Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will address widespread collections care needs through a project that will develop a new test for the assessment of construction, storage, and display materials for use with organic objects. The environment in which objects are stored and displayed by institutions affects the condition and longevity of these objects. It is important that materials in direct contact with an object be adequately evaluated to ensure they will not be damaging; however, most museums, libraries, and archives do not have the resources necessary to perform such evaluations, and additionally, there is no accurate tool for assessing materials used with organic objects. Partnering with museums across the country, the Metropolitan Museum will develop and perform a test and publish the data online for use by collections care professionals, nationally and worldwide. Additionally, the museum will develop a collaborative online portal to gather suggestions and host conversations on topics such as future materials to be evaluated.