2024 Webinar Series:

One Size Fits Few: Protective Glazing, Medieval Masonry, and Stained Glass at the Cloisters

Presented by Kevin Daly

Senior Conservator/Senior Associate with Jablonski Building Conservation Inc.

Friday, April 26th, 2024 - 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m., EST

The Met Cloisters is a museum of Medieval art located in upper Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1938, it was designed to appear as though it was constructed insequence over centuries. It exhibits its collection of architectural artifacts in situ in a natural, immersive way, and accessioned Medieval stone window surrounds form part of the building envelope. This immersive approach to exhibit design extends to the museum’s extensive stained glass collection,which is frequently set in the building walls and naturally lit.

This creates an unusual technical problem: Can a controlled environment be made using old stonework that not only protects the collection in the gallery, but also the stained glass displayed in the window itself, without changing its appearance to visitors? Can the needs of multiple stakeholders—curators, art conservators, facilities directors, architects, and new glazing manufacturers—be aligned to build that protective glazing system?

The presentation follows decades of protective glazing solutions at the Cloisters,including window surrounds and stained glass, both from the Medieval collection and the 20th Century, and the essential collaboration present from the very beginning. The specific problems, and unique solutions, at several windows will be discussed. In each case the need to respect and protect the stone surround, the glazing, the interior environment, and the museum objects within the galleries affected the approach taken.

Please register at the link below. This webinar is free to attend, but registration is required to obtain the Zoom link.