Conservation & Restoration
Preserving sculpture, monuments, and public art for generations to come.
ART Research Enterprises provides professional conservation and restoration services for bronze, metal sculpture, monuments, architectural elements, and public art. Our team combines decades of hands-on experience with a thoughtful understanding of materials, fabrication methods, finishes, and the environments in which artwork lives.
Our conservation work ranges from routine cleaning and preventative maintenance to complex restoration, structural repair, patina restoration, and treatment of historic sculpture and monuments.
Sculpture Conservation & Restoration Services
Every artwork and environment is different. Before recommending treatment, we evaluate the sculpture's materials, condition, previous repairs or coatings, installation, and exposure to the surrounding environment.
Our services include:
- Condition assessments and treatment recommendations
- Bronze and metal sculpture cleaning
- Chemical patina restoration and color matching
- Hot and cold wax protective treatments
- Corrosion reduction and stabilization
- Metal repair, welding, and structural restoration
- Replacement or recreation of missing and damaged components
- Stainless steel cleaning and restoration
- Architectural metal conservation
- Graffiti and inappropriate coating removal
- Sculpture mounting and anchoring repairs
- On-site conservation treatments
- Documentation and treatment reports
- Preventative maintenance programs and scheduled annual care
Bronze Sculpture Conservation
Outdoor bronze naturally changes over time. Weather, moisture, pollutants, salts, biological growth, previous coatings, and improper maintenance can all affect the appearance and condition of a bronze surface.
Our conservators evaluate the existing patina before determining an appropriate treatment. Depending on the condition of the artwork, treatment may include careful cleaning, removal of failed coatings or corrosion products, localized patina correction, chemical repatination, and application of a protective wax coating.
Our goal is not simply to make an artwork look new. Conservation treatment should respect the artist's original intent, the history of the object, and the character of its existing surface.
Public Art & Monument Conservation
ART Research works with artists, municipalities, universities, museums, institutions, developers, and private collections to care for sculpture and monuments in the environments where they are installed.
For large or permanently installed artwork, our team can perform conservation work on site and coordinate the equipment, access, protection, and logistics required for treatment.
When more extensive intervention is necessary, artwork can also be transported to our Lancaster, Pennsylvania facility for treatment, structural repair, fabrication, patina work, and restoration.
Preventative Maintenance
One of the most effective ways to preserve outdoor sculpture is regular maintenance.
ART Research develops ongoing maintenance programs based on the artwork's material, finish, condition, location, and environmental exposure. Routine inspection, cleaning, and renewal of protective coatings can help identify developing problems early and reduce the need for more extensive restoration in the future.
Maintenance programs can include annual or scheduled inspections, cleaning, wax treatments, stainless steel care, patina touch-up, condition photography, and written documentation.
A Foundry's Understanding of Sculpture
Our conservation work is strengthened by what we do every day.
As a working fine art foundry and fabrication studio, ART Research understands how sculpture is made from the inside out. Our team works directly with bronze casting, stainless steel, aluminum, structural fabrication, welding, metal chasing, chemical patination, coatings, mounting systems, and installation.
That practical knowledge allows us to evaluate not only what is happening on the surface of an artwork, but how its materials, construction, structure, finish, and environment are interacting over time.
Whether an artwork requires routine maintenance or a complex restoration, our approach begins with understanding the object and developing a treatment appropriate to its materials, history, and future.
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