Polishing Up for Openings!

The week leading up to the GRAND OPENING events (going on today!) was filled with activity. The staff of the Henry Moore Foundation was busy at work cleaning, waxing, polishing, and touching up the patinas throughout the week. Above, David Mitchinson, Head of Collections and Exhibitions, The Henry Moore Foundation, applies wax with a brush to Knife Edge Two Piece just outside the new visitor center.

James Copper, also from the Foundation, said fully 50% of the work comes after placing the sculpture. Here he cleans Mother and Baby, one of the first pieces visitors encounter in the new Southern Seasons Garden.

Construction fencing came down on April 24th throughout the site. After 18 months, it had become a fixture we had all become quite used to seeing. As it was disassembled, the new gardens were revealed and the linking up between the old and new was stunning to witness. Even though I had seen both sides almost daily for months, nothing could quite prepare me and my colleagues for the spectacular union and unveiling.

Just hours before this photo was taken, that sidewalk and many others were furiously being pressure washed. It took days to clear away all the mud from the recent rains. In the end, not only did the walkways and sculptures clean up nicely, I think we did too! Left to right: James Copper, HMF; Laura Robinson, HMF; Cathleen Cooke, ABG; and David Mitchinson; HMF.