Request for proposals--Outdoor sculpture

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a historic house and National Historic
Landmark in Miami, FL, is about to embark on a major restoration of
its outdoor sculpture collection. Through this inquiry we seek to
pre-qualify conservation firms interested in receiving the RFP and
submitting a proposal for this restoration project.

The collection of objects that we seek to stabilize, conserve,
restore and/or move include approximately 80 pieces of garden
sculpture, including statuary, fountains, urns, vases and other
freestanding ornamentation, of varying materials and dimensions. The
work is to be carried out within a period of 24 months, and to
commence in the summer of 2009 (exact date tbd).

Cited as a significant contributing factor to the estate's National
Historic Landmark status in its designation letter of 1994, the
outdoor sculpture collection is currently in a state of severe
deterioration and disrepair due to the effects of South Florida's
subtropical, hurricane-prone climate.  In addition to 17th and 18th
century Italian garden sculpture, the outdoor collection includes
pieces that range from a 2nd century AD Roman altar to works
commissioned for Vizcaya and realized in locally available coral
stone.  The collection to be conserved under the forthcoming RFP
consists of approximately 80 works in different types of limestone,
marble, coral stone and lead.  The saline environment, subtropical
humidity, deferred maintenance, and poor old repairs (consisting of
ferrous pins, Portland cement and synthetic resins) have contributed
to extensive erosion, spalling, friability, cracking, breakage,
dimensional losses, thick bio-growth, and general instability.
Moreover, many of the pieces in question sustained significant
damage from hurricanes as early as 1926 and 1935, and more recently
in 1992 (Hurricane Andrew) and 2005 (Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma).

The restoration of Vizcaya's outdoor sculpture collection will be
conducted in accordance to the basic principle of the conservation
of historic gardens and the original aesthetic intentions of its
owner and designers: to reach a sustainable balance between the
preservation of the artifact and the dynamics of the natural
surrounding.

Interested conservation firms must meet the following minimum
qualifications:

    *   The firm's principal must be either a Fellow or Professional
        Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of
        Historic and Artistic Works.

    *   One of the firm's senior decision-makers must possess a
        degree from a graduate (post undergraduate) level
        conservation or historic preservation training program
        recognized by the American Institute for Conservation of
        Historic and Artistic Works and/or the International
        Institute for Conservation.

    *   The firm/ conservator must have no less than 7 years of
        post-graduate experience in the conservation of large scale
        outdoor sculpture collections and stone sculpture.

    *   The firm/ conservator must be able to obtain a performance
        bond in the amount of $1,000.000.

In order to pre-qualify and receive the RFP, please send a letter or
an email by 5 pm March 6, 2009, with a brief statement regarding the
above minimum qualifications to:

    Remko Jansonius
    Collections and Archives Manager
    Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
    3251 South Miami Avenue
    Miami FL 33129
    remko.jansonius<-at->vizcayamuseum<.>org


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:46
                 Distributed: Friday, February 13, 2009
                       Message Id: cdl-22-46-008
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