Ongoing Collections Care

Public Art Conservation Maintenance

Conservation Technician, Camille Murphy, washing the bronze sculpture entitled Alley Cats by artist Judy McKie.

Image: Conservation Technician Camille Murphy washes "Alley Cats" by artist Judy McKie, located at Valente Library Garden.

Following conservation assessments of each artwork in the collection and consultations with artists, an annual maintenance program is developed and directly overseen by the Director of Art Conservation and carried out by contracted conservators or conservation technicians. Sculptures and murals in need of treatment are prioritized and treated under a long-range plan. All maintenance and treatments are documented in written and photographic forms, and these detailed records are actively referenced.

Conservation Technician, Rory Beerits, re-caulks the concrete components of the public artwork entitled Turnaround/Surround by artist Mierle Ukeles located at Danehy Park in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Collections Care Specialist, Rachel Newsam, cleaning the interior of the plexiglass column sculpture by artist Mags Harries.

Images: (left) Conservation Technician Rory Beerits re-caulks the cast stone components of public artwork, "Turnaround/Surround," by artist Mierle Ukeles, located at Danehy Park. (right) Collections Care Specialist Rachel Newsam cleans the interior of the Plexiglas column component of public artwork, "Drawn Water," by artist team Mags Harries and Lajos Heder, located at the City of Cambridge Water Treatment Facility at Fresh Pond.

Collections Care Specialist, Rachel Newsam, and Conservation Technician, Case Randall, dusting the suspended mobile entitled Spectrum by artist Michael Beatty.

Image: Conservation Technician Case Randall and Collections Care Specialist Rachel Newsam dust the mobile sculpture, "Spectrum," by artist Michael Beatty, located inside the Peabody School.

Collections Care Specialist, Rachel Newsam, and contracted Conservation Technician, Vaclav Sipla, repaint the concrete components of the public artwork entitled Turnaround/Surround by artist Mierle Ukeles located at Danehy Park in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Image: Conservation Technician Vaclav Sipla and Collections Care Specialist Rachel Newsam repaint the cast stone components of Mierle Ukeles's sculptural installation, "Turnaround/Surround."