Biography

My name is Lisa Bruno and I am an objects conservator, with a masters from the University of Delaware/Winterthur Museum.  After working in the Midwest, completing an internship at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and a project position at the Art Institute of Chicago, I took a job as Assistant Conservator Objects at the Brooklyn Museum.  Thirty some years later, I find myself Chief Conservator and asking myself, in the words of David Byrne; “Well, how did I get here?”  I am particularly proud that Brooklyn’s lab is and has been a microcosm of the field.  It is a training ground for conservators so they can thrive in doing whatever comes next.  Sometimes I envy conservators who are able to take a deep dive into one particular research area, but then I look up from the computer and see in the lab, the huge variety of expressions of our humanity and feel fulfilled. 

How will your volunteer role on the Nominating Committee help to support the priorities outlined in the AIC Strategic Plan?

Our field has changed significantly since I first started in the late 1980s.  It has gotten more complex and conceptual while remaining rooted with the creative crafts and artistic hand skills. The need to problem solve when we are working with limited facts and trying to be aware of our biases is often a tight wire act, especially in the fast paced digital world we are living in. Through a role on the Nominating Committee, I would endeavor to assist AIC in its strategic goals of diversity, equity, inclusion and access by finding good candidates for elected positions that include all the depth and breadth of our members.  With emphasis on equity, inclusion and access, should I be successful in obtaining a role on the Nominating Committee, I look forward to helping AIC meet its strategic goals and make the field more effective through diversity.  

Biography

Joanna Dunn is a Senior Painting Conservator at the National Gallery of Art (NGA). She holds a BA from Mary Washington University and an MS in art conservation from the University of Delaware. She has treated numerous paintings by both American and European artists. She has also published and lectured on a variety of the National Gallery of Art’s paintings. Prior to working at the NGA, Joanna worked in a private painting conservation studio in Richmond, Virginia and held internships at the Walters Art Museum; the Château de Parentignat in France; and the Virginia Historical Society. Joanna has previously served AIC as Painting Specialty Group Chair and as a member of the Member Designation Working Group. She has also served as the Angels Project Coordinator for the Washington Conservation Guild and the Program Chair for the Virginia Conservation Association. She lives in Kensington, Maryland with her husband and three children.

How will your volunteer role on the Nominating Committee help to support the priorities outlined in the AIC Strategic Plan?

As a member of the Nominating Committee, I look forward to supporting AIC’s priorities and mission by nominating candidates who share AIC’s core values: Diversity; Equity, Inclusion and Access; Sustainability; Professional and Personal Growth; Community; and Accountability. I am fortunate to have worked at the National Gallery of Art (NGA) for over twenty years. The NGA shares many of the same core values as AIC. In addition, it has one of the largest conservation departments in the country, as well as a commitment to training emerging conservators through internships and fellowships. My many years at the NGA have helped me to establish a broad network of colleagues and I plan tap into this network to find the best candidates for open board positions.

Biography

Nina Owczarek is Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware (UD) in the Art Conservation Department, primarily teaching in the undergraduate program. Prior to joining UD faculty in 2019, she was Associate Conservator at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum), where she worked for nine years. She is a graduate of the Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Owczarek served as Secretary/Treasurer for the Object Specialty Group (2016 - 2020) and was on the Education and Training Committee (2014 - 2020, Vice Chair 2018, Chair 2019). She is a Fellow member of AIC. Owczarek was the editor and contributing author of Prioritizing People in Ethical Decision-Making and Caring for Cultural Heritage Collections (2023, London: Routledge), as well as lead editor and a contributing author for the volume Engaging Conservation: Collaboration Across Disciplines (2017, London: Archetype Publications).

How will your volunteer role on the Nominating Committee help to support the priorities outlined in the AIC Strategic Plan?

As a member of the AIC Nominating Committee, I would ensure that members have a robust selection of candidates to choose from for elected AIC Board positions through announcements, recruitment, and nominations. This inherently supports the current AIC Strategic Plan by ensuring good governance for the organization. My research interests that promote human-centered decision making and how to engender empathy when teaching about conservation will help guide my work on the Committee while seeking to encourage candidates who will create welcoming environments for members, which foregrounds an ability to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA). Likewise, strong communication abilities feed into creating a welcoming environment and DEIA efforts. As a supporter of AIC’s green pledge initiatives, I will take sustainability into consideration in my work. These are the five Strategic Priorities of AIC’s Strategic Plan, which would be my pleasure to support via work on the Nominating Committee. 

