Preservation Partners for Museums, Academe, & Research Archives
The stewardship of fine art collections, historic archives, and university campus public art requires an uncompromising adherence to material stability and aesthetic integrity. Unlike commercial properties, institutional collections are governed by strict provenance, scholarly oversight, and regulatory preservation metrics.
B.R. Howard & Associates serves as a trusted technical extension of museum conservation departments and academic collection committees. Operating in absolute compliance with the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) Code of Ethics, we deliver specialized treatment, rigorous technical analysis, and comprehensive logistical management for diverse, high-value material holdings.
Core Services & Capabilities
Comprehensive Museum Collections Care
We provide expert treatment across a broad spectrum of substrates, including fine art paintings, historic furniture, decorative objects, textiles, and ethnographical artifacts. Our team balances delicate aesthetic stabilization with structural reinforcement, ensuring every intervention remains reversible and fully documented for institutional archives.
Campus Public Art & Monumental Assets
University campuses house complex, site-integrated modern sculptures and outdoor monuments exposed to active environments. We provide non-destructive testing, specialized structural stabilization, and AMPP/NACE-compliant protective coating applications to shield campus assets from weathering, pollution, and high-traffic public interaction.
Oversized Artifact Logistics & Rigging
Moving macro-artifacts or monumental indoor sculptures requires industrial infrastructure guided by fine-art precision. Utilizing our custom gantry networks and heavy rigging capabilities, we safely execute the deinstallation, transport, and structural relocation of oversized architectural elements and heavy-gauge museum objects.
Large-Format Vacuum Hot Table Operations
For failing, torn, or structurally compromised large-format canvases, our facility is equipped with industrial-scale vacuum hot tables. This specialized equipment allows for precision lining and structural reinforcement of monumental paintings under uniform, monitored thermal and atmospheric pressure, exceeding standard studio capacities.
Collections-Wide Surveys & CAP Compliance
Proactive collection preservation relies on precise, actionable data. We conduct rigorous, collection-wide condition assessments designed to meet the technical standards required by federal funding bodies (including NEH, NEA, and IMLS) and insurance underwriters.
Prioritized Treatment Sequencing: We generate comprehensive, high-resolution condition mapping and quantitative data to help registrars and administrators allocate preservation budgets efficiently toward artifacts facing active degradation.
CAP (Collections Assessment for Preservation): Our team supports small-to-midsized museums through the CAP framework, delivering comprehensive baseline reviews of environmental storage conditions, facilities, and physical collections.
Secure, Climate-Controlled Storage & Transition Management
When galleries undergo renovation, capital campaigns, or facility expansions, securing collection integrity is critical. We provide comprehensive art handling, specialized packing, and long-term placement within our 32,000-square-foot secure, climate-controlled facility. Every object in our care undergoes rigorous environmental monitoring and tracking, ensuring absolute stability from transit to reinstallation.
Resources for campus museum art curators and registrars
Ready to get started? Contact us to learn more about how our team can help with your collection.