Digital BW, The Print

Great question, Jon. I would love to know this as well. Especially if my work ends up in the MET someday ;)

-AnnMarie
www.annmarietornabene.net

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "piezobw" <jon@...> wrote:
>
> Mark,
> 
> The MET once put out a small booklet which I remember was called How to Care For and Preserve Works of Art on Paper. From their point of view, a work of art be it a watercolor or a photograph or a pastel (this was pre-digital print) should not be subjected to more than 3 months a year exhibition at 50lux eight hours per day. It may have actually been much less.
> 
> Of course this small amount of exposure to light is extremely cautious on the part of an institution entrusted to preserve works of art for future generations. But, the pamphlet they published was intended to advise collectors for how to preserve works of art in private collections. Many of the private collections today are so vast that the caution was given to make sure collectors gave works a rest by cycling them.
> 
> I think it would be advantageous for Aardenburg to get that specific condition set from the MET, and to use that as one additional Conservation Display Rating. In some ways, collectors (especially the ones who acquire large amounts of photographs) have been left out of the WIR & Aardenburg ratings because the assumption is always that the work will be continuously displayed.
> 
> I've always thought that the only photographs that will ever actually be continuously displayed from their inception to the end of time are portraits of Popes in the Hall of Popes at the Vatican. Where else is anyone going to put up a framed print for 200+ years?
> 
> Because some very fragile processes may yet to be used by photographers, and perhaps because some very important photography may utilize very fugitive and unusual processes existing now - it would give confidence to museums and collectors to preserve more rarer forms of digital photography, that while not being capable of displaying well in a storefront display, would have an attractive display life in archive.
> 
> What are your thoughts on establishing a rating that would be of interest to curators because it was directly targeted to museum display conditions according to their archival policies?
> 
> Just to be sure I've distilled to you what I am trying to say - I understand that you currently have a "Museum Standard" of 50 lux 12 hours per day. But, that assumes continual display which is not likely in a museum. My question is rather in regard to the policies of how a museum keeps a single work of art over its entire expected life span according to their policies (storage in dark, occasional exhibitions, etc.)
> 
> Jon Cone
> Piezography
>