5
Storing museum collections-: an unresolved problem Yani Hen-eman Regardless of thegreatstrides in recent miLseicwi architecture andplanniizg, storage areas continareto be seriously neglected,according to YaniHerreman, n well-knownMexican architect.She has been involved in a niinaber of inuseum projects in her own county niad abroad and is a member ofMuseum International’s Adviso y Board. 8 Despitethe factthatcollectionshave been stored in museums ever since museums were first conceived, it seems that among architects, plannersand even curatorsand conservators ignorance of the field has prevailed at all times and in all places. Today storagespacefor collections is still waging a losing battle with other uses of spaceinmuseum buildings despitecurrent advancesinarchitecture, conservation and planning,just as it did twenty-five years ago,when specialization in the various fields ofmuseology began. The twentieth centuryhas been character- izedby a huge boom inmuseums, a boom thathasnotyetfallenoff. By themid-1970s many people believed that the museum explosion was already over.The major museumshad been built, and thesituation in the world was starting to change, lead- ing to the belief that the planning rate for museums would be much slowerthan in the previous decade. To everyone’s sur- prise,however, the culture boom,in par- ticular as regards museums, continued undiminished. The exhibition held at the Whitney Museum ofAmerican Art in 1982 on new American art museums showed that a great number ofbuildingshad been built or refurbished in those years, and a quick glance at theworld situationbacked up what the exhibition was saying. More thantenyearshave passed sincethen, and the construction, renovation and expan- sion ofmuseums is still even now a boom industry.Every day sees the opening of newmuseumsdevoted to particularthemes: children(ElPapalote, Museum oftheChild, Mexico City,1993); the Olympic Games (Lausanne, Switzerland, 1993); history, such as that of thehistory oftheFederalRepub- lic of Germany (Bonn, Germany,1994); and specificperiodsofhistory, suchasthe Holocaust Museum (Washington, D.C., United States), tomentionbut a few exam- ples. There are also architectural and museographical refits, such as the Museo delaReina Sofia(Madrid, Spain). Thereare at the moment overfiftyknown projects at various stages of completion throughout the world. Traditionally museums have been a real design challenge: first, as buildings,be- cause of the complexity of their purpose; second, as works of architecture because of the importance of their function as the settingforcollections; and, third, as artistic creations because of the great creativity public buildingsofthis type deserve. Paul Winkler has called the museum a highly sophisticatedmechanism. Maybe forthese very reasons the museum as a work of architecture has won over the best archi- tects of our time, who have made forays into this difficult field and left us with wonderful examples of expressive and well-constructed works. None the less, despite the great progress made in archi- tectural planning and programming and improved technical knowledge of fields that are as important to museums as con- servation,the overwhelming majority of them are not veiy successfulin theirfunc- tioning.There are still areas that are seri- ously neglected even though their signifi- cance isbeyond question, and one such is the storage of collections. An Achüles’ heel Readers of this article may think that its argumentserron theside of exaggeration, but they can be assured that the difficulty of finding an appropriate solutionto the problem ofstorage areas still represents a considerableAchilles’ heel in architectural projects and a real headache for those responsible for collections. ForGraemeGardiner, as for many conser- vators, it is a frequent occurrence to find ISSN 1350-0775, Mziseum Intenzntionfil (UNESCO, Paris), No. 188 (Vol. 47, No. 4, 1995) O UNESCO 1995 Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road. Oxford, OX4 1JF (UK)and 238 Main Street,Cambridge,M A 02142 (USA’i

Storing museum collections: an unresolved problem

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Storing museum collections: an unresolved problem

Storing museum collections-: an unresolved problem Yani Hen-eman

Regardless of the great strides in recent miLseicwi architecture andplanniizg, storage areas continare to be seriously neglected, according to Yani Herreman, n well-known Mexican architect. She has been involved in a niinaber of inuseum projects in her own county niad abroad and is a member ofMuseum International’s Adviso y Board.

8

Despite the fact that collections have been stored in museums ever since museums were first conceived, it seems that among architects, planners and even curators and conservators ignorance of the field has prevailed at all times and in all places. Today storage space for collections is still waging a losing battle with other uses of space in museum buildings despite current advances in architecture, conservation and planning, just as it did twenty-five years ago, when specialization in the various fields of museology began.

