My desk in the conservation lab was situated amongst Renaissance sculptures, ornately painted vases, African artifacts, and yet I was there to devote myself to one specific artwork far too large for any lab: Robert Indiana’s 1970 sculpture, LOVE. Needless to say, it is a piece that prompts a nod of recognition. Whether identifiable from its centralized positioning on the grounds of the IMA, or through its plastic incarnation as a dangling, mass-produced key chain, most everyone seems familiar with the trademark tilt of LOVE’s “O,” as it has been so hopefully interpreted to symbolize a movement forward or—in the case of my research of LOVE’s conservation history—a rather complicated stepping back.

Lucie Alig considers LOVE

At first, Richard seemed surprised when I agreed to become the museum’s “LOVE intern” this summer. The task at hand was to extract succinct meaning from the stacks upon stacks of treatment proposals, condition reports, photo negatives, correspondence, digital files, as well as the many yellowing newspaper articles through which the “love” puns (“What We Need is LOVE,” “Three Tons of LOVE”) were, of course, endless. Honestly, I surprised myself a little, too, with my enthusiasm for the job (and the joy in the puns). Never before had I considered that the sculpture—which had always held a kind of iconic status throughout Indianapolis and, consequently, my Indianapolis childhood—would be in need of labored research. Regardless, I gladly took on the job, and it was not long before I knew all about the weathering tendencies of Cor-ten steel, the varying protectiveness of different landscape designs, the underlying concepts of Pop Art. Or so I thought.

One day, as I drove past LOVE on my way into work, I was compelled to pull over. Though this very drive-by had become ritual—a check-in on the beast as I made my way to tame it—today the piece had attracted an atypical crowd. Though often prone to attention from love-struck couples, or children in search of a forbidden jungle gym (please, please, please stay off!), today the sculpture’s admirers seemed much more settled into their viewing positions. As I approached the sculpture, it soon became clear that these were art students, and that in addition to observing LOVE, they were painting its very form.

Encircling the sculpture were nine completely personalized interpretations of it. Not only was each painter incorporating LOVE’s setting—the museum’s contemporary façade, ambling visitors, the well-tamed summer turf—to a different extent, but each composition had its own sense of scale, of coloration, each “O” was angled to a different degree. In fact, the only trait the paintings seemed to share was a disregard for the very issues to which I’d become so concerned: the streaky discoloration of the exterior rust, the particular height of its mount, the Jesus fish that had been scratched inside the “V.” Instead of reflecting the many qualities that conservation sought to fix, these re-interpretations completely overlooked the sculpture’s material flaws, treating it instead like an icon, as intangible and fleeting as love itself.

As I sat down to my desk later that day, it was harder than ever to feel in control of my project. The particular treatment of a particular bolt, for example, no longer felt like a pressing matter; instead, it was just a small, simple detail that was sure to go unnoticed. Furthermore, LOVE’s many offshoots around Indianapolis—those SALE signs (with their otherwise arbitrarily italicized “A”), the mini-LOVE paperweights that seemed to rest on the desks of all my grade-school teachers—were now constant reminders of the inevitability of art’s reinterpretation.

Set-backs aside, I persisted in organizing the “LOVE files.” and did my best to turn the conservation staff’s many obstacles and victories into an easily referenced narrative. LOVE may seem, at times, like a painfully simplistic work of art—the perfect subject for a beginners’ painting workshop—yet its very candor is reliant on a complicated history of tweaking and mends. Though I learned a lot about the crucial role of conservation, I try to remind myself of what else I learned: that the document I produced—clarity and thoroughness aside—is prone to change in the eyes of someone else, to someone with their own idea of love in mind.

If you were out Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis and happened to see a sculpture flying mid-air across town, don’t worry — you weren’t imagining things.

The sculpture, East Gate/West Gate by Sasson Soffer took flight at around 6 pm and safely landed about ten minutes later. The work is one of four outdoor sculptures the IMA has loaned to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis — otherwise known as IUPUI. Three of the sculptures were relocated earlier in the year, but East Gate/West Gate was too big to transfer via truck. Measuring 24 x 40 x 30 feet, the sculpture could only be moved via helicopter.

The IMA mapped a route along the White River that allowed for the fewest traffic interruptions, and the sculpture made a smooth landing with a welcoming crowd on IUPUI’s campus to greet it.

I bet you wish we had video of that, huh? Well, here it is, straight from the Nugget Factory:

The four IMA sculptures will join newly commissioned works of public art to be located along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. The trail will connect neighborhoods, entertainment amenities and Indianapolis’s five downtown cultural districts. The western corridor of the trail, to be completed in 2011, will pass through the campus of IUPUI along Blackford Street and will run adjacent to two of the four sculptures from the IMA collection.

