Looking for a change of scenery and inspired by the four seasons, California native Chloe Sage Castro knew the East Coast was calling. A skilled art conservator, Chloe had previously spent time here visiting family and most notably, restoring sculptures in Central Park with the Central Park Conservancy. Her passion for art conservation runs deep, so we sat down with her to learn more about the fascinating work of Sage Art Conservation.
Q: Can you give us an overview of Sage Art Conservation?
A: Sage Art Conservation primarily treats objects and sculptures - my technical title is Objects Conservator (not Conservationist, those are the folks who work with nature). I can repair almost any three-dimensional object, from stone carvings to ceramics, from antique weaponry to taxidermy. I love the variety of materials that come with this field. The best definition for an art conservator is to consider us an "Art Doctor." Sage Art Conservation takes that description to heart as we treat every piece with the utmost importance, because even sentimental value means it's valuable to the client. If a piece is essential to my client, then it's important to me.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to work behind the scenes in art or did your path evolve?
A: I always knew I would work with art in one way or another. For a long time, I was either going to be an artist or maybe something with special effects makeup, but as soon as I discovered conservation, that was it for me. I was a student of both history and studio art, so being able to tie those passions together and work with historical objects and art thrilled me. It is also important to make my own paintings and sculptures, so I consider myself an artist and a conservator. I appreciate tiny details. Give me a tiny screwdriver or a tiny paintbrush and I'm very happy.
Q: Can you explain the difference between preservation, conservation and restoration?
A: Yes! I love talking about the technical theory aspect of this field. I do a bit of all three, depending on the project, the client, and the location, among other things. Every project is different.
Preservation is a non-invasive type of intervention, utilized to prevent issues before they happen. Three examples are monitoring temperature, measuring humidity levels, and pest control vigilance.
Conservation is a type of intervention in which an object is stabilized, generally as it is. This may involve minimally invasive hands-on techniques. Surface cleaning and old varnish removal are two examples.
Restoration is a more invasive intervention; usually, an object is methodically brought back to how it would have looked during a chosen time period.
It's important to note that these definitions are very North America-focused. There are different types of answers to the theory of conservation in other parts of the world, and it's all fascinating.
Q: Who are your typical clients and what pieces do you commonly focus on?
A. One of the best things about what I do is that I don't have a typical client. I take on projects from private individuals to long-established museums. I also get many calls from clients and organizations about artworks or objects damaged during shipping or transportation.
The institutional projects are great; we use the same vocabulary so that we can be on the same page about a project quickly.
My private clients are wonderful, as I've been involved with some exquisite personal collections, and then I get to hear the individual origin stories attached to their objects.
The materials I focus on are ceramics and glass objects, but my studio is not limited to those. Recently, I completed repairs to a collection of Iñupiaq walrus ivory carvings. There are a number of other pieces that I'd love to talk about but are client privileged.
I consider myself very lucky to love what I do. I also enjoy educating others who are curious about conservation and have given several talks about my field.
Q: What’s your guiding philosophy when working on historical or personally significant objects?
A: I am a peer-reviewed member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), which means I follow their Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice. I will document with photographs and written reports everything I do in any given treatment and anything I do to an object will be well-researched and reversible.
While the materials conservators use are specifically developed and rigorously tested, sometimes we only learn that materials aren't compatible years or decades down the line, or someone develops a better methodology. This requires being able to undo a repair quickly and with little to no damage to the original object. It is important that cultural heritage lasts into the future.
Q: What is the most interesting or notable item you have worked on?
A: I've been a working conservator for over 10 years. I've worked all over the country, for private collections and museums such as the Getty and SFMOMA. So while I have worked on many incredible artworks and objects, part of the job is the protection of my clients, which I take seriously.
I've also gotten to work on so many amazing objects and artworks that I don't know if I can narrow it down! There was a hippopotamus carved from a gemstone that broke a foot, which was pretty spectacular. One of my favorite projects was a table lamp from the set of Casablanca.
I have to stay vague, due to the exclusivity of my clients and various non-disclosure agreements, but I have been able to treat works by many artists you may know. Some of my favorites of those have been people like Ai Wei Wei, Judy Chicago, and Buckminster Fuller.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of the work you do?
A: Looking at the before and after pictures of pieces I've worked on brings me immense joy, seeing that I've gotten to maintain cultural heritage and history for the present and the future. I love that I can make a tangible impact on history, both for collections that many people can share, and for individual clients that they can now continue to share with their families. The Thank Yous I get can be so touching. I know I'm making an impact when I'm in the middle of a treatment but the emotional aspect really hits home when a client finally sees their object in a much better state than how they first handed it to me. I'm fortunate to be part of that.
To learn more about Chloe’s work and the services Sage Art Conservation offers, visit sageartconservation.com
Sage Art Conservation primarily treats objects and sculptures - my technical title is Objects Conservator (not Conservationist, those are the folks who work with nature).
The best definition for an art conservator is to consider us an "Art Doctor."
If a piece is essential to my client, then it's important to me.
It is important that cultural heritage lasts into the future.