The twentieth century has been character- ized by a huge boom in museums, a boom that has not yet fallen off. By the mid-1970s many people believed that the museum explosion was already over. The major museums had been built, and the situation in the world was starting to change, lead- ing to the belief that the planning rate for museums would be much slower than in the previous decade. To everyone’s sur- prise, however, the culture boom, in par- ticular as regards museums, continued undiminished. The exhibition held at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1982 on new American art museums showed that a great number of buildings had been built or refurbished in those years, and a quick glance at the world situation backed up what the exhibition was saying. More than ten years have passed since then, and the construction, renovation and expan- sion of museums is still even now a boom industry. Every day sees the opening of new museums devoted to particularthemes: children (El Papalote, Museum ofthe Child, Mexico City, 1993); the Olympic Games (Lausanne, Switzerland, 1993); history, such as that of the history of the Federal Repub- lic of Germany (Bonn, Germany, 1994); and specific periods of history, such as the Holocaust Museum (Washington, D.C., United States), to mention but a few exam- ples. There are also architectural and

museographical refits, such as the Museo de la Reina Sofia (Madrid, Spain). There are at the moment over fifty known projects at various stages of completion throughout the world.

Traditionally museums have been a real design challenge: first, as buildings, be- cause of the complexity of their purpose; second, as works of architecture because of the importance of their function as the setting for collections; and, third, as artistic creations because of the great creativity public buildings of this type deserve. Paul Winkler has called the museum a highly sophisticated mechanism. Maybe for these very reasons the museum as a work of architecture has won over the best archi- tects of our time, who have made forays into this difficult field and left us with wonderful examples of expressive and well-constructed works. None the less, despite the great progress made in archi- tectural planning and programming and improved technical knowledge of fields that are as important to museums as con- servation, the overwhelming majority of them are not veiy successful in their func- tioning. There are still areas that are seri- ously neglected even though their signifi- cance is beyond question, and one such is the storage of collections.

An Achüles’ heel

Readers of this article may think that its arguments err on the side of exaggeration, but they can be assured that the difficulty of finding an appropriate solution to the problem of storage areas still represents a considerable Achilles’ heel in architectural projects and a real headache for those responsible for collections.

For Graeme Gardiner, as for many conser- vators, it is a frequent occurrence to find

ISSN 1350-0775, Mziseum Intenzntionfil (UNESCO, Paris), No. 188 (Vol. 47, No. 4, 1995) O UNESCO 1995

Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road. Oxford, OX4 1JF (UK) and 238 Main Street, Cambridge, M A 02142 (USA’i

Page 2: Storing museum collections: an unresolved problem

Storing museum collections: an unresolved problem

that the deterioration of holdings is rooted in the unsuitable way in which they are stored. Ignorance and negligence in the management of temperature and humidity levels, pollutants, dust, insects and other pests and poor cataloguing and documen- tation result even today in the loss of objects kept in storage. In order to solve the problem a campaign is needed to raise awareness of it among museum staff and to educate them. Conservators, curators, ad- ministrators, directors and others who have anything to do with museums must be persuaded of the importance of keeping storage areas in good condition and func- tioning correctly. If a collection is to be remodelled or rehoused the appropriate specialists must be consulted, which means conservators trained in preventive mainte- nance, collection administrators, special- ists in the application of information tech- nology to the cataloguing of collections, planning architects and so on, who will advise those involved on the best way of carrying out the task.

Since as long ago as 1980 Gaël de Guichen, the principal advocate of the study and utilization of storage areas, has been writ-

O UNESCO I995

ing of the need for museologists to have some knowledge of administration and management, together with specific infor- mation on the collections for which they are responsible.

Oldfimziture is carefidlypyotected in the Musée de la Civilisation in Quebec, Canada.

It must be admitted, though, that there has fortunately been a significant ad- vance in the way museologists, archi- tects and planning and programming specialists see the issue. Unquestion- ably this increased awareness has come from a better understanding of tech- rniques of conservation, Cataloguing, documentation, planning, programming, security and administration. Awareness of the immense possibilities offered by information technology in the field of museology in general, and of docu- mentation, administration of collections and planning in particular, has also been crucial in improving storage area management.

Despite the spread of contemporary pro- gramming and planning practices, when dealing with storage it cannot be over stressed that it must be taken into consid- eration when a museum is being designed

# 9

Page 3: Storing museum collections: an unresolved problem

Yani Herreman

Peatment of a ceramic object in the restoration laboratory of the MLlsée National des Arts et Traditions Populaires, Paris.

