from The Guardian -
Last Supper light show faces axe by Milan mayor
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A decision that is obviously politically motivated rather than scientifically grounded - then again, which cultural or heritage decision at the macro-level isn't.
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from The Christian Science Monitor -
Iraq's antiquities garner international attention
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The worsening situation in Iraq as widespread plundering of historical and archaeological sites continues and protection measures become increasingly ineffective.

Also see earlier posts on the Iraq situation.
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from The Plain Dealer -
Cleveland war memorial statue's true colors in crosshairs of controversy
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It must be a (sad) sign of the times when conservators, who are suppose to be all working towards the good of cultural and historical preservation, go for each other's throats.
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from The New York Times -
Project Digitizes Works From the Golden Age of Timbuktu
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Owing to the predominantly dry conditions of the desert, manuscripts were largely intact even as time takes its effect on the historic materials. With the latest digitisation project, hopefully these important texts can withstand future ravages of time.
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from CultureGrrl -
Lascaux Walls Being Scraped, Watchdog Group Alleges
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A disheartening update on the state of preservation at the Lascaux caves, which holds the earliest known "prehistoric artwork". The sorry affair seems to stem from the result a combination of unfavourable environment conditions, sluggish bureaucracy and misguided advice.
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from The Evening Standard -
Canterbury Cathedral is falling down
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An interesting juxtaposition of the cost of preservation and the rising fortunes of contemporary art. Arguing that some of the money circulated in the art market should be channelled to the preservation of historic sites, which undoubtedly will outlast the artworks being collected and traded.

Also see earier post on the dire need of urgent preservation work on the Canterbury Cathedral.
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from Arts Management -
The US Art Museum Management Leadership Gap
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download article as PDF (90.7 kb)

A short but insightful article on the looming crises in museum leadership in the US, which is also a larger world-wide phenomena in this day of global and cultural connectedness.

Of particular note would be the 2 consequences highlighted that are a direct result of this leadership crunch - high turnover of museum directors - playing out a version of leadership "musical chairs" - and high compensation packages as financial lure - and we known where that can lead, if we remember painful lessons from the Getty and the Smithsonian.

Also see earlier post here.
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from The Los Angeles Times -
Conservators face issues in preserving video
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Another update on the issue of preserving time-based media art. Mention is also made of the earlier conference held at the Getty Conservation Institute.

Also see earlier recent post here.
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from The New York Times -
An Auction of New Chinese Art Leaves Disjointed Noses in Its Wake
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This is an extended article on the earlier news, as reported in The Art Newspaper, in which a "collection" of contemporary Chinese art were toured and then sold via auction.

All this took place seemingly without the knowledge of the participating artists, who believed that they were selling their works to a single collector who wished to "donate" his collection to several museums afterwards, and the museums which agreed to act as venues for what can only be termed as an outright and cynical marketing ploy.
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from Time -
Graffiti 2.0: Gone by Morning
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A new way of doing "graffiti" that leaves no traces - physically. And if this is accepted as art, its preservation - or not - would be an interesting issue.
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from Times Online -
Why is the Imperial War Museum celebrating James Bond?
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A cutting commentary on lazy thinking that museums risk in the pursuit of populist sentiments, often mistaken for democratic access. Being popular and being intellectually rigorous are not mutually exclusive domains. However the temptation is to focus on one aspect and ignore the other in most museum programming exercises due to one (lame) excuse or another - and free admission being one such excuse.
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from The New York Times -
A Gigantic Job for Window Fixers
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A nice account of the daunting task of restoring stained glass windows that are exposed to the weather. The list of problems to overcome mentioned:

"The lead has deteriorated from thermal expansion, corroding in whitish, fuzzy patches that are to lead as rust is to iron. The glass is cracking as well, causing dirty-water leaks that have congealed into a hard crust through the years.

Not to mention sagging: Some windows have bowed out after years of expanding and contracting in the sun.

What is more, in 1982 a protective exterior glazing believed at the time to be useful for energy conservation was installed at St. Thomas, as in hundreds of other churches. But the glazing trapped interior condensation and heat, which accelerated the deterioration of the lead."

Yet after the restoration work is completed, the stained glass windows are: "expected to last 100 years. Then it’ll be time for the next restoration.”
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from The Art Newspaper -
Time-based art needs plenty of tender, loving care
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A timely reminder article on the complex issues encountered in the preservation of media art. Also see previous papers by Pip Laurenson published online by Tate:

"Developing Strategies for the Conservation of Installations Incorporating Time-based Media: Gary Hill's Between Cinema and a Hard Place"
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"The Management of Display Equipment in Time-based Media Installations"
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"Authenticity, Change and Loss in the Conservation of Time-Based Media Installations"
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