Jumbo Sculpture

Only two miles from Downtown Dallas, is Fair Park, a National Historic Landmark filled with the nation’s largest collections of 1930s art and Art Deco architecture. EverGreene is collaborating with the Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Collection to complete conservation treatments for up to 150 primarily bronze sculptures as part of the Dallas Public Art Collection Assessment over the course of the next few years.

A notable sculpture is Jumbo, a life-size bronze mammoth, by artist Tom Tischler. It was completed in 1988-1989 and installed in May 1989 and stands on the grounds Fair Park.  Since the sculpture is exposed to outdoor elements, when EverGreene arrived on-site, Jumbo had suffered severe corrosion. In order to return the bronze sculpture to its original state, it was first rinsed clean and scrubbed with soft bristle brushes to remove any dirt and debris at the start of treatment. Next, a steam unit pressure washer removed any remaining old wax. After the sculpture was cleaned, areas in need of touch-ups received a patina application. To perform this, the area was heated to around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and the Sculpt Nouveau Dye Oxide Patina was be brushed on in a pouncing manner when the metal was at the proper temperature to ensure a complete reaction with the metal.

To conserve Jumbo’s pristine condition for the future, our conservators compiled a maintenance report for both the concrete base and the bronze sculpture, including details of cleaning materials needed, and plan on how to regularly examine the statue.