California State University, Long Beach Foundation (University Art Museum, CA State Univ.)

The California State University Art Museum will conserve two sculptures from a collection the university acquired in 1965 when it hosted the first International Sculpture Symposium in the United States. The sculptures - J.J. Beljon's "Homage to Sam Rodia" and Kosso Eloul's "Hardfact" - are among the most vulnerable of nine sculptures erected by celebrated artists and sited on the campus for community benefit. The university, in conjunction with the Getty Conservation Institute, will work to assure historical accuracy and the unique importance of the collection and its place in art history. While this project will seek to eventually conserve all nine sculptures, it is also part of a larger outreach effort to convey the story of the artists and the symposium, and the significance of these cultural objects and the responsibility of caring for them.