{"id":4540,"date":"2021-05-02T04:36:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-02T04:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/osg-postprints\/?page_id=4540"},"modified":"2021-05-02T04:36:04","modified_gmt":"2021-05-02T04:36:04","slug":"hargrove","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/osg-postprints\/v28\/hargrove\/","title":{"rendered":"You are invited to The Party: A multi-disciplinary approach to treatment of a complex mixed media artwork by Marisol Escobar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Suzanne Hargrove, Emily Cummins, and Marissa Stevenson<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The diverse nature of modern and contemporary artworks challenges conservators to think beyond the scope of any single discipline. Treating multi-component pieces provides an opportunity for conservators to collaborate, develop, and implement an all-encompassing treatment plan. This paper demonstrates how bridging disciplines enables conservators to better understand and treat multi-component artworks.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Toledo Museum of Art\u2019s (TMA)\u00a0monumental\u00a0sculpture\u00a0The Party<\/em>\u00a0by Marisol Escobar (1930-2016)\u00a0exemplifies mixed\u00a0media conservation challenges. Created in 1965-1966, this 15-piece\u00a0life-size\u00a0ensemble\u00a0consisting\u00a0of abstracted\u00a0free-standing\u00a0wood figures is\u00a0embellished with\u00a0handmade and found objects including costume, fashion accessories, photographs, decoupage, paper, plastic, plaster, glass, metal, electronic media, ceramic,\u00a0and paint. These elements are\u00a0often\u00a0adhered or nailed\u00a0in place\u00a0which prohibits disassembly, meaning\u00a0many figures will need to remain standing for treatment.\u00a0This requires\u00a0an\u00a0innovative,\u00a0multi-disciplinary approach combining the expertise of objects, textile, paper,\u00a0and painting conservators as well as\u00a0a\u00a0review of Marisol\u2019s working techniques to ensure treatment does\u00a0not infringe on her creative process.\u00a0To accomplish this large-scale treatment,\u00a0the\u00a0TMA\u00a0team consisting\u00a0of Suzanne Hargrove (Head of Conservation, Objects), Emily Cummins (Mellon Fellow, Objects), and\u00a0Marissa Stevenson (Kress Fellow, Multi-Media Textiles) worked with contract conservators\u00a0Mark Bockrath (Paintings), and Jamye\u00a0Jamison\u00a0(Paper)\u00a0to\u00a0address conservation concerns and develop treatment protocols.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mixed\u00a0media\u00a0elements\u00a0of\u00a0The Party<\/em>\u00a0have conflicting chemical and physical properties,\u00a0and their unconventional\u00a0application\u00a0has resulted in degradation.\u00a0A 2020 conservation assessment for loan revealed\u00a0issues such as\u00a0overall fading, textiles\u00a0with inadequate support,\u00a0wallpaper\u00a0lifting and splitting,\u00a0plastic\u00a0yellowing and crizzling, wood cracking,\u00a0adhesives\u00a0aging poorly,\u00a0metals\u00a0corroding,\u00a0and electronic components\u00a0failing. While there are condition concerns for all categories of materials, the bulk of treatment needs can be seen where specialties converge.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project will demonstrate how the fragility and treatment needs of the disparate materials\u00a0dictates\u00a0a\u00a0unique\u00a0course of action.\u00a0As artists combine materials in non-traditional ways, the need for cross-disciplinary\u00a0collaboration will\u00a0become more prevalent.\u00a0The\u00a0collaborative approach\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0treatment\u00a0of Marisol\u2019s\u00a0The Party<\/em>\u00a0can serve\u00a0as a guideline\u00a0for\u00a0conservators who may\u00a0encounter similar\u00a0challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 | Virtual | Volume 28<\/a><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Suzanne Hargrove, Emily Cummins, and Marissa Stevenson Abstract The diverse nature of modern and contemporary artworks challenges conservators to think beyond the scope of any single discipline. Treating multi-component pieces provides an opportunity for conservators to collaborate, develop, and implement an all-encompassing treatment plan. This paper demonstrates how bridging disciplines enables conservators to better understand and treat multi-component artworks.   The Toledo Museum of Art\u2019s (TMA)\u00a0monumental\u00a0sculpture\u00a0The Party\u00a0by Marisol Escobar (1930-2016)\u00a0exemplifies mixed\u00a0media conservation challenges. Created in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"parent":4511,"menu_order":12,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4540","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/osg-postprints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/osg-postprints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/osg-postprints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/osg-postprints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/osg-postprints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/osg-postprints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4540\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/osg-postprints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/osg-postprints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}