Art Conservation

Art Conservation Program

Cambridge Arts' award-winning Art Conservation Program provides consistent and professional care to its growing collection, and is nationally recognized as a model in the public art field through professional practice, workshops, and published materials. The program adheres to the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

To report graffiti or vandalism to a public artwork, call us at (617) 349-4380, or contact via email

Who Takes Care Of Cambridge's Public Art?

Cambridge Arts has been commissioning public art since 1979, when the Percent-for-Art Ordinance was approved by the City Council. Today we have 133 artworks with 492 components, outdoors and indoors, on city property, throughout all neighborhoods of Cambridge. We continue to grow our collection as we commission new artists for site-specific projects. This collection belongs to you, the public.

But who takes care of these works of art? Just like a house or car, artworks need ongoing attention. This is the realm of Cambridge Arts’ Collections Care Program. Managing a large public art collection in a dense city brings surprises and continuous learning. The science of materials and methods keeps changing. Our artworks are subject to all sorts of environmental and human activity that happen in any urban space, and the effects of those forces is not always predictable.

Our award-winning Collections Care Program is led by Craig Uram, Director of Art Conservation, in collaboration with other city departments. In addition, we are always grateful when we hear from residents or visitors who notice something missing or damaged or share their observations of their favorite public art sites. Maintenance, conservation, restoration, repair, assessments, documentation – these are actions we take to keep the public art collection in good shape for everyone’s enjoyment.

Statement from Director of Art Conservation Craig Uram:

After 20 years of working in museum conservation settings, Cambridge Arts has been a bit of an adjustment. We always stay true to the principles and ethical guidelines of conservation including minimal intervention, reversibility of materials, and full documentation of all our work. We take into consideration the views of the owner of the artwork (in this case the public and the City of Cambridge), the cultural value and meaning of the works of art, and, of course, the physical needs of the materials of the objects. But there are also some real differences.

Before arriving at Cambridge Arts, I never had the opportunity to work directly with the artists before the works were created. Working closely with them allows the artists to choose materials and installation methods that are appropriate for their environment and insures more positive outcomes when treatments become necessary.

In museums, I rarely encountered graffiti or deliberate destruction, and accidental damage tended to be minimal. The public’s interactions with art in museums are different than here in the city; artworks in museums are guarded, they don’t get played on, and issues that arise get noticed right away. On the contrary, public art is by its very nature in the middle of public spaces, in parks and street corners; it gets sat upon, climbed on, written on, eaten on. The art has constant encounters with snow, rain, salt, plows, traffic, dogs, squirrels, rocks, skateboards, paint, and food. It becomes part of the environment. Damage can go unnoticed for weeks or months before it’s brought to our attention. Types of damage that can be mended and stabilized in a museum setting or removed from view and continued harm may need more substantial structural fixes in the city. In a museum setting we may replicate new parts of an artwork in a different material to distinguish them from the original parts. Here, however, they need to be able to hold up to the abuse they will take in the rugged outdoor environment and so we’re more likely to refabricate pieces in the original materials and the interventions are documented for future understanding. (2024)