Up close with art saviors

Art conservator Margaret Moreland has brought priceless works of art and treasured family heirlooms back from the brink for more than 22 years, saving them from the ravages of fire, moisture intrusion and the occasional “oops.”

She points out a painting severely damaged in a fire. The entire canvas suffered from the intense heat and direct flames. One half, however, has been completely restored and looks like nothing ever happened, while the other remains charred and singed. It’s a piece she shows every client, proving that despite the damage things may not be as bad as they seem.

“Experienced art conservators are trained to analyze every situation carefully before proceeding,” Moreland says. “Clients often think things are damaged beyond repair, when actually some things are quite salvageable. Katrina was a huge learning curve for all of us. Most conservators have a better understanding of what can and can’t be done because of the storm.”

Moreland was Baton Rouge’s lone conservator since 1986, but in February 2007 Susie Seborg set up shop here. An art conservation professional from New York, she’s helped meet local demand for services here, an area lacking in skilled professionals.

Art conservation and art restoration are two very different things. Restoration is a process that attempts to return the work of art to a state imagined to be “original.” Restoration is controversial, since it often involves some irreversible change to the original material of the artwork with the goal of making it “look good.”

“Restoration is the term people are most familiar with and it deals with the aesthetic component of the work, but in the past 20 years there has been a real shift from making something look better compared to preserving the original material, accepting a certain level of change and proper housing to slow down the process of deterioration,” Seborg says. “A lot of people expect their object to look the way it did before and there’s a lot of education that needs to happen. The value of the object won’t necessarily increase because of that process.”

Conservators are trained in art history, chemistry, materials science and preservation and both Moreland and Seborg use a variety of treatments and processes in their work. When dealing with objects and artifacts Seborg has used processes like electrochemical and electrolytic reduction, common techniques utilized to halt, stabilize and even reverse the oxidation of the metal. She has also employed the use of HEPA air filters and high-powered vacuums to remove and trap mold particles.

When it comes to paintings and works on paper the ultimate goal is the same, but the methods are a little different. Before she can even begin to work on the painting, Moreland must undo all previous restoration, if any, including removing the old lining and any varnish to get back down to the canvas. Varnishes prove to be the trickiest part. Moreland looks at everything under a microscope to determine if a synthetic or a natural varnish was used and then has the difficult task of finding the right solvent to remove it and in some cases scraping it off. A lot of it depends on whether the previous restorer used inpainting techniques to touch up small areas or employed overpainting, which means the restorer painted over portions of the original work, a big no-no in conservation.

Most pro conservators, it turns out, are concentrated in the northeast and in California. That leaves galleries, museums and private collectors in the South with few options, especially after Katrina when so much of New Orleans’ artwork got damaged.

Seborg came to Louisiana to restore more than 720 African artifacts belonging to Southern University at New Orleans. The collection of wooden masks, fertility statues, ceremonial weapons, earthenware pots, water vessels, wooden instruments and even textiles sustained heavy damage from Katrina flooding. The assignment keeps her busy, but several days a week she toils away in her Baton Rouge studio, tackling pieces from private collectors and museums from across the Gulf Coast.

“I’ve even gotten calls from Texas,” Seborg says. “It’s a very small community of conservators down here. I have a good friend in Austin who is booked solid, so she sends clients my way. There is definitely a need down here.”

Moreland and Seborg are both busy with work, much of it on collections damaged in Katrina. For example, Moreland is restoring a pair of large paintings—one of Gen. Andrew Jackson, one depicting the Battle of New Orleans—that belong to the local government in St. Bernard Parish. The paintings were hanging in the Chalmette Civic Center when the storm hit.

“Andrew Jackson withstood the brunt of Katrina,” Moreland says. “The canvas split in half and was full of marsh grass. Fortunately, it had been lined in a previous restoration, making it stronger and saving the painting from being completely destroyed.”

Both conservators have seen their share of near disasters when it comes to works of art. Moreland’s specialty is works on paper and canvas, while Seborg’s is 3-D works including ceramics, metal and wood. Yet they agree no matter the medium it’s important for Louisiana collectors, gallery owners and museum curators to be vigilant about caring for their collections, especially when it comes to Louisiana’s heat and humidity.

But should a piece of cherished artwork become damaged, choosing the wrong person to restore it could mean the difference between saving it and actually ruining it. Certified, experienced professionals are vital.

While a cheap fix may only cost you $30 at a local frame shop, a full-scale restoration will run you several hundred, maybe even thousands of dollars. However, it will halt, prevent and repair any deterioration, instead of just covering it up. Conservation professionals will examine and assess every piece before providing a treatment proposal and time and cost estimates. Most cost estimates are based on an hourly rate and may include costs for special materials, travel and further insurance if necessary.

The key is to make sure the work on your collection is completed in accordance to the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for the Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and remember that conservation will halt and repair current damage, but it’s up to the collector to prevent further damage.

“There are so many factors for collectors to be aware of,” Moreland says. “Heat and humidity are huge when it comes to caring for your art. Excessive heat dries things out and causes flaking and excessive moisture results in mold growth. We live in an area where we really need to pay attention to our collections and recognize that when issues arise we need to seek out someone who knows what they’re doing.”