Temporary and Permanent Display Case Guidelines Developed Through Interdepartmental Collaborations at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

ABSTRACT

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) recently developed three guidelines that bring greater transparency and efficiency to the acquisition of display casework and meet the highest conservation standards. The first document is intended for outside vendors who are building permanent gallery display cases. These display cases, typically made with archival materials such as glass and metal, are expected to function for at least 30 years. The second and third documents were written for borrowers at other institutions or in-house designers, respectively, and define additional materials for cases intended for “temporary” use (up to six months). The overarching goals of these documents are to ensure the preservation of collections through the use of appropriate construction materials, establishing a more cost-efficient procurement process, and clearly defining The Met’s display expectations. A wide range of departments at The Met contributed to the generation of these documents, including Scientific Research, Conservation, Registrar, Buildings, Security, Procurement, Design, Counsel, Curatorial, and the Administration; an external display case vendor was also contracted to ensure information required to accurately plan and construct permanent cases was included. The evolution and rationale for all three documents are described here, and each is available in the supplemental materials.

RÉSUMÉ

Le Metropolitan Museum of Art (le Met) a récemment élaboré trois directives visant à accroître la transparence et l'efficacité dans l'acquisition des vitrines d'exposition, tout en répondant aux normes de conservation les plus élevées. Le premier document est destiné aux fournisseurs externes fabricants de vitrines permanentes de musée. Ces vitrines, généralement construites avec des matériaux archivistiques tel que le verre et le métal, devraient durer au moins 30 ans. Les deuxième et troisième documents ont été rédigés respectivement pour les institutions emprunteuses ou les scénographes internes, et définissent des matériaux supplémentaires pour des vitrines d'usage temporaire (jusqu'à six mois). L'objectif global de ces documents est d'assurer la préservation des collections grâce à l'utilisation de matériaux de fabrication appropriés, d'établir un processus d'approvisionnement plus rentable et de définir clairement les attentes du Met en matière d'exposition. Un large éventail de départements du Met a contribué à l'élaboration de ces documents, notamment la recherche scientifique, la conservation-restauration, le bureau du registraire, les services techniques, la sécurité, l'approvisionnement, la scénographie, le conseil juridique, la conservation et l'administration. Un fournisseur de vitrines a également été mandaté pour fournir les informations nécessaires afin de planifier et de construire avec précision les vitrines permanentes. L'évolution et la justification des trois documents sont décrites ici, et chacun de ces derniers est disponible en annexe. Traduit par Marie-Hélène Nadeau.

RESUMO

O Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) desenvolveu recentemente três diretrizes que trazem maior transparência e eficiência para a aquisição de vitrines e atendem aos mais altos padrões de conservação. O primeiro documento destina-se a fornecedores externos que estão construindo vitrines de galeria permanentes. Essas vitrines, normalmente feitas com materiais de arquivo, como vidro e metal, devem funcionar por pelo menos 30 anos. O segundo e o terceiro documentos foram escritos para prestatários de outras instituições ou projetistas internos, respectivamente, e definem materiais adicionais para casos destinados a uso “temporário” (até seis meses). Os objetivos gerais desses documentos são garantir a preservação das coleções por meio do uso de materiais de construção apropriados, estabelecer um processo de aquisição mais econômico e definir claramente as expectativas de exposições do Met Uma ampla gama de departamentos do Met contribuiu para a geração desses documentos, incluindo Pesquisa Científica, Conservação, Registro, Edifícios, Segurança, Compras, Design, Conselho, Curadoria e Administração. Um fornecedor externo de vitrines também foi contratado para garantir a inclusão das informações necessárias para planejar e construir vitrines permanentes com precisão. A evolução e a justificativa para os três documentos estão descritas aqui, e cada um está disponível nos materiais complementares no final do artigo. Traduzido por Francisco Vieira; revisado por Beatriz Haspo.

