Something lurks in the basement of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, threatening to destroy nearly 800 metals.
The culprit? Bronze disease, a chemical reaction that eats away at objects containing copper alloys. When these metals come into extended contact with salt water or soil, chlorides infect them. After these chlorides interact with humidity, it produces a fuzzy green film on the art piece. Once this process starts it’s nearly impossible to stop and can completely destroy the object.
Robyn Haynie, a conservator for the museum said that since October, staff has worked to preserve these endangered objects. The endangered objects come from primarily from the Asian and African collections. To aid in preservation, UMFA received $100,000 in grant money from the Institute of Museum and Library Science, the primary source of federal support for libraries and museums in the country.
“It’s our responsibility to make sure they survive as long as possible so they can be used and studied as long as possible,” Haynie said.
The corrosion likely started in the museum’s previous location, the Park Building, Haynie said. The work done now is to correct “those historical mistakes.”
Haynie said while most damage was visible, some aren’t as easy to spot. Danielle Montanari, a PhD student in chemistry, is working to identify which pieces are infected through a scanning method.
Conservators start by scraping off the light green fuzz growing on the piece. They then treat it chemically by soaking it to see if chloride is deep in the artwork. While this can result in pits and holes in the object, the metallic rot is removed completely. After this, the conservators place the objects in dry and oxygen free environments to stop any remaining chemicals from reacting and restarting the process.
The majority of the grant is set to purchase new casework which can remove the humidity around an object. This will allow the UMFA to display the art without further exposing it to the air.
Haynie said while this project will take up much of the conservation efforts, they will continue to work on smaller, less critical projects.
“We are continuously working to take care of all of our collections this is just one opportunity to focus on one part of our collection,” Haynie said.
UMFA staff predict the project will finish in roughly two years and will continue after the museum closes for a year in January.
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