Outdoor and public artwork

Our skilled outdoor sculpture and object conservators employ cutting-edge techniques and materials to address the unique challenges posed by outdoor environments. From bronze and stone to wood, concrete, mixed-media works, and contemporary installations, we approach each project with a deep understanding of its material composition, fabrication methods, and historical significance.

Our treatments focus on:

• Comprehensive condition assessments
• Surface cleaning, corrosion mitigation, and protective waxing or coatings
• Structural stabilization and repair
• Graffiti removal and prevention strategies
• Treatment of environmental deterioration including UV damage, oxidation, mineral deposits, and biological growth
• Long-term maintenance planning and annual care programs
• Consulting on placement, environmental factors, and risk mitigation

Through a combination of thorough assessment, expert cleaning, and targeted treatments, we strive to revive and protect outdoor sculptures and objects so they may continue telling their stories for generations to come.

Outdoor artworks require continuous, proactive care to remain stable and visually coherent. ACT Art Conservation provides annual, semi-annual, or seasonal maintenance plans tailored to each artwork or collection.

Spring/Summer is the ideal season for maintenance, preparing sculpture collections for harsher fall and winter weather.

Maintenance services may include:

• Washing and debris removal
• Waxing or coating reapplication
• Condition monitoring
• Collection-wide assessments
• On-site photographic documentation for municipal or institutional records

Our maintenance programs help cities, parks, wineries, private estates, and public agencies budget effectively and prevent costly future damage.

We support municipalities, arts commissions, cultural organizations, and private developers by providing:

• Onsite single and routine conservation treatments
• Collection surveys and long-term preservation plans
• Conservation assessments for CIP (Capital Improvement Program) planning
• Conservation oversight for newly fabricated public artworks
• On-site emergency stabilization and disaster response
• Condition reports for insurance or public records
• Guidance on fabrication materials, coatings, and installation impacts
• Public art deaccession or relocation consulting

ACT’s collaborative, transparent approach helps organizations steward their cultural assets responsibly and sustainably.

In addition to public art, we provide conservation and stabilization services for archives, municipal records, historic photographs, maps, bound volumes, and institutional collections.

Services include:

• Condition surveys and backlog assessments
• Cleaning, deacidification, mending, and rehousing
• Humidification and flattening of documents
• Stabilization of fragile or oversized materials
• Archival enclosures and storage planning
• Environmental recommendations
• Long-term preservation roadmaps tailored to institutional budgets

Our team works closely with archivists, librarians, collections managers, city clerks, and private collections to create practical, sustainable preservation strategies.