Selecting materials for use with cultural heritage collections Survey
Posted on behalf of Eric Breitung at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Do you have experience selecting materials for collections transport, display or storage?
- Have you observed an unexpected change to an artifact or artwork after using materials you thought were suitable for long-term use with collections?
- Do you have experience with testing materials to determine their suitability for use with collection objects?
This is your opportunity to share personal experience with materials used in the storage, display, or transport of collection objects. The Metropolitan Museum of Art needs your help to identify materials that do not perform as expected based on suitability test results, such as Oddy testing, microchemical testing, and instrumental analysis.
If you have time to take a 15-minute survey or would like to be interviewed on this topic, please follow the link below. Please note that the survey may be submitted anonymously. Please share with colleagues.
Decisions are often made in collaboration. We welcome groups or multiple individuals from one organization to submit a response.
Background
Responses will be used to lay the foundation for a three-year project designed to develop benchmarking protocols for material tests used to identify the safest construction, storage, packing and display materials; and thereby improve the criteria and tools used to conduct material tests and normalize the sensitivity differences between tests. This research has the potential for a variety of exciting outcomes, such as a better understanding of the slippery boundaries of the “Temporary” Oddy test result or identifying scenarios where an Oddy test could be bypassed in favor of more rapid and lower waste methods.
This project is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Thanks in advance for your time.
Information Gathering Team
Samantha Springer, Art Solutions Lab
(Samantha is coordinating a team of conservators to complete the information gathering portion of this project in partnership with the Scientific Research Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art)
