Russian to Restore an Icon
An icon can be defined as "a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration". Jesus Christ is such an icon for the Christian religion. In the Fall of 2020, a project to restore an…
Constant Outdoor Sculpture Conservation
Math and science have their own values or constants which express a relation or property that remains the same in all circumstances. It was this notion which inspired the outdoor artwork, Garden of Constants, 1994 by Barbara Grygutis. Any works…
All Fired Up: Conservation of a Model 1777 Pistol
Christina L. Simms, Conservator Objects and Sculpture, recently completed a conservation treatment of a Model 1777 pistol at McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory, just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. The Model 1777 Pistol, before treatment Many good things come from France, including…
Portrait Restoration: Ready for a Close-up, Conservator Dedecek
Painted portrait restoration requires special skill and training, particularly if a painting is in unstable condition. Stefan Dedecek, Conservator of Paintings, Murals, and Polychrome surfaces at McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory has such experience, ranging from the treatment of large scale…
Conservation of Rain in the Valley by Glenn Moore Shaw
Conservator of Paintings, Murals and Polychrome Surfaces, Stefan Dedecek of McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory, shares his thoughts on a recent conservation treatment. Stefan Dedecek, Conservator of Paintings, Polychrome Surfaces, and Murals of McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory The painting Rain the…
Conservation of Sol LeWitt Sculpture, Easy as 1,2,3
Christina L. Simms, Conservator of Objects and Sculpture, and Emmett Lodge, NACE Certified Coatings Inspector, both of McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory, recently completed a conservation treatment of One, Two, Three, 1979, by sculptor Sol LeWitt in Syracuse, New York. One,…
Bear Witness to Maintaining Outdoor Bronze
The McKay Lodge Conservation team travels far and wide maintaining outdoor bronze sculpture. The conservation treatments of outdoor bronze are sometimes at the lab facilities just outside of Cleveland but also range to the nation's capitol in Washington D.C. and…
In Black and White: Conservation of a Calder Mobile
Conservation treatment is not always black and white, even if it is the colors of the object. In fact, there is often a lot of gray area for the preservation of cultural heritage works. This was the case for a…
Living the “Highline”: Recoating Lyman Kipp Sculpture
Highline by Lyman Kipp is a large abstract trabeated sculpture installed in the plaza of the James C. Corman Federal Building in Van Nuys, California. The artwork is made of steel and painted in a red and blue color scheme.…
The Nittany Lion Shrine Gets a New Shine
The Nittany Lion Shrine, 1942 by Heinz Warneke, an earlier assessment image The Nittany Lion Shrine is located on the University Park campus of the prestigious Pennsylvania State University. The sculpture features a boldly contoured limestone mountain lion poised to…