Museum of Danish America is committed to providing professional care for its artifact collections and maintains safe, clean, and stable exhibition, storage, and work spaces. The Curatorial staff, who have over 20 years of combined experience in the museum field, establish and maintain conditions that prolong the lives of the artifacts in the collections.
Our Process
Temperature and relative humidity are set to specific levels which help to stabilize objects of different materials, such as metal, wood, paper, and plastic. Light levels are kept low to prevent fading and heat damage. Cleaning methods are unobtrusive and never cause damage. Staff create mounts, boxes, or other means of stabilization out of archival quality materials for artifacts that need additional physical support. Security is also a priority and is maintained at all times.
When an artifact needs more specialized treatment than the museum can provide, we consult with the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC), located in Minneapolis.
Conservation projects can be costly, but are often necessary to save an artifact from further deterioration, as was the case with the Danish American Athletic Club banner we received in 2007. As you can see below, the conservators at the MACC did extensive work to stabilize the piece, making it available for display for the first time.
Before
Wrinkles and tears before treatment
After
Full banner after treatment
