Menu

Publications + Lectures

ABIGAIL MACK PUBLICATIONS AND LECTURES

Upcoming publication. The Artist’s Materials: Alexander Calder: large scale and monumental sculpture. Getty Publications.

Close and continuous collaboration: Stewardship in the conservation of New York’s Empire State Plaza Collection. Presented at AIC Salt Lake, UT May 2024. Co-author Sarah Montonchaikul, Ellen Rand, and Alfred Lippincott.

Making it last: training conservators in sustainable solutions for treating outdoor painted sculptures. Studies in Conservation, Presented at IIC in Lima, Peru September 2024. Co-authors Rosa Lowinger, Ellen Moody, Flavia Perugini, Rachel Rivenc, and Stavroula Golfomitsou

Co-taught week long workshop entitled Treatment Strategies for Outdoor Painted Sculpture at Kroller Muller, Netherlands (October 2023) and Getty Conservation Institute entitled (February 2018.)

Lecture –Technology and Structure of Modern Metals. Presented at NYC Conservation Center. Co-presented Ellen Rand. April 2023 and April 2024

Lecture – Decisions Making Strategies. MoMA Conservation Department March 2024.

A Lesson in Balance and Adaptation: The Conservation of Alexander Calder’s Man Eater with Pennants.  Presented at AIC Los Angeles, CA May 2022. Co-authors Lynda Zycherman, Ellen Rand, Megan Randall, and Abed Haddad.

Balancing Permanence and Change for Calder’s Performative and Outdoor Artworks. Article for exhibition Catalogue Alexander Calder Radical Inventor. Edited by Elizabeth Turner. 2018 Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Coat of Arms: Dovetailing the needs of outdoor sculpture and military assets to develop more durable and adaptable paint systems. Presented at IIC Los Angeles September 14, 2016. Published in Studies in Conservation 2016. Co-authored with John Escarsega, Rachel Rivenc, and Tom Learner.

Considering the Continuum of Care for Outdoor Kinetic Sculpture. Poster presented at Keep it Moving: Conservation of Kinetic Art. Milan, Italy June 30 ? July 2nd 2016. Co-authored with Friederike Steckling, Beyeler Foundation, and Sara Levin, Mack Art Conservation.

A Technical Reflection on Calder’s Monumental Sculpture ?Trois disques.?? Published in conjunction with exhibition Calder ?67 at Fondazione Vedova, Venice Italy, May 6 – October 18, 2015.

Rethinking the Monumental: A Creative Approach to the Preservation of a Landmark Tony Smith Outdoor Sculpture. Presented at Object Specialty Group of the AIC 41st Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN, May 29 – June 1, 2013. Co-authored with John Steele, Conservator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts, Detroit Institute of Arts.

Calder Conservation Symposium. Presenting case studies in the conservation of Calder sculpture. Symposium held at the Calder Foundation on March 1, 2013 by invitation.

Guest lecturer on documentation and conservation of modern and contemporary art at Bard College’s Graduate Program Center for Curatorial Studies and Art in Contemporary Culture. Yearly since 2010.

Metallic Paints on American Zinc Sculpture. Presented at the International Conference on Historic Metals Conservation, Interim Meeting of the ICOM-CC Metals WG. Charleston, South Carolina on October 11-15, 2010. Co-authored with Carol Grissom, Smithsonian Institution.

Matte Military Paint and the Museum. Presented at the Object Specialty Group of the AIC 36th Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, April 21 -24, 2008. Co-authored with Shelley Sturman, Head of Objects Conservation at the National Gallery of Art (NGA), and John Escarsega, Research Chemist at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL).

From Marble to Mussels: A Common Approach to Dissimilar Materials. Presented at the Research and Technical Studies Group of the AIC 36th Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, April 21 -24, 2008. Co-authored with Judy Ozone, Senior Object Conservator at the National Gallery of Art.

Continued Research and Application of Adapted Military Camouflage paint for Outdoor Sculpture. Presented at ICOM-CC 15th Triennial Meeting, New Delhi, India September 22-26, 2008. Co-authored with Shelley Sturman (NGA) and John Escarsega (ARL).

Saving Alexander Calder’s Mobile, “Untitled” International Thermal Spray & Surface Engineering May 2007 Newsletter. Co-authored with Shelley Sturman (NGA) and Michael Belman, Objects Conservator at Carnegie Museums.

Adapting Military Camouflage Paint for Matte Outdoor Sculpture. Presented at the Modern Pains Uncovered Symposium, Tate Modern, London May 2006 – Included in publication by Getty Conservation Institute Spring 2007. Co-authored with Shelley Sturman (NGA) and John Escarsega (ARL).

Novel Water-dispersible High Reflectance Polyurethane Formulations for Painted Outdoor Sculpture. International Waterborne, High Solids and Powder Coatings Symposium, New Orleans – Feb 2003. Co-authored with Shelley Sturman (NGA) and John Escarsega (ARL).

Making Better Choices for Painted Outdoor Sculpture. Committee for Conservation 13th Triennial Meeting in Rio de Janeiro – Preprints Volume II Published by James & James, London – Sept 2002. Co-authored with Shelley Sturman (NGA), John Escarsega (ARL) and Angela Chang. Presented at 30Th Annual Meeting of AIC in Miami, Florida. June 6 – 11, 2002.

A Guide to Condition Reporting Artifacts.Rocky Mountain Conservation Center, May 1996