als were obtained by layering several different pigments over one another, when the top color fades, it reveals the underlying color thereby changing the color and the composition.
The report by Perry Huston and Associates states,
“Fading from prolonged exposure to intense sunlight, damaging ultra-violet light and heat was present on all the murals where original paint was exposed. Where the vibrant colors of the original paint have been unprotected by overpaint, the colors are now powdery, dull and faded. This has produced the serious visual imbalance dramatically illustrated in “Traction”.
An example of previously flaked paint (bright red) which has
faded and changed next to newly exposed paint (darker red/purple)
The murals at Fair Park have a better chance of survival than most because:
They are protected under porches
They have been covered over for decades so that fading has somewhat been limited.
We have the awareness and materials to combat deteriorating influences.
Sophisticated monitoring devices and techniques are not required in order to know that these murals should not be exposed to the direct Dallas sunlight and that damage from exposure is severe. While monitoring may produce interesting data, it is highly recommended to act now to protect the paint layers.
No proposal will completely protect the murals without changing the architecture and enclosing the murals (ambient controls would also be required). Therefore, assuming that altering the historic design of the buildings is not an option then we must also accept that the murals will continue to be subjected to the flexuations of outdoor conditions. We can, however, eliminate the direct sunlight that falls on the murals. This in turn will reduce the heat exposure. By eliminating direct sunlight, general light levels will also be greatly reduced and this would contribute greatly to reducing fading. The influence of driving rain and wind will also be reduced significantly.
A simple shielding of the murals (on going and continuous) will contribute greatly to their long term preservation and best appearance. The following proposal can be a stop-gap intervention or could be a satisfactory long term resolution. This is a low cost, temporary (removable) option for the protection of the murals against direct sun. This option does not permanently impact or modify the design of the architecture.
The banner-like screens are attached to eye bolts installed at the sides of the openings in the building’s porches in the same way that banners are presently used at fairs and special events. The screen can be tinted or printed with designs (or images of the murals). The banner/screens can let air and some light pass through.
The Food and Fiber Building with screens installed to protect the murals from direct sunlight. The screens could be printed a specific color to help them blend better with the architecture or could be printed with images of the murals to simulate the historic presentation of the building from a distance.
An interesting practical example of what a minimal amount of protection can offer can be seen on the Women’s Building mural “alcove” decorative painting. This is in the arched architectural form around the mural (already treated).
In the lower areas of these walls, the direct sun has beat hard on the decorative painting for 64 years. The lower areas of the walls (lower half) have no image or color left. But the top section that has been protected from the direct sun (minimally) by the arch still has something to see.
In the apex of the arch, original colors and design are very discernable. As the wall begins to be vertical, the design element begins to fade away. The farther down on the wall, and the more sun that the decorative painting receives, the less original paint is visible.
One the South side of the Women’s Museum is located this “alcove” around the mural. At the apex of this arch the
green geometric designs, contoured by a yellow band then filled in with a peach color field is still very visible.
The painted decoration fades to nothing once 