The next step is to schedule an in-person assessment of your artwork. It is preferable for the assessment to occur at Flux Art Conservation’s studio, located in Brewerytown in Philadelphia. However, if you live within an hour radius of Philadelphia, our conservators are willing to travel to you to view your artwork for a fee. We recommend hiring a fine art shipping and handling company to pack and send your artwork to us, but you can also bring the artwork to our studio yourself. There are many reputable fine art shipping and handling companies in the area, and we are happy to provide recommendations if they are needed.

After your artwork arrives at the studio, a conservator will begin assessing your artwork’s condition. During the assessment, a conservator will thoroughly examine your artwork and write a condition report/treatment proposal that documents any issues found, lays out the studio’s recommended treatment proposal, and includes the project’s estimated total cost. Staff will also take limited photographs before during the assessment to visually document the issues described in the condition report/treatment proposal. The creation of the condition report/treatment proposal does incur a fee, which will be discussed and decided upon with you prior to the artwork arriving in the studio. There is no obligation beyond the initial assessment and condition report/treatment proposal, and the fee is separate from any subsequent project costs.

A service agreement will accompany the condition report/treatment proposal. To approve the project, we ask that you read both documents, sign the treatment proposal, and send the signed treatment proposal back to us via email or via regular mail, whichever is easiest for you. After we receive the signed treatment proposal, we will send you an invoice for 50% of the project costs. Kindly allow up to one month's time for us to complete the thorough examination and documentation of your artwork before emailing these documents to you.

Upon receipt of your first payment, we'll begin work on the project. This includes taking detailed, before treatment photographs of your artwork as part of our thorough treatment documentation process. Under our current schedule, projects may take three to six months from the time of approval for treatment, and up to six to nine months if housing, re-stretching a new stretcher, or framing are included. If you have a time-sensitive project, please bring that up during the initial assessment and we'll let you know whether we can accommodate your timeline.

After treatment is complete, we will provide you with a final treatment report that documents the artwork’s current condition post-treatment, all actions taken during the treatment process, and the treatment’s results. You will also receive a set of before and after treatment photographs for your records. The second invoice for the last 50% of the project costs will be included with the aforementioned documents. Upon receipt of your final payment, the last step is to schedule the pick-up of your artwork from the studio for its return back to you.

Of course, if you have any questions about the above process, how our studio operates, or just general conservation questions, please feel free to contact us. As mentioned, we want you to feel informed about and comfortable with your decision in choosing us to care for your artwork. We know it is a big decision, and we are honored that you have chosen us.