Calling for volunteers! The following positions are open and will be vacant starting May 2024. We need these roles to be filled to operate our group.

Treasurer

Assistant Program Chair

Chair Candidates

Valinda Carroll (she/her)

Valinda Carroll is the conservator for the Indiana Historical Society, and she recently completed a contract project for the Indiana State Library. She worked for the Smithsonian Institution as a contract paper conservator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and a term Book and Paper Conservator for National Museum of African American History and Culture. For over a decade, she served as Preservation Manager for the Harvey Library at Hampton University. Her early career experience includes academic libraries (UC Berkeley and Princeton), regional centers (Williamstown and CCAHA), and museums (National Portrait Gallery and Colonial Williamsburg Foundation). She has been an elected officer in the Washington Conservation Guild and the Virginia Conservation Association. She earned a B.A. in Art Theory and Practice from Northwestern University, M.A. in Museum Studies from Hampton University, and M.A. with a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Art Conservation from SUNY Buffalo State College (now Buffalo State University).

Having served on the Steering Committee for FAIC’s Held in Trust project, Valinda is excited by the prospect of facilitating programs in professional development for Book and Paper Group members at every career stage and in every industry sector. In particular, she is passionate about mentoring and support for mentor training. She looks forward to opportunities for collaboration with CIPP, PMG, and PSG, as well as allied professional organizations, working to overcome similar challenges in collection care, treatment, research, exhibitions, and preservation outreach.

Dan Paterson (he/him)

Dan Paterson is a senior book conservator at the Library of Congress (LC) where he has worked since 2003. He received a MLIS with a Certificate of Advanced Study in Conservation from the University of Texas at Austin. He works primarily on rare materials from LC’s Asian Division and Rare Book and Special Collections Division. His research interests currently focus on early moveable type from Korea and the history of codex formats in Tibet and East Asia. In addition to treatment and research, he has maintained a central role in LC’s internship program, serving as the co-coordinator for book conservation internships since 2008. In this role he regularly mentors emerging conservators as they move from graduate school into the workplace. Outside of LC he has been an active contributor to BPG programs, having presented at BPG sessions at the annual meeting, the Archives Discussion Group, and co-chaired the wiki page on East Asian book conservation. If elected he would draw on his experiences at LC and within the broader conservation community to support programs that reflect the needs and concerns of BPG members.

Assistant Program Chair Candidates

Anita Dey (she/her)

Anita Dey is the Assistant Paper Conservator at the Yale Center for British Art, where her research focuses on the exchange of artistic materials and techniques among British, Chinese, and Indian artists in the late 18th century. She has previously worked at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, National Archives, Library of Congress, Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture, and the Conservation Center for Arts and Historical Artifacts. Anita's most notable research projects include the identification and treatment of six varnished Tibetan initiation cards, the identification of materials and previous restoration on 14 oversized Great Mongol Shanama folios, and she's currently investigating the use of Indian yellow in both British and Indian works of art on paper.

Anita hopes to further the efforts to increase diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility in the conservation field through advocacy, education, and real systemic change. She serves as a member of the Equity and Inclusion Committee and several visitor accessibility working groups. She has successfully created outreach opportunities to engage students, researchers, and the general public with conservation efforts. Anita also owns Agents To Fight Deterioration, a small business that sells art conservation-related goods that create visibility to the field and spread awareness of the inequalities in the field.

As BPG Assistant Program Chair, Anita is excited to advance the knowledge exchange and facilitate meaningful connections within the conservation community. She’s committed to quality, attention to detail, and effective communication to ensure the success of future conservation programs. 

Mary French (she/her)

Mary French is honored to be nominated for the position of BPG Assistant Program Chair and is excited to assist the BPG with planning its reception and session programming at AIC’s Annual Meeting. Her previous committee positions include serving as a member of the Advisory Board at the Old Stone House Museum, as IT Officer of Icon’s Book and Paper Group, and as Business Manager for the Wellesley College Choir.

Mary is a book conservator in Special Collections at Boston Public Library. Previously, she worked for Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) and Cambridge University Library. She has an MA (with Distinction) in Book Conservation from West Dean College in the UK. While at West Dean, Mary was named a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Craft Scholar, and was invited to exhibit her bookbinding work at the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace. Prior to earning her conservation degree, she interned at the Boston Athenaeum, Harvard Business School’s Baker Library, and the Leather Conservation Centre in the UK. Mary is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation.

