Nielsen Bainbridge Artcare Process, Products A with Z, and the FACTS Behind Them
"A little neglect may breed great mischief." - Benjamin Franklin
Damage to treasured sketches, paintings, heirloom needlework and photographs is disappointing and can even be catastrophic, especially if the item is of a sentimental nature or a significant financial investment. And most damage occurs naturally, caused by time and impurities in the air. Add that to the fact that not all papers, mat board and mounting products are created equally.
But thankfully, you can defeat these culprits long before they've ravaged your work--courtesy of the Nielsen Bainbridge Artcare Process. Superb work deserves a superior artcare process to ensure a lifetime artistic impression that will also impress customers and consumers. Nielsen Bainbridge products both protect and enhance your work.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
Nielsen Bainbridge matboard is an excellent preservation choice--an investment that makes a long-term impression, signifies value and deters pollution and damage caused by aging. By incorporating an affordable 'damage-control' process that makes preservation easy for artist and photographer, Nielsen Bainbridge's Alphamat and Alpharag matboards additionally offer artists a range of sizes and variety of colors.
A premiere conservator's choice, the Nielsen Bainbridge line of 'A-plus' products is designed with 'Z' in mind - a specially patented element called Artcare zeolite, which keeps artwork safe. How? Zeolite acts as both bypass and sieve - it's an inert crystalline aluminosilicate that sorts and traps molecules. Bainbridge's Artcare process incorporates zeolite to allow healthy environmental agents in, while trapping acidic and oxidizing gases in common air pollutants. The zeolite 'trap' prevents these unhealthy agents from deteriorating paper, photographs and other art treasures. And the trap continually works.
There are two products that Redimat recommends to actively protect artwork and ensure its long-lasting value-aesthetically, culturally and financially. The products--Alphamat and Alpharag, both by Nielsen Bainbridge, meet and exceed FACTS performance levels in mat and mounting boards. We'll tell you more about FACTS in just a moment--for now, let's look a little closer at the matboards:
- Alphamat Artcare with zeolite protects artwork from pollution and acid byproducts within the frame. The Alpha-Cellulose fiber used is acid free and lignin free and is buffered to maintain an alkaline PH balance.
- Alpharag Artcare offers one of the highest quality mats available - recommended for fine art prints, limited editions, valuable documents, photographs, and all other archival matting needs. It protects with a pure cotton rag pulp and offers color consistency, as well as fade and bleed resistance.
Get the FACTS
Whether you're a part-time artist, an acclaimed photographer or a passionate hobbyist with career dreams, you'll need guidelines for the preservation process in framing and product selection. A good place to start is through artcare FACTS, the international preservation standards recommended for Fine Art Care Treatment and Standards.
Founded in 1994, FACTS serves as a preservation standards 'clearinghouse' to prevent the financial and cultural loss of private and public artwork and keepsakes. "A simple fact is, if artwork and keepsakes are going to last, they need proper care and periodic maintenance," FACTS asserts. You can learn more about FACTS, and get in-depth tips on conservation best practices and standards by visiting FACTS and the Fine Art Trade Guild
Good Company
Artcare with zeolite safeguards some of the most precious and revered documents and artwork in the world--prestigious museums, libraries, and famous collections like the National Gallery of Art, the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Smithsonian Institution, Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Hampton Court Palace in Jerusalem--all use Artcare with zeolite.
Artcare Protects Famous Work
And when we said precious documents and artwork, we weren't kidding. Here's a sample of the works that are currently using Artcare matboards
Artcare mat board surrounds all 22 pieces of the Last Will and Testament of George Washington (c.1799).
Conservators at Naumkeag chose Alpharag Artcare matboard to preserve and display two priceless charcoal sketches by John Singer Sergeant
Alpharag Artcare matboard was chosen for use after conservation assessment of the Lewis and Clark Herbarium collection housed at The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
Redimat's recommendation for artists and photographers to consider the Nielsen Bainbridge Artcare process is further endorsed by art archivists, conservators and professionals (from Nielsen Bainbridge website)
"Tests comparing the efficiency of the zeolite used in MicroChamber indicate that the material is highly effective in trapping acetic acid and other acidic gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides."
- Pollutants in the Environment by Pamela B. Hatchfield, Conservator of Objects and culpture, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Bottom Line
Choosing Artcare is not only the ounce of prevention your top work deserves, Artcare makes a strong statement about the quality of your work. Your preservation process knowledge and product selection lend real value to your art's significance, beauty and integrity, a facts-supported value that will give additional confidence to your buyers. It's a proven value that indeed will stand the test of time.