erika nelson



Restoration, preservation, and conservation of Artist-built environments, commercial advertising murals, and public art.


Since 2010, Erika has been working with art conservators, historic preservationists, and site stewards on the care of outdoor public artworks. Often relocating to remote sites for 1 - 10 months, the sites and places become integral to the story of these artists building in place.

                            



Artist-Built Environment:

                           
S.P. Dinsmoor’s Garden of Eden
305 East Second Street, Lucas Kansas

Built 1907 - 1932
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 In 2011-2012, the site underwent a complete 6-month restoration, starting with a thorough cleaning. From there, elements were evaluated for integrity and need. Needs were addressed through a series of material investigations, hands-on learning about processes from lead conservators, and implemented in careful, on-site work.

This was Kohler Foundation Inc.’s largest site to date.

Role: Local contact, facilitator, conservation technician, research, procurement.

S.P. Dinsmoor’s Garden of Eden  is now a 501(c)3, with Erika serving as the Cultural Resources Director.
Sculpures were revealed to have more sensitive color treatments after cleaning, with a contrast between white portland and grey portland.
Much of the work is done via lift to carefully access inaccessable points
Cain after cleaning biological growth reveales his mark.
Abel’s wounds were revealed to be bright red on white portland skin after cleaning.
BioCleaning some sensitive areas. Most of the sculptures are anatomically correct, although not visible from the ground.


Artist-Built Environment:

                           
Roy and Clara Miller’s Park

East Second Street, Lucas Kansas

Built  c. 1920 - 1960

Relocated - 1969

Returned to Lucas - 2013
Originally situated at the West edge of Lucas, the sculpture site was sold in 1969 and moved to Hays, Kansas. In 2012, Erika negotiated the return of the sculptures,which were then placed in a permanent location adjacent to the Garden of Eden in Lucas. New bases were poured as needed, sculptural elements rebuilt, and new materials were sourced for assemblage sculptures that had suffered loss.

Kohler Foundation Inc. returned to Lucas to guide the conservation of the sculptures in 2013 after sculpture prep and excavation at the former Hays site was completed.

Role: Project lead, site transfer facilitator, conservation technician, research, layout of new site.

Miller’s Park is now under stewardship of S.P. Dinsmomor’s Garden of Eden Inc.

Erika is pleased with the careful wrapping of material for transport
The first load of sculptures return to Lucas in the wee hours of a cold January morning after 40 years absence
Sculpture pad sites are dug for installation in a footprint that mirrors the original layout
Conservation and restoration of the pieces took place in a nearby heated work area
Erika packs material into a void as a buffer between the original sculpture pad and the new reinforcement before placement.
Sculptures are hoisted into freshly prepared gravel beds in the New Miller’s Park
Local industrial factory workers help move larger pieces into place
Miller’s Park mini buildings are settling into their pads
Historic fencing creates a perimiter to the newly sited Roy and Clara Miller’s Park


Artist-Built Environment:

                           
Eddie Owen Martin’s Pasaquan
238 Eddie Martin Road, Buena Vista Georgia

Built  1956 - 1984

 In 2014, the Kohler Foundation was approached by the Pasaquan Preservation Society‘s board to help preserve Pasaquan. The preservation of Pasaquan took about two and a half years with teams from International Artifacts (structure), Parma Conservation (surfaces), Columbus State University (interns, documentation), and local tradespeople.

Pasaquan was officially given to Columbus State University in 2016.

Role: Object conservator, research, site prep, structure rebuild, pattern restoration and replication, surface treatments, tinwork facilitator, documentation, outreach.

Surface prepration involved removing loose paint, consolidating surfaces, and prepping for the surface crew
Damaged surfaces were decconstructed piece-by-piece, with labeling and mapping of each surface  for reassembly after stabalization
Sculptural elements were cleaned, assessed, and repaired with elastomeric, cementitious, or two-part materials as appropriate
Cleaned walls revealed  areas of loss to be repaired
Some stabalization and moving of structures required slow, careful tension and release as materials cured
Mapping of origiinal tinwork floor before repair or replacement on the Pagoda deck
Tinwork was hand-hammered utilizing Eddie Martin’s original dapping block
Erika specialized in mapping floors, creating color breakdowns of original patterns for replication
Floor patterns, materials, and notes directed interior work
Original asbestos flooring was replaced with friendlier options, color matched, and placed according to mapped patterns
Complexity of site necessitated multiple crews and creative problem solving


Artist-Built Environment:

                           
Florence Deeble Rock Garden
126 South Fairview, Lucas Kansas

Built  1935 - 1995

 Florence Deeble created miniature scenes of places that she had visited or read about in her Lucas backyard. Our first step in approaching the restoration project was getting Florence’s site listed in the State and National Register for Historic Places, then securing funding for a partial restoration of the most at-risk elements.

Restoration started in August of 2021, continuing through the end of 2024. A triage of need directed focus areas, with Erika working on surface and commercial reconstruction, and Matthew focusing on large stabilization and reconstruction.

Role: Two-person object conservator team, research, site prep, structure stabilization, surface treatments, postal card scene preservation, commercial statuary repair & rebuild, texture matching, documentation.

The site consists of two section - an interconnected Postcard section, and an assembled History section.
Many of the commercial statuary had suffered from age and Kansas weather, requiring significant rebuilding with outdoor-appropriate material
Radically different building styles require radically different approaches to stabilize.
Concrete samples were produced to match color and texture, utilized to formulate appropriate repair material
Surfaces were consolidated after cleaning to reveal deeper colors and preserve surfaces
Existing paints were color matched for reapplication where needed
Many awkward constructions were disassembled, repaired, and reassembled once the bases were dug out and new slabs poured
Much of the work involved filling gaps where sculpture areas had settled, with an intial cleaning and consolidating to prepare the area. Ideally, the work should be invisible, only noticeable in before-and-after images . The area below this sculptural ‘pond’ area had large hollows, filled with a mixture of sand and portland, then left to settle  before being refilled again and again until all voids are secure.
Commercial statuary elements were cleaned, assessed, and repaired or restored offsite overwinter before being reinstalled
Restored sculptural elements are set in place with monument glue