Fertile Ground in Omaha, Nebraska
Rescue Public Murals has the opportunity to study mural materials and best practices in action. On June 23, 2009 Fertile Ground, a mural by award-winning Philadelphia muralist and Rescue Public Murals Adviser, Meg Saligman was dedicated in Omaha, Nebraska. The mural was being funded by the Peter Kiewit Foundation and coordinated by the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, both based in Omaha. Spanning 32,500 square feet on the east wall of Energy Systems plant on North 13th Street between Cass and Webster Streets, the new mural is one of the largest outdoor murals in the country and the largest public art project in the history of the city. The mural depicts Omaha through history and the photo-realistic design was inspired by extensive interviews with the city’s citizens and current and historic photographs. Click here for the Bemis Center's Fertile Ground Web site and to view a time lapse video of the mural being created.
In planning the project, Ms. Saligman consulted with the Omaha-based Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center on the particular challenges of the Nebraska climate, such as intense sunlight and wind, which could cause the mural to degrade. Over the last several years, she has also been working with faculty and graduate students at the Winterthur/University of Delaware Art Conservation Program on the stability of mural paints and coatings. The University of Delaware testing to date on Sherwin Williams Sher-Cryl paint indicates that it is less prone to fading and so Ms. Saligman selected it for this project.
Julie Reilly, Associate Director and Chief Conservator of the Ford Conservation Center and her staff documented the mural’s creation. University of Delaware faculty members, Richard Wolbers and Dr. Joseph Weber along with graduate students Amanda Norbutus and Laura Kubick received samples of all the materials used on the project to conduct further research on them. The materials include a specialty non-woven polyester fabric, which will be used for a portion of the mural and adhered to the wall using an acrylic product. Further testing and documentation of the mural as it ages will provide important information on the durability of the murals’ materials and will help inform other muralists.
Rescue Public Murals is guided by a team of Advisers that include some of the leading muralist and mural conservation experts in the United States. Tracking the progress of the practices used in creating Fertile Ground is Rescue Public Murals Adviser Dr. Joyce Hill Stoner, Professor of Art Conservation and Director of Preservation Studies at the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. In addition, Will Shank Rescue Public Murals’ Co-Chair shares information on the project with the Getty Conservation Institute that is conducting research on modern paints used in contemporary art. The Head of Contemporary Art Research, Dr. Thomas J. S. Learner as well as Cassie Myers, Senior Project Specialist and Leslie Rainer, Wall Paintings Conservator of the Getty Conservation Institute serve as Rescue Public Murals Advisers.