works acquired primarily under the purview of two institutions, the National Gallery Singapore (NGS) and the Singapore Art Museum (SAM).

Several strategies to cater for the needs of the digital collection have been undertaken over the years. In 2019, HCC staff from collection management and conservation, joined together to create an informal TBM task force, which immediately started advocating for a backup server. In view of the limited resources and lack of specialised in-house expertise, the team initiated a conversation with local experts, with the aim of creating storage redundancy and sharing expertise across institutions. At the same time, the task force explored different options for digital preservation storage and performed an initial collection survey, which, even if incomplete, provided valuable insights into the makeup of the collection. Although these exercises did not provide immediate solace, they raised awareness of the gap between collection growth and the institutional limitations to care for media artworks. Based on these past efforts the urgency to develop the professional institutional capacity as well as establish tailored policies and workflows became visible to the upper management.

The window of opportunity to speed up the quest to hire specialized staff arrived with the designing of the new Our Singapore Heritage Plan 2.0, a 5 years-long master plan to shape the next chapter of the nation’s heritage and museum landscape. In view of the board's decision to foster the acquisition of contemporary design and thanks to the result of the previous assessments, the positions of TBM conservator and digitalization manager were opened. Currently, the newly established cross-departmental TBM Working Group has launched a multi-phase preservation plan focused on conceptualizing institutional goals, implementing a risk assessment of the collection, and vetting new policies to organically sustain the long-term care of the expanding media collection.

With this talk, we aim to share our experiences and the pivots we have made while embracing the challenges that digital preservation poses. It is hoped that by sharing HCC's ongoing journey we could offer a pathway to other regional institutions in South East Asia that are facing the pressing issue of caring for their digital collection.

The museum is in a moment of transition. The digital revolution has disrupted the archetype of the 20th-century museum. We are- moving from a place of tradition and contemplation into an active space, driven by experience and both in-person and virtual connectivity. This transition is driven by cultural changes in the present day which are increasingly mediated by technologies with the ability to engage human senses in different ways, therefore creating new connections” (Sherring 2020).

In response to these cultural and societal shifts, the future impact and relevance of 21st century museum will be played out across both the physical and digital landscape. Our crucial role as cultural stewards “to define, describe and prolong the existence of cultural material” (Wain and Sherring 2021) therefore also needs to change – in response to and anticipation of – these societal shifts.

Since early 2022 the National Museum of Australia has been undertaking the Changeable Collections Project, which identifies both the thinking and activities required to acquire, manage, and make accessible changeable and digital collections. The long-term goal of this program is to develop and implement a philosophical approach that applies to all NMA objects and will support new ways to collect, manage, preserve, activate and provide access to the Museum’s collections.

Changeable heritage is defined as "an object that is dynamic, variable and relational, where change is inherent to its ongoing meaning, value and significance". Changeable heritage is defined by the necessity of an object to adapt, evolve, and transform its tangible and intangible states over time as an intrinsic part of its survival and continuity.

The concept of Changeable heritage contrasts with the notion of static or fixed cultural heritage objects, which remains unchanged and preserved in an original form or preferred authentic state. Recognising the changeable nature of cultural heritage is crucial for ongoing preservation and activation within a museum environment. This approach acknowledges that culture is not something static and unchanging, but rather a vibrant and adaptive force that is reflected in the continual evolution and expression of the cultural heritage objects in our care. By viewing NMA objects through a lens of change we will enhance our understanding, management, and care of collections by ensuring that our collections can develop, evolve and remain significant as time, contexts and audiences change. These re-evaluations inform new decision-making paradigms and provide theoretical underpinnings for approaches that permit change in the material of the object to preserve authenticity in the experience of the object. Authenticity can be seen to lie not in keeping things the same, but in understanding how and why things have changed.

“There will always be new objects which enter into our collective heritage space and present previously unanticipated challenges. As the museum continues to explore the dichotomy between physical and virtual spaces, it is imperative that our ability to develop new practices for new materials is not stagnated by the traditional principles of significance, value and change” (Sherring 2020).

Asti Sherring (2020) Divergent conservation: cultural sector opportunities and challenges relating to the development of time-based art conservation in Australasia, AICCM, Bulletin, 41:1, 69-82 https://doi.org/10.1080/10344233.2020.1809907

Alison Wain & Asti Sherring (2021) Changeability, Variability, and Malleability: Sharing Perspectives on the Role of Change in Time-based Art and Utilitarian Machinery Conservation, Studies in Conservation, 66:8, 449-462, DOI: 10.1080/00393630.2020.1860672 https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2020.1860672

Genevieve Kyle of the Harry Ransom Center will present on our session topic, Managing Collection Needs and Conservation Practices in the Face of Capacity Challenges. Genevieve will describe procedures and workflows for the intake of acquisitions at the Ransom Center and discuss ideal situations versus the inevitable challenges around incoming collections.

The LACDG recently shared a brief survey with Book and Paper Group members, regarding acquisitions as they relate to preservation. Additions to collections are bound to involve conservators, whether it be early in the process or later when condition issues arise. Acquisition processes could hardly vary more across our institutions. We will discuss our survey findings and would love to have your input.