Home|  FAMSF Blog

FAMSF Blog

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?


 

Read more »
Filed under:

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.

Read more »
Filed under:

Lastest news from Corinne Okada Takara, December 2008 Artist-in-Residence

Posted by Cynthia Inaba on January 5, 2011

Corinne Okada Takara completed a residency in the Kimball Education Gallery two years ago.  Her project, Rhythms in Space, explored the assembly of recycled materials into airy three-dimensional tapestries and wearable art, while presenting a visual footprint of diverse cultures in the Asian diaspora.  She pulled various motifs from the museum collection, along with visual patterns observed in the museum's surroundings.  Visitors created tapestries from these images using wire, netting, and other recycled materials. 

Now, Corinne is preparing for two large projects in the spring in San Jose.  One if funded with a Target Arts Grant and the other is self-funded.  Please check out her new site for the project at http://kck.st/fhbHwt.

Filed under:

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.

 

Read more »
Filed under:

Take a Really, Really Close Look

Posted by Robin Wander on December 15, 2010

Arthur Szyk: The Scribe

The Scribe, 1927. Transparent and opaque watercolor. Collection of Irvin Ungar

Read more »
Filed under:

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.
 

Read more »
Filed under:
Syndicate content