10

or remodelled. It is highly desirable for curators, conservators and planners to work together. The formation of an interdiscipli- nary team would go a long way towards ensuring eventual success. The current state of knowledge regarding the conser- vation of collections in storage enables solutions to be found which must be considered in the overall design of the museum right from the very beginning, and in analysing the way in which the pieces are used and their characteristics. Acquisition policies and the museum's objectives are also determining factors.

Planning, planning and more P h M W

According to Joanne Horgan, specialist in architectural planning and programming, there are a series of steps that facilitate the planning of a storage area: (a) classification of collections according to type and use; (b) preparation of the programme and the conceptual diagram; (c) establishment of design criteria; and (d) communication

with the architect. It also seems to me to be of particular interest to point out which basic functions of the museum affect and modify the storage areas and should there- fore be looked at when the programming study is initiated.

Registration, catalogtti?ig and documentation of works

Extraordinary progress has been made in this field, allowing close monitoring both of the history of an object and of its current state of preservation. It includes the use of computers in support of the programme, for registering and cataloguing works. Spe- cialists in this discipline must advise the planners or architects of what they need to do their job.

Collection management and administration

This important function, only recently rec- ognized as such, involves, together with

m '5 e,

$ 3 E d n c

O

O UNESCO 1995

Page 4: Storing museum collections: an unresolved problem

Storing museum collections: an unresolved problem

the curator, controlling and co-ordinating the policy for display and rearrangement of the collection, including what is held in storage, and drawing up programmes. It is intimately related to all the other fields and should be closely connected with the work of the planner and architect when the storage area is being designed.

Coilseruation

There has been considerable progress in this field too, with much greater knowledge of techniques, materials and substances that can prolong the life of collections in storage. Conservators must provide guidelines for planners and architects on the best use of space and on refinements such as optimal levels of light, relative humidity and other technical requirements.

Collection security

Security has gained the attention it de- serves in museum work. The way it is implemented is dictated by serious re- search that makes it possible to lay down rules for activities in the various areas.

Research

The type and frequency of research pro- grammes determine not only the size of the collection, and thus the storage area, but also its location and internal arrangement, for which specialist advice is essential. Among the current trends for resolving the problem of storing very large collections there is consensus about the desirability of con- structing buildings exclusively for that pur- pose, such as, for example, the stores for the Julita Museum in Sweden and the Smith- sonian Institution in the United States, both of which are located some kilometres from

O UNESCO I995

I

their museums and serve to house the mii- lions of objects that make up the collections.

Exhibitions

There is a direct relation between the storage area and the exhibition area; it is advisable to have an intermediary transit and setting-up area, used also for work and/or registration and control. The number of exhibitions and the usage policy for exhibits will affect the internal planning of the storage area. * 11

Page 5: Storing museum collections: an unresolved problem

Fani Heweman

Education

Although less'obvious than what has been listed above, education must also shape planning criteria. In some cases, too, it can be a determining factor, as in stores open to the public. The museum's policy and its objectives set the standarü for this relation.

To conclude, I should like to point out that at present architects and planners have more resources for designing good collec- tion storage areas. The work of interdisci- plinary teams, which are now more capa- ble of advising and informing and have a clearer idea of the importance of this crucial part of the museum, will enable collections and heritage in storage to be kept secure and well looked after for many more years to come.

Bibliography

DE GUICHEN, Gaël. Musens: adequados a abrigar ColecçOes? Sao Paulo, Museu da

Industria, Comércio e Tecnologia de %O Paulo, 1980. (Museu e Tecnicas series.)

BACHMANN, Konstanze. (ed.). Conservation Concerns. A Guide for Collectors and Curators. Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992.

HORGAN, Joanne C. Planning Good Collec- tion Facilities. Course Notes in Collection Storage. Mexico City, Museo de Historia Natural, 1990.

DARKAGH, Joan; SNYDER, S. James. MifieLinz Design. Planning and Building for At? New York, Oxford University Press, 1994.

JOHNSON, E Verner; HORGAN, Joanne C. Mifiema Collection Storage. Paris, UNESCO, 1970. (Technical Handbooks for Museums and Monuments, 2.)

GARDINER, Graeme. Prevention Rather than Cure: Preservation versus Conservation. Museum International, No. 183 (Vol. 46, No. 3, 1994).

1 2 O UNESCO 1995