Sometimes, we get the opportunity to work on heirlooms so precious they feel like portals to another time. That was the case with two scrapbooks from our client’s mother, found among her belongings, documenting her travels across Europe and filled with postcards, mementos, letters, ribbons, and dried flowers. These volumes are a testament to her younger life and vivaciousness, and we were honored to help preserve and document her adventurous spirit. 

Last year, The Conservation Center had the privilege of conserving a pastel portrait of Helen Plum for the library that bears her name. Not long after that project was completed, another piece of the library’s history came to our laboratories for treatment: the original hand-painted sign that had once hung outside the Helen Plum Library. 

The United States Postal Service has released a stamp featuring a drawing of Phillis Wheatley by contemporary artist Kerry James Marshall. The drawing, titled in full Phillis Wheatley-Peters (1753-1784) African Poet in America, was previously treated and framed at The Center. We were also honored to also display the work in our educational booth during EXPO Chicago 2023.

Cube and 4 x 4 x 1, two white enamel on aluminum sculptures by Sol LeWitt, recently underwent conservation treatment at The Center. Both works reflect LeWitt’s sustained use of modular form as a means of realizing a predetermined system in three dimensions. 

At The Conservation Center, we are often entrusted with family heirlooms that have been passed down through generations. Caring for these objects is both our responsibility and our privilege, and when a treatment is undertaken as a surprise gift, the project carries special meaning. 

Few objects in American sports carry the symbolic weight of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, awarded to the winning team of the Super Bowl each year. The Conservation Center recently had the honor of treating two commemorative, player-owned versions of the Lombardi Trophy belonging to Chicago Bears legend Gary Fencik. Both objects date to the Bears’ historic 1985 Super Bowl victory and were produced to commemorate that championship season. 

After the careful repairs described in Part I, which addressed deep creases, weakened bindings, and worn covers from years of use, the ledger was ready for the next stage: digital preservation. Once stabilized and safe to handle, our team focused on capturing its pages in ways that ensure access for generations to come. 

A recently conserved painting by Edward J. Holslag (American, 1870–1935) offered a vivid glimpse Chicago at the height of its Gilded Age -- when grand hotels dazzled visitors, decorative painting filled expansive interiors, and artists were called upon to match the city’s architectural ambition stroke for stroke.   

This newsletter’s focus on gratitude, our amazing staff at The Center, and the legacy of each of my parents is an honor to share with you.

Earlier this month, The Conservation Center held our annual staff art contest, offering a glimpse into the creative practices that so often extend beyond our day-to-day conservation work. Many members of our team are artists, makers, and designers in their own right, and this contest is always a reminder of the breadth of talent and imagination within our walls. We’re delighted to share a selection of this year’s entries!

This month, we’re taking readers behind the scenes of a remarkable 19th-century ledger from a longstanding corporate collection, an object that has quietly survived nearly two centuries of use, storage, and changing hands. Bound in worn leather and filled with handwritten entries tracking transactions from 1848 to 1852, the ledger is not only a piece of institutional history but a tangible record of the people who kept those early operations running. As more companies recognize the cultural and research value within their archives, projects like this show how conservation protects materials that help tell their story. 

The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, is a major research collection dedicated to the works and legacies of seven British authors. Recently, The Conservation Center was honored to conserve several remarkable pieces connected to two of the most influential figures in fantasy literature: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. 

The Conservation Center recently treated a mixed-media painting by Miami-based artist John La Huis, whose practice embraces layered surfaces, diverse materials, and a highly textural approach to mark-making. La Huis often combines oil paint with materials such as resin, fabric, paper, and industrial media, building and reworking his compositions until gestures, textures, and fragments of imagery settle into place.  

We’re honored to be named among the 145 Top Art World Professionals according to ARTnews, and once again, we’re in great company.

The Conservation Center had the honor of collaborating with Kerry James Marshall to craft artist’s frames, built precisely to his specifications, for his newest series, Africa Revisited. These works are part of The Histories, his landmark exhibition now on view at the Royal Academy in London. 

The Conservation Center was recently entrusted to conserve a remarkable set of carved chess pieces, each distinguished by its intricate puzzle-ball finial base and finely detailed figures. These pieces are not only functional objects but also extraordinary works of craftsmanship that reflect a long tradition of skilled artistry and global appreciation for the game of chess. 

The Conservation Center recently treated a finely crafted cabinet-on-chest, complete with its original key. Traditionally, a cabinet-on-chest combines a chest of drawers at its base with a smaller cabinet or cupboard above. Distinguished by its glazed doors, veneered surfaces, and turned details, this example once served not only as practical storage but also as a showcase of craftsmanship in the home.