Clearly, some of you took my remarks out of context. I assented that
conservation was important, and that I supported it. I in no way believe
that everyone should be allowed to touch anything they please. There is a
valid discussion in this community, with opposing opinions, about the
relative importance of our dual missions of conservation and education.

I appreciate the remarks of Robin Panza who recognized that I was speaking
about special circumstances in which perfect conservation is not warranted
or appropriate.

> I think the difference of opinion here (below) about "hand-rubbed" bronzes
> is rather like the difference between National Parks and National
Monuments
> in the US.  Museums and national parks aim at preservation, sculpture
> gardens and national forests aim at careful use (ok, so sometimes the
> forests aren't so carefully used).
>
> Klein points out that sculpture in museums can be considered damaged and
> therefore verboten.  Booth points out that sculpture in gardens, without
> barriers, can be considered loved.  Both of these view have their place,
> just as both of the venues have their place.  I think these two are
arguing
> apples and oranges.

I fact, I was arguing exactly that all art need not be seen as just the
apple of a conservationists eye, but many can be allowed to be succulent
oranges that the public may be allowed to enjoy more fully.

Despite the angry responses to my post, it is valid to take a position that
the needs of the public can in some cases subordinate the needs of
conservation. I was using the case of sculpture gardens not to suggest that
all art should be opened to public caress, but to demonstrate this
dichotomy.

I am quite familiar with the process of lost wax casting. I do not think
that bronzes can be reproduced easily, but that an artist or an institution
can make the decision to allow a bronze piece to be touched with the
knowledge that it can, even if at great expense, be replaced. This does not
imply that I think a bronze castings are tissues that can be discarded
casually. This reproducibility distinguishes bronzes from sculptures in
marble wood or stone, and must be taken into account when considering the
impact of close contact with the public on a specific object.

I will take Janice Klein's word about the rigors of her day, but she is
absolutely and completely wrong about patinas. Many artists do manipulate
the process of corrosion to intentionally color their work, and we do refer
to such an effect as a patina. BUT the prime meaning of the word has to do
with a natural aging process, and is most commonly meant to describe any
surface aging that increases the beauty of an object. The polishing of the
breasts and shrapnel scars on the pieces I described is precisely and
accurately described as patina.

Further the internal conflicts of the preservation education dichotomy are
clear in her remarks. If a museum is a public trust solely for the purpose
of preservation, then risking damage in transporting artifacts  to another
location to even if only to allow public viewing would be a violation of
that trust.  Putting any object on display exposes it to a process of
degradation. If the conservators had their way, and I do not begrudge them
this at all, all objects would remain in the dark under careful
environmental control.

I find this dialogue about the specific details of when and how we manage
and balance these conflicting missions to be a crucial and fascinating
aspect of museum studies. I somewhat resent the ad hominem responses to my
valid contribution to such debate.

And, in case she really cares, I am a freelance exhibit designer located in
Los Angeles.

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