For those affected by the recent tornadoes, whose family photographs are now wet, salvaging them may be possible.  We’re providing a link to the Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, Massachusetts, and their guidelines for how to rescue photographs, with specific instructions on air drying.

http://www.nedcc.org/resources/leaflets/3Emergency_Management/07SalvageWetPhotos.php

Have you ever visited the Museum and wondered how a 500-year-old work of art could look so good? That’s easy—it’s all about proper care. The Museum provides a multi-faceted approach to caring for the art. In the previous article we discussed the importance of providing a stable temperature and relative humidity. Another important way we care for the collection is to make certain that it is exposed to only safe and archival materials.

Some works of art, such as textiles and works on paper, are just too fragile to be on display most of the time, as exposure to light will cause permanent fading. In order to prolong their lives, these light-sensitive works of art are shown for very short periods of time, usually about three months, and then they are returned to the darkness of art storage until they’re shown again. While in storage, works of art are supported by an array of very specialized archival materials, all designed to preserve and extend the life of the art. Acid free tissue is a staple for many of the collections, used for everything from padding out creases on historic clothing to providing a comfy cushion for delicate glass and ceramic objects to interleaving the quilts. It is used routinely to cover light-sensitive material, so damage doesn’t occur when located in a bright collection processing work area. Acid free mat board is another mainstay for us, used for matting our works on paper, with this matting and framing done in house by carefully trained museum preparators (art handlers). Volara, an archival padding material, has many applications in the gallery and storage. Ethafoam, another cushioning material, is used for everything from lining storage shelves to lining crates and is even customcarved to serve as supporting devices such as hat mounts and crate cushions. Tyvek, developed for and commonly used in the construction industry, linesour crates, enabling us to restrict the fluctuations in relative humidity when art is on the road. These are but a few of the products and materials we use every day when caring for the collection.

Exposure to light is a critical concern in the Museum environment. Quantity of light and types of light sources are closely monitored to ensure that we’re properly displaying the art while at the same time making certain to severely limit light’s damaging effects. Our light bulbs have ultraviolet (UV) coatings on the face, then a filter is placed on the bulb to further reduce UV exposure and, finally, a rheostat is manually adjusted to control the brightness of the light fixture. For the works of art glazed with Plexi-glass, there is additional protection built into a UV coating on the surface. Careful measurements are constantly made with foot-candle and UV meters to ensure we are within carefully prescribed ranges. Even the Museum’s exterior windows have a UV coating, and light from the windows is periodically measured, too, to ensure the coating’s integrity.

The Museum’s care of the collection even extends to carefully selecting the safest paint for the walls and safest fabric in the display cases, noting that an odor usually indicates “off-gassing,” an emission of harmful substances that could damage the collection. We select low VOC latex paint, allow it to cure for an extended period, and we use conservator-vetted fabrics free of dye and sizing to line our casework. The wood used to construct the display cases must be a high-grade wood such as birch and be formaldehyde-free.

In future articles, we’ll delve more deeply into how specific types of art are stored and displayed at the Museum, and hopefully you’ll be able to apply some of these principles to proper management of your personal collections.

What is a museum? One dictionary definition states that a museum is a place where important things are preserved. The museum staff enthusiastically embraces that definition and constantly strives to preserve the art that is entrusted to us. One critical component for long-term preservation is the means to provide a constant, appropriate, and stable temperature and relative humidity. Our abilities in this effort have been somewhat impeded in recent times as our aged environmental system began to fail and became incapable of producing the stable climate we require. The good news is that over the past year the City of Birmingham generously provided us with funding for a complete system replacement, and now our new chillers and boilers are in place and fully operational. We have backup equipment, too, if needed, with the entire system monitored around the clock in-house by a state-of-the-art control center manned by our building engineer. The control center carefully monitors the temperature and relative humidity in each gallery and storage area, making certain that the climate stays within our very narrow prescribed ranges. Daily environmental reports are shared with the Registrar’s department, its partner in environmental monitoring.

