Friday night we went with the Comtemporaries on a behind-the-scenes tour of the of the North Carolina Art Museum’s Conservation Lab. The tour is part of the NC Science Festival that is hosting events across the state showcasing science and technology.
The tour was hosted by Chief Conservator of the Museum Bill Brown who described techniques used for determining the age of pieces (the arms and legs were “newer” than the torso on a statue they were working on) to how paintings are properly restored to show the artists work without damaging the original piece. The treatment of each piece in the museum and the care taken to preserve them is amazing. It was a great tour and one that I would go on again to see the current pieces they are restoring and analyzing. I feel like we could have easily spent an extra hour on this tour. After the tour we spent a little time wandering around the museum and the Bull City Summer exhibit before heading downtown.
