Blog @ the Nelson-Atkins

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so I must preface this post with a shout out to the sensational blog Jumping in Art Museums.

We loved the idea so much that we starting our own jumping club at the Nelson-Atkins. The first attempt was in honor of our beloved Shuttlecocks sculpture. We're celebrating the 15th anniversary of their installation with a special exhibition this summer.

A group of Museum employees did this jump and it was so fun, we've decided to make it a regular activity.

Today, we spent some time with Standing Figures (Thirty Figures) by Magdalena Abakanowicz.

I must say it is a great Friday afternoon stress reliever. We are all thinking about our next jump. If you have suggestions on what our next jump should be or are inspired to do your own "jump shot", let us know. We would love to see it.

The Museum’s Education Office has a fantastic view of one of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Shuttlecocks. I’m used to catching glimpses of people doing all sorts of things near the birdie, but the scene I witnessed yesterday was a first -- someone was scrubbing the sculpture!

The seventy-degree spring weather was perfect for such an endeavor (rumor has it that this activity inevitably falls on the hottest day of the year), and the Conservation crew of Paul Benson, Joe Rogers and Robert Krueger graciously indulged my gawking and picture-taking. I’m a confirmed acrophobic, so the nearly twenty-foot tall scaffolding gave new meaning to the phrase “suffering for their art”, and the large scrub brush reminded me of the life-sized toothbrushes used to beat back the Cavity Creeps.

After descending safely from his perch, Robert described the cleaning process via e-mail:

“Once a year our Senior Associate Conservator Paul Benson leads an annual cleaning of Shuttlecocks. We use a solution of Orvus paste in water. Orvus paste is a very mild soap and is also known as Sodium lauryl sulfate, most commonly found in shampoo, shaving foams, toothpaste and other hygiene products.

We use soft brushes and our Orvus paste to clean the entire surface, removing grime, bird guano and insect frass [author’s note: I had to look that one up. Frass = bug poo]. Once we have cleaned the sculpture, the entire surface is rinsed with clean water.

The most difficult part is reaching the sculpture. We use a combination of ladders, scaffolding and a ladder specially designed for Shuttlecocks to reach every part of the sculpture. It takes 3 people almost an entire day to clean one.”

Squarely in its adolescence, Shuttlecocks gets much love these days, which is a departure from the past. According to Tyler Green’s Modern Art Notes, “There is probably no work of public art that’s more fun than Shuttlecocks.” Literally thousands of photographs have been recorded for posterity (some of my faves here, here and here), and with the annual efforts of our Conservation staff, it will continue to spark adoration and consternation for years to come.

For additional insight into the creation and conservation of these iconic Kansas City sculptures, join Curator Jan Schall and Conservator Paul Benson on Friday, May 29 in Atkins Auditorium.

Shuttlecocks created a lot of controversy when they first appeared on the Museum's lawn in 1994. Outraged citizens wrote letters to the editor of the Kansas City Star and editorial cartoons popped up about what a waste of money the four sculptures were.

In the 15 years since, they have become an icon for the Nelson-Atkins and Kansas City. This summer, the Museum celebrates the anniversary with a special exhibition Inventing the Shuttlecocks.

The gallery contains drawings, sketches, mock ups and even blue prints showing how Shuttlecocks were created from inspiration to installation.

One of the things I don't think anyone anticipated was how important Shuttlecocks would become for Kansas City. They have appeared on professional football broadcasts and in advertisements for state tourism.

One of my favorites was an image that was published in mutliple newspapers of a nun about to whack a birdie during a badminton tournament (this is not Photoshopped, I swear).

On almost any day, there is a lot of activity physically surrounding the Shuttleocks including school kids frolicking, families picnicking and especially, people taking pictures of themselves with the giant badminton birdies.

Those pictures end up on personal blogs and other social networking sites. We thought since you have so much fun with the sculptures, we would have some fun and ask you to upload those photos to our website.

Click here to see images that have been uploaded and add your own!

A few weeks ago I wrote about the conservation going on for the Henry Moore sculpture Upright Motive. The sculpture was reinstalled in the Kansas City Sculpture Park on Monday, and I got a few details from Robert, the Conservation Intern I spoke to last time.

Minor scratches and abrasions sometimes occur on the sculptures, and when Upright Motive underwent conservation treatment in the 1980s, the conservator inpainted a few of these areas to make them less noticeable and help restore the original appearance of the sculpture. Inpainting is meant to be reversible and removeable, so when the Incralac protective coating was removed this time, the old inpainting came off with it. Robert said the most challenging part of the entire process was carefully redoing this inpainting to match the bronze and green tones of Moore’s sculpture.

The final steps included applying Incralac to the entire sculpture—except its base—with an air sprayer and then covering the Incralac with a less durable coat of wax. If people climbed or stepped on the base of the sculpture, the Incralac might come off in large chunks, so the base only has a coat of wax. Conservators apply a coat of wax to the entire sculpture twice a year, but they will pay extra attention to the base.

Looking at the before and after shots of Upright Motive, it’s clear that the conservation crew did a great job sprucing up this beautiful sculpture. Our web site also includes three more case studies about the conservation of KCSP pieces, including Shuttlecocks, the focus of our newest exhibition.

Today I got my first look at two new exhibitions opening this weekend, George Segal: Street Scenes and Inventing the Shuttlecocks.

These exhibitions are part of the All-American Summer which celebrate many things including the 20th anniversary of the Kansas City Sculpture Park and the 15th anniversary of the Shuttlecocks sculptures.

Street Scenes is in the featured exhibition space at the very southern tip of the Bloch Building. As you approach through the serenity of Noguchi Court, you are confronted by a wall emblazened with red paint. This wall leads you into the exhibition where the first work of art you see is Chance Meeting (above is a bronze version which is currently in the main lobby of the Bloch Building).

The exhibition spans 40 years of Segal's career, however it focuses on one theme: the city. Segal was a native New Yorker but moved to New Jersey as a teenager when his parents decided to try their hand at chicken farming. Segal remained in New York to finish his education but eventually moved to New Jersey to help the family when his brother left for World War II.

Eventually, the chicken farming was abandoned but the Segal family remained in New Jersey. George spent the rest of his life commuting to New York on a regular basis to find inspiration in the people and neighborhoods of the city.

The 13 life-size works in Street Scenes are thoroughly urban in nature yet universal at the same time. Subjects such as homelessness and hunger, isolation and emotional tension are pervasive. That may sound like some pretty depressing stuff but Segal's use of ordinary people for his models and everyday situations such as people at a Diner or Bus Passengers gives the exhibition a sense of authenticity.

Segal isn't judgemental in his views of the Homeless or sentimental in Depression Bread Line. Instead, Street Scenes gives us the unflinching view of a city dweller who observed the human condition with a keen eye.

Street Scenes opens on Saturday, May 9.