Sculptures on loan to IUPUI include:

East Gate/West Gate, 1973
Sasson Soffer (American, b. 1925)
stainless steel
24 x 40 x 30 ft.
82.56

Spaces with Iron, 1972
Will Horwitt (American, 1934 -1985)
cast iron and bronze
54 x 84 x 68 3/4 in.
81.220

Mega-Gem, 1989
John Francis Torreano (American, b. 1941)
heliarch welded aluminum plate, 36 cast aluminum anodized rosettes
7′2″ x 11′ x 7′2″
1997.6

Portrait of History, 1997
Shan Zou Zhou (Chinese, b. 1952)
Bronze
100 x 24 x 30 in.
2001.388

I searched the web for other interesting stories of relocating large pieces, but had a hard time finding anything. If you know of any, please comment about them. And if you have video or imagery — even better!!

"Portrait of James Whitcomb Riley" by John Singer Sargent

Within the first week of my internship, I made two exciting discoveries here at the IMA. One was The Prado in Google Earth and the other, which I found upstairs in the American Galleries was the John Singer Sargent painting, Portrait of James Whitcomb Riley.

For those who aren’t already familiar, The Prado Museum and Google Earth have teamed up to create an interactive site for the museum, which can be accessed on the internet through Google Earth. The application creates a 3D view of the museum and incredibly detailed imagery of 14 masterpieces found in the museum, including works by Velasquez, Rubens, and Rembrandt, and Goya. According to the Associated Press article, the project involved 8,200 photographs of the works and an assumedly hefty bill (footed by Google).

The end product allows a viewer to zoom in on an image made up of 14 billion pixels. According to Google, that’s 1,400 times more detailed than the image a 10 megapixel camera could take – it’s quite remarkable. I watched the trailer for the project and was amazed. As one observer noted, you can actually see what appears to be a blemish painted on the rump of a women in the Rubens’ painting, The Three Graces. From what I can remember of Rubens in my art history classes, such an addition would be typical of his humor. I downloaded Google Earth at home in hopes of exploring the paintings beyond what the trailer shows, but unfortunately, my computer couldn’t handle the navigation very well, and I was left slightly frustrated. Hopefully your computer is faster.

So, how does this relate to discovery number 2? – Portrait of James Whitcomb Riley

I have recently read several posts, both on the IMA Blog and on other blogs, that discuss the use of technology in museums. The Prado in Google Earth raises the question: Can digital imagery ever replace the real deal? Would it matter if every museum offered all of their works in a manner similar to the 14 offered by Google Earth from The Prado? Would patrons stop entering the galleries and opt for the computer based imagery?

John Singer Sargent leads me to my answer.
Can technology replace the real deal? No.
Why? Brushstrokes.

I was a painting major in my undergraduate studies at DePauw University, and John Singer Sargent is my favorite painter. I studied his technique, I wrote papers on him, and I tried painting like him. My infatuation with this artist is founded upon his brushstrokes.

My painting professor adamantly told me that a painter should always paint from life, as Sargent most always did. He would say, “Painting from a picture will flatten your image and your painting will not have the same effect as it would if you were to paint from life.” For me, Google Earth has the same effect on a painting. I want to see the brushstrokes in person, in 3D space – not on a computer screen. (Google calls it 3D, but it’s not the same…)

My point here is that no matter how cool The Prado in Google Earth is, no matter how close the computers can zoom in on the brushstrokes, (at this point you might have to check it out to really know what I mean), I am always going to want to see the real thing. Yes, Google offers me the chance to zoom in on brushstrokes in a way that my own eyes would not allow me to do but that, for me, will never replace the intimacy of viewing the actual canvass on which the paint was applied. As Prado Director Miguel Zagaza says, “What we don’t see is the soul. The soul will always only be seen by contemplating the original.”

"Lady Agnew of Lochnaw" by John Singer Sargent

This is why I will one day travel to the National Galleries of Scotland, where my favorite Sargent painting, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, hangs.

What I did on my Summer Vacation

or, How I learned to Stop Worrying and be a Good Intern

No kidding, internships have the potential to be awful. You could be stuck on coffee and filing duty. If you’re in that situation, you kind of have to put your ego to the side and be willing to do the grunt work. You can think about it as the chance to earn the respect of the people you are interning for, thus leading to your acquiring more thought provoking projects. A truly lucky intern will have both a boss that lets them manage some projects throughout their time at the institution, and the foresight to take advantage of this opportunity.

