by Obie Linn, Textile Conservator

3/30/2023

CAMConservation , textile conservation , pink dress

Treatment is complete for this 1920s silk chiffon and velvet dress which showed loss in several places, including the right shoulder.

by Franck Mercurio, Publications Editor

3/29/2023

member magazine , Try Your Hand

Congratulations to museum member, Caroline Gollar, the winner of our 1881 Member Magazine “Try Your Hand” contest for Spring 2023.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator

3/23/2023

behind the scenes , objects conservation , CAMConservation

After removing all the old adhesive and over paint, we revealed several areas of loss to the painted scene on the glazed surface. This loss was likely caused by the same incident that damaged the foot causing the piece to break into multiple fragments.

by Serena Urry, Chief Conservator

3/16/2023

CAMConservation , paintings conservation , British portraiture

This portrait of an anonymous lady by an anonymous British artist was so dirty that only the most basic details were visible before conservation.

by Erin Robichaud, AmeriCorps Member

3/13/2023

AmeriCorps , ServeOhio , Ohio History Service Corps , Queen City Pollinator Project

Happy AmeriCorps Week! This week ServeOhio (Ohio’s commission on service and volunteerism) celebrates and recognizes AmeriCorps members who serve Ohio communities.

by Cecile Mear, Conservator of Works on Paper

3/9/2023

CAMConservation , John Ruthven , paper conservation

Paper conservation often involves undoing repairs by others who don’t have the knowledge or materials needed to best preserve the art. I recently examined a drawing by Cincinnati artist John Ruthven (1924 – 2020) with a long tear that had been mended with pressure sensitive tape, often referred to as “Scotch tape.”

by Obie Linn, Associate Conservator of Textiles

3/2/2023

behind the scenes , objects conservation , CAMConservation , Palampore , South Asian Art , textile conservation

Are you a pal of Indian textiles? Then be sure to see the palampore currently on display in the South Asian Gallery!

by Cincinnati Art Museum

3/1/2023

Women's History Month , collection , women in art , women artists

Explore works by women artists in the museum's collection.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator

2/23/2023

behind the scenes , objects conservation , CAMConservation , Jain Shrine

While cleaning and conserving our Jain shrine, we discovered several layers of paint from different periods of its history. The carved wooden designs would have been repainted several times during its use as a devotional object.

by Guest Contributor James Neville, Art Teacher, Cincinnati Public Schools

2/22/2023

Teachers , love story , Evenings for Educators , summer teacher institute , Cincinnati Bengals

This story begins with Samantha Gaier, the museum’s Associate Director of School-Based Learning, asking about my personalized Super Bowl XLI Bengals jersey during a “visual arts professional development day” for art teachers with Cincinnati Public Schools. Little did she know, the jersey was just a small part of a larger story, a love story that began almost 40 years earlier.

by Brett Hornberger, M.Ed. Early Childhood Teacher / Teaching Professor, Xavier University

2/16/2023

Evenings for Educators , montessori , early childhood education , Georgia O’Keeffe , photography

Inspired by the brilliant photography of Georgia O’Keeffe, Montessori students from the Xavier University Montessori Lab School experienced a novel three-part lesson about the innovative female artist.

by Serena Urry, Chief Conservator

2/16/2023

CAMConservation , paintings conservation , Sir Joshua Reynolds , portrait , British catalog project , European Paintings

These three portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds (British, 1723–1792) have come out of storage and into the conservation lab for the museum’s British catalog project . They are due to be examined, and perhaps treated, before heading to our photography department for high resolution imaging.

by Franck Mercurio, Publications Editor

2/15/2023

Staff Highlights , CAM staff , CAM favorites

From greeters to grounds keepers to gallery attendants, our frontline staff experience the museum’s collections firsthand, every day. Check out these six artworks—curated by staff members in Visitor Services, Building & Grounds, and Museum Security—and discover why each represents a favorite work of art.

by Cecile Mear, Conservator of Works on Paper

2/9/2023

Illustration of Hell , Comparative Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds , paper conservation , Hand scroll display

A larger portion of the painting is currently on view in New York until May 7, after which the scroll will travel to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and be on exhibit June 16–September 18, 2023.

