Project

Davidson Galleries Fire Recovery Effort

The Lumiere Group offered complimentary services to Davidson Galleries to support the triage and recovery effort of their holdings in the wake of a catastrophic fire.

Details

Location:
Seattle, WA
Project Type:
Disaster Recovery
Client:
Davidson Galleries
Services Provided:
Collections Stewardship

Highlights

  • Numerous items from the Davidson Galleries inventory were damaged by fire and smoke. Volunteers from The Lumiere Group assessed artwork condition, performed cleaning, and sorted artworks by extent of damage.

 

  • We consulted with Davidson Galleries on creating proper storage environments to decrease and mitigate the scent of smoke over time.

 

  • Our team engaged the local professional conservation community, connecting them with Davidson Galleries and recruiting their services for the recovery effort.

Overview

A respected staple of the Seattle art community for over fifty years, Davidson Galleries, which specializes in contemporary, modern, and antique prints, is a featured stop on Seattle’s Pioneer Square First Thursday art walk. When a devastating fire tore through their exhibition space in early 2024, our team jumped in to offer complimentary recovery services.

Volunteers from The Lumiere Group assisted in the recovery effort, offering the benefits of our extensive education and experience with standards of disaster recovery in museum collections. Under the direction of Davidson Galleries’ staff, our team carefully handled and assessed the condition of artworks, determining their restorability. We meticulously cleaned smoke and soot damage with gentle tools and controlled intensity. Additionally, we sorted the artwork by level of damage for Davidson Galleries’ staff to address as they worked toward readying their inventory for reopening the gallery.

Over the course of several weeks, our team provided guidance for ideal storage environments post-recovery to mitigate smoke scent. For further support, we reached out to professional conservators in the area, connecting them with Davidson Galleries’ staff and encouraging them to volunteer their professional expertise to the effort.

"The Lumiere Group encourages its employees to volunteer in our local art and museum community. I have been able to work with new types of object collections in various institutions and continue learning from formidable professionals in the field. Assisting Davidson Galleries with their efforts to bounce back from a tragic event through thoughtful preservation was a rewarding collaboration. "
- Lily Rola, The Lumiere Group Collections Manager
  • 1/3
  • 2/3
  • 3/3: Technical Specialist Eric Adami and Davidson Galleries manager Rebecca McDonald

Next Project:

Maritime Art Collection Assessment & Valuation

Seattle, WA | Collection Assessment and Valuation

Corporate partner OAC engaged The Lumiere Group on behalf of their client Saltchuk to conduct a walkthrough of corporate headquarters to identify and differentiate artwork and ephemera, catalogue objects, and assess values. We made suggestions for future display and use of the collection and provided the client with fascinating details about provenance based on our research.

View Project