“…treating with a flux”: Case Studies from The Silverman Fluxus Collection, at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, was authored by Peter Oleksik, Kate Lewis, and Danielle Johnson. It was presented at the 112th College Art Conference in Chicago within the session Activating Fluxus, Expanding Conservation organized by our project team. Below, you may find a recording of their presentation, which has been amended for our website and is available to everyone who was unable to attend the conference.
The Silverman Fluxus Collection, acquired by MoMA in 2008, has continually pushed the boundaries of institutional approaches to material care. As the collection was integrated into various departments, including Drawings & Prints and Library and Museum Archives, media conservation was enlisted in 2011 to assess its time-based components. This survey led to a series of engagements such as migrations, reconstructions, and activations. Two case studies are explored in this presentation.
The first delves into Nam June Paik’s Zen for TV and Shigeko Kubota’s works, which required active approaches to Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors to ensure their sustained display in MoMA’s galleries. The second case study examines the films of Dick Higgins, challenging traditional film preservation methods and highlighting the necessity of research networks for exhibiting and conserving his work. Jackson Mac Low’s Stanzas for Iris Lezak (1971) showcases Mac Low’s extensive experiments with recorded sound and poetry, layering live performance with recorded sounds and recorded recitations.
Ultimately, the presentation underscores how Fluxus pieces compel the museum to adopt an open-minded approach, allowing the art to guide its interpretation in the present and informing future care strategies.
About the authors
Peter Oleksik is a Media Conservator who has been working at MoMA since 2011 to conserve the Museum’s vast collection of time-based media. Since 2011, he has also taught in the Moving Image Archiving and Preservation (MIAP) program at NYU and, later, at NYU’s Institute for Fine Art’s Conservation Center.
Kate Lewis is a Media Conservator and Agnes Gund Chief Conservator of the David Booth Conservation department, at MoMA and is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, and serves on the board of Voices in Contemporary Art.
Danielle Johnson is a researcher, scholar, and writer whose work focuses on experimental art, music and film in the 1960s. In her role at MoMA, she worked extensively on the Gil and Lila Silverman Fluxus collection, conducting research, cataloging, and planning installations.
To cite this presentation
Peter Oleksik, Kate Lewis and Danielle Johnson, “…treating with a flux”: Case Studies from The Silverman Fluxus Collection, at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York.” Presentation at the 112th College Art Association Conference, Chicago, within Activating Fluxus, Expanding Conservation session (February 15, 2024).
Activating Fluxus 