in the galleries

Want to learn more about conservation efforts at the DAM? Look for information throughout our collection galleries, including:

African Art

African Mask
See the rotating display that DAM conservators built to mimic the movements of a mask in masquerade performances.

Making Mud Stick

Find out what happened when African muralists used soil to make paintings on canvas.

American Indian Art

Acoma Jar
See how conservators dismantled and rebuilt a pot that had been shattered into tiny pieces.

Osage Blanket
Discover how conservators prevent damage to a wool and silk blanket by carefully controlling the environment.

Asian Art

Chinese Bronzes
Learn how copper-laden metals corrode when exposed to the air, and see how conservators prevent them from being eaten away completely.

Sand Mandala

Find out how conservators “consolidated”—or glued together—millions of grains of sand in a mandala.

European & American Art

Renaissance Painting
Visit our Discovery Library on the sixth floor to see how conservators restored an Italian altar painting that had been overpainted in the past.

Modern & Contemporary Art

Light-Based Sculpture
Learn about the challenges of maintaining a Dan Flavin sculpture made of electric lights.

Oceanic Art

Preserving Powdery Paints
See how conservators preserve powdery paints, which contain organic binders like tropical oils and tree sap.

Western American Art

Fixing a Frame
See how conservators restored the original frame for Alfred Jacob Miller’s The Scalplock.

Low Light Levels
See how the museum keeps lighting low to reduce damage to works on paper.

Throughout the Museum

Hygrothermographs

Look for electronic instruments called hygrothermographs, which monitor the temperature and humidity of the air.

hygro = humidity
thermo = temperature
graph = recording instrument

This conservation message is generously supported by the William H. Donner Foundation.