Preserving Mia’s Time-Based and Digital Media Art

Project: Preserving Mia’s Time-based and Digital Media Art for Future Generations

Name: Frances Lloyd-Baynes, Head of Collections Information Management

Division/Department:
Curatorial departments: Contemporary Art, Photography & New Media, Registration, Library
Media & Technology departments: Interactive Media, Digital Projects, Collections Information Management

Project date(s): July 2017 – July 2018

Audience/User: Collection stewards, conservators, curators and those interested in preserving and enjoying contemporary art (especially time-based media)

Project goals: Mia needed to address the unique care requirements of its Time-based Media Art (TBMA) and found a way to do this by participating in the National Digital Stewardship Residency in Art Information (NDSR|Art). Mia and its NDSR|Art Resident addressed the museum’s TBMA needs by identifying best practice for care, developing appropriate collections management processes and procedures, and creating the technical infrastructure required for Mia to ensure the best ongoing care and preservation of our TBMA collection.

Project Description: Mia’s collection of more than 90,000 works of art includes works that embody the highest levels of artistic achievement and speak to the enduring power of human creativity to shape our world. And increasingly, these artworks are “new media”: in some way tech-based or completely digital. The nature of this new media art creates challenges for museums in terms of care, preservation, and access that are vastly different from those of more traditional media art such as paintings, works on paper, or ceramics. New processes and skills are required to steward our tech-reliant and born-digital creations successfully. Museums need to think outside our traditional “boxes” and can benefit hugely from tapping into the knowledge and experience of other fields, such as library science and digital archiving.

The National Digital Stewardship Residency in Art Information (NDSR|Art) project supported Mia’s efforts to make our collections accessible by enhancing our capacity to share time-based media (particularly digital) artworks with users inside and outside the building while safeguarding the art for future generations. NDSR|Art is a project jointly led by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and ARLIS/NA (the Art Libraries Society of North America), and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). It uniquely brings together trained digital archivists with cultural institutions like Mia to address digital preservation and stewardship issues re: new media art and arts information, while providing professional development to the Residents and hosts.  Mia was selected as a host institution for NDSR|Art’s initial residency cohort in 2017-18.  

Time-based Media Art at Mia

Mia’s permanent collections include a selection of Time-based Media Art (TBMA): work that has duration as a dimension and requires technology to be experienced. While some of our time-based works are “analog” (for example, 16mm film and slideshows (figure 3)), both fully digital and hybrid works are increasingly being acquired.

Digital works could be videos, audio, animations (figure 4), or software; hybrid works can combine physical or analog elements with digital, e.g. a sculpture with a digital audio component (figure 5); or a video and sculpture installation. These TBMA works cannot exist without technology.

Unlike more traditional art forms in Mia’s collection, TBMA has unique needs for ensuring its long-term life. Its reliance on technology–IT hardware and software, media players, etc.–makes TBMA vulnerable. Given the pace of technological change, it is not a question of whether the technology TBMA uses will fail or become obsolete, but when. (Even non-digital time-based works like a slideshow are in danger as manufacturers phase out production of slide projector light bulbs and film stock used for backup slides.) 

Mia’s staff had recognized some time ago that our Time-based Media Art was not receiving the care it required for long term preservation. We were, for example, treating digital artworks as purely physical objects (a DVD, hard drive, etc.), stored with our other collections, with no special condition checks or preservation backups created, no acquisition of backup technology in case some machinery failed.

To preserve TBMA, museums must be proactive: migrate TBMA works to new hardware, find software to emulate the artwork when old software no longer functions in new operating systems, and/or identify and acquire new technology to display TBMA works, all while ensuring the result remains true to the artist’s intent and the original aesthetics of the work. We can’t wait until something goes wrong with a disk or the DVD player stops working; by then an artwork could be corrupt and beyond recovery. And if we wait to understand how the work’s software, hardware, and display equipment is integral to the experience of it, we may never be able to create an authentic experience with newer technology.

The situation at Mia was a concern not only for our existing TBMA, but for future holdings as well. While the museum’s TBMA collection is small (currently 22 objects), it is growing as many curatorial areas increasingly acquire media-based artworks. Effort spent now researching and implementing best practice preservation methods, technology, and processes allows us to tackle the problem while it is easily manageable and to provide both our existing collections and newly acquired objects with the care and attention they require as our collection grows.

To learn more about the challenges of TBMA collecting and care, see here.

Furthering Mia’s Time-based Media Art stewardship through NDSR|Art

In 2014, Mia established a New Media Task Force to assess the challenges of TBMA stewardship and explore solutions to its preservation. The group comprised a mix of curatorial, registration, interactive media, and information management specialists. They began by reviewing the state of Mia’s TBMA collection and the processes used to manage it. Pressures on staff time and personnel changes in senior curatorial roles slowed progress, however, so the Task Force brought in assistance.

