Programming for the 2025 3-Ring Circus is sponsored by:
WCG Annual 3-Ring Circus
The S. Dillon Ripley Center
Smithsonian Institution
RESCHEDULED MEETING DATE
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Reception with Exhibitors from 5:00–6:30 pm
Presentations from 6:30–7:30 pm
Location: 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW, Washington DC, 20560
Nearest Metro Stops: Smithsonian (Blue/Orange/Silver), L’Enfant Plaza (Green/Yellow)
Cost: Free for WCG Members and $15 donation for non-members
Please consider renewing your membership or donating online before attending this event!
Schedule
Reception with Exhibitors from 5:00–6:30 pm
Visit each of our exhibitors during the reception to enter the RAFFLE!
Exhibitors:
AIC, ArtFit 3D, FH Conservation, Hirox, Hollinger Metal Edge, Huntington T. Block,
Polistini Conservation Material, Spacesaver Interiors, and University Products
Presentations from 6:30–7:30 pm
See abstracts for these presentations BELOW.
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Visit our Meetings Schedule for more information about this season’s meetings.
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2025 Abstracts
Ring 1: Textiles
“Museum Hat-Tricks: Storage Mount Variations for National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Black Fashion Museum Collection”
Speaker: Megan O’Brian | Co-authors: Emily Bach and Laura Mina
In 2023, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) kickstarted a project dedicated to the processing and rehousing of its Black Fashion Museum collection, comprised of nearly 3,000 garments and accessories. The Black Fashion Museum (BFM) was established by Lois K. Alexander Lane in 1979 with the goal of showcasing and preserving the work of Black fashion designers and items worn by well-known African Americans. After her death, the collection was donated to NMAAHC in 2007.
As the project’s Conservation Textile Specialists, one of our primary tasks is to create custom storage mounts and housing for every object in the BFM collection. Thus far, we have processed over 200 hats, and this presentation will focus on the development of a range of customized hat mount variations to support the wide assortment of hat styles in the collection.
We will discuss how the basic hat mount structure and its variations can provide the necessary support for years of storage, as well as safe transportation between different locations. Because the BFM collection resides in NMAAHC’s off-site storage, our mounts must double as permanent storage housing and as containers that provide the required stability for objects travelling to and from the museum in downtown DC. We will share tips and tricks about how we fabricate mounts and supplementary supports constructed of soft and rigid archival materials. Moreover, we will explore how these mounts enable us to streamline this process of multipurpose housing.
“Treating the Zoological Keepsake: Borrowing a Textile Conservation Approach for a Book Covered in Silk” Speaker: Sue Donovan
Being the Conservator for Special Collections at the University of Virginia Library, I have often had the pleasure of working with a local textile conservator when we encounter textiles in need of treatment. But in the summer of 2024, I encountered a book with a silk covering that needed a textile conservator’s eye. The delicate pink silk on this book from 1830 was fraying and shattered on the front and back boards and almost completely missing from the spine. Further damage was not a question of if, but when. After a 2-hour consultation with the textile conservator, we arrived at an approach that would protect the silk from continuing to fragment and shear off, without the use of adhesives that could discolor the silk. In this short talk, I will present the method of preserving the silk covering using nylon bobbinette, a standard fixture in textile conservation, along with the ultrasonic welder and strips of heat-set tissue to tack the bobbinette in place around the binding like a dust jacket wrapper.
“A Material Solution: Displaying a 9/11 Flag at the Secret Service Headquarters”
Speakers: Kaitlyn Seymour and Katherine Hill McIntyre
Caring for Textiles was approached by the Secret Service to assist with the conservation and display of an American flag that was flying at the site of the New York Field Office, on September 11, 2001. In its current condition, the flag has many areas of loss and melted debris that are witness bearing damages and scars. It was the Secret Services desire to free-hang the flag in the DC headquarters central atrium.
Because the flag will free-hang permanently on display, visible from both sides, the flag had to be structurally ‘whole’ in order to hang safely and in a pleasing authentic manner. That meant looking for a material that could be used to ‘fill’ the holes, bridge the large gaps, and still be semi translucent.
Our solution came in the form of Pe-Cap Monofilament Polyester Screen Cloth, because of the strength and dimensional stability it provides.
