Post-Disaster Assessment and Response

We expertly examine art, historic objects and archival materials that have been damaged by disaster, to determine which conditions are due to the occurrence, and which conditions may be pre-existing.  As a team, we have responded to floods, fires and pest infestations in cultural, government and corporate spaces, salvaging and recovering valuable and delicate art and archival materials.  

Our ability to examine art and objects damaged by a disaster extends from decades of experience examining art, archival material and objects in cultural institutions and private collections within and outside the conditions of disaster, to assess condition and causes of damage.

We have recovered valuable art and archival materials after disasters, often in cooperation with commercial restoration companies to provide specialized services.  We provide urgent stabilization services such as disassembly of artworks, drying of wet materials, initial soot removal from fire damaged objects, and de-infestation.    Disaster damaged materials are treated in our conservation lab for cleaning, repair and restoration.

Our work in disaster response and recovery benefits from our previous years of experience researching and writing disaster plans for cultural institutions and corporate collections, such as the Smithsonian Archives, the Fraser Valley Archives Group, and the Surrey Museum.  We have designed and taught workshops in disaster planning and response for cultural materials, and authored conservation articles on salvage, response and recovery after disasters.  Currently, our paper conservator teaches workshops on the proper salvage and recovery of art and historic objects to custodians in public museums and galleries as part of the British Columbia Heritage Emergency Response Network.

Presently, we do not write disaster plans, but we do work in condition assessments, response and recovery.