Meet an Art Conservationist: NC Art Museum

During our recent visits to the local art museum to tour the Childe Hassam and the Marks of a Genius exhibits, we stumbled upon an art conservationist working in the museum.

Painting in full view of the public eye, she was set up in an area created for the public to explore the art of conservation.

She immediately welcomed the kids and explained what she was doing.  She mixes her own paints and described that process for them.  The kids were invited to explore the back of the painting to see what she was working on and some of the problems caused by previous restorations before we knew what we know now.

The artist was eager to discuss her artistic endeavours with the kids and answer all of their questions.  My 11-year old, a budding artist, had a lot of thoughtful questions for her.  I was excited for her to see a career option in art world, so we asked about college education requirements.  This conservationist had both a chemistry and art degree!

The area is set up to explore the science of conservationism, so she took us through the display and explained how conservationists record their work.

While we just stumbled upon this unique experience, the conservationist is present and working in the museum on a regular schedule:

Unfortunately, after some persistent digging and exploring the NC Art Museum website, I could not find this information advertised on their site.

If you visit during the week (every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30-11:30 and 1:30-3) then you will find that you pretty much have her attention to yourself.  Thankfully she is also working on select weekends listed above on the sign.

Around the corner from the conservation display is an area of interactive artwork.  This map of North Carolina invited viewers to share their NC story on a post-it note and add it to the map.

We spent some time reading stories that other visitors shared.  Personally, I enjoyed this one:

Then we shared our own stories.

(We used to live in MD and we moved here)

Interactive art is a lot of fun for the kids and a unique way to explore the art world.  If you stop by this area of the museum, add your story to the map!

Have you seen a conservationist at work?  

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Mary Wilson

Mary is a writer and mother to four kids ranging from elementary to high school.

She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.

She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.

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