Up Close with Conservators | Beneath the Surface: Conserving Schubert Sonata

Erin Fitterer is taking the stage at the Seattle Asian Art Museum on Thursday, November 19, for a talk titled Beneath the Surface: Conserving Schubert Sonata. Fitterer is an assistant objects conservator, and the subject is the recent conservation of Schubert Sonata, a 1992 sculpture by American artist Mark di Suvero (born 1933) that stands at Olympic Sculpture Park. If you've walked past it, you know the piece—it's one of the larger, more recognizable works out there, so it's a nice change to hear about what happens when it goes under the microscope.

The talk follows the sculpture's conservation journey from start to finish. Fitterer will walk through the research that went into the project, the specific questions the conservation team asked, the discoveries they made along the way, and the treatment decisions that eventually revealed new insights hidden beneath the surface. It's the kind of behind-the-scenes look that makes you think differently about the art you usually just walk past on a weekend stroll.

Before the talk, there's an extra bit to the evening: you can step inside the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Conservation Center, where the team works on historic Asian art. It's a rare chance to see the actual space where this kind of work happens, so it's worth arriving early to take it in before the session starts.

The talk is part of a series of conservator-led sessions held at the museum on Third Thursdays from September through November, and these are open exclusively to SAM members. Beneath the Surface runs from 6:00 to 7:30 PM on Thursday, November 19, at the Seattle Asian Art Museum.