Material Choice:
Conservation,
Science & Public Art
April 9 – May 4, 2007
Opening Reception: April 11,
2007, 5:30 - 7:30 P.M.
For more information about Material Choice please view the Case Studies featured in this exhibition.
CAC Gallery presents Material Choice: Conservation,
Science & Public Art in conjunction with the citywide
Cambridge Science Festival, April 21-29.
Inspired by the increasing dialogue between artists and
conservators, this exhibition explores the use of science when
making “material choices” to create and conserve contemporary
site-specific public art in Cambridge and other urban
settings.
Curated by Rika Smith McNally, CAC
Conservator of Public Art, and Lillian Hsu, CAC Director of
Public Art, Material Choice demonstrates how artists
and art conservators collaborate on such questions as: Which
materials should be used for durability? What factors
determine an artwork’s lifespan? Is longevity and maintenance
always a paramount consideration in the creation of public
art? The exhibition illustrates why an ongoing dialogue
between artists, public art administrators, and art
conservators is critical in order to best foresee what future
care public artworks and their materials will require.
Material Choices are revealed for the following six
artist:
Choice of Steel = Change of Scale: Nancy
Selvage
To ensure the longevity of her artwork, artist
Nancy Selvage must find the balance between the durability of
steel and the scale of her artistic vision. Nancy Selvage’s Water Wall, Trolley
Square
Performance in Black and White: Toshihiro
Katayama
Find out why CAC’s Conservator recommended
that a high-tech paint, typically used for airplanes, be
applied for the first time in Cambridge on Katayama’s public
art in the highly trafficked Porter Square. Toshihiro
Katayama’s Porter Square Design Project.
When
"Polished" Isn't Hard: Wall Choice for Randal
Thurston
Gallery-goers are invited to test tile walls
for washability to demonstrate that not all factory surface
treatments are equal. Randal Thurston’s Yerxa Road Underpass project.
The
Quest for the Golden Ball: Mags Harries and Lajos
Hédèr
When a gold-plated stainless steel ball floating
in water shows signs of corrosion, an MIT metallurgist and
CAC’s Conservator join forces to suggest a submersed solution.
Mags Harries’ and Lajos Hédèr’s Drawn Water, Walter J. Sullivan Water
Purification Facility.
Patina and the Watchful Eye:
A Dialogue with David Phillips
Outdoor patinas used for
bronze sculpture are considered by artist David Phillips and
CAC's Conservator to see how their aging processes alter color
and surface and affect maintenance. Sample work.
Exploration in Rubber
and Polymer: Mierle Laderman Ukeles
Experimenting with
rubber granules and a water-based adhesive more commonly found
in outdoor running tracks, Mierle Laderman Ukeles challenges
the boundaries of her materials. Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ Galaxy, Danehy Park.
CAC Gallery
exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Press Photos: 300 dpi photos are available
for download
Click "Download large version."
Photo Credit: Rika Smith McNally
|
