Exit Condition Report on the Neil Nokes Collection of African Art

Condition reports are employed to protect and guide museums by documenting the state of preservation of any loaned property. By recording the physical condition of loaned objects, the examiner is offering protection to both the loaner and borrower. A careful condition report is one of the museums preeminent methods of managing the liability that may arise after the loaned collection is returned to its original owner. These reports are an imperative component of the monitoring process and should be conducted on a regular basis. Upon obtaining the collection from the lender, the condition of the objects should be checked against the lender’s original report. Prior to the return of the collection to the lender, the objects should be re-examined once more by the borrower.

For my final project, I will perform an exit condition report on the 198 items on loan from the Neil Nokes Collection of African Art. In this project, I will review the incoming condition reports and assess a new one based on three considerations: insecurity (such as weakness of materials), damage (such as advanced deterioration) and disfigurement (such as physical violence or chemical change). The methods I will employ in the condition report will take into account the three attributes of defects: nature, location and extent. In this project, I will handle sculptures, ceramics and textiles where, according to the object material, I will use the correct methodology necessary for its proper examination and recording. Within this methodology, I will familiarize myself with a working knowledge of common terms that are utilized by collections managers and registrars. This will give me the ability to link the reports together in a coherent and manageable form. Upon completion of a physical inspection of each object, I will do a physical inventory and finalize my project by including the original condition report with the revised version.

Bibliography

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Dudley, Dorothy and Irma Bezold Wilkinson. Museum Registration Methods.
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O’Reily, Priscilla and Allyn Lord. Basic Condition Reporting: A Handbook.
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Phillimore, Elizabeth C. A Glossary of Terms Useful in Conservation with a
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