Restoring the Past
With their art-conserving arsenal of cotton swabs, Exacto knives and a mixture of distilled water and ammonia, seniors Stefani Schulte of Loveland and Nicole Saint of South Pasadena, Calif., are uncovering DU history one layer at time.
The two are students in one of only two undergraduate pre-art conservation programs in the nation. Currently, they are working on a project to remove several outer layers of paint covering an original mural of Shakespearian characters by John Edward Thompson, one of Colorado’s most important artists.
Nicole Saint (left) and Stephani Schulte are getting real-world art restoration experience in DU's Margery Reed Hall.
This recent discovery on the proscenium of Margery Reed Hall’s Little Theatre has been a surprise to many on campus, who never knew it even existed.
“I feel like Indiana Jones,” Stefani says.
Just two years after its completion in 1929, the Thompson mural was covered over with a dark overlay. Thompson later called covering his mural an “act of vandalism.”
Invaluable experience
The pre-art conservation program prepares undergraduate students for competitive graduate programs in art conservation. Training is offered in organic chemistry, foreign languages, studio art and art history.
The Thompson mural has given DU students a rare opportunity to be part of a conservation project without leaving campus. Working under the close eye of professional art conservator Lisa Capano, students in the program have learned about integral parts of the process, including chemical selection, paint removal and sample testing.
Before they worked directly on the mural, Nicole and Stefani practiced on an old plaster statue of Venus, which had been covered by many layers of unnecessary paint. The statue now sits in the main entrance of the Shwayder Art Building.
According to Prof. Annette Stott, the adviser for the pre-art-conservation program, the Thompson project will take long enough that a number of students will have the chance to work on it.
University-supported learning
The Partners in Scholarship (PINS) grant, which funds undergraduate research and creative projects that enhance academic experiences, paid for the Nicole and Stefani’s painstaking work over the summer.
“The work’s been really tedious,” Stefani says. “But it’s fun.”
Published on Oct. 29, 2007