Senior conservator of sculpture Thomas Podnar worked with Oberlin Conservation Associates since 1993. Tom’s expertise with sculpture of all forms is widely known and his expertise with fountains, both historic and modern, is widely and highly regarded.
His abilities and success were built from a diverse background of learning, work and experience that converged to create a professional highly adaptable to problem solving in various historical and modern sculptural media including all metals, stone, masonry, and mechanical/hydraulic systems.
Tom received his degree in sculpture in 1975 and subsequently passed through diverse phases of learning and work that built his effectiveness today. After graduating, Tom worked as a sculptor, taught painting and drawing, worked for 6 years casting art bronze, then became an art bronze foundry partner and manager. He cast and finished bronze sculpture for other artists, then gradually worked more and more in restoration and preservation of sculpture over 18 years. Already having a long mechanical skills background, he grew quickly in new employment as a contractor for earthworks, water features sculptor, and water systems designer for a major landscaping firm.
From 1993 through 2024 Tom worked as a sculpture and fountains conservator for Oberlin Conservation Associates. Here he continued to build on his already substantial knowledge and skills and became Professional Members of AIC.
An interest in the areas of lead and zinc sculpture led Tom to learn the craft of oxygen-hydrogen lead welding and to gain further expertise in the fluxing and soldering of sheet and cast zinc. Successfully adapting the modern form of these industrial fabrication techniques to the conservation of sculpture exposed to an outdoor environment for 70-130 years is a significant challenge at which Tom has become skilled.