The project required creative thinking and collaborative team work, as all of the treatment was done on site in the atrium that would eventually display the flag. This provided the Caring for Textiles team a rare public facing opportunity to share a “live treatment” and educate the Secret Service community.
Ring 2: Research
ADDED LECTURE
“Unveiling Red Star, 1970 by Raymond Saunders; Minor Conservation Treatment and Infrared Investigation” Speaker: Alice Craigie
Original cover art for the October 1933 issue of Vanity Fair came into the Conservation Lab at the Library of Congress for treatment due to a failing adhesive layer and associated residual staining. The collaged object is made up of two newsprint silhouettes of men, attached to secondary paper supports that are adhered to a painted board. The aged rubber cement adhesive adhering one of the newsprint silhouettes had failed in most places and had left dark yellow orange staining on the front of the newsprint. Solvent testing revealed that a blue component of the printing ink was sensitive to solvents that were effective at reducing the bulk adhesive from newsprint. Solvent gels combined with a silicon- based masking agent were used to reduce the adhesive from the newsprint elements in situ before securing them back to the secondary paper support. This presentation will include an improved solvent gel preparation method in addition to highlighting the steps and subsequent successful outcome of this treatment.
“In Situ Stain Reduction on a Collage Using Solvent Gels and a Silicon-Based Masking Agent” Speaker: Grace Walters
Original cover art for the October 1933 issue of Vanity Fair came into the Conservation Lab at the Library of Congress for treatment due to a failing adhesive layer and associated residual staining. The collaged object is made up of two newsprint silhouettes of men, attached to secondary paper supports that are adhered to a painted board. The aged rubber cement adhesive adhering one of the newsprint silhouettes had failed in most places and had left dark yellow orange staining on the front of the newsprint. Solvent testing revealed that a blue component of the printing ink was sensitive to solvents that were effective at reducing the bulk adhesive from newsprint. Solvent gels combined with a silicon- based masking agent were used to reduce the adhesive from the newsprint elements in situ before securing them back to the secondary paper support. This presentation will include an improved solvent gel preparation method in addition to highlighting the steps and subsequent successful outcome of this treatment.
“From Installation to 3D Model: 3D Digital Reconstruction of Nam June Paik’s electronic Superhighway at the Smithsonian American Art Museum”
Speaker: Ana Gabriela Calderón Puente
Time-based media artworks (TBMA) present unique documentation challenges due to their ephemeral and technological nature. They exist only in their installed state and evolve with each iteration. To address these challenges, my research as part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Time-Based Media and Digital Art Working Group, explores using 3D reconstruction for documenting and analyzing these artworks.
The project includes four case studies from Smithsonian museums, utilizing photogrammetry and geometric modeling to create detailed 3D representations. This talk will focus on Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii (1995) by Nam June Paik, an iconic TBMA on permanent display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Through this case study, I will highlight the potential of 3D models to document intricate interactions between audiovisual components, neon elements, and sculptural structures, while addressing the limitations of these techniques in capturing the dynamic essence of TBMA.
CANCELED LECTURE
“Great Mongol Shahnama – Blue Pigments and Mixtures” Speaker: Matthew Clarke
An in-depth research project into the pigments and materials of the Great Mongol Shahnama has been underway for several years. Here, a focus will be given to the characterization of the different blues and mixtures of blue pigments used in these illustrations, centering on the folios held by the National Museum of Asian Art. There are a range of combinations of lapis lazuli, azurite and indigo, plus lead-based whites in the different folio illustrations. Non-sampling technical analysis was performed through the microscopy, reflectance and Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray fluorescence. A comparison will be given of the different techniques and the visual range of blues seen across these fourteen paintings.
Ring 3: Community Outreach
“Beyond the Glass: Exploring Alternative Public Engagement Opportunities with the Visible Conservation of James Hampton’s The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly” Speaker: Anna Nielsen
James Hampton’s complex artwork The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) has a storied history. Created by African American artist James Hampton between the 1930s and 1960s, this popular multi-piece sculpture has been shrouded in mystery and public conjecture since the artist’s untimely death from cancer in 1964.
