Maintaining Modernism
A major obstacle to properly establishing a historic preservation program is allocating an adequate maintenance budget. Facility research and cost estimation studies have shown that most maintenance budgets are significantly underfunded. This results in overlooked maintenance issues that will eventually lead to deterioration of building materials and the need for extensive building and material restoration. Currently, the Art Academy maintenance budget is underfunded by $28,000+.
Compounded over years or decades, the neglect of the Saarinen building has resulted in building enclosure deterioration and material degradation. Currently, Cranbrook is in the process of a major capital campaign to preserve and restore elements and buildings on campus. There is a need for at least $12 million for the library and museum roof restoration project. Additionally, these are funds that could have been used to conserve and bolster the library and museum collections. A major theme of this project was integrating ways to reduce maintenance and operational costs while maximizing the opportunities of the system. One strategy was the reprogramming of the project. Less square footage and less means lower maintenance but does not mean lesser experience. The consolidation of museum exhibition spaces, storage, and conservation studios changes the perspective of a museum. It brings the critical life expectancy of the material world into perspective when one views the continual deterioration/restoration process of modern art, craft and architecture. It is at this point that preservation is not just part of a building's history or an art's narrative; it is part of the immediate context and intimately linked to interpretation and experience. It is from this point that Cranbrook Art Museum can acknowledge its intrinsic and transcendental historical value and continue to push forward in research, education, and creation.
Museums are constantly striving to remain relevant amidst the constant flux of American culture. Since the advent of the digital revolution, museums have been trying relentlessly to adapt and survive in the electronic age. Unlike the current trend of turning museums into the new populist centers of culture with digital displays and commercial outlets, Cranbrook needs to re-evaluate its responsibilities and re-establish itself as a place that cherishes craft and skill before fashion Recently, museums have primarily become places of exhibition, but once, museums were also places where history was preserved and cultural objects were given significance. Today, when most of our entertainment is derived through digital means, it is necessary to not only display our "analog" past but show why it is significant and how to protect it. Additionally, the collections need to be accessible, not hidden away in drawers, in basements and far away from where it can be accessed by the public. Cranbrook, unlike most institutions, has a unique ability to turn every object within its walls into a narrative of the school's past and legacy as well as its future and hopes. Here, the art becomes artifact, speaking to its place in history as well as its significance to the academy.
