My initial examination revealed that the sculpture of King Caspar was in poor condition. Many of the wooden joints were loose; some pieces were broken and missing. The paint and barniz chinesco surfaces were actively flaking and the sculpture was very grimy. In collaboration with curator Donna Pierce, I designed a treatment plan that will restore the structural stability of the sculpture so that it can be handled, studied, and displayed safely. We also decided to pursue aesthetic compensation so that it can be effectively understood as a devotional object.
One of the first steps of any conservation treatment is to closely examine the object, creating written and photographic records of its current state. Conservators do this using a variety of tools and methods. I started to examine King Caspar by looking closely under normal light. Then, I began to change the angle and intensity of light, eventually adding magnification (via a stereomicroscope). I also examined the sculpture under ultraviolet illumination to observe UV-induced fluorescence.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation, funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, administered by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation, the Denver Art Museum is conserving an eighteenth-century Ecuadorian statue that is part of the DAM's Stapleton Collection of Latin American Colonial Art.
Courtney Murray, the Samuel H. Kress Fellow in Objects Conservation at the Denver Art Museum, is documenting her conservation treatment in a four-part series you can find here.
Meet King Caspar. This small polychrome wood sculpture dates to eighteenth-century Ecuador and is part of the renowned Stapleton Collection of Latin American Colonial Art at the Denver Art Museum. King Caspar is one of a set of six polychrome sculptures in the Stapleton Collection that together represent the three Magi and their horses. It is currently undergoing conservation treatment.
The Denver Art Museum recently held a staff pumpkin-carving contest that was a lot of fun and really got people motivated (see the photos in the slide show below to see how creative we got). If your employees or coworkers would like to follow suit, here are a few wickedly simple steps to follow to help ensure your pumpkin-carving event is as successful as ours was:
Looking for unique costume ideas? The folks in the Denver Art Museum's learning and engagement department have you covered. Check out their dDIY with instructions for making art-inspired Halloween costumes. (The costumes above were inspired by Fox Games by Sandy Skoglund, which is no longer on view.)
Lyrical, structured, bold, colorful, whimsical, meticulous, commemorative, and even “crazy," the quilts currently on display in First Glance/Second Look: Quilts from the Denver Art Museum Collection cover a staggering amount of design territory. Enticing the viewer’s eye to the back of the gallery is a striking grid of red and black interspersed with a rainbow of other colors.
Teachers, parents, and kids will find inspiring activities, art supplies, and books in the Denver Art Museum's new North Shop. Come shop for these great items and explore many more.
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$5 each Duck Tape and $2.50 each Washi Tape are great for art projects and for kids to decorate their books, backpacks, and more.
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Buckle up and hold on tight because the next stop on your imaginary road trip is the Denver Art Museum! This summer, the DAM will be inspiring creative children nationally through a partnership with Michael’s "Passport to Imagination” low-cost kids summer crafting program. “Museum Road Trip” is this year’s theme, and features crafts inspired by seven North American museums. "Passport to Imagination" began on June 16 and is offered Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 am-12 pm through August 1. One museum is featured per week.
Planning a visit to the Denver Art Museum soon? We put together some suggestions for fun things you and your family can see and do while you’re here.
The Shop at the Denver Art Museum is excited to launch an expanded selection of creative products for children, families, and the young at heart. We have completely transformed the Shop in the North Building. Beginning May 30 shelves will be full of supplies and kits that will spark imagination in kids of all ages.
As a museum educator, I find most of my days at work to be wonderful, but, every once in a while, my job provides me with some truly extraordinary experiences. Like when eight Colorado Scholastics winners were chosen by the Denver Art Museum for an “artist encounter” with our current Native Arts Artist in Residence, Rose B. Simpson. The artist encounter on March 24 was a rare opportunity for these young sculptors to speak with Rose, tour her works on view, and spend a little time in her studio creating. (Photos in slide show below.)