ABSTRACT
This case study describes a year-long project, ‘Inherent Vice’, at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum, which engaged student artists with conservation and collections care work. As part of this initiative, conceived by conservators and curators in consultation with local artists and the RISD community, deaccessioned garments from the Museum’s collection were provided to students for creative exploration and reuse. These Gilded Age garments – featuring severe damage such as shattered silk, desiccated thread and other examples of inherent vice – became the basis for dialogue and reflection and were transformed into new works of art that interrogate historical legacy and missing narratives within museums. This case study summarizes the internal planning, community conversations, academic courses, and two exhibitions developed from this project. It argues that conservation thinking is a valuable addition to creative practice and that conservators should not view deterioration as a failure but rather as a jumping-off point where new ideas, new works, and new relationships can thrive.