by Geoff Edwards, Archivist / Records Manager, Mary R. Schiff Library & Archives

2/9/2023

Mary R. Schiff Library and Archives , artist files , Thom Shaw , Cincinnati artists , Black History Month , Black artists

In honor of Black History Month, the library is currently displaying the artist file of Thom Shaw (1947–2010), one of Cincinnati’s best known and most admired contemporary artists.

by Cincinnati Art Museum

2/6/2023

Black History Month , Google Arts & Culture , Yesterday , today and tomorrow , Homage: What was , Is , To Come

February is Black History Month, and we’re celebrating by sharing stories of contemporary Black artists through Google Arts & Culture’s Black History and Culture hub.

by Obie Linn, Associate Conservator of Textiles

2/2/2023

conservation , CAMConservation , behind the scenes , objects conservation , Kehinde Wiley , vintage dress

Getting beautiful objects on display is a multi-stage process that often includes a stop (or several!) in Conservation. This week we installed some new objects in the Forecourt Gallery of the museum, including this child’s dress.

by Cincinnati Art Museum

1/30/2023

Black History Month , CAM collection

Join the Cincinnati Art Museum during this time of celebration by exploring works by Black artists in the museum’s collection.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator

1/26/2023

behind the scenes , objects conservation , CAMConservation

We are working on conserving a new piece of the shrine—which is cleaning up very well—revealing beautiful bright red and yellow pigments underneath the coating.

by Serena Urry, Chief Conservator

1/19/2023

paintings conservation , CAMConservation , Selden

Before the work was shipped to the museum from out of state, our curator of American art, Julie Aronson, PhD, contacted a professionally trained paintings conservator in that region to examine it. He noted a few areas with cracks and lifting paint that might be jeopardized during transport. With permission from the owner , the conservator applied the three tissue paper patches you see here to make sure that no paint flakes were lost in transit.

by Cecile Mear, Conservator of Works on Paper

1/11/2023

paper conservation , yoshida hiroshi , color woodcut

See these and other woodcut prints (including Himeji Castle in the Morning, a variation of the print seen here) by seven members of the talented Yoshida family spanning most of the twentieth century until April 9, 2023.

by Amy Cholkas, New Richmond Middle School

1/10/2023

teacher blog , Shiva Nataraja , Beyond Bollywood

January’s Evening for Educators will feature a tour of the exhibition Beyond Bollywood: 2000 Years of Dance in Art. This interactive art exhibition explores the power of dance, not only in everyday life, but in religious thought and worship in South Asia.

by Obie Linn, Associate Conservator of Textiles

1/5/2023

CAMConservation , vintage , Chanel , textile conservation , sequins

Heat and moisture melted the missing sequins on this 1925–1926 party dress at the wearer’s armpit.

by Cincinnati Art Museum

12/22/2022

Year in Review

Let’s look back on some unique and noteworthy moments during 2022.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Objects Conservator

12/21/2022

CAMConservation , behind the scenes , object conservation

Many of the carved items (such as the bow held in the hand of the figure on left side of the archway) had broken and required repairs to be carried out under a microscope.

by Serena Urry, Chief Conservator

12/15/2022

Cezanne , X-ray , CAMConservation , paintings conservation

A few months ago, I posted about the complicated surface coatings on Cézanne’s Still Life with Bread and Eggs.” But what was going on under the surface was even more of a surprise.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Objects Conservator

12/8/2022

Galloping through Dynasties , conservation , CAMConservation

You can see the conserved Dancing Horse in the special exhibition Galloping Through Dynasties through January 1, 2023

by Conservation

12/1/2022

#CAMConservation , textile conservation

We are “dyeing” to find the perfect shades of pink silk chiffon to repair this 1920s dress!

by Emily Holtrop Director of Learning & Interpretation

11/18/2022

CAMCollection , permanent collection , winter , holidays , Christmas , Thanksgiving , Hanukkah , winter solstice , Kwanzaa , New Year

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, the late autumn and early winter is a time for reflection and celebration.

by Conservation

11/17/2022

behind the scenes , objects conservation , CAMConservation , Jain Shrine

This week in objects conservation: Almost 12 months from when we first started the treatment, half of the Jain shrine has been conserved, and a new batch of pieces has moved into the lab to begin treatment.