Art museum holds unexpected treasures in stored collection

As I stepped inside the Princeton University Art Museum, I was confronted with an array of closed doors — entryways even the all-powerful prox card does not open. Clipping on my security badge, I knew I was no longer in familiar territory, or at least a place privy to most undergraduates' eyes.

The art museum is usually associated with galleries of paintings, sculptures and artifacts; however, on this particular afternoon I was not searching for a Monet or admiring the portrait of George Washington.

I was about to be escorted through the inner workings of the art museum.

Maureen McCormick, chief registrar of the art museum, led this behind-the-scenes tour, sharing her unique perspective as a museum administrator along the way.

Complex system

McCormick helps organize the complex system that directs the flow of exhibits entering and leaving the museum. And, with seemingly endless enthusiasm for her work, she is up for each day's challenges.

"We are a cross between a librarian and an air traffic controller," she said, laughing.

She said she appreciates the dedication of those who work alongside her — Alexia Hughes, Ginny Pifko, Karen Richter and Nicole Gordon — when organizing the museum's collections. With about 45,000 records and 60,000 pieces of art to manage, her office is constantly updating databases, recreating records and developing bibliographies.

As each new piece is acquired and added to the museum's collection, McCormick's office springs into action, recording the contributor — and, for alumni, the donor's class year — ownership, exhibition history and conservation condition.

Each acquisition is then photographed, not only for the museum's personal records, but also for the array of requests received from scholars, students and even publishing companies seeking to include one of the museum's many well-known works in a calendar or book.

McCormick is also responsible for controlling the inventory — spread throughout nine storage locations — within the existing collection.

Special collections are always separated among different locations for safety.

Additionally, at any given time 60 to 120 pieces are on loan and each one must be carefully and safely transported.

Traveling Art

McCormick described the "well-beaten path" between the University's museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

McCormick often travels with the works. For example, she recently returned from Houston, Texas, where the museum's special exhibition, "Centaur's Smile," was on display.

She meticulously follows each piece in traveling exhibits, beginning with the piece's arrival and "the twinkle in the curator's eye to the last lending form," she said.

Much thought goes into the works that the museum agrees to loan out, McCormick confided. Many works cannot handle the transportation to different sites. She described the danger of "pastels bouncing off the surface," changing climates and a number of other factors limiting an exhibit's ability to move.

For example, McCormick said, a work created from a thin piece of ivory was loaned to an exhibition in Washington, D.C., but not to a showing at the Louvre because of transportation concerns.

Intricacies of an exhibit

"One exhibit alone could be an entire 'Behind the Facade' article," McCormick said as she opened a filing cabinet several feet long.

Each folder contains the records of one work included in the exhibit, some from the University's collection and others borrowed from museums around the world including Paris, Madrid and Chicago.

Every time a new exhibit is created, McCormick oversees the contracts, transit and other logistical concerns of safely returning the pieces at the conclusion of the display.

Then, of course, there is the "care of the couriers," McCormick said. Frequently, on-loan art is accompanied by "an army of couriers" who oversee the unpacking condition and the signing of documents. "We must find them a hotel and see to it that they are happy," she noted.

The art of handling artwork

Emerging from McCormick's office, the tour begins in one of the storage rooms housing enough artwork to fill several more galleries.

The room was oddly reminiscent of the C-floor of Firestone, with rolling panels upon which a vast array of paintings hung.

McCormick emphasized how carefully the museum treats its art, noting in particular the state-of-the-art fire suppressant system installed to smother flames the instant artwork is in danger.

When designing the room, the museum used the newest preservation techniques and designs, she said. The screens, for example, were not painted, but rather coated with a powder so that the frames do not come in contact with chemicals.

However, amidst the new technology, the ancient leather log with entries noting works removed from the room remained the most prominent feature.

"And woe to the person who doesn't write it down," McCormick laughed. "The Registrar will find you."

Student involvement

As we continued the journey through the corridors, McCormick talked about the museum's efforts to encourage student involvement within the galleries.

And the museum certainly provides the opportunity to fulfill this vision. With large windows overlooking Dod Hall, the museum's new precept room already welcomes special sessions by appointment.

On the afternoon McCormick and I ascended the medieval stairway to the precept room, Cezanne watercolors lined the walls for a special viewing.

Working our way to the top floor, we paused at the extensive card catalogue that documents all of the museum's art. Some works, such as one of the Monet pieces, occupy several cards of information.

Rounding the corner, we stepped inside the expansive conservation room, filled with paints, boxes of tools and rows of lab coats.

We admired an impressive "work in progress" — a large painting propped up in the center of the room awaiting treatment. McCormick, tea in hand, led me back to the security desk. As she prepared to tackle her ever-growing list of projects, I emerged once again from the same door through which I had arrived. But this time, I looked back at the windows, and knew what was on the other side.