Initial help came from Allison Izaksonas, a Master’s degree candidate in Museum Studies at The Johns Hopkins University, via a TBMA-focused internship. Ms. Izaksonas surveyed Mia’s existing TBMA documentation and produced a report highlighting concerns and development areas for the museum’s TBMA recordkeeping. (Detailed recordkeeping plays a crucial role in documenting artist intent and the various iterations a time-based media artwork can take when exhibited, so documentation is the cornerstone of TBMA preservation.) Meanwhile, Mia’s Permanent Collections and Acquisition Registrars, Ken Krenz and Leslie Ory Lewellen, undertook an inventory and (physical*) condition assessment of the TBMA collection. (*Digital files were not reviewed at this time.) Their collective work produced a baseline from which Mia could improve TBMA management.

The complexities of TBMA preservation and management require an understanding of documentation, conservation, technology, and museum collections management, and a greater time commitment than the average intern can offer. As Mia staff still lacked the time to fully grapple with TBMA issues, in December 2016 Mia applied to participate in the National Digital Stewardship Residency in Art Information (NDSR|Art), proposing a project entitled “Managing time-based media/digital art at (an appropriate) scale”. (See here for a project overview.)

NDSR|Art is an iteration of the National Digital Stewardship Residency (NDSR) program begun in 2013 by the Library of Congress with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). (See NDSR’s mission here.)

After a national competition, Mia was selected as one of four NDSR|Art host institutions for the inaugural cohort in 2017-18. Once selected, we interviewed and hired our Resident, choosing Erin Barsan (a trained digital archivist with museum collections experience) from a group of NDSR|Art candidates interested in our project. Having Ms. Barsan on board from July 2017 to July 2018, focused full-time on TBMA collection stewardship, allowed Mia to kick its TBMA work into a higher gear.

Throughout the Residency, Ms. Barsan worked closely with the New Media Task Force and Frances Lloyd-Baynes (Mia’s Head of Collections Information Management, project lead and “host mentor”) on identifying the systems, structures, and processes needed to achieve long-term archival viability of the TBMA collections. Mia’s proposed Residency goals were to:

• assess and address the current and anticipated needs of Mia’s TBMA collection
• recommend technical solutions for management and preservation of these works
• devise and oversee initial implementation of the newly established framework
• share the results and solutions with Mia staff as well as the wider cultural heritage community

It became clear as the project unfolded that we had more questions than answers, so Ms. Barsan sought out experts in the field for advice. Colleagues from across the museum, conservation, and archival sectors were generous with their time and expertise. We realized from the input we were receiving that Mia needed to focus first on developing best practice processes for managing our TBMA. We began with a detailed re-assessment of our acquisition procedures, determining how to address the needs of TBMA as it entered Mia’s collections. From this effort we created a detailed, step-by-step procedure for TBMA-specific acquisition and flowchart visualization tool.

In parallel with the work on collections management procedures, Ms. Barsan researched and identified the tools and technology needed for preserving TBMA, to take the form of a TBMA workstation. The workstation is made up of hardware and software required for analyzing and creating preservation copies of TBMA digital files including an iMac computer, Drobo external storage array, write-blockers, and a variety of software. (See page 55 of Erin Barsan’s final project report here for a complete breakdown of workstation components and their roles.) This effort proved more time consuming than anticipated and delays, along with temporary budget limitations, threatened the workstation’s delivery. With only two months til project end, the funds were freed, we acquired the necessary components, and Ms. Barsan built a workstation that enables Mia to deliver basic assessments and preservation of our digital TBMA.

As with any project, not everything went to plan, but schedules and goals were adjusted in true agile fashion. By project’s end we had made significant advances in improving our TBMA care. Preserving complex time-based and digital media objects is a journey, however, and Mia has further to go. New media types harnessed by artists and collected by museums will continue to offer us challenges. But we can happily say that with the help of NDSR|Art, Mia has made major progress towards meeting our goals for preserving our TBMA for future generations.

Evaluation tools: As the NDSR Art residency ended, the project team initiated a series of test cases of the new TBMA acquisition procedures (for works being acquired by the Contemporary Art, Photography & New Media, and Chinese South & South East Asian departments). A loan request for one of Mia’s TBMA objects (a single channel digital video installation) offered a test case for handling the loan of digital objects.

Ms. Barsan tested and refined the new TBMA assessment workstation set-up in assessing two of Mia’s TBMA works (a single channel video and an animation piece) considered at risk due to the lack of preservation copies. She was able to document the condition of each piece and create a basic backup, complete with detailed documentation of each artwork. (Full preservation copies must be made by a specialist provider.)

The work begun by the Resident will be continued and refined as Mia’s regular staff take back complete responsibility for TBMA preservation, through the ongoing process of acquisition, loan and collections management.

Resources used: The project’s primary resource expenditures were our Resident’s and Mia staff time. Frances Lloyd-Baynes devoted approximately 50% of her time to the project over the course of the year. Meg Black, Assistant Librarian and designated ARLIS mentor for the project, met regularly with Ms. Barsan during the year; the New Media Task Force members met approximately monthly to collaborate on project activities. Members of the Media & Technology Division introduced our Resident to Mia’s digital ecosystem and offered guidance on numerous technical aspects of the project. Staff members across Mia participated in interviews and information gathering to help define the range of concerns and requirements for TBMA stewardship and preservation across the museum. All of Mia contributed to making Ms. Barsan a welcome member of the Mia community.

