Conversations in Conservation symposium

April 25-26, 2016

A two-day event hosted by the Blanton Museum of Art and created and chaired by Andrew W. Mellon fellow, Hannah W. Wong.  Using several of the museum's Old Master paintings as case studies, the symposium included public lectures and a lab workshop as well as a collections consultation with a paintings conservator.  It was held in conjunction with the art historical and conservation research for the museum's 2017 reinstallation of its permanent collection. The event featured distinguished guest Dr. Dawn V. Rogala, paintings conservator from the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Conservation Institute.

Conversations in Conservation was funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Mary Saunders Leech Centennial Lectureship in Fine Arts.

View Program PDF

Learning to Look: A Conservator’s Introduction to Looking at Paintings

Dr. Dawn V. Rogala, Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution

What might crack patterns in paint, stains or holes in the canvas, or the construction of wooden stretcher bars tell us about a painting’s unique history? Join Smithsonian paintings conservator Dr. Dawn Rogala for an informal presentation on the first steps a conservator takes in approaching and analyzing a painting. This talk focuses on the information initially available to the viewer without the use of expensive analytical tools.

Case Closed?: Solving Several Blanton Painting Mysteries & Finding New Ones

Hannah W. Wong, Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Prints and Drawings, and European Paintings, Blanton Museum of Art

Research on provenance, artists’ biographies, and cultural contexts are familiar art historical tools for understanding artwork. However, conservation studies and technical analysis can be interpretive game changers.  Hannah considers several case studies in which X-radiography has expanded or dramatically changed the conversation around specific Old Master paintings at the Blanton.

Consultation with conservator on Blanton paintings

The event included an on-site visit with Smithsonian paintings conservator, Dawn Rogala, who consulted with the Blanton's Prints and Drawings, and European Paintings Department.  During and prior the consultation, the group discussed and examined six works under consideration for the museum's 2017 reinstallation using X-radiography, ultraviolet illumination, infrared reflectography and microscopy information gathered specifically for the symposium.

Lab Workshop & Mellon Practicum
Dr. Dawn V. Rogala, Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution
Hannah W. Wong, Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Prints and Drawings, and European Paintings, Blanton Museum of Art

Located in the Blanton Museum's conservation laboratory, the seminar practicum was designed for the Blanton’s Mellon curatorial fellows and other museum graduate fellows and allowed participants to translate what they learned from lecture into first-hand experience with paintings from the Blanton’s Old Master collection. In addition to looking at and evaluating actual works of art, participants were also introduced to some of conservation’s more technical analytical tools such as X-radiography, ultraviolet illumination, and microscopy.