WILLIAMS GRADUATE STUDENT PRESENTS ANNUAL JUDITH M. LENETT LECTURE AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE

For Immediate Release
May 1, 2015

Williamstown, Massachusetts—The 21st Annual Judith M. Lenett Lecture will be held Tuesday, May 12 at 5:30 pm at the Clark Art Institute. The free lecture is open to the public and will be held at the Lunder Center at Stone Hill on the Clark’s campus.

Haejeong Yoon, the Judith M. Lenett Memorial Fellow, Williams College M.A. Class of 2015, presents “The History and Conservation Process of a Cornucopia Mirror.” A reception follows the talk.

Yoon’s year-long project at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center (WACC) involves conservation work on a carved and gilded cornucopia mirror (41 x 40 in.), a piece in the Clark’s decorative arts collection donated by Mrs. Florence C. Chambers in 1997. The elaborately rendered frame surrounding the oval shape mirror includes carved wood crests of wheat sheaves emanating from the ruffled horns on each side and meeting at the top center, demonstrating the skillful craftsmanship of the maker. The mirror is known to have been made in Salem, Massachusetts circa 1820, according to the curatorial file, yet Yoon believes further research into the origin of the object would be prudent due to its stylistic features and unique gilding methods. As such, tracing the cultural and historical context of the mirror has become a critical part of her work. Her conservation efforts include removing overpaint accumulated on the frame over the past two hundred years, securing and repairing loose parts, and filling and toning prominent losses within the foliate crest to reconstruct its original appearance.

ABOUT THE JUDITH M. LENETT MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIP

Each academic year, the Judith M. Lenett Memorial Fellowship is awarded to a second-year student in the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The fellowship allows recipients to explore issues of conservation in the field of American art. Working closely with Williamstown Art Conservation Center conservators, each fellow spends two semesters conserving and researching an American art object. The work culminates in a research paper, public lecture, and article in the WACC publication Art Conservator. The Lenett Memorial Fund was established by the family and friends of the late Judith Lenett, a candidate for the M.A. degree, class of 1983, to provide lectures and seminars in American art and its conservation. The fellowship is jointly administered by WACC, Williams College, and the Clark Art Institute.

ABOUT THE CLARK

The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, open to the public with more than 240,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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