Conserving Maxo Vanka’s Murals
Vanka’s bold murals face age and conditions that naturally occur in an old church atop a hill.
With the support of a Save America’s Treasures Grant awarded by the Institute of Museum & Library Services in partnership with the National Park Service and with additional funding from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the conservation of the Vanka Murals is progressing at an unprecedented pace. The scaffolding came down at the end of September 2024 revealing new views of Vanka’s breathtaking Transcendent Vision complimenting the stunning results of the first session in 2023.
Scaffolding returned to the Sanctuary in January to complete the work on the Old Testatment Wall and the murals of St. Matthew and St. Mark. Our team of experts: Ana Alba, Patty Buss, Cindy Fiorini, Rikke Foulke, Cricket Harbeck, Jessica Keister, Naomi Ruiz (2023 Kress Conservation Fellow), Patty Huss West, Mary Wilcop, and Rhonda Wozniak. Conservation technicians: Christina Cichra, Angelica Marks, Celeste Parrendo, and Kate Pirilla. Conservation Interns: Erin McChesney (2024) and Mercedes Hillington (2025).