Museum Exhibition Safety Guidelines

By Pat Kirschner, Operations Manager,
New Museum for Contemporary Art, NYC

These exhibition guidelines are intended to serve as an aid in establishing minimum standards for health and safety of the public and the staff of a contemporary art museum.  The New Museum has a responsibility as a public institution and to the staff to provide a safe workplace and a safe environment for the exhibition of contemporary art.  Safety is not viewed by the Museum to be a goal that conflicts with artists' intentions.

This document provides guidelines for developing projects, and helps to insure compliance with established local and federal law, and the New Museum's policies.  In general, these guidelines reflect the New York City Building Code, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for public and workplace safety, as well as the considerations of art safety.

Designers and installation workers must keep the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act in mind when redesigning the galleries and designing the display of artwork.  Ideally, all areas should be accessible to the disabled.  Such accessibility is required by law, and includes such elements as lighting, configuration of the space, and legibility in labeling.

Exhibition plan drawings with materials specifications should be provided for any modifications, such as changes to the walls, ceilings, floors, and other structural elements of the exhibition or museum space.  This information will enable the New Museum to determine if established fire protection and disability accessibility requirements have been met.  These requirements primarily concern the use of fire resistant building materials, the use of approved electrical appliances, and egress requirements.

Artists' projects must also conform to established safety standards. 

Installation projects or any other type of artwork must not endanger the health and safety of the public and staff, or other artworks in the museum.

These guidelines are not all-inclusive and specific problems will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.  Important to this evaluation process is the reception of exhibition and artwork details in a timely manner.  Issues concerning safety should be expressed in Exhibitions Meetings and resolved by the Exhibitions committee.

All designers, architects, exhibition designers, and museum  staff - installation coordinators, operations and security personnel, curators, registrars, crew - should be familiar with the guidelines described within this document.

 

Fire Protection

It is the policy of the New Museum to safeguard the lives of all visitors and staff from the danger of fire through the implementation of requirements set in this guideline.

Materials used for construction of exhibits and artworks should have a fire resistance rating.  This does not apply to most materials being exhibited.

 

Construction Materials

All construction materials shall be specified to indicate they are noncombustible or inherently fire retardant.

Steel:  All structural steel shall be protected to afford a minimum fire resistance of two hours.

Wood:  All lumber used for structural or other purposes shall be designated as fire retardant and pressure impregnated.  This requirement does not apply to wood used in constructing cabinets, casework, pedestals, or trim.  Wood floors should be fire retardant and pressure impregnated unless areas are protected by an automatic sprinkler system and/or ionization type smoke detector.  Fire retardant paint is not acceptable in lieu of fire retardant treatment.

Draperies, bunting, decorative textiles:  All materials intended for decorative or art purposes, such as draperies or bunting, should be certified flame resistant in accordance with the criteria in NFPA's Standard for Methods of Fire Test for Flame-Resistant Textiles and Films NFPA 701 (match test).  Consideration of location, quantity, and other installation variables will determine the acceptability of the textiles.

 

Electrical Fire Safety

It is the New Museum's policy that electrical fire hazards be minimized by ensuring that electrical equipment and electrical artwork are properly installed, used, and maintained in accordance with the National Electrical Code and the guidelines set forth in this document.

Many fires are caused by faulty wiring, overloading of electrical equipment, or the ignition of combustibles near heat-producing electrical equipment.

All electrical wiring and devices must be Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listed.  Installations, new or altered, must always be in compliance with the NFPA 70 National Electrical Code and the New York City electrical code.

Electrical wiring: All wiring shall be installed in rigid conduit (EMT) or flexible conduit.  Flexible or extension cords shall not be used as a substitute for fixed wiring.  Electrical cords shall be grounding type.  Extension cords with multiple outlets shall be protected by an internal circuit breaker.  Wiring systems shall have a grounded conductor which is identified continuously throughout the system.

Receptacles, switches, and electrical equipment:  All new receptacles, switches, and equipment shall be UL listed, or equivalent.  Where UL-equivalent items are specified, salient features must be listed as part of the technical specifications and identified in the contract with the artist.

