Great question. We use the installation date for the reasons you described. Also, in terms of looking back, calculating maintenance costs over time, deterioration...using the date of design completion would impact estimates and expectations of many other
things.
But, the other issue you raised regarding restorations/re-fabrications is a good one. Does anyone have a policy to share in that regard?
Hi All,
I'm catching up on long overdue plaques for the collection.
I just had an interesting conversation with an artist and I thought I'd see if anyone else had as well - and where you might have landed.
When studying art history - the date of the artwork "typically" was the completion date. This can iterate different ways if a piece is refabricated, etc.
With our public art projects, artworks can be in design for years. Or it can be years between the final design and the actual fabrication installation.
Generally I put the installation year as the date on plaques, because that has generally aligned to the artist's completion of fabrication, which I would argue typically involves, or at least allows for some level of design input and potential changes to the
final product in the final material.
The conversation with the artist was that they had finished their design in 2018 and were awaiting fabrication as part of base project, which will be done by others (though the artist will have oversight and ability to make changes as needed - fwiw).
They want a durational date 2018-2021.
I understand the 2018 date places the work in the artist's chronology along other works of 2018, and also reflects the date of the final work. But this a bit also seems like dating a painting from when a canvas is primed until it is called complete by the artist.
I have no issue dating it the way the artist has requested, just curious if others have gone down this rabbit hole.
OK - I'm really just trying to create a distraction for everyone on a Friday.
Thanks everyone
Jennifer A. Easton
she/her
Art Program Manager
SFBART
510.821.3024 mobile
www.bart.gov/art
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