Preservation Assessment of the works of Julia Elizabeth Tolbert

FAIN: PG-271424-20

Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC 29303-3612)
Youmi Efurd (Project Director: January 2020 to January 2023)

An item-level conservation survey of 139 works of art on paper by Julia Elizabeth Tolbert (1911–1978), a twentieth-century artist of note in the Southeast. Wofford’s Richardson Family Art Museum has nearly 300 works of art by Tolbert, the most complete collection of her work. This comprises a substantial portion of the museum’s 1,400 object permanent collection, which is made accessible for research and cross-disciplinary teaching. This project builds on recommendations from a 2019 preservation assessment.

Wofford College’s Richardson Family Art Museum (RFAM) requests a grant of $6,942 from the NEH Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions program. The grant will support an item-by-item survey of 139 works on paper by Julia Elizabeth Tolbert. The assessment will evaluate the conditions and general management of its collection. The consultants’ visit and evaluation will result in a written assessment report with the following recommendations: 1) recommendations for planning and prioritizing immediate and long-term conservation treatment needs of items; 2) recommendations for proper handling and management, including storage and display; 3) recommendations for development of strategies to improve current collections care practices for works on paper. The goals of the project are derived from recommendations based on the Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) Program participation in 2019.

Media Coverage

Like New (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Robert W. Dalton
Publication: Wofford College
Date: 12/20/2021
Abstract: Museum's effort on preservation and conservation and how it has affected student's career path
URL: http://www.wofford.edu/about/news/news-archives/2021/like-new