Opere outdoor: a database for planned conservation

Opere Outdoor (https://opereoutdoor.unibo.it/ ) was created in 2019 to facilitate conservation of outdoor ceramic sculptures by serving as a user-friendly, web-based database of outdoor ceramics across Italy and providing useful information for future monitoring and treatment intervention. The platform grew out of a conservation study conducted on part of the collection of contemporary ceramic sculptures at the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza and the Outdoor Museum of Faenza, in collaboration with FrameLAB, the Multimedia and Digital Storytelling laboratory of the Department of Cultural Heritage at the University of Bologna. Starting with a conservation survey of the artworks, several pieces of data were obtained: condition reports focused on past restoration and future planned conservation of the sculptures, including information about ceramic technology, location, previous interventions, and indications for maintenance, as well as condition mapping created with thorough photographic documentation. The information collected formed the basis of the database design. The database was created with WordPress, a content management system that afforded us great flexibility. The website is organized by work of art, each linking to its own page, with sections of data contributing to the overall understanding of that sculpture. Sections include a brief description accompanied by a general photograph, geolocalization, updated condition maps, and a list of essential conservation information such as condition statements and notes from past monitoring, treatment interventions, and testing. In particular, the fields within the conservation information section are made easily updatable on the back end through drop-down menus, providing an overview of the processes and progress of degradation and managing the schedule for routine maintenance interventions. Opere Outdoor now serves as a support tool for institutions responsible for those ceramic sculptures listed on the site, but also for any heritage professional undertaking planned conservation of outdoor ceramic artworks. From an administrative point of view, it can be challenging to have a comprehensive understanding of the current state of condition and the needs of any outdoor sculpture collection. Especially, as in this case, for monumental outdoor ceramic sculpture for which visual examination alone is not sufficient to ensure their long-term preservation.