Is Your Framing Preserving Your Artwork?

Antique Photos - Before new mats and glass

Antique Photos - After new mats and glass

Once a piece of artwork is framed, it is framed for life—a common misconception that has taken its toll on many pieces of art. In fact, new framing products are continually being released to further the life of your artwork.

UV protecting glass, cotton rag mats and acid buffering materials were not commonly used or were cost prohibitive 15-20 years ago. It is a good idea to bring your framed art to your local framer about every 10 years to make sure your artwork is still in prime condition and to educate yourself on new products that may extend the life of the piece.

Glass
Arguably the best update you can make to preserve your framed art is an upgrade to conservation glass. UV protecting glass considerably extends the life of your artwork by minimizing fading. We never recommend hanging artwork in direct sunlight, but even indirect sunlight can cause fading. Your local framer can determine if the glass on your art is conservation or you may have a sticker on the back of your framing indicating what type of glass was used. Prices on UV proctecting glass have dropped to a range that is within reach of most consumers, and considering the value it preserves in your artwork, typically worth the investment.

Mats
All of the mats commonly used in framing today are acid-free or 100 percent cotton rag. You may be able to determine what mats you have by looking at the bevels on the opening cut in the mat - are they yellowed and brown? Or crisp white? Cotton rag and acid-free mats will be white, paper mats yellow or brown. Yellowing is caused by acid, which can be transferred to your artwork touching the underside of that mat. Conservation mats will preserve art on paper and photos (and you might opt to choose new colors for a fresh look).

Frames
The frame is typically the most costly part of custom framing. Thankfully, in most cases, the frame can stay on the artwork for as long as you desire. Your local framer can usually cut mats and glass to fit the artwork and the existing frame.

Restoration
If you find that your artwork is damaged, don't panic. Art restoration companies can work miracles to breathe new life into damaged art. Don't consider anything ruined until you speak with an art restoration expert.

How is your artwork doing? Have you taken a look at it lately? Remember, you framed it for a reason! It may have personal importance or monetary value, either way, consider taking framed artwork to your local framer who can easily help you with preservation and updating.

Hilltop Artists and Helping Kids Love Art

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to chaperone my daughter on a preschool field trip to Tacoma Art Museum. I was looking forward to the visit, it was a beautiful day to be in downtown Tacoma. We arrived a few minutes late and joined the group. Children were seated on a round rug all intently listening to the docent lay down the groundrules about how to act in a museum (don't touch ANYTHING! Even the cases that hold the art are ART. Don't touch the glass on the cases either, you'll make it DIRTY.) Hmmm... a bit of my excitement was extinguished.

We went into the first gallery which houses the Dale Chihuly retrospective. The children were doing great following instructions. The docent asked about shape, color and which pieces they liked best. I couldn't help but think that they all were feeling a little timid after the strict admonishing they'd just received about rules with art. Which led me to this question: How can we ask children to open themselves up to beautiful artwork in a museum setting without killing all of their curiosity and wonderment?

I know, as a parent, I have taken my kids to museums and encouraged them to look closely at brushstrokes or texture, only to be warned by a guard to back off. Discouraged, I've given up on trying to make kids and museums get along. Luckily art is everywhere and we try to appreciate all that we can see outside the museum. Being a gallery owner, my kids are fairly comfortable around art. In contrast, I see adults in museums or galleries, obviously uncomfortable and unsure how to act (Maybe because they had rules beaten into their heads about how to act in a museum on a preschool field trip??) When did museums start dictating how we relate to art? Why must we whisper? If we say we like one piece will the others hear and feel bad?

On the heels of this, I saw on recently that Dale Chihuly made a visit to the Hilltop Artists studio at Jason Lee Middle School. For those of you unfamiliar with this program, it is a free glassblowing studio open to all youth regardless. No one is turned away. Chihuly was integral in starting the program which has helped hundreds of kids learn a skill that allows themselves to express their emotions and grow their confidence. This program doesn't ask them to put all of that in a box. If a piece breaks, melt it down and make something new!

I can't help but wonder what Dale Chihuly would have thought of our preschool museum experience. On one hand we are teaching our children to respect and revere his work, but we ask them to tailor that emotion to fit the mold of the museum experience. Sorry - not interested.

After leaving the museum, I walked across the Chihuly pedestrian overpass with my daughter. We looked at the glass and talked about shape, color and which she liked best. I had no worry about her doing any damage, these pieces were behind glass (albeit bulletproof) just like the ones in the museum. She was able to run around beneath the ceiling filled with blown glass, chasing the sun peeking through - I had no worry about anything breaking. I thought to myself, if Dale Chihuly feels comfortable enough to put his artwork in a public place for all to see, yell in front of, run around, jump near or sing at, then I can't help but think that maybe he was a little unhappy with the museum experience too.

Hilltop Artists supports itself through sales of student-created artwork and donations. If you'd like to help, go to http://www.hilltopartists.org/. Hilltop Artists glass is also for sale at Lakewood Gallery & Framing http://www.lakewoodgallery.com/.