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Interview with the Conservation Interns

Posted by Arielle Hambrecht on February 22, 2011

Internships are a crucial part of the education and training of conservators. Currently we have three graduate interns in conservation from three different countries, allowing us a unique opportunity to discuss conservation training from an international perspective.

Erin Stephenson and Stephanie Ricordeau are interns in the Paintings Conservation Department. Erin is completing her Master of Arts and Certificate of Advanced Study in Conservation through SUNY Buffalo State College while Stephanie is in the Master’s Program for Conservation-Restoration at La Sorbonne, Paris, France.

In the Objects Conservation Department, Tegan Broderick is an intern completing her Master of Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

The interns recently shared some interesting insights into their experiences in conservation.  Here are excerpts from our conversations followed by the full text of their interviews.

 FAMSF Conservation Graduate Interns 2011 

FAMSF Conservation Interns Erin Stephenson, Tegan Broderick, and Stephanie Ricordeau

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Olmec: An Exercise in Scale

Posted by Lesley Bone on February 17, 2011

Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico is the perfect exhibition to show the range of artworks an objects conservator can work on. The pyramid from Complex C at the Olmec site of La Venta is first object represented in this exhibition that I helped conserve.  At the beginning of the exhibition you will see a large color photograph of this pyramid showing the result of the conservation treatment.


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What exactly is a conservator’s role when dealing with huge, monolithic objects?

Posted by Lesley Bone on February 3, 2011

The objects conservation lab is busy doing their part for the installation of Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico. So what exactly is a conservator’s role when dealing with huge, monolithic objects?


 

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Are you dusting the art? Common questions about our dusting routine

Posted by Arielle Hambrecht on January 20, 2011

Even in a museum environment, objects can become dusty and it is the responsibility of the objects conservation department to dust each artwork. We sometimes dust artworks when visitors are in the galleries and we have noticed that many people are curious about what we are doing.  Here is a brief selection of the most common questions about dusting artworks and our responses:

Dusting the suspended Ruth Asawa sculptures.

Assistant Conservator Alisa Eagleston dusting the suspended Ruth Asawa sculptures.

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Man Observing: Installation of an 8.8′ tall sculpture

Posted by Lesley Bone on December 21, 2010

Viola Frey’s monumental sculpture, Man Observing Series II, is back from its travels!  This is a larger than life sized sculpture made of 13 heavy sections of glazed earthenware ceramics.  Teamwork by staff at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco returned the sculpture to its original home in the Saxe Gallery at the de Young.

The empty platform awaiting Man Observing Series II.

 

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Without Visible Means of Support

Posted by Debbie Evans on December 9, 2010

Installation of Japanese Books in the Reva and David Logan Gallery of Illustrated Books

Go behind the scenes at the Legion of Honor as paper conservators prepare and install 37 rare Japanese books for the exhibition Aspects of Mount Fuji in Japanese Illustrated Books from the Arthur Tress Collection.

Hokusai, Untitled (Fuji Seen from Above the Waves), [detail] from the book
One Hundred Views of Fuji, 1835. Collection of Arthur Tress.
 

   

Utagawa Hiroshige, Fuji seen through cherry trees, in the book
One Hundred Views of Fuji (Fujimi Hyakuzu), 1859. Collection of Arthur Tress.
 

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