Project Summary:

This work by Sam Maitin came to the studio in Spring 2025, following the closure of its previous home, Gershman Hall of the University of the Arts, in Philadelphia. It was previously installed in the main staircase of the building, commissioned from Maitin in the 1970s when it was the Gershman Y. The Hebrew script on the three panels translate to, “joy,” “happiness,” and “do not separate yourself from the community.” While installed in this staircase, the triptych was exposed to years of dust, grime, spills, and impacts from the activity of the community center, and later student center. Our goals were to clean the paint surface, repair the two tears to the Masonite, and inpaint any losses to the paint layer.

The front and back of each panel was dry cleaned with a vacuum and rubber soot sponge to remove loose dust and grime. The paint surface also underwent an aqueous cleaning to further remove the accumulated grime. The two tears in the Masonite were brought into plane through repeated cycles of humidification and pressure from clamps. Adhesive was added to the front and back of the seams to hold them closed. The losses, scratches, and drips on all three panels were inpainted with a reversible conservation medium to restore visual continuity.