Curating, Conserving, and Preparing for the Future
Contributing Authors: Alisa McCusker, curator of European and American Art | Stacey Kelley, director of collections and conservator | Josh Sundermeyer, Museum preparator | Heather Cordes, preparations assistant | Hilary Jane Frost, assistant exhibitions preparator
This blog is adapted from articles featured in the July, August, September edition of the UMFA’s member magazine Quarterly.
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How does the Utah Museum of Fine Arts build a collection, and why do museums choose specific objects to steward for future generations? These questions are at the heart of the exhibition For the Future: Collecting at the UMFA 2001–2026, which celebrates twenty-five years in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building. The exhibition will showcase some of the UMFA’s most notable art acquisitions since the Museum moved into its incredible home in 2001. The UMFA’s holdings have grown about twenty-five percent since then, and today total around 22,000 artworks.
Museums like the Utah Museum of Fine Arts develop their collections deliberately, strategically, and gradually over time. The UMFA’s extensive collection represents a remarkable range of global artistic expression that is unique in our region. The Museum is the only institution in the state that collects, exhibits, interprets, and cares for artworks representing global cultures from the ancient to the contemporary. So, art acquisitions must be carefully considered to enhance and round out the collection to reflect a range of cultural identities, historic periods, and artistic movements.
UMFA senior curator, Alisa McCusker describes a curator’s role as being “a link in a long chain of stewards, to incrementally augment and refine the decisions of those who came before and expand opportunities for those who follow.” The UMFA’s collection is not only a multi-generational collaboration of curators, but also a reflection of the generosity and philanthropic spirit of countless others who believe in the UMFA’s mission.
The Museum strives to make global art available to everyone, and the UMFA does everything with its core mission in mind. The mission of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts is to inspire critical dialogue and illuminate the role of art in our lives. This mission is multi-faceted and requires not only curation today, but stewardship and conservation in the long term.
Caring for the collection begins with preventive conservation, which entails protecting it from damage through indirect measures like careful handling, stable environmental conditions, and thoughtful display and storage. Director of collections, Stacey Kelly, emphasizes the importance of this work saying, “These measures help ensure that the works of art remain preserved for future generations.”
In the long term, even with strong preventive care, time can still take its toll. Conservation treatment may be necessary to stabilize an artwork, repair damage, and help prevent further deterioration. Conservators and curators work together to determine the most appropriate treatment, balancing the long-term preservation of the artwork with respect for the artist’s intent.
Conservation is a highly specialized field, and conservators often focus on a particular material. Stacey Kelly, is not only the director of collections, but also the UMFA’s only conservator on staff; she specializes in works on paper, which constitute a significant portion of the collection. For other materials, the UMFA works with other accredited conservators like Denver-based paintings conservator Yasuko Ogino, and local objects conservator Kimberleigh Collins-Peynaud. The UMFA was also able to work with the Nishio Conservation Studio in Washington, D.C to conserve the Japanese screen, under-drawing, and practice drawings, featured in the 2024 exhibition, Chiura Obata: Layer by Layer.
Preserving the collection, however, extends well beyond conservation treatment. Every decision about how an artwork is handled, exhibited, and stored is guided by its long-term preservation. This collaborative effort brings together conservators, curators, registrars, exhibition designers, and preparators, each contributing specialized expertise to ensure artworks remain both safe and accessible to visitors.
Preparators play a particularly important role in this work. During the installation of every artwork, they collaborate with many departments to translate curatorial vision into physical installations that both protect the artwork while creating meaningful experiences for visitors. Their work is both the most visible and the most invisible in the Museum. Visitors see the results every day, even if they rarely notice the craftsmanship behind them.
Alongside the head exhibition designer, preparators contribute to nearly every aspect of an exhibition. In addition to installing artworks, they build and maintain exhibitions, fabricate custom mounts designed to protect artworks during seismic events, adjust lighting for light-sensitive objects, and collaborate with contractors to design specialized display cases. Those cases often incorporate preservation features developed in consultation with conservators, including hidden compartments for silica gel that help regulate humidity. Every mount, case, and lighting decision balances the visitor experience with the long-term preservation of the artwork.
The UMFA’s team is looking to the future every step of the way, making decisions and following through with integrity and intention. Curators thoughtfully shape the collection to inspire Utahns for generations to come. Conservators, registrars, preparators, exhibition designers, and many others work together to preserve, document, and present it. Every role contributes to the same goal: building and sustaining a collection held in the public trust so it can educate and inspire generations to come.
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Header Image: Jack Hicks unpacks objects in the UMFA collection in 1975.