Since its acquisition in 1970, SAAM has proudly stewarded this artwork–comprised of well over 200 components constructed of found and repurposed materials that include furniture, paper, cardboard, lightbulbs, and silver- and gold-colored foils. Several campaigns of examination and conservation treatment have been conducted on about a third of the components of Hampton’s Throne of the Third Heaven, however, the remaining components needed to be documented and researched. Through interdepartmental collaboration and curatorial direction, a project was launched in 2023 between SAAM’s Conservation and Registration departments to support the research needs of this collection. The project involved thorough examination, documentation, and research of Hampton’s technique, materials, and inspirations.
This project provided a novel opportunity for SAAM to launch a public programming initiative for visitors to see the staff at work and learn more about James Hampton’s life and artistry. Since 2006, the Lunder Conservation Center has used its floor-to-ceiling glass walls to allow visitors to observe conservation processes in real time. However certain projects, such as James Hampton’s Throne of the Third Heaven, require specialized working conditions. From October to December of 2023, visitors were invited to enter a satellite conservation lab within the museum for a behind-the-scenes view of museum staff at work. In sum, 2,780 visitors viewed the work, treatments, and documentation in real- time over 20 open sessions. Visitors experienced firsthand how museum professionals care for this artwork by asking questions and engaging in dialogue about Hampton’s life and work. These interactions were aided by a liaison who tailored project introductions to each visitor based on a flow chart of questions. The program conveyed information to a broad audience, educated visitors, and, with input from the museum’s curator, dispelled misconceptions about the artist and his complex work. In exchange, SAAM staff gained insights into visitor perceptions of the artwork through these enriching conversations. This program was not possible without the dedication and collaboration of nearly every department in the museum. Participants in this session will learn how this behind-the-scenes project unfolded, amid an overarching museum effort to preserve, study, and better understand Hampton’s working methods and materials. Through different engagement methods, including tactile material examples, written didactics, live interpretation and archival photographs, a range of audience constituencies were able to learn about the project. This talk will showcase the lessons learned, challenges faced, and successes achieved through this multi-departmental collaboration, offering a compelling case study for other institutions interested in similar public engagement programs that bring art conservation and museum operations to a broad audience.
“Home to Mi’kma’ki: A Shared Stewardship Project at National Museum of the American Indian” Speaker: Caitlin Mahony
The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is working in partnership with the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre (MDCC) to bring over 500 items back to the Mi’kmaw First Nations through a shared stewardship agreement that is part of the Smithsonian’s new Shared Stewardship and Ethical Return Policy. Conservation is underway to prepare for the opening of the Centre in 2027, where the items will be accessible to the community for learning, healing, and reconnection. The conservation approach is being guided by Mi’kmaq practitioners in beadwork, quill, and basketry who have made the trip from Nova Scotia to NMAI’s Cultural Resources Center six times this year to visit their belongings and to work in partnership with the conservation department on decisions around care. NMAI’s conservation documentation for this project was developed to specifically address the needs of the community and project. This presentation will share specifics of this unique project to serve as an example of conservation in a shared stewardship initiative.
“Supporting the Save Your Family Treasures Program after Hurricane Helene” Speaker: Leah A. Bright | Co-author: Brian Michael Lione
In late September of 2024, Hurricane Helene ripped through western North Carolina, an area which had never experienced a hurricane of such magnitude. The storm was devastating for the region and severely impacted infrastructure as well as personal residences and properties.
In the days and weeks following the hurricane, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) coordinated relief efforts to support survivors of the disaster. These efforts included coordinating a collaborative FEMA/Smithsonian program entitled Save Your Family Treasures (SYFT). Established by the Smithsonian’s Cultural Rescue Initiative (SCRI), the SYFT program provides guidance and resources for survivors of disasters to salvage and stabilize their own meaningful belongings and heirlooms.
Two Smithsonian employees, Leah Bright, Objects Conservator at the American Art Museum, and Brian Michael Lione, International Cultural Heritage Protection Program Manager at the Museum Conservation Institute, and were available for deployment to support the post-Hurricane Helen SYFT program in North Carolina. This presentation will highlight Lione and Bright’s experiences as participants in the program, from their collaborations with FEMA staff to provide salvage demonstrations and recommendations, to the logistics of the project, including a surprise move into FEMA responder lodging. It will also outline their personal reflections on the significance and impact of the program as professionals working in different aspects of cultural heritage preservation.