A wider range of external colleagues supported our project through the generous gift of their time and expertise. They include staff from MACC (the Midwest Art Conservation Center), MoMA, SFMoMA, the Guggenheim museum, the V&A, Tate, Smithsonian American Art Museum, George Blood LP, University of Minnesota, Walker Art Center, and Macalester College, as well as a range of individual specialists. You can see a complete list in Ms. Barsan’s final report.

The project was delivered within the projected budget. The NDSR|Art grant provided full salary funding for Mia’s Resident for the year, while Mia supplied standard benefits and funds for professional development. Other expenditures included a laptop for the Resident’s use, now part of the museum’s equipment pool, and funds for Mia’s host/mentor (Frances Lloyd-Baynes) to attend (required) NDSR|Art activities: Immersion Training, the ARLIS/NA 2018 national conference and the final NDSR|Art Capstone event in Philadelphia. (Ms. Lloyd-Baynes and Ms. Barsan presented on Mia’s project at both the conference and Capstone event. Ms. Barsan and other team members also presented at AIC 2018 and the Upper Midwest Digital Collections Conference 2018 ) During the project, a preservation workstation (used to undertake TBMA assessment and initial preservation activities) was proposed and acquired using funds previously designated for TBMA preservation.

Reflection

What worked? Having someone dedicated to researching and understanding the preservation needs and best practice management of TBMA enabled us to achieve outcomes that might otherwise have taken years. And while Mia’s TBMA collection is small, it requires proactive management, so time is not our friend.

The New Media Task Force, a mixed group of staff dedicated to improving TBMA stewardship, was an invaluable resource in exploring TBMA management from many sides. Throughout the Residency, Ms. Barsan connected with and drew on colleagues across the sector, who were invariably generous with their time and knowledge. Their readiness to share and support our efforts enabled Mia to progress in leaps that would have been difficult to achieve in isolation. The NDSR|Art residency model, with four host projects and residents closely connected throughout the year through shared communication, activities and meetings, likewise ensured that ideas and solutions were shared across the group.

What were the challenges? Mia’s Media & Technology Division uses Agile management (based on SCRUM and Kanban methodologies) for IT and web development projects. We planned to use the Agile approach for this project but found that in practice it was difficult to apply to the two staff (Ms. Lloyd-Baynes and Ms. Barsan) who were the primary actors. Task Force participation at times proved more “consultative” than practical, leaving the Resident and host mentor to drive the project forward. (Somewhat ironically, having someone dedicated full-time to TBMA allowed everyone else to focus on their other activities for the year.)

As plans for the creation of a TBMA workstation took shape, the project was hit by a temporary museum-wide budget freeze. For several months, it appeared we might not be able to acquire the necessary equipment with enough time left in the Residency for it to be implemented. Fortunately, the funds did become available and the workstation was purchased, set-up and tested before the Residency’s end, but this highlights how unexpected, unrelated events can impact a time-limited project like this one.

What was surprising? One of the most unexpected outcomes of this project was the realization that the wider museum community is relying primarily on in-house Conservation staff to manage and preserve time-based media collections. As there are few specifically-trained TBMA conservators in America, even the museums with in-house conservators often rely on more general “objects” specialists. Mia has no conservators on staff and its designated provider, the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC), has no TBMA specialists. The nearest TBMA conservators are based on the east and west coast. This means existing Mia staff–registrars, interactive media specialists, digital media specialists, information managers, and curators–must wear the conservator’s mantle. Time-based Media Art is an incredibly complex genre. While no single conservator could hope to address all its needs without specialist input, it is that much harder for non-conservators to address successfully.

Relevance

At Mia: The NDSR Art Residency project at Mia clearly highlighted the requirement for proactive management and preservation of our Time-based Media Art collection. Our TBMA may be few, but their existence depends on focused attention starting even before the works are acquired by Mia. Documentation is crucial to that long-term preservation. We must gather as much information as possible to understand the nature of these artworks, their artists’ intent, the reasoning behind decisions made in their creation, and the variety of iterations they have and will take over time. This will enable us to remain true to them as technology changes and becomes obsolete.

In the museum field: Anyone looking to understand and implement best practice for its TBMA collections preservation has a wealth of material to draw on. Look to the Matters in Media Art initiative, the Smithsonian Time-Based Media Art Working Group, and the Variable Media Network for tools and information. Connect with colleagues across the museum and conservation sectors who will be generous with their time and knowledge. Tap into new developments via the American Institute for Conservation’s (AIC) Electronic Media Group. Go online to list-servs like ARCS (Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists) and INCCA (International Network for the Conservation of Contemporary Art).  And contact us at Mia (visit@artsmia.org) to hear more about our work to scale a preservation solution to a small TBMA collection (without in-house conservators) and our ongoing stewardship efforts.