Upper County: Past, Present, and Future

The art installation “Past Present Future” was investigated by conservators Constance Stromberg and Howard Wellman on August 29, 2012. Examination was by visual inspection and digital photographs were taken to document the condition.The object is a multi-media mural mounted on the brick wall of the Community Center beside the main entrance. The mural faces west, and is sheltered to the south by a wing of the building, to the north by the entrance portico. There are windows directly above it.The mural backing appears to be fiber-reinforced cement-board panels attached to the brick wall with steel screws. It is unknown if there was any adhesive used. The seams between panels appear to be filled with unknown spackle and joint tape. The proper right edge of the panel is filled with a brown mortar or grout. The upper edge is filled with a soft caulk; however there are gaps where caulk is not present. The proper left and lower edges are not backed or filled, and there are open gaps.The media used to decorate the panels include:? Painted and silk-screened metal panels (attached with what appear to be power-hammer nails),? Unidentified paint (multi-colored) with possible clear over-coat,? Glazed ceramic tiles and tile fragments, attached with unknown mastic and gaps filled with grey grout,? Mirror fragments, attached with unknown mastic and gaps filled with grey grout,? Miscellaneous small plastic and metal toys, set into white grout,? Full-size copies of a football, basketball, baseballs and bat, ping-pong paddle and human hand, cast in an unidentified material, painted, and attached by an unidentified means and filled around the edges with grey or white grout,? A plastic hockey stick, 75% missing, attached with steel screws.