2012 Begins with a Great Project and a New Website

The latter half of 2011 was so busy for our firm that we had no time to add to this blog. In the meantime we launched a new website www.rlaconservation.com. The new site will be the general site for learning about RLA personnel, projects, news and more. This site will be used by Rosa Lowinger for blogging about culture, conservation, preservation and RLA projects.

The project seen in the photo is the first of 2012. It is the conservation and repainting of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen's "Dropped Bowl with Scattered Slices and Peels". Installed in 1990, the 17-component fountain installation is in the collection of Miami Dade County's Art in Public Places Program. Situated in downtown Miami at Government Center at Open Space Park, the painted fiberglass, concrete, and stainless steel components are undergoing their first professional conservation treatment.

Stay tuned for more images.

Conservation of Amida Buddha - Lahaina, Maui

In May 2011, RLA supervised the conservation of Amida Buddha at the Jodo Mission in Lahaina, Maui. The largest bronze of its kind outside Japan, the 12 foot, 3 1/2-ton sculpture was cast in Kyoto, Japan between 1967-1968. The sculpture had been brazed and painted over the years, obscuring the original bronze surface. Carried out in conjunction with Michael Jones of Art Services Hawaii and University of Hawaii sculpture professor Linda Yamamoto, the treatment consisted of chemical paint stripping, removal of epoxy fills, cleaning, and spot repatination to specifications provided by the Lahaina Mission's Reverend Hara. The treatment was finished by the application of two coats of a proprietary paste wax to the heated metal surface, followed by a sacrificial coat of cold paste wax.



Above and below: Art Service's Michael Jones removing the paint.







The Buddha after treatment is complete, at opening ceremony.

Article on Removal of Haiti Murals

Read my recent report on the removal of the Haiti murals at www.c-monster.net, where I write a column called the Art Nurse:


http://c-monster.net/blog1/2011/07/26/haiti-report/

Untitled 1980-1984 Concrete Sculptures by Donald Judd

Untitled 1980-1984 is a master work in reinforced cast concrete by minimalist artist Donald Judd. Located at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa Texas, the installation consists of 60 open room-sized boxes that are grouped into 15 individual works. The installation recently underwent a monumental conservation treatment to shore its foundation and repair cracks to the concrete. Following this, RLA was hired to caulk appropriate open joints and apply an alkoxy silane water repellant to reduce damage from moisture.

The work is being done under the auspices of the Chinati Foundation and specifically in collaboration with its chief conservator Bettina Landgrebe. RLA is setting the protocols for treatment and supervising the work of four interns from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas at Austin in carrying out the treatment. Completion is anticipated by late summer.

For more images or to request additional information, please contact us directly.