Even if you have a great situation with your boss, it can be difficult to get comfortable in your duties. In the beginning, one of the hardest parts for me was feeling confident in taking initiative. Not because I am not capable of it, but because I really wanted to make sure I was doing everything right.

As I was vacillating about the details of my summer project, one of the most helpful things Despi said was, “I can write this for you, but I think it will be more valuable to have you try it yourself.” She gave me the permission I needed to take control of the project, but also to potentially fail. Project management is one of the most difficult types of experience to gain, because it can only be learned through hard work, trial and error. It’s those ‘real life’ experiences of deadlines and organization that make internships a vital part of the learning experience.

So, I’ve learned a lot this summer. I’ve learned to write down everything. Simple but effective; this also really helps fight ‘the yawns’ in a boring meeting. I’ve also learned not to be afraid to ask all the clarifying questions you need. Your manager will not be annoyed, but instead will be thankful that they have someone who pays attention to details. Try to make yourself indispensable! Another major goal of interning is to meet the people in your future field. When a position opens up at the museum, you want every person you worked for to think of your name.

• Always say yes when another opportunity to help arises. Be flexible and available. (this one’s from me!)
• “Be open minded and willing to try new things. Look for opportunities to grow. Don’t be too hard on yourself if it doesn’t pan out. “- Emily Blyze, Development Researcher
• “Don’t be afraid to ask for the job you want. If there’s an opening, go for it! Internships are an opportunity to get your foot in the door.” – Amber Laibe, Manager of Affiliate and Volunteer Services
• “Get involved in as many things at the organization as possible. Put yourself out there!” -Meg Liffick, Communications Manager
• “Other than hygiene? Make the most of it.”- Daniel Incandela, Director of New Media

If you have advice about internships in general, or to someone thinking about interning at the IMA, leave a comment!

In closing,

To the staff in MIS, Education, Marketing, and Development, thank you for a wonderful Summer. I was very lucky to get to interact with so many departments. To New Media, I hope I haven’t scarred you too much. I had a great time!

I got my bachelors from Pratt in Fashion Design, but I always knew I wanted to be more involved with the arts community as a whole and I’ve never had the cut throat mentality to be successful in that world. So, I moved back from Brooklyn (I miss it and yet, and I REALLY don’t!) I just started in the Graduate Museum Studies program at IUPUI and I have never been happier. I miss public transportation, but I love seeing real trees. So, course requirements led to my seeking out this internship. I went about getting it in a somewhat unorthodox way… and it goes to show what you can get just for asking.

I had a class with Dr. Modupe Labode called Museum Methods, and we came to the IMA to meet with Despi and Daniel and learn about all of the innovative and cool work they are doing in the IMA’s New Media Department. I was really impressed with their creativity. I think what they are doing here is sort of leading the way in something that will be commonplace in every museum and gallery in less than 10 years. So, I emailed Despi and asked if I could meet with her and possibly talk about an internship. I think they were shocked I was more than willing to work for free, but this is such an exploding area of museum work, I feel like my experience will be invaluable.

So, we worked out a schedule, Despi did some paperwork, and I started last week for the New Media Nuggets. I’m enjoying getting to know everyone, this place is pretty relaxed and you immediately get the sense that people enjoy being here. The Dans even took me with them to lunch today, with Zach, another intern who started today. He will be working more on the technical, production side of things with the Dans. I am going to be working on a mélange of projects that Despi conceives for me, including working on website content for upcoming shows, and some fun new developments for the blog. You will see more of that unfolding soon and I would appreciate lots of feedback so that we can know what you are thinking- so click on that little comment button!

In closing, just in case you’re wondering, I don’t mind if you call me Demily. As long as we all agree Zach is Daiquiri.

As you may know from reading the Nugget Factory post a few weeks ago, all of the members of the Nugget Factory have names that begin with ‘D’. When (D)Emily approached us about the possibility of an internship, it seemed a requirement for her to work into that somehow. She started work this morning and will be with us at least through the summer…sometimes interns end up being around forever. That’s how we ended up with Danny.

(D)Emily is a brilliant and brave soul who contacted Daniel and I after we guest-lectured in one of her IUPUI museum studies classes. Her proactive spirit payed off and we cobbled together a project proposal that is actually pretty cool. We will spend the summer working on web projects of all sorts, some in collaboration with Meg. I must say that I am already overjoyed at (D)Emily’s potential to help the Nugget Factory shine even brighter. (I am listening to Madonna’s ‘Lucky Star’ as I type this, doesn’t that just sum it all up?)

Have a great story about a past internship? Motivational words for IMA’s 2008 class? Want to give props to your own intern? Do it all here. With any luck, we can get this blog post included in the mandatory orientation materials for IMA interns.