Smithsonian Creates Conservation-Based Exhibition
Beginning Fall 2000, museum visitors can experience a conservation-based
exhibition created by the conservators and scientists of the Smithsonian
Center for Materials Research and Education (SCMRE).
SANTOS: Substance & Soul is the culmination of several years' scholarship,
conservation, technical studies, and public outreach by SCMRE. The
exhibition is a bilingual national traveling show that interprets the
artistic and cultural character manifested in the creation and use of
santos.
Exhibition curator Jia-sun Tsang, SCMRE Paintings Conservator, describes
santos as, "Painted wood carvings of saints, reflecting one of the oldest
living traditions of religious devotion practiced by Hispanic Americans.
Santo making has flourished in the United States from the 16th century to
the present."
The exhibition will integrate materials science research with the study of
santos creation and use, and will present an interpretation of these
cultural icons through their examination by chemical analysis, X-ray
imaging, microscopy, and other technical studies typical to conservation.
SANTOS: Substance & Soul features artifacts from New Mexico and Puerto Rico,
but will also include santos from Central and South America, and the
Phillippines, to celebrate a living cultural heritage reflecting both
traditional and contemporary materials and techniques in santo making.
Bilingual text panels with graphic illustrations and photographs will
complement 40 objects from the National Museum of American History, the de
Saisset Museum, the Albuquerque Museum, the Museo de Arte de Ponce, the
Spanish Colonial Arts Society, and the Millicent Rogers Museum of Northern
New Mexico.
In addition, proposed interactive bilingual computer displays will allow
exhibit viewers and Internet browsers to view further information on
preservation and santo materials, including paint, gold leaf, and wood; the
techniques of creating and conserving santos; technical and analytical
research; microscopic images; historical research and context; religious and
devotional meanings; and much more.
SANTOS: Substance & Soul will be augmented by educational programs,
demonstrations by santeros (santo makers) from Puerto Rico and New Mexico,
and will feature presentations and lectures on the technical and scientific
techniques used for characterization and preservation.
SANTOS: Substance & Soul premiers at the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries'
West Gallery, before going to the National Hispanic Cultural Center in
Albuquerque, and finally the Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico.
The exhibit is also sponsored by the Smithsonian Center for Latino
Initiatives (SCLI).
Tour Schedule:
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Arts and Industries Building,
September 17, 2000 - March 31, 2001
National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 22, 2001 -
November 4, 2001
Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico, December 14, 2001 - March 3,
2002
SCMRE is a specialized research facility dedicated to the technical study
and preservation of museum artifacts and their component materials. SCMRE
assists museums in the United States and abroad with issues of preservation
and conservation of artistic and historic objects. Research is performed in
the areas of material technology, art and cultural history, and
preservation. SCMRE offers educational programming in the same areas of
interest to growing and diverse audiences, including professionals in the
cultural disciplines, and to the general public.
For more information please check out the SCMRE Santos site at
http://www.si.edu/scmre/santos.html or contact Ann N'Gadi 301-238-3700x134
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