RESUMEN

El Museo Metropolitano de Arte (The Met) desarrolló recientemente tres pautas que aportan mayor transparencia y eficiencia a la adquisición de vitrinas y cumplen con los más altos estándares de conservación. El primer documento está destinado a proveedores externos que construyen vitrinas permanentes para las galerías. Se espera que estas vitrinas, generalmente hechas con materiales de óptima calidad como vidrio y metal, funcionen durante al menos 30 años. El segundo y tercer documento fueron escritos para prestatarios de otras instituciones o diseñadores internos, respectivamente, y definen materiales adicionales para casos destinados a uso “temporal” (hasta seis meses). Los objetivos generales de estos documentos son garantizar la preservación de las colecciones mediante el uso de materiales de construcción adecuados, estableciendo un proceso de adquisición más rentable y definiendo claramente las expectativas de exhibición del Met. Un gran número de departamentos del Met contribuyeron a la generación de estos documentos, incluidos Investigación Científica, Conservación, Registraduría, Edificios, Seguridad, Adquisiciones, Diseño, Asesoría, Curaduría y Administración; también se contrató a un proveedor externo de vitrinas para garantizar que se incluyera la información necesaria para planificar y construir con precisión vitrinas permanentes. La evolución y la justificación de los tres documentos se describe aquí y cada uno está disponible en los materiales complementarios. Traducido por Amparo Rueda; revisado por Irene Delaveris.

KEYWORDS:

• Display case
• policy
• specifications
• guidelines
• museum
• preventive conservation

Acknowledgements

In addition to those mentioned in the article, the following staff members, affiliated either currently or formerly with The Met, during the generation of these documents are thanked, in alphabetical order, for their contributions to the process: Andrea Bayer, Alison Clark, Clint Collier, Caitlin Corrigan, Zoe Florence, Emily Foss, Brett Gaillard, Elizabeth St. George, Randall Griffey, Luisa Herrera, Amy Lamberti, Marco Leona, Taylor Miller, Michael Millican, Mario Piccolino, Lisa Pilosi, and Denny Stone. Goppion S.p.A. is also thanked for contributing to the initial permanent display case specifications document.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). The information discussed here is intended to be used for general reference, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art does not endorse, approve, or recommend any product. Readers are solely responsible for determining appropriate products and treatment for their individual circumstances.

Notes

1 Security details specific to The Met have been redacted from the shared documents.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Catherine H. Stephens

Catherine H. Stephens is the Michael and Sally Gordon Conservation Scientist at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). She has a PhD in macromolecular science and engineering and BA degrees in both chemistry and art history. Her specialties include studying structure–property relationships of synthetic and natural polymers, materials testing, and studying degradation. She currently collaborates with conservators in the David Booth Conservation Department to study and preserve MoMA’s collection. Address: The Museum of Modern Art, David Booth Conservation Department, 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019, USA. Email: [email protected].

J.-F. de Lapérouse

J.-F. de Lapérouse received an MA in Art History and a Certificate in Conservation at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts. He has been a staff member of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Objects Conservation Department for over thirty years working primarily with the Ancient Near East and Islamic Art collections. He played a key role in the renovation of the Museum’s Islamic galleries which reopened in 2011 and is currently involved in planning for the new Ancient Near East-Cyprus galleries scheduled to be completed in 2026. Address: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sherman Fairchild Department of Objects Conservation, 1000 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10028, USA. Email: [email protected].

Eric M. Breitung

Eric M. Breitung is a research scientist specializing in preventive conservation science at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Scientific Research. He earned a PhD in physical organic chemistry and subsequently spent 10 years at General Electric’s Global Research and Development Center focusing on the use of thin films and coatings to enhance and change the functionality of plastics. He then worked at the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler’s scientific laboratory and the Library of Congress’s Preservation Research and Testing Division, where he studied dyes in textiles and the degradation of audio and video recording media, respectively. He currently leads the Preventive Conservation Science Laboratory at The Met with a focus on improving the chemical environment near artwork during display, storage, and transport. Address: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Department of Scientific Research, 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028, USA. Email: [email protected].