The Heritage Health Index Report to the Henry Luce Foundation on the State of American Art Collections HHIHeritage Health Index a partnership between Heritage Preservation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services Table of Contents Executive Summary. i 1. Data on Institutions Holding American Art . 1 2. Condition of Collections . 5 3. Intellectual Control and Assessment . 13 4. Collections Environment . 17 5. Collections Storage . 20 6. Emergency Plannning and Security . 25 7. Preservation Staffing and Activities . 28 8. Preservation Expenditures and Funding . 32 9. Public Outreach. 37 Appendices: A. American Art Committee Members . A1 B. Heritage Health Index Participants with American Art Holdings . B1 C. Survey Background and Methodology . C1 D. Heritage Health Index Institutional Advisory Committee Members . D1 E. Heritage Health Index Working Group Members . E1 F. Heritage Health Index Survey Instrument, Instructions, and Frequently Asked Questions . F1 ©2006 Heritage Preservation, Inc. Heritage Preservation 1012 14th St. Suite 1200 Washington, DC 20005 202-233-0800 fax 202-233-0807 www.heritagepreservation.org [email protected] Heritage Preservation receives funding from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. However, the content and opinions included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior. The Heritage Health Index Report on American Art Collections i Executive Summary The Heritage Health Index was the first compre- tions holding American art. In this report, “insti- hensive survey ever conducted of the condition tutions holding American art” refers to this and preservation needs of all U.S. collections held group of 9,187 institutions. The Heritage Health in the public trust. The project was designed and Index data on institutions holding American art coordinated by Heritage Preservation, a national has a low margin of error at +/- 2.4%. nonprofit organization, in partnership with the The Heritage Health Index documents that Institute of Museum and Library Services, an institutions holding American art care for 21 mil- independent federal agency. The results of the sur- lion art objects. These institutions include not vey were published in December 2005 in A Public only art museums but also history museums, his- Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report torical societies, and libraries. The largest hold- on the State of America’s Collections. ings of art are at: The Henry Luce Foundation provided a two- year grant of $100,000 to implement the Heritage Art Museums 7.9 million items Health Index at institutions with collections by History Museums (including artists from the United States of America. The historic sites, general museums, funding also supported data analysis and a report and specialized museums) 7.6 million items on the condition of these American art collec- Independent Research Libraries tions. To assist in the review and analysis of the (including state and major data, Heritage Preservation convened a commit- federal libraries) 1.9 million items tee of nine members, including the Luce Founda- tion’s Program Director for American Art, Ellen Historical Societies 1.1 million items Holtzman, and eight collections professionals from institutions with leading American art col- By looking beyond the holdings of art muse- lections (Appendix A). ums, the Heritage Health Index data provides a The Heritage Health Index questionnaire new, inclusive view of the preservation issues focused on the media of collections as being more confronting American art collections. The data in relevant to condition and preservation needs this report is frequently presented by type of than genre. However, Heritage Preservation was institution and size of institution, to better pin- able to isolate the Heritage Health Index data on point where the needs are greatest. American art by selecting the surveys from insti- The Heritage Health Index also provides an tutions with more than 100 works of art, includ- opportunity to investigate the items in other ing paintings, art on paper, sculpture, and decora- media held by institutions with American art. tive art, excluding institutions that hold prima- Half of institutions holding American art care for rily non-American collections, and including 140 seven other types of collections beyond art. The institutions that were identified by the Luce conditions of these collections are important to Foundation as having significant American art consider as some of them document art, such as holdings. books and bound volumes, unbound sheets, mov- In reviewing the resulting list of 1,243 institu- ing images, recorded sound, digital materials, tions (Appendix B), the American art committee and historic objects. Looking at the condition of concurred with Heritage Preservation that a sig- other media is also relevant in the case of con- nificant proportion of these institutions’ art col- temporary art, which can include artworks in lections are of American art. Heritage Preserva- audiovisual or digital formats. tion then projected the data of the 1,243 returned For many data points, the Heritage Health surveys to all the institutions of similar charac- Index results pertaining to institutions holding teristics in the total study population. By doing American art show that these institutions may be this, it is estimated that there are 9,187 institu- providing slightly better care than U.S. collecting ii The Heritage Health Index Report on American Art Collections institutions overall. However, the condition of ble improvements to collections care that can be collections at institutions holding American art achieved within most institutions’ current indicates a substantial need for preservation resources. In addition, many excellent models attention and activities. Based on this data and and handbooks exist to assist institutions in dis- input from the American art committee, Heritage aster planning. Preservation recommends immediate attention to the following issues. Storage Only 31% of institutions holding American art Collections Assessments reported that the majority of their collections are At institutions holding American art, 30% of stored in areas large enough to accommodate art objects (6.3 million) are in unknown condi- current collections safely. More than a third of tion. This includes 21% of paintings, 29% of art institutions have an urgent need for additional on paper, 20% of sculpture, and 37% of decorative on-site storage, and 37% report an urgent need arts objects. The situation is worse with photo- for renovated storage. Providing adequate stor- graphic materials, of which 41% are in unknown age is a need that cannot be delayed—67% of condition. It is not surprising, therefore, that 22% institutions holding American art have reported of institutions holding American art report not damage to collections due to improper storage. having done a general collections assessment. In recent years, the Luce Foundation has been Another 16% have done such a survey, but it is instrumental in supporting visible storage areas out-of-date. Without at least a general under- at institutions around the country. These proj- standing of the needs of its holdings, an institu- ects provided optimum conditions for collections tion cannot direct preservation activities to the and made more collections accessible to the pub- collections that need them most. lic. In getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse at these wide-ranging collections, visitors also gain Intellectual Control an appreciation of the demands on institutions The Heritage Health Index found that 43% of that care for our nation’s collections. institutions holding American art have signifi- cant backlogs in the cataloging that provides Digital Preservation intellectual control over their collections. Four- Preservation of digital materials is an area of teen percent have none of their collection cata- increasing concern. Some contemporary art is loged. While small institutions are more likely to created in digital format, and without specific have a cataloging backlog, even 26% of large preservation plans in place, these works could be institutions cite that less than 60% of their col- irretrievable in a matter of years. Documentation lections are cataloged. Not having basic informa- that accompanies artworks, which often provides tion about holdings contributes to the lack of critical information for their preservation, is knowledge about the condition of collections, being collected and stored digitally and is at risk which has a tremendous impact on their long- as well. Yet almost half of institutions holding term preservation and care. American art have not included the responsibility to preserve digital collections in their preserva- Emergency Planning tion mission or program. One-quarter of institu- Eighty percent of collecting institutions tions holding American art reported that more nationwide have no written emergency/disaster than 60% of their digital collections are in plan with staff trained to carry it out; at institu- unknown condition. tions holding American art, that figure is 74%. Recent natural disasters have underscored that Stable Funding collecting institutions with disaster plans are Preservation requires perseverance, yet only able to recover more efficiently and effectively 38% of institutions holding American art allocate than those without plans. Writing a plan and con- for this vital activity in their annual budgets.