Introduction:

All artworks and objects, regardless of medium, change over time. Working against the processes of transformation and degradation can be prohibitively expensive, time and labour intensive, and negatively environmentally impactful. Not all artworks can or should be preserved in apparent stasis. These riders and suggestions are designed to instigate and guide discussions among artists, institutions, and collectors/acquiring parties to communicate expectations with regard to the lifespan and care of artworks and objects on display and in collections. They are a starting point and may be adapted to account for the specificities of individual artworks, artist intent, local environmental conditions, labour demands in museums, budgetary constraints, and other eventualities.

The riders should be understood as frameworks for discussion rather than as contracts or agreements, and are one part of environmentally responsible best practices that include the making, display, transport, and storage of artworks. These riders pertain specifically to the impact of time on artworks. Links to best practices and riders pertaining to environmentally-aware making, display, and shipping of artworks can be found at the bottom of the document.

Overall:

The degradation of and subsequent alterations to many materials used in art production is inevitable. Materials degrade over time due to several reasons including, but not limited to: oxidation, exposure to radiation from light sources, internal factors in the material composition, off-gassing/migration from storage or packing materials, humidity, and microorganisms.

All stakeholders should try to identify materials in the artwork and understand how the materials will degrade over time. These riders should be discussed together with the appended Acquisitions Protocol, which includes information on and links to tools to identify and understand different materials.

Template:

Artist: ____________ (hereafter the artist)

Title: _____________ (hereafter the artwork)

1. I (artist) request that (the artwork) be treated as temporal, mutable, and always evolving.

Conservation/Intervention:

2. I (artist) request that there be no special preventative measures to arrest the deterioration or prolong the lifespan of the artwork (check all that apply):

• __The work does not require rigid climate control parameters (temperature and relative humidity) in exhibition spaces.
• __The work does not require rigid climate control parameters (temperature and relative humidity) in storage.
• __The work does not require rigid climate control parameters (temperature and relative humidity) in transit.
• __Other (explain).

3. I (artist) request that with regard to (the artwork) there be no interference in the effects (e.g. optical/structural/physical) of time, interaction with the surrounding environment, and entropy such as (check all that apply):

• __Conservation treatments to conceal or prevent the degradation of materials in (the artwork).
• __Conservation treatments to conceal or prevent unanticipated irregularities in the optical appearance of (the artwork).
• __Conservation treatments to alter the optical properties (fading, discoloration, oxidation, corrosion, etc.) of (the artwork) as it ages.

4. I (artist) request that where possible a conversation take place prior to conservation treatments being applied to conceal or prevent unanticipated damage to/irregularities in the artwork.

5. I (artist) request that where possible no chemical treatments (fire retardants, pesticides, etc.) be applied to the artwork without consultation with the artist and options for alternative outcomes (including that the work not be shown in facilities requiring such treatments).

6. With regard to ongoing changes in (the artwork) (check all that apply):

• __I (artist) request that the collecting institution/collector inform me of the acquired artwork’s condition (via condition report, photo documentation, or on-site visit) before it is publically displayed or changes ownership.
• __I (artist) request that the collecting institution/collector inform me of the acquired artwork’s condition (via condition report, photo documentation or on-site visit) every ____ years.
• __I (artist) reserve the right to determine if the condition of the artwork aligns with my original intent for the behavior of the materials. If the condition of the artwork constitutes a total loss, see article 8 for my preferred next steps.

7. I (artist) request that where possible a conversation take place between myself and the acquiring party to define and establish the parameters of total loss of the artwork. Examples of total loss can include, but are not limited to, the work being: stolen, irreparably damaged, no longer effectively communicating the concept etc.

8. In the event of total loss, which is defined through a joint agreement between (artist) and the acquiring party above (article 7), I (artist) condone the (check all that apply):

• __Integrated, intentional continued degradation of the artwork.
• __Artwork’s presentation in the form of documentation; the manner in which the documentation is carried out necessitates consultation with (artist).
• __Replacement of individual components of the work that can be easily replaced and responsibly procured.
• __Replacement/replica of the work through recipes/instructions to be carried out by (artist) or persons appointed by (artist).
• __Replacement/replica of the work through recipes/instructions to be carried out by persons appointed by the acquiring party.
• __Reconstruction of the work in cases where it is decided that reconstruction can reduce the socio-environmental burdens of intervention.
• __Conservation intervention (e.g. in-painting, touch-ups, repolishing) if the treatment has lower environmental burden than replacement or reconstruction.
• __Use of new/similar material in any required reconstruction if it has a lower socio-environmental burden than the original material.
• __Terminal lifespan and environmentally responsible disposal of the remains of the artwork in line with a circular economy model where possible. Click on this link for the GCC guidelines on disposal.
• __Terminal lifespan and return of the remains of the artwork to the artist.
• __Other (explain)

9. In keeping with art insurance standards, it is my (artist) intention to draw attention to the fact that the purchase of insurance for the inevitable degradation of this work is not possible. However, insurance protecting against fortuitous events, such as theft, can be pursued.

Climate Control for Display and Storage:

I (artist) request that where possible (check all that apply):

• __This work does not require rigid control parameters while in storage, in transit, or on exhibition. My choice in refusing the often unnecessary climate control highlights the natural aging process of the materials comprising (the artwork).
• __The crating and packing materials for the storage and transport of my artwork be naturally derived with as little socio-environmental burden as possible and in line with the circular economy model (paper, cardboard, etc.). I (artist) understand that such packing materials may impact the natural aging process of the artwork.
• __Other (explain)

Additional Materials

For additional information on how to identify materials and understand how they might change over time: See the attached Acquisitions Protocol.

For additional information on environmentally-aware exhibition making (including riders), see: Centre for Sustainable Curating:Using the Resources at Hand: Sustainable Exhibition Design

Synthetic Collective:Plastic Heart: A DIY Fieldguide for Reducing the Environmental Impact of Exhibitions

Gallery Climate Coalition:Exhibition Making and Display

For additional information on environmentally-aware storage, see: Gallery Climate Coalition:Acquisition and Aftercare

For additional information on environmentally-aware shipping, see: Gallery Climate Coalition:Shipping and Packing