August 16, 2002

Museums Seek New Methods for Preserving Digital Art

By SCOTT CARLSON

Museums are accustomed to holding and preserving a variety of old art, such as vases from Mesopotamia, paintings from the Middle Ages, or busts of Roman emperors. Those works exist in durable materials that curators know how to preserve -- fired clay, wood, and stone.

With digital works, preservation is a bit more tricky. Several museums are organizing to recommend methods for preserving digital art -- works that deal in light, code, and constantly changing technology. The