Art 'adoption program' seeks to preserve Saginaw Art Museum's collection

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A white card is mounted next to each of the dozens of pieces housed in the Saginaw Art Museum. The card lists information, such as the work's title and the name of the artist who created it.

A select number of pieces in the permanent collection have an additional card nearby, displaying a call to action.

"This object is in need of conservation," the card reads. "You can make a difference by adopting this work in your name or honoring a friend or family member through the Adopt a Work of Art Program."

Currently, three pieces in the museum at 1126 N. Michigan have those cards displayed for visitors to see. 

While those specific pieces are in more immediate need of conservation, ongoing care is required for every piece of art the facility owns.

"In the case of our collection, it had been a number of years since it had been addressed," said Executive Director Stacey Gannon. "That's why we budgeted a quarter of a million dollars for last year and this year to invest in the conservation of the collection."

More than half of the collection has recently gone through the conservation process. It was one part of a major renovation that was recently completed at the museum.

"It's amazing to see the work of a conservationist," Gannon said. "We use Conservation and Museum Services out of Detroit. When we were going through the massive renovations, they actually set up a lab here."

Museum visitors got to observe the conservation work. Gannon called it a "tedious" process.

"There were some paintings in our nature gallery that you couldn't even distinguish the colors on them, and now it's like, 'Wow!," she said.

One way that the museum helps pay for upkeep of the collection is through the adoption program.

"It's not just the conservation, it's the hanging and the labor and the ongoing maintenance of the piece," she said.

Many of the pieces in the museum are available for adoption. A packet that is distributed to those interested in the Adopt a Work of Art program includes cards that display each work that is currently up for adoption and the price at which one can adopt it.

A 5-year adoption ranges from $1,250 to $15,000 for the pieces currently listed in the adoption packet. The fee can be paid in installments over the 5-year period or all at once. Those who pay in a lump sum actually are adopting the piece for an extra year, making the total adoption period 6 years. Those who opt for a 10-year adoption save 50 percent on the second 5-year fee.

"I think, clearly, the primary benefit is supporting the museum and supporting arts in the region," said Mike Kolleth, chairman of the museum's collections committee.

"On a secondary level, we think it's also a wonderful way to honor someone," Kolleth said. "People will often sponsor a piece of art as an anniversary gift, a wedding gift, a birthday gift."

Recently, local couple Morrie and Julie Stevens adopted a painting that depicts hunting dogs after Morrie Stevens was installed as the president of a conservation and hunting society, the Boone and Crockett Club. 

"It's interesting what attracts people," Gannon said.

Gannon herself was thinking of adopting a piece titled "The Trackless Sea," which depicts the ocean beneath a setting sun, because she likes to think of herself sailing in the ocean when she has trouble sleeping.

Before Gannon could adopt the piece painted by Warren Sheppard, it was adopted by a local couple.

Many visitors of the museum, Kolleth said, don't fully understand how much upkeep is involved in housing art.

"When you clean a piece of art, it's about more than just dusting or cleaning the piece with water," he said. "It's about ensuring that the work is stabilized and cleaned."

The changes that are revealed once a piece is restored by a qualified conservationist are sometimes extremely dramatic, according to both Kolleth and Gannon.

A large painted portrait titled "Lady Shaw" was recently conserved and staff members were surprised to see a dog in the lower left corner of the painting, Gannon explained. Previously, that part of the painting was so dark that the dog couldn't be seen.

The pieces that are showing significant signs of wear are marked as pieces in specific need of conservation.

"We try to identify some that we'd like to conserve in the relatively near future," Gannon said.

Click here for information about the adoptable pieces.