Grasping at the Ephemeral: Explorations on Change from the Permanent Collection

Museums are often looked to for perfect preservations of the past, but not even they can prevent the inevitable transformations of objects as they live, decay, and are restored again. The world is constantly shifting from one circumstance to another, and while we cannot hope to stop this change, we can try to capture individual moments and snapshots both of objects and the stories they tell. This exhibition is an anthology composed of vignettes on change. Using items always facing their own transformation period, we study broader interpretations of what it means to be in transition, exploring shifting culture, time and space.

These works, shown in conjunction with Collect, Care, Conserve, Curate: The Life of the Art Object, demonstrate the current state of objects before the interdisciplinary method of maintenance and restoration. Each piece chosen from The Fralin Museum of Art’s permanent collection has yet to undergo this process of conservation treatment. With the help of the people’s voice and generosity, we hope to be able to maintain accessibility of one of these displayed objects for future study, research and teaching.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.