From Ann Wykell, Manager of Cultural Affairs, City of St. Petersburg
To the Old Northeast Neighborhood Assoc.
As many of you may have observed, parts of the public art sculpture
''Beach Balls'' by Tampa artist Charesl Fager, at North Shore Pool have
been deteriorating. The black areas of the soccer ball, in particular,
have missing tiles, broken tiles and partially eroded tiles. The St.
Petersburg Public Arts Commission has been researching approaches to
repairing the sculpture. The city obtained a grant from the national
organization SOS (Save Outdoor Sculpture) to hire professional art
conservator, Claudia Deschu, of Bradenton, to conduct an assessment
study and research materials for the conservation. The damage is the
result of extreme heat, not vandalism.
From Nov. 3 to Nov. 9 Alisa Vignalo, conservator from Philadelphia,
will make the repairs under Ms. Deschu's supervision. Many black tiles
will be replaced and new, flexible substrate will be used. The
philosophy of art conservation is to have the minimal impact on an
artwork and to employ methods that are reversible. Therefore every
single damaged tile may not be replaced but the piece will be restored
very close to its original appearance. We will be watching it closely
to see if heat and other weather conditions cause further damage.
''Beach Balls'' was the first public art commission by the St. Petersburg
Public Art program. It is the responsibility of the Commission to
maintain the city's collection for the enjoyment of present and future
residents. This conservation project is an example of our commitment
to preserve as well as add to the city's public art collection. Many of
the public art projects in other neighborhoods can be seen on the city's
website www.stpete.org under Public Art.
By City
To the Old Northeast Neighborhood Assoc.
As many of you may have observed, parts of the public art sculpture
''Beach Balls'' by Tampa artist Charesl Fager, at North Shore Pool have
been deteriorating. The black areas of the soccer ball, in particular,
have missing tiles, broken tiles and partially eroded tiles. The St.
Petersburg Public Arts Commission has been researching approaches to
repairing the sculpture. The city obtained a grant from the national
organization SOS (Save Outdoor Sculpture) to hire professional art
conservator, Claudia Deschu, of Bradenton, to conduct an assessment
study and research materials for the conservation. The damage is the
result of extreme heat, not vandalism.
From Nov. 3 to Nov. 9 Alisa Vignalo, conservator from Philadelphia,
will make the repairs under Ms. Deschu's supervision. Many black tiles
will be replaced and new, flexible substrate will be used. The
philosophy of art conservation is to have the minimal impact on an
artwork and to employ methods that are reversible. Therefore every
single damaged tile may not be replaced but the piece will be restored
very close to its original appearance. We will be watching it closely
to see if heat and other weather conditions cause further damage.
''Beach Balls'' was the first public art commission by the St. Petersburg
Public Art program. It is the responsibility of the Commission to
maintain the city's collection for the enjoyment of present and future
residents. This conservation project is an example of our commitment
to preserve as well as add to the city's public art collection. Many of
the public art projects in other neighborhoods can be seen on the city's
website www.stpete.org under Public Art.
By City
