One of the missions of the Malabar Farm Foundation is the preservation of the Big House and its contents. Projects include the restoration of artwork, furniture, sculptures, and documents. Conservation preservation is an ongoing process. A portion of your donations and the proceeds from many of our fundraising efforts go towards these efforts to preserve the legacy of Louis Bromfield and Malabar Farm for future generations. Since its founding the foundation has contributed over $2 million dollars to Malabar Farm State Park. Here are some of the projects that we sponsor.
Intermuseum Conservation Association – Art Conservation
The Malabar Farm Foundation has funded preservation and conservation projects with the services provided by Intermuseum Conservation Association (ICA) – Art Conservation, the oldest not-for-profit regional art conservation center in the United States. For over 25 years, ICA conservators have cleaned, repaired, and cared for works of art and objects of the cultural heritage and of personal significance to Louis Bromfield and the Big House at Malabar Farm. They have professionally-educated and trained our conservators with expertise in the care and storage of paintings, objects, and textiles.
In 2014, the Malabar Farm Foundation began funding a restoration and preservation project for Louis Bromfield’s extensive art collection in the Big House at Malabar Farm. Over 100 pieces of artwork have been identified as needing some level of restoration work, including oil paintings, watercolors, prints, sculptures, and documents. To date 43 oil paintings, 3 watercolor paintings, and a series of French still-life prints have been restored by the ICA in Cleveland.
The Foundation has pledged and contributed more than $100,000 toward this effort, and the work continues, with more than 50 pieces on paper (paintings, ink drawings, prints, documents, etc.) still in need of attention. When the art restoration project is completed, the Foundation hopes to turn its attention to the preservation of original Bromfield family textiles displayed in the Big House, especially several bedspreads in Mary Bromfield’s Bedroom, the Black Guest Room, and the Honeymoon Room.
The Foundation has recently partnered with McCready’s Interiors of Ontario, Ohio for the professional restoration of several pieces of furniture in the Big House and looks forward to continuing this association. Pictured below are the two settees that were recently restored with the original picture from 1941 and 2020 restored photo.
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