The Alma Mater sculpture is still getting herself together but it is expected that she will be back to her old form in time for commencement 2014.
Campus leaders overseeing the conservation of the beloved bronze statue say they have been impressed with the level of detailed work done by a suburban Chicago conservator and that once Alma returns, she’ll look as good as the day she was dedicated.
Upright bolting The conservator working on the Alma Mater sculpture had no idea how extensive the damage to the sculpture was until workers took it apart (top). Once it was dismantled, the conservator determined that decades of water damage had corroded the bolts and the interior of the statue. Restoration work also will include laser cleaning of the statue’s surface to remove oxidation that also has been years in the making.
“The amount of work that has gone into this has been amazing,” said Christa Deacy-Quinn, the collections manager at Spurlock Museum and a member of the Alma Mater conservation committee. “It’s being done properly, and it’s been an incredible honor seeing the progress and watching it come back to life.”
Work on campus’s most prominent icon started last year after it was determined that constant exposure to the elements had left Alma – and her partners Labor and Learning – in need of immediate attention. The 13-foot-tall statue was taken away August 2012 and for the first time in more than 80 years was not available for graduation activities.
The work has taken longer than expected because of the extent of the deterioration and because no one knew exactly how the original artist, Lorado Taft, had constructed the sculpture.
“The statue at this point is disassembled about as far as it will go and it has been determined that it is an assembly of 48 pieces with as many as 800 to 1,000 bolts and fasteners,” said James Lev, an architect and planner for Facilities and Services’ capital programs division. “It was necessary to disassemble the statue only enough to access the interior bolts and to remove and replace those corroded bolts and fasteners.”
“Alma came apart in a lot more pieces than we thought,” Deacy-Quinn said.
The work, which also includes a laser cleaning to remove surface oxidation, will conclude with the reassembly of the statue and delivery this spring.
“The reassembly process will also take time,” Lev said. “As the pieces are reassembled and the new bronze fasteners are tightened, the seams of the sculpture will be pulled back together very slowly. The seams are very irregular and great care will be taken to assure that the pieces are mated back together correctly and precisely.”
Anyone wanting a closer look at the conservation of the Alma Mater will have the opportunity Oct. 25 when Andrzej Dajnowski, the lead conservator for the Conservation of Sculpture and Objects Studio in Forest Park, Ill., returns to campus to participate in a panel discussion about the project.
The event starts at 4 p.m. in Spurlock Museum’s Knight Auditorium. Audience members will be able to speak with the conservator, ask questions and learn about the importance of preservation. The event also will include photos and video that have been shot along the way to document the work.
“We can’t bring everyone to the studio, but this is the next best thing,” Deacy-Quinn said. “It’s a great opportunity to learn and it’s not just for art preservation students. We hope this brings a greater awareness to campus about the importance of preservation.”
Lev said the entire project – despite one graduating class not having the real Alma as a photo backdrop – already has been a great lesson.
“These icons tie the history of the university to the future,” he said. “Over time the U. of I. campus will grow and change and that’s to be expected. However, conservation of university landmarks such as the Alma Mater and Quad will remain to unite the campus community and alumni for decades into the next century.”
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