The Henry Darger Room, as envisioned by Intuit, ca. 2020. Photograph © John Faier.
The Henry Darger collection.
In 2018, my company was contracted by the Intuit Art Museum to complete two phases of work on the Henry Darger collection, one of the Museum’s foundational archives documenting outsider artists. The collection includes examples of Darger’s work as well as a vast assortment of his source materials: comic and coloring books, magazines, paints, crayons, pencils, and news clippings. Since 2008, a portion of this material had been on display in the “Darger Room,” an exhibit built to resemble the artist’s original Lakeview apartment, complete with his own furniture, framed pictures, religious artifacts, and mantelpiece. The rest of the collection had long been stored in boxes in the Museum’s basement.
The first phase addressed the off-display material. Because of its inherent fragility, particularly the paper-based items, we brought in an outside conservator to advise on best practices for handling, housing, and storage. Guided by her recommendations, we established criteria for identifying at-risk items so the Museum could prioritize conservation treatment should funds become available. We incorporated this information into a detailed inventory, produced alongside object photography, non-invasive cleaning, and archival housing.
The second phase, similar in scope, focused on de-installing the Darger Room. This work took on added interest because it began in early 2021, shortly after the Museum reopened following its Covid closures. To engage visitors, we carried out the de-installation publicly, staging it on the exhibition floor so visitors could observe and ask questions. Soon afterward, Intuit closed for a major building renovation. It reopened in 2025 with Henry Darger: The Room Revealed, a thoughtful reimagining of Darger’s home and studio.
