User:MuseeDesReves/sandbox

=Art Preparator=

An art preparator (also known as an art handler) is a museum professional responsible for various aspects of readying art objects for movement or exhibition. These aspects can include packing and shipping, installing artworks, designing and building mounts and display cases, and even specialized handling of ritual objects in accordance with native specifications.

Art preparators work closely with the collections and exhibition teams, often as part of the collections management department. They are one of the few staff members who are permitted to touch the collection objects, and as such, are responsible for properly handling and caring for the objects to prevent damage and deterioration.

While large museums may have a team of preparators, each handling individual aspects of the moving and exhibition process, smaller museums often have just one person who sees to all the necessary tasks.

Responsibilities and Duties
Art preparators are for a wide variety of duties, including but not limited to:


 * Art Handling: moving objects to and from storage and the exhibition space, or within the storage areas or galleries. Careful art handling is vital to preventing damage to objects.
 * Case Building: building or modifying display cases and mounts to securely hold art objects while on exhibition.
 * Conservation: assisting with collections care tasks such as cleaning objects and removing or replacing frames. Removing agents of deterioration, devising storage strategies, and rotating works on and off exhibit are all vital tasks for preparators to preserve, protect, and repair artwork. (What Is Collections Management?, 2017) However, more involved conservation and repair work is typically done by trained conservators.
 * Crating: building or modifying shipping containers and securing art objects inside them.
 * Installation: assembling art objects and setting them up in their display space, including both hanging two-dimensional art on walls and placing three-dimensional objects. Placing art for display also requires that preparators hang display labels in the appropriate places.
 * Lighting: installing and adjusting lighting in exhibition spaces that both allows for viewing the art and protecting it from UV exposure. UV exposure can be particularly damaging to art objects, causing bleaching, fading, yellowing, and warping, depending on the material (Michalski), but is necessary for museum patrons to see and navigate. Lighting choice and adjustment, therefore, is one of a preparator’s most delicate tasks.
 * Packing: differing slightly from crating, packing refers to securing art objects for both internal moves within the museum and shipping, using padding, envelopes, acid-free boxes, and other such containers. The packing materials, positioning of materials within the packing, and method of transport need to be carried out in the least disruptive way to protect the objects.
 * Project Management: the various processes involved in exhibition setup and artwork shipping requires preparators to coordinate their tasks with those of other museum employees and manage both deadlines and staff.
 * Registration: in smaller museums, art preparation may be the responsibility of the registrar. In these cases, the art handler must also manage the registration duties of the museum, including scheduling, insurance, and cataloging.
 * Routine Maintenance: art preparators are responsible for the general upkeep of the exhibition space, including changing lightbulbs, dusting art objects, and troubleshooting technological issues.
 * Security: in addition to safely holding art objects, display cases must be constructed to prevent access from visitors and unauthorized personnel. Theft and vandalism causes millions of dollars of loss in cultural institutions every year, so preventing these incidents must be a top concern of art handlers.
 * Technology: museums are including more interactives in their exhibitions, and it often falls to the preparator to manage the setup of these displays.

Knowledge and Skills
Preparators must have a wide variety of skills at their disposal to accomplish their responsibilities, many of them industrial or technical in nature. These include:
 * Art Installation (text)
 * Carpentry/Woodworking
 * Computer skills
 * Conservation
 * Construction
 * Electrical skills
 * Graphic Design
 * Hand Tool and Heavy Equipment Handling
 * Painting
 * Tribal/Native Relic Handling Techniques
 * Truck Driving

Art preparation is one of the few museum careers where a college degree is less important than practical training. While an undergraduate degree, particularly in a technical field, is an asset, and higher degrees may be required for upper-level positions, most museums are looking for preparators who have the necessary practical skills to move, install, and protect artwork.

New art preparators are typically given on-the-job training by being paired with an experienced preparator. (Hinson, 2005) Professional development courses are also available, but time and budget constraints faced by many museums make these a less reliable source of regular training.