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First/Hand Fridays for Harvard Students—Plastic Artworks: Beauty in Decay

A wooden box containing an assortment of ready-made plastic foods.
Claes Oldenburg, False Food Selection, 1966. Wooden box with offset printed label, containing readymade plastic foods. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Barbara and Peter Moore Fluxus Collection, Margaret Fisher Fund, and gift of Barbara Moore/Bound & Unbound, M26457. © Claes Oldenburg.

Seminar

In-Person
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

This event does not require registration; see further details below.

Join us for First/Hand Fridays—monthly events in the Art Study Center where museum staff bring original works of art out of storage for Harvard students to discuss and enjoy!

In this First/Hand Fridays session, dive into the fascinating world of plastic as a material of artistic transformation—and a preservation challenge. Since the early 20th century, plastic has enabled artists to push the boundaries of creativity, offering endless possibilities for bending, molding, and shaping. However, as these works enter museum collections, their susceptibility to degradation presents significant hurdles for conservation.

While closely examining artworks at various stages of decay, we’ll explore how plastic embodies both beauty and fragility, sparking conversations about the impermanence of materials and the unique demands of preserving modern and contemporary art.

First/Hand Fridays take place on the first Friday of each month. In these specially designed sessions for students, you’ll experience art like never before: get up close and personal with works you can’t see in the galleries, chat with our staff about objects they love, and explore the many ways you can engage with our collections—whether for a class or just for fun.

Students are free to drop by any time beginning at 2pm (keep in mind the event ends at 4pm). Just be sure you sign in at the Art Study Center reception desk on Level 4, and be prepared to show your HUID. Please place all coats and bags in a locker before entering the study room.

The Harvard Art Museums offer free admission every day, Tuesday through Sunday. Please see the museum visit page to learn about our general policies for visiting the museums.

The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance. Please include the name and date of the program in the subject line of your email.