I am excited to share a few highlights from my yearlong internship at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in the Eric T. and Jane Baker Nord Family Conservation Suite. The museum’s collaborative conservation department has offered distinctive opportunities to learn about the materials, techniques and philosophies of many conservation specialties. Although my broad training at CMA and through the Winterthur/UD Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) has prepared me to care for inorganic and organic materials from a variety of contexts, I am especially delighted to learn more about preserving craft techniques and contemporary art.

I trained as a welder before pursuing conservation, so metalworking has always held a special place in my heart. I find it fascinating to consider how makers have navigated—and continue to navigate—the intersection of industrial processes, the inherent instability of materials, including corrosion and patina formation, and the unique qualities of different metals.

During my internship, I worked alongside objects conservators Beth Edelstein and Colleen Snyder on the treatment and technical examination of Juste-Aurèle Meissonier’s Covered Tureen on Stand (Pot-à-Oille) (1977.182). Ada de Wit, curator of decorative arts at CMA, described it to me as one of the most important examples of French silver. I am honored to have contributed to an upcoming exhibition catalog focused on the tureen.

Our examination included close observation, conversations with Cleveland-based casting experts, borescope imaging, literature reviews and X-radiography. Through this work, we clarified evidence of the manufacturing methods used to create the tureen’s hollow-form and life-cast elements.

I also tried lost-wax casting in collaboration with John Ranally at Cleveland-based Studio Foundry. After working through each step of this complex process with an expert, I can finally say with confidence that I understand lost-wax casting!