Bolling Art Conservation-SOO.pdf

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES FOR THE CONSERVATION OF DEPARTMENT OF

THE AIR FORCE ART HERITAGE ASSETS LOCATED IN BLDG 1301, JOINT BASE

ANACOSTIA BOLLING

1. Background – The Department of the Air Force Art collection is an art heritage program that captures the stories of the Air and Space Forces through the universal language of art and makes them available to the military and wider public. The art storage room at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling holds 974 artworks donated to the Department of the Air Force (DAF) by various artists throughout the years. They consist of paintings, works on paper, mixed media, textile and some sculpture. The oldest pieces date from World War I to more contemporary artwork from the 2000s. Sample mold testing has led to the assumption that all pieces stored in this location are affected by mold to various degrees, and some also have water/humidity damage among other issues. They range in size from approximately a square foot to 9ft W x 4 H ft. There are framed and unframed pieces.

The storage of these art heritage assets for years in inadequate environmental conditions has resulted in artwork that is no longer safe, nor presentable for display, or art team handling. The building the artwork is housed in is scheduled for demolition within 1-2 years, raising the urgency of this enterprise. No previous restoration or conservation treatments have been given to the pieces that is known of. There has been no close inspection by conservation experts so further assessment of the true the condition of the pieces is unknown. Some pieces will be deaccessioned prior to the start of any restoration/conservation treatments with the amount not expected to exceed 1 to 3% of the total stored therein. Federal OMB Circular A-136 defines artwork in the Department of the Air Force (DAF) Art collection as a “Heritage Asset” that is “generally expected to be preserved indefinitely” as part of proper stewardship. AFI 84-104, para 1.2.1.4, also calls for the preservation of artwork in the DAF collection.

a. The vendor will remove all the artwork from the Bolling storage area in its entirety and provide environmentally adequate and safe storage as approved by the government, until such time the artwork can be worked on incrementally, treatment is completed, and handover back to government is done. Storage will be also secure and safe from any further damage to the artwork or pilferage/theft.

i. The vendor will ensure the artwork is protected from environmental hazards including but not limited to inadequate ambient light levels, or incidence of ultraviolet light, or florescent lighting, variations in temperature and humidity, and dust and dirt.

ii. Vendor will store artwork in location designed to maintain strict environmental controls needed for protective storage whilst the artwork is under the vendor’s custody. Vendor will ensure designated art storage facilities meet temperature and relative humidity operating ranges between 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius) to 74 degrees Fahrenheit (23.3 degrees Celsius) and 45% Relative Humidity to 53% Relative Humidity for indoor cooling conditions, and 66 degrees Fahrenheit (18.9 degrees Celsius) to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius) and 37% Relative Humidity to 45% Relative Humidity for indoor heating conditions.

b. The vendor will submit a proposed schedule/timeline on how the artwork will be cared for with suggested milestones for approval of the government.

c. The government may perform site visits to vendor’s place of performance to gauge progress and quality of the work.

d. The frames will be included as part of the treatment to bring the artwork as close as possible to its original state. This will include cleaning, filling in any dents, and repainting/gilding as needed. It will also include the reapplication of any staples, nails, glue, etc. as needed for the re-stabilization and reinforcement of the frame as required to support the artwork for many more years to come. If a frame needs to be replaced in its entirety due to it not being cost effective to retain it for the piece or the frame is not historically important to the artwork, the government will be consulted for a final determination before proceeding on whether to retain the frame or not.

e. Any attached labels or plaques on the front or back of the piece will be retained and carefully removed and affixed to the restored artwork in order to maintain the historical context and aid in any provenance. The government will be consulted in any case there are questions.

2. Purpose – The goal is to bring artwork to an “Exhibition ready” state, suitable for display, according to professional museum standards. The contractor shall pick-up, drop-off, coordinate, schedule, provide professional treatment consultation and assistance services required to evaluate, assess, and intervene as required (either by preservation, conservation and/or restoration) on Department of the Air Force artwork. Once the pieces are exhibition ready, the vendor will provide detailed documentation of the process executed on the piece to include before, during, and after images.

a. An artwork is considered “exhibition ready” and presentable when:

i. It has no damage and does not bear obvious signs of damage.

ii. Is free of debris and other pollutants that might obfuscate the true features, contours, and colors of the piece.

iii. Has been brought respectfully as close and pristine as possible to its original and final state, as known to have been presented by the creating artist’s apparent intent.

iv. The artwork is not laden with any substances, materials, or pests that present an unsafe or unhealthy situation to handlers, the viewing public, or the rest of the collection.

v. If original and the desire is to retain, the frame is repaired as much as possible to its original state.

vi. Hanging systems are repaired or replaced to allow for the safe and stable exhibit of the artwork.

vii. Any artworks that require replacing or adding glass to the artwork frame structure will be done with matte or anti-reflective, low distortion, UV protective “art-glass” quality glass to safeguard the artwork. “Museum” quality glass may be suggested for more delicate or important pieces with final determination made by the government. Museum quality acrylic or plexi-glass may also be appropriate in some cases to further reduce costs and weights for selected pieces by the government. Pastel medium works will have glass versus acrylic installed.

viii. Matts or mounting boards added or replaced will be acid free.

3. Place of Performance – To Be Determined (TBD). Location to be included in proposal.

4. Deliverables

a. Plan of action – included in proposal. Multiple levels of restoration can be proposed.

b. Tentative Schedule – included in proposal.

c. Exhibition ready piece.

d. Documentation/report with images of restored piece.

e. Interested Contractors must have ample experience in the field of art conservation and restoration with the ability to provide samples of current, and past contracts and projects.

5. Acceptance and Delivery

a. Art Program personnel will coordinate pickup and delivery with the assistance of the SAF/AMO facilities branch TBD. Coordination is required a minimum of 72 hours in advance. The vendor can anticipate spending perhaps 1-2 weeks to properly pickup, package and document the artwork.

b. The art will be signed for at the Joint Base Anacostia Bolling art storage loading dock for pickup and received at a not yet undetermined military or DAF leased facility for delivery. The vendor will be required to sign out the art from DAF Art Program.

c. Vendor must show proof that they carry enough insurance to offset any damage or loss of painting up to the amount of $2M.

d. The vendor will deliver the exhibition ready pieces to Department of the Air Force Art team personnel for inspection, or the government will conduct the inspection at the vendor’s facility at the choice of the government. The inspection process can take up to three months. Once inspection is complete, the vendor will be contacted by the Department of the Air Force Art Program to return the pieces.

Acceptance will be done by DAF Art Program personnel, at a military installation or leased facility (to be determined) once the paintings have passed inspection and are deemed ready for exhibition.