The State of Your Art

Remember that time in college when you had a party in your dorm room and your best friend accidentally spilled beer all over your Gustav Klimt poster? If you thought it was a pain to get that stain out, just imagine what it would be like to repair all of the artwork in a museum hit by a natural disaster.

It's a stinky, mucky job, but the art restoration experts at the Chicago Conservation Center would say their rescues are worth the effort. Recently a team from the center waded through ankle-deep mud wearing respirators to protect them from toxic mold in order to rescue priceless works of art from the University of Iowa's Museum of Art, which was inundated with filthy flood water in June.

The group has worked with damaged art from natural disasters across the country, including Sheraton sideboards and brass hardware that were nearly swallowed up by Hurricane Katrina.

You don't have to own a Picasso or a Warhol to be concerned about the state of your art. Heather Becker, CEO of the Conservation Center, told the Wall Street Journal that everyday art lovers should "regularly update inventories and appraisals and keep insurance coverage up to date. Always keep an off-site copy; otherwise your access to vital information can be challenging when a disaster occurs."

How do you keep art or other collectibles and important things safe and organized?