What Do Art Conservators Do? A Treatment Plan for the History of Illinois Murals

Conservators Amber Smith and Kendra Fuller will speak Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. about "What Do Art Conservators Do? A Treatment Plan for the History of Illinois Murals in Sherman Hall." Both women work for Chicago's The Conservation Center, which has previously done extensive work on the University's Works Progress Administration (WPA) collection. Smith and Fuller will be on campus next week to complete restoration work on two of the four Sherman Hall wall murals, "Fort Dearborn 1820" and "Mormon Temple Ruins ? Nauvoo, IL." The WIU Foundation is paying for the "Fort Dearborn 1820" restoration, and University Archives and Special Collections Coordinator Jeff Hancks raised the money necessary to restore the Mormon piece. During the Oct. 28 event, Smith and Fuller will speak about the purpose of art conservation and what art conservators do, as well as some of the more interesting and unusual projects The Conservation Center has handled. They will also discuss the specific treatment planned for the Sherman Hall project. Smith has been a practicing painting conservator for 12 years. She received her master's degree in art conservation from Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, and has interned in museums and worked for several private practices over the years. She has been with The Conservation Center for the past seven years. Fuller is just beginning her career in painting conservation. For the past five years, she interned with conservators in many disciplines. She is currently working on an apprenticeship at the Conservation Center, specializing in paintings. Both events are open free to the public. Both talks are designed for a general audiences, but people who are interested in art, chemistry and WIU history will find the talks interesting. The talks are co-sponsored by the WIU Foundation and the WIU Art Gallery. For more information, visit wiu.edu/artgallery.