Erin,

This topic came up at Contemporary Art - The Object in Transition Conference at the Getty Conservation Center last year (I think that a lot of it on video in available online). www.getty.edu

It is my belief, as a conservator, that once an object comes into the collection that significant issues that involve alternations / additions / or significant restoration proposals should be reviewed by your collections committee - such as the one you have for accessions / deaccessions. There should be a thoughtful process in this. I would never allow anyone to just show up and do something to a work of art.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Senior Conservator
Los Angeles, CA
 
On Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 12:00 PM, Erin Crissman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello list!
 
Do any of you know of good collections managment policies for work of art that change or are added to, augmented, altered by artists as part of the work? 
 
I have an idea that this might look something like a living collections policy for arboretums or zoos.  We have a large object that is added to periodically by the artist or even by other artists asked to contribute to the work.  What we're strugging with is how to care for this object from a collections managment perspective.  This large object has many many parts and was created over a very long period of time by the primary artist as well as additional contributors.  Sometimes an artist will show up with an "addition" to the work without our knowledge and just submit it to a docent nearby. I'd like to be able to work with the artist colaboratively on a section of our Collections Managment Policy that governs this piece. I'm not sure he realizes that adding (or causing to be added) additional parts to the work over so many years makes it very difficult for us care for the object. I'd like to have some example policies and possibly a draft before I meet with him.
 
Thanks for any help you might be able to lend!

--
Erin Elizabeth Crissman
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