NEA Funds Sculpture Programs in Two Cities

Los Logartos by Luis Jimenez, at right, was part of a nationwide project coordinated by SOS! and funded by the National Endowment for the Arts to professionally assess NEA-funded artworks. The assessment inspired El Paso to fund the sculpture's $35,000 conservation treatment in August 2003. Conservator Dale Kronkright worked with sculptor Luis Jimenez to ensure the conservation was true to the original work.
National Endowment for the Arts funds will help two U.S. cities publicize their newly conserved sculpture. In El Paso, Texas, conservator Dale Kronkright will teach schoolchildren about Los Logartos by Luis Jimenez as well as the importance of its ongoing conservation. The City of El Paso, which is responsible for the artwork’s care, is coordinating the effort.

The creation of Singing Beach Chairs, at left, was partially funded by the NEA in 1987. The SOS!-NEA conservation assessment project prompted the city to allocate funds for its conservation treatment.

The conservator will lead a workshop that includes a tour of El Paso’s public sculpture and discussion of the public art commissioning process and conservation and maintenance procedures. This hands-on workshop will allow students to experiment with different sculpture media and apply what they have learned. Working in groups, they will select a site for a new sculpture and create a model for that site. Student groups will present their projects to one another and discuss plans for sculpture maintenance.

Also in April 2005, NEA funds will help the City of Santa Monica, California, host a workshop to publicize the conservation of two artworks: Singing Beach Chairs and Art Tool: Walk on L.A. Schoolchildren will participate in the event.

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