Preservation in the galleries

At the Georgia Museum of Art located at the University of Georgia, art is being preserved in the galleries before the eyes of the public. Atlanta-based art restorer Larry Shutts is stabilizing and cleaning “Close” by Joan Mitchell, an abstract expressionist piece that’s been part of the museum’s collection since 1974.

Shutts is working on the artwork in a visible, open-access laboratory established in the museum’s temporary exhibition area. Divided from visitors merely by a short half-wall, this arrangement provides guests with a rare opportunity to witness art conservation in action and engage with Shutts throughout the process.

“This initiative is a distinctive chance to make art conservation accessible to a wider audience,” stated David Odo, the museum’s director. “As an academic institution and the official state art museum of Georgia, our goal is to share the beauty, significance, and history of the art within our collections, and this embodies the kind of public educational opportunity that highlights that.”

Eliminating barriers

In honor of the artist’s centenary, the foundation issued a request for projects that emphasize Mitchell’s contributions, resulting in grant support for the museum to engage Shutts for this public conservation venture.

“We pondered, ‘How can we ensure this work remains accessible, and how can we provide people with a glimpse behind the curtain to dispel some of the mystery?’” shared Kathryn Hill, associate curator of modern and contemporary art and the key contributor to the museum’s grant proposal.

The outcome is this innovative open-access laboratory combined with engaging exhibition components. On one wall, visitors can review a sample condition report for “Close” featuring arrows and notes indicating the compromised areas on an image of the artwork. Adjacent to the low half-wall in front of Shutts’ workspace is a display featuring tools that guests can handle, such as an air blower, a blacklight, a binocular magnifier known as an optivisor, and a sample painted canvas for visitors to touch and experience the texture of the canvas and paint.

“This initiative presents an exceptional experiential learning opportunity for UGA students and the general public alike,” remarked Callan Steinmann, the museum’s director of learning and engagement. “Art conservation is captivating, yet it typically occurs behind the scenes within museum operations. We aspire that the tactile tools, video presentations, and informational text enliven this work, enabling visitors to understand more about how museums care for the items in their collections.”

Transparent care for art

Like all artworks, “Close” has undergone aging over time, resulting in some fissuring in its darker sections. This type of fissuring is referred to as traction crackle and can arise when thick layers of oil paint dry on the canvas. In this situation, portions of dark, semi-transparent green paint on the canvas have had their binding medium absorbed by the priming beneath, leading to cracking, shrinking, and even some areas of flaking.

Employing a brush and water-based adhesive, Shutts applies the adhesive beneath the raised sections while warming each part of the paint with a pencil-sized tool.

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hot air blower to aid in softening and adhering with the adhesive and canvas.

This procedure is gradual and demanding, yet essential for this endeavor.

Upon stabilizing the fractured and raised sections with adhesives, Shutts retouches areas where the dark green paint has already peeled away. This occurs when the artwork is re-hung on the wall, enabling him to accurately match colors in the gallery’s lighting and perspectives from which the painting is typically observed.

A small, dime-sized section where the paint has chipped will necessitate him to fill and shape the area with gesso, a type of plaster, to recreate the form of the absent brushstroke and provide a foundation for the color-matched paint.

He will also employ deionized water to cleanse some regions of minor smudging at the outer edge of the painting, likely resulting from handling in the studio prior to the artwork being acquired by the museum.

“If I execute my work with perfect accuracy, no one will ever realize I was present,” Shutts noted.

The in-gallery work will occur until Nov. 2, and Shutts will be available in the museum from 11 a.m.–noon and 2–4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays until Sept. 4. He will also conduct a public lecture on Sept. 25 discussing methods, tools, and strategies for art conservation and restoration.

“Conservation is often a discreet endeavor. It occurs behind the scenes,” Hill explained. “There’s a science involved, and this is a wonderful way to demonstrate to the public what we do in terms of preserving and safeguarding visual and cultural heritage.”