Conservation and maintenance
An art collection exhibited outdoors requires ongoing maintenance due to exposure to the elements, vandalism and pollution. Toronto Culture is committed to maintaining its outdoor art and monument collection. Each summer, works from the collection are cleaned and conserved. The emphasis of the conservation program is to ensure that the newer pieces in the collection remain in good condition through maintenance and to carry out catch up conservation on the older pieces.
Care and Maintenance of the Collection
An art collection exhibited outdoors requires ongoing maintenance due to exposure to harsh weather conditions, vandalism and air borne pollution.
The Toronto Culture is committed to maintaining its outdoor art and monument collection. Each summer, works from the collection are cleaned and conserved, under the direction of the division's Public Art Conservator. The emphasis of the conservation program is to ensure that the newer pieces in the collection remain in good condition through maintenance, and to carry out catch up conservation on the older pieces.
Care and Maintenance Projects
Overall
Before Conservation Work
After Conservation Work
South African War Memorial
Artist: Walter Seymour Allward
Date: 1910
Location: Queen Street and University Avenue
Medium: bronze, gold leaf and granite
During the summer of 2000, four bronze sculptures underwent conservation/restoration work. When originally erected in 1910, the colour of the sculptures was dark brown. Over the years, as a result of high relative humidity, and environmental pollution, the bronze corroded, turning the sculptures black and light green. Much of the fine bronze surface detail has been lost as a result of this aggressive corrosion.The conservation work involved selectively removing the corrosion products using pressurized water and carbon dioxide. Applying a new patina was done in areas to assist with colour integration. The final treatment was the application of a layer of hot wax.
During the summer of 2001 the surrounding granite was cleaned thereby completing the conservation work required on this piece. The South African War Memorial will be maintained regularly to keep it in good condition.
November Pyramid
Artist: Bernard Schottlander
Date: 1967
Location: High Park
Medium: mild steel and paint
Before Conservation Work
After Conservation Work
Over the years this sculpture had been repainted numerous times in an effort to hide unwanted graffiti. Eventually, what had been a dark brown sculpture became a blue sculpture. During the summer of 1999, the numerous paint layers were removed, areas of underlying corrosion were stabilized, and the piece re-painted dark brown, based on colour samples taken from the bottom-most layer. A wax coating has now been applied as a protective layer over the topcoat of paint to facilitate graffiti removal with ease.
Forty Eight Highlanders Memorial
Artist: Halenby, Eric Wilson, Alvan Mathew
Date: 1923
Location: North Queen's Park Circle
There are numerous monuments and artworks made from a variety of stone types in the collection. Masonry sculptures often need to be cleaned and re-pointed. During the summer of 2000, the top of this monument was re-capped to prevent the seepage of water into the interior. Much of the loose or missing mortar was replaced