(Photo credit: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens)
Vizcaya Museum and Garden’s Volunteer Guides Advisory Council has announced they it will fund the purchase of a stereomicroscope for Vizcaya’s Conservation Lab.
The $6,750 gift will allow the conservation staff to use low magnification to examine and record solid samples with complex surfaces such as elements of the Chanler ceiling mural that adorns the Swimming Pool Grotto, Vizcaya’s centennial preservation project. The stereomicroscope provides the ability to analyze details three-dimensionally and perform treatments under magnification.
“The Volunteer Guides have been proud supporters Vizcaya and its collection since 1954,” said Mark Osterman, Adult Learning and Engagement manager for Vizcaya. “This gift toward the stereomicroscope is in celebration of Vizcaya’s 100th year, ensuring that Vizcaya will continue to grow as a leader in conservation and our efforts to engage the public in art, history and the environment.”
Vizcaya recently established a Conservation Studio that is housed in the former Blacksmith’s Shop in the Vizcaya Village. The Village was built as part of the original estate 100 years ago and the Blacksmith’s Shop is one of 11 historic buildings on 12 acres located between S. Miami Avenue and S. Dixie Highway.
The Village was created in 1916 to make Vizcaya self-sufficient and included staff quarters, workshops, an automobile garage, barns and a greenhouse that supplied fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Visitors can take a peek at the new Conservation Studio at a series of coming open houses for the Vizcaya Village taking place on May 21 and June 11. At these open houses, the community can tour the Village and learn its history as well as Vizcaya’s proposed plans for the Village’s future.
To sign up for a Vizcaya Village Open House, visit vizcaya.eventbrite.com.