The Registrar’s department maintains its own independent environmental monitoring equipment—a kind of checks and balances—whose readings are regularly shared with the building engineer. You may have seen some of our monitoring equipment in the galleries, sitting high on a shelf or resting on a pedestal. The primary device we use is a recording hygrothermograph, which utilizes sensitive human hair bundles to determine the humidity in the air, and then transfers the readings to pens that record the information on a paper chart. Augmenting this device are little digital hygrometers, located throughout the galleries, and usually placed in discreet locations such as under furniture or inside exhibition display cases. We also have digital, hand-held, instant read monitors, and those are used daily for spot-checking. Another critical aspect of monitoring is ensuring that the monitoring equipment is functioning properly and giving us accurate readings. To ensure accuracy we use old-fashioned sling psychrometers, and then double check them with sodium chloride and magnesium chloride salts.

With our new environmental system, a dedicated staff, and an incredible collection—keeping cool is no sweat!

One of the City’s most beloved landmarks, the Frank Fleming fountain of The Storyteller, is located in the heart of Five Points South. The fountain consists of nine cast bronze animals that form a circle, with frogs spraying jets of water within a cast concrete basin. The primary sculpture in the figure group is a seated “ram-man” holding a staff with one hand and an open book with the other as animals sit clustered around him and appear to be listening to the story read from the open book. A bronze plaque on the fountain basin reads, “Storytelling is a deeply rooted southern heritage. The animals are listening to a story intended to convey the idea of a peaceable kingdom. Fleming’s deep respect for the dignity and honesty found in nature is symbolized in these figures.”

But did you know that this landmark is part of the Birmingham Museum of Art’s permanent collection? In 1990, when the casting was complete and the figures permanently installed, the Museum agreed to take over the fountain’s care, custody, and control, thus ensuring it would be available for future generations to enjoy.

As with all our other outdoor sculptures, The Storyteller needs to be examined and assessed twice yearly in order to determine if our maintenance protocol is keeping it stable and safe. Protecting it from the elements, like acid rain, and the occasional unintended harmful actions of fountain visitors, requires a strict program of examination, washing, and waxing.

Logistics, however, can be daunting when you’re caring for a sculpture that sits squarely at the juncture of five major traffic arteries and serves as a gathering place and photographic backdrop for throngs of residents and visitors. In order to accomplish our treatment, we must first enlist the aid of the City of Birmingham Department of Public Works to drain and pressure wash the fountain’s basin interior. As soon as the fountain is emptied, our art handlers quickly move into place to examine the sculptures up close to determine the efficacy of our treatment program and document current condition. After the exam is complete, they begin the process of carefully washing the figures with a specialized detergent and, if needed, removing any mineral deposits that may be deposited onto the surface. After the washing is completed, and the figures are dry (which doesn’t take long in that unrelenting noon day sun!), they apply several protective coats of a clear or pigmented wax to all the surfaces. The wax saturates the surface and gives the patina a luminous, rich quality but, most importantly, it serves as a protective barrier against harmful substances such as dirt, grime, and acid rain. The fountain basin is then quickly refilled, providing once again a beautiful backdrop for those visitor photographs. In a few months the conservation process begins again because one chapter of The Storyteller’s "never ending story" is the Museum’s deep commitment to protecting this important work of art.

Caring for the collection is one of the primary responsibilities of the Museum staff. In addition to careful maintenance of the works of art inside the museum building, we also adhere to a strict conservation program for the works of art on display outdoors. Harsh outdoor environmental conditions can take a toll on even the toughest work of art. Ultraviolet light can fade pigments and break down protective lacquer and wax coatings. Dirt can become imbedded in crevices and also cause unsightly streaks. Pollutants can permanently etch even the most durable surface. Occasionally our seasoned Museum staff will consult with professional conservators, but usually they know how to address even the most difficult problems.