Preventive conservation is an important part of collection care. Working on the Kyffin Williams bequest’s collection of artwork has been an interesting and enjoyable challenge. As part of this work I have carefully examined each painting, noting damage caused by insect pests and surface dirt. Special museum vacs and crevice tools have been used to carefully clean the backs of the canvasses to remove contaminants and insect debris.
The majority of the artworks were unframed but as they required a considerable amount of handling the paintings were secured into storage frames ensuring they were protected.
Art works are sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, light and ultraviolet light. They require good storage environments that reduce and protect from such damaging processes. The Kyffin bequest requires such a protective environment, as well as a considerable amount of storage space.
As a consequence of this, a storage area which until recently had held a large collection of books underwent a makeover (on a limited budget), being transformed into a bespoke collections storage area for the artist’s works. This has been achieved by adapting a number of mobile shelving units. This process involved the removal of existing shelving and replacing them with metal mesh panels, onto which the collection will be hung. This process is reversible and if required could be returned to being used as a book store in future years.