Download a PDF of the press release here.
FERTILE GROUND PROJECT PARTNERS
THE GERALD R. FORD CONSERVATION CENTER
WHAT: The Omaha Mural Project’s Fertile Ground
WHO: Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center
WHEN: In progress with a June, 2009 completion date
WHERE: Energy Systems Building, 13th and Webster
Omaha, NE (August 28, 2008) – They’ve treated a pair of JFK’s sunglasses for a private collector and, for the Sheldon Museum of Art, restored a priceless Blakelock oil painting measuring all of four by five inches.
Now Julie Reilly’s team at the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center is setting its sights on a somewhat larger object. The conservators are coordinating and chronicling much of the science behind Fertile Ground, Meg Saligman’s monolithic 22,000 square foot mural rising above 13th and Webster Streets.
“With all the planning and execution that goes into a large mural, it’s really sad that only seven years later it may all be crumbling,” said Reilly, the chief conservator and associate director of the organization that is an arm of the Nebraska State Historical Society. Along with regular paint testing, colorimeter readings and photography that will document the creation of Fertile Ground, the conservation center will be the focal point in coordinating efforts in a nationwide network of supporting organizations that include the Winterthur University of Delaware program in art conservation and the Rescue Public Murals entity of Heritage Preservation.
With Fertile Ground, the eyes of the mural world are on Omaha as the towering work takes a role far beyond that of being the signature sight of a booming NoDo area.
“Fertile Ground has been chosen as a best practice effort to study methods and materials that will benefit muralists worldwide in creating works that last decades, not just years,” said Reilly, who also serves on the board of Heritage Preservation.
Fertile ground's artists, principals, partners and select characters depicted in the mural are available for media interviews by contacting David Williams at the Bemis Center – 341.7130 or david@bemiscenter.org.
Visit BemisCenter.org for additional background on the project.
