Cleaning Larry Fuente’s Game Fish
Preservation is at the heart of what we do here at the Lunder Conservation Center. Composed of found plastic toys, Larry Fuente’s "Game Fish" (1988) is very tricky to clean. Recently, graduate intern Leila Sabouni vacuumed and used CO2 snow (microscopic dry ice) to remove dust—watch in slow motion! As preventative care, the artwork is on display in a gallery with controlled light levels, relative humidity, and airflow. Come see it in person at #RenwickGallery. #PreservationWeek #preswk
Diorama Dancer Back in Step
The dancer is back in step! Pre-program intern Tamara Dissi reinserts the central figure of the 1940 diorama, "Reconstruction after the War," which we have been conserving since June and is part of The Legacy Museum, Tuskegee University's collection. Tamara straightened her inner steel rod, molded and placed fill material to create a sturdy base, used adhesive, and installed a support overnight as materials set in place. See the diorama in our visible lab at Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery for a few more weeks!
Treatment of Reconstruction after the War diorama
What's happening in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery's conservation lab? Come learn about our latest treatment on this 1940 diorama during our weekly Lunder Conservation Center tour today at 3 p.m.!
Dan Finn conserving Jenny Holzer's "For SAAM" sculpture
Curious about how we keep the lights on Jenny Holzer's "For SAAM" sculpture? Come to Media Conservator Dan Finn's spotlight at Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery today at noon: https://s.si.edu/2MaMMNz!
Cleaning "Nocternal (Horizon Line)"
Our paintings conservators and interns were busy this morning cleaning the delicate surface of Terasita Fernandez's 'Nocternal (Horizon Line)," on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
This painting is made of solid graphite on panel. It is a delicate surface that can easily be damaged by fingerprints, smudges, and abrasion. It was carefully cleaned with soft cloths this morning to remove accumulated grime and marks while on display in our Lincoln gallery. Our paintings conservators and interns worked hard to get their work done before our visitors arrived.
Yesterday we posted a photo of conservator Amber Kerr working in the lab. Considering all the love that image got we thought you might like a video of Amber removing discolored varnish and old retouching of the same painting. Enjoy!
In conservation, sometimes the objects come to you, other times you go to the object. That was the case this morning when conservator Ariel O'Connor carried out a simple surface cleaning of this piece, first with a cosmetic sponge, then (as can be seen here) with a cotton pad and deionized water, in order to prepare the sculpture for a loan. Because the sculpture is so heavy, and the cleaning so simple, it was best for Ariel to perform the treatment in the Luce Foundation Center for American Art rather than in the lab. All in a day's work!
Today in our paintings lab Kress/FAIC Conservation Fellow Anne Schaffer is treating "In the Cascade Mountains" by Edward Bruce. What you're seeing here is a raking light photo of the painting, followed by Anne adding weights to the back (or verso) of the artwork after gently and incrementally humidifying the canvas with damp blotter paper in order to reduce planar distortions. Learn more about this piece by going to http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=2995
Objects conservator Helen Ingalls is examining a number of pieces of Alexander Calder's jewelry in our collection and demonstrates opening the clasp on a bracelet in this video
Objects Conservator Helen Ingalls is working on 'Memory High-Buttoned Shoe' today in the conservation lab. Learn more about this interesting piece by going to http://s.si.edu/2lglF9y
In this video you can see Painting Conservator Amber Kerr removing a layer of yellowed varnish from the surface of Gene Davis's 'Red Line'.
Come to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery today at 4 pm for a gallery tour with Amber where she will discuss her work on the Hot Beat exhibition: http://bit.ly/2lnbJsi
In this video FAIC/Kress Conservation Fellow Anne Schaffer is consolidating the painted surface of this work using some of the isinglass she made yesterday in the lab. Anne is using a brush to apply the isinglass along with a soft, a silicone-tipped tool to apply gentle pressure, and a hot air pencil to warm the paint.
Paintings Conservation Intern Laura Raven is surface cleaning Gene Davis's 'Hot Beat' in preparation for an upcoming exhibition
Our Conservation Specialist Susan Edwards takes to a lift to document Roy Lichtenstein's 'Modern Head' at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery before beginning treatment tomorrow
Objects conservator Ariel O'Connor is preparing test samples of unfired clay mixed with various acrylic emulsions. This particular mixture "feels just like working with unfired clay and can be easily rolled out" but is stronger than unfired clay alone.
Today in the lab objects conservator Ariel O'Connor is researching how to make unfired clay stronger. Here, you can see Ariel mixing unfired terracotta clay with various acrylic emulsions in order to test the strength and aging properties of the material after drying.
In this video you can see Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery paintings conservator Amber Kerr sewing strips of canvas onto the tacking margins of a Gene Davis painting so that it can be restretched.
Lichtenstein's 'Modern Head' gets a wash down outside of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery by our conservation team
Just another day in the lab...vacuuming art.
Our objects conservator Helen Ingalls is carefully vacuuming 'Arachne,' a work by Bruce Conner, for an upcoming exhibition at MoMA The Museum of Modern Art. By placing a synthetic screen over the artwork and the vacuum's nozzle Helen can remove dust while assuring nothing is lost from the piece.
Learn about the artwork by going to http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=74665
This morning our Chief of Conservation Tiarna Doherty is varnishing a work by Romaine Brooks
