Walters Art Museum

The Walters Art Museum will improve environmental conditions for 246 objects in its Ancient, Medieval, Islamic, and Renaissance collections by retrofitting 40 cases to mitigate exposure to air pollutants that are causing significant and continuous damage to the objects. Staff will deinstall, document, examine, and treat the artworks, recording all relevant details in databases and on the museum website as appropriate. The retrofit will include applying a vapor barrier to all wood-product surfaces and incorporating new, acid-free case materials and designs to increase air flow within each case. Staff will photograph the deinstallation/reinstallation processes, establish correct microclimate conditions for each case, and engage in public outreach through direct conversations with the visiting public about preventative conservation and issues related to indoor pollutants, via the museum’s Conservation Window.