Women of substance: Nevelson engages new conservators

Martha Singer and Jean Dommermuth have long shared a passion for the fine arts, and a professional relationship, which began during their years as graduate students at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, and has gone on to span more than two decades and three continents. But it took Louise Nevelson to bring their complementary skills and expertise to bear in a single project as the new conservation team for Nevelson Chapel.

It was Ms. Singer of Material Whisperer, with her expertise in sculpture, who was first called in to assess conditions in the Chapel after an HVAC failure during the COVID-19 lockdown which caused lifting of paint on some of the sculptural elements. Knowing paint to be integral to the environment, Ms. Singer invited her longtime colleague and friend, Ms. Dommermuth of ArtCare Conservation to accompany her to the Chapel for an initial assessment. Ms. Dommermuth’s depth of knowledge in painted artworks, including sculpture, brings a valuable critical lens to the Chapel.

Conversations about how to address paint concerns led to a decision to think critically and creatively. It quickly became clear that a sculpture conservator / paint conservator team approach was exactly what was needed for present and future phases of conservation.

The team, along with the newly formed Arts Committee of the Nevelson Legacy Council are hard at work charting the ongoing conservation of the Chapel and its sculptural elements.

Daily reports from the HVAC monitoring system reach Ms. Singer’s computer, and are synthesized into weekly patterns for analysis. The technical issues are just “one arm of the octopus,” as Ms. Singer envisions the project. Ms. Dommermuth is keen to examine the paint to determine its current condition to discern the best, most sustainable conservation approach. Already, this collaborative approach is bearing fruit: ensuring conservation will serve both the artist’s intentions and the current needs of the Chapel as a sanctuary in the city.

It is an exciting time, with many more questions and opportunities for exploration of conservation techniques and priorities ahead. Given that Singer and Dommermuth successfully scaled Kilimanjaro together, even the challenges of Nevelson Chapel seem surmountable to their indomitable spirits.