The two Alexander Calder works in the Sculpture Garden are being repainted to protect the works from the elements. As with Spoonbridge and Cherry, this process happens every five years.

The gray primer coats on The Spinner and Octopus:

Calder “signed” his sculptures — something I just discovered earlier this week. I’d never noticed it before.

Garden conservation isn’t just about painting efforts — there’s fire involved, too. Noah was hard at work hot-waxing a couple of bronze works. This process seals bronze in order to protect the patina from the elements. First, a blowtorch is used in a localized area. After it’s hot, a formulated mixture of waxes are applied with a brush. After the wax cools, it’s buffed to a glow.