A Preservation Assessment of The DeVos Art Museum's Collection

FAIN: PG-50497-09

Northern Michigan University (Marquette, MI 49855-2818)
Melissa A. Matuscak (Project Director: May 2008 to October 2010)

A preservation assessment of the DeVos Art Museum's collections. The museum's holdings feature the works of American illustrators, Native American art of the Great Lakes region, Japanese art and artifacts, and the paintings, works on paper, and sketchbooks of an Upper Peninsula artist, N. Cecelia Kettunen (1896-1992).

The DeVos Art Museum proposes to contract with the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) in order to conduct the museum's first general preservation assessment survey of the museum's collection of approximately 1,000 items, all of which are accessible for research, education and public programming. This comprehensive survey from the MACC will include the following: an institutional and collections profile; a review of staffing and collections policies; an assessment of the building and facilities (including environmental controls, security, exhibition space, storage space, storage furniture and methods); an overview of the different areas in the collection; and a list of priorities and recommendations. This general preservation assessment survey is the crucial first step in creating a long-range preservation plan for the museum and the collection and will be the basis for all future preservation efforts.