If you think you have a lot of housework, you would have loved to see the task that awaited staff members and five volunteers this week.
The team was tasked with cleaning the "Fountain" in Noguchi Court. This is no ordinary fountain, mind you. This one was created by Japanese-born artist Isamu Noguchi and sits prominently in the Bloch Building.
The sculpture is composed of two, asymmetrically sculpted basalt stones similar in size but differing in subtle configurations of form. The top surface of one stone is concave, while that of the other is convex. Water flows gently over the tops and sides of Fountain, reflecting light, deepening the stones' color and creating a meditative sound as it reaches the bed of river rocks below.
Today's project started with taking out all the rocks, which volunteers then vacuumed. Members of the conservation staff cleaned some rocks with an alcohol-based solution. Museum Engineers cleaned the stainless steel pans under the sculpture and snaked the drains. Volunteers replaced the rocks, with larger rocks on the bottom to create an aesthetically pleasing effect.
Fountain is cleaned once a year. Thank goodness for volunteers!