All electrical artwork shall be equipped with a total power cut-off switch located in an accessible place adjacent to the artwork.

The New Museum must approve the location of UL electrical appliances or artwork to ensure compatibility within the limits of the existing electrical system.  This includes prior approval by the New Museum for use of the lighting track for any use other than operating the approved lighting fixtures.

 

Egress Requirements

Access and egress shall conform to the established requirements for location, paths of access/egress, door swing, widths of passageway and doors, and door hardware.  All public galleries  must have a minimum of two exits, remote from one another.  The paths to exits must be a minimum of five (5) feet wide, must  not be blocked, and should be marked so they are obvious to visitors.  No artwork, object, or illumination (other than exit signs) shall be placed in the line of vision to distract attention from the exit signs.

Exit marking:  All required exits must be clearly marked in accordance with established limits for illumination, color, location, and size.

Emergency lighting:  All emergency lighting shall be provided in accordance with established limits for illumination, location, and emergency power sources.

Fire extinguisher equipment:  The exhibition space shall provide an adequate number and type of fire extinguishers.  Every effort should be made to minimize the aesthetic impact of fire extinguishers, but they must be clearly marked as required by established regulations.  Extinguishers shall be readily accessible and not hidden from view.

 

Artists' Installations

All artists' installations shall conform to the above guidelines to the best of the  artists' abilities.  In addition, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) are required when any artwork uses any substance that may contain a potentially hazardous material that is accessible to the public through inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion.  Knowledge of the properties of the substance in question and its known health effects is essential to providing a safe exhibition and workplace. 

Operating or use instructions for the installation and its components are required to ensure safe operation of the artwork.

When questions are raised concerning the safety of an artwork or installation, the New Museum reserves the right to make suggestions to modify an artwork or installation.  If these suggestions are not implemented, the Museum has the right to refuse to show the work.  The final decision regarding health or safety risks that an artwork orinstallation may pose rests with the New Museum.

 

Artist Questionnaire

This questionnaire will be sent to all artists under consideration for exhibition at the New Museum.  It is designed to assist artists in producing  artworks that are safe both for viewers and the New Museum staff.  The New Museum requires that artworks and art installations conform to established safety codes, and can function within the physical limitations of our exhibition space.

Please provide a brief description of your artwork (not artistic intent but physical components).  Please consider the following questions about your proposed artwork when writing your description.

1. Are there any physical hazards?
   
   • Any moving parts?
   • Any accessible sharp edges or corners?
   • Can it be knocked over?
   • Any other physical hazards?
2. Does the artwork include materials or chemicals that could expose the public or staff?
   
   • Any toxic materials?
   • Any federally or other regulated materials?
   • Does it create dust or have dusty compounds?
   • Any liquids or pumps?
   • Any unknown materials?
   • Are Material Safety Data Sheets available for potentially harmful materials?
3. Does the artwork have any fire hazards?
   
   • Flammable materials?
   • Do solid materials pass the flame test?
   • Any open flames or heating elements?
4. Does the artwork use electricity?
   
   • Standard 110 volts, 15 amps?
   • Use UL-listed parts?
   • Are electrical components accessible?
   • Any other special needs?
5. For performances, are they any special risks?
   
   • Any audience interaction?
   • Any special effects (fire, smoke, pyrotechnics, etc.)?
   • Any lasers? What power?
6. Are there any other special problems?
   
   • Need special lighting?
   • Use organic materials that may attract pests or vermin?
   • Use materials that might need replacement with time? 
   • Any special handling requirements (e.g. protective clothing, gloves, goggles, etc.)?

Art Hazard News, Volume 15, No. ,1992

This article was originally printed for Art Hazard News, © copyright Center for Safety in the Arts 1992. It appears on CAR courtesy of the Health in the Arts Program, University of Illinois at Chicago, who have curated a collection of these articles from their archive which are still relevant to artists today.