Mary was introduced to the field of conservation while a student at Wellesley College, where she worked in the Book Arts Lab (academic year) and Conservation Department (summers) as a student employee. She was delighted to discover a career path that combined her love of books, history, science, and craft into one discipline. Her conservation interests include Victorian hair albums, Kashmiri birch bark manuscripts, medieval European manuscripts, Armenian bindings, and Cairo Genizah fragments.

Calling for volunteers! The following positions are open and will be vacant starting May 2024. We need these roles to be filled to operate our group.

Vice Chair Candidate

Basia Nosek (she/her)

Basia Nosek (she/her) is an Associate Paper Conservator at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia. Prior to this position she was the Harper-Inglis Conservation Fellow at the Library of Congress where her research included identifying mark making technique in Robert Blackburn’s early color lithographs printed between 1940s-1970s. Her conservation experience has been guided by various positions held at art museum and library settings, some of which included: the Library of Congress, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Judd Foundation, and Northwestern University Libraries. Basia earned her MS and CAS from SUNNY Buffalo State in 2021. Prior to her graduate studies, she completed a dual BFA in Art History and Painting, as well as an interdisciplinary minor in Eastern European and Eurasian studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also received a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, with focus in chemistry, from Northwestern University.

Statement

Why are you interested in serving in this role, and what skills will you bring to the role? What are your priorities for future programming?

I would like to express my sincere interest in serving a two-year term as CAN! Network’s upcoming Vice Chair. This decision stems from my pursuit to take a more active role within the network by volunteering my time and skills to aid current board and community members. If selected, I would bring my organizational and communication skills when partaking in CAN meetings, contributing to Annual Meeting preparations, and disseminating information to other community members. At my current and past work experiences, I participated in lab and division meetings where I would discuss the progress of ongoing projects and their anticipated timelines. Along with other colleagues, I would prepare and help with coordinating upcoming hands-on workshops. These experiences required me to help with developing these programs, as well as stay within the assigned budgets. Additionally, in the past I have also taken part in committees dedicated to revisiting and updating reports and documentation practices. This position required the group to clearly communicate meeting agendas and project updates to other colleagues. 

 In the upcoming year, I would like for the programming to continue involving discussions between artists, artist’s estates, fabricators, museum staff, and other stakeholders who take part in preservation and conservation needs of contemporary art. My immediate priorities and thoughts on the program’s evolution could include discussions regarding site specific installations or collections found in remote locations similar to: Nancy Hold’s Sun Tunnels, Walter De Maria’s The Lighting Field, Elmgreen & Dragset’s Prada Marfa, Chianti and Judd Foundation. I would also be interested in promoting the successes and challenges involving documenting and recording performance art pieces. The dissemination of these conversations, ideas, and practices could then be included in Contemporary Art Review publication.

Secretary/Treasurer Candidate

Olivia J. Schoenfeld

Olivia Schoenfeld is graduate of the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage Master’s program at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) in 2023, specializing in contemporary art. She is currently enrolled in the post-master’s Advanced Professional Program at UvA. Olivia earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (ACSC Certification) and Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the State University of New York at Geneseo. She held pre-program conservation intern positions at the Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio, and Johnson Furniture Restoration in Avon, New York. Olivia focused her Master's thesis research on a blockchain-based art risk assessment methodology. She recently spent the summer of 2023 in Phillips, Maine as a conservation intern for the Firebird Foundation for Anthropological Research. She was an Upstate New York AIC ECPN Co-liaison in 2021 and is currently a CAN! ECPN Co-liaison for the 2022-2024 term.

Statement

I am extremely interested in continuing to work within CAN!, as I have really enjoyed my time as a CAN! ECPN liaison. I would therefore love to stay volunteering in the network through the position of Secretary/Treasurer. My core interests in contemporary art conservation lie in time-based media and digital preservation. As Secretary, I can use my passion for digital documentation to help maintain and add past documents to the CAN! archive. Regarding the Treasurer role, I am a strong budgeter in my personal life and enjoy crunching numbers and tracking expenses. I believe these skills can be translated well to tracking CAN! financial transactions, drafting CAN!’s budget, etc. The liaison role with the AIC Finance Manager fits in with my current ECPN liaison skills, as well. I am a very detail-oriented and organized individual, which I believe are key qualities to both of these roles. I am very easily available for our monthly officer meetings. Since I am based in Amsterdam, the calls take place in the evening for me. As a secretary, this is crucial and will allow me to attend all of the meetings to record the minutes. My priorities for future programming would be to continue the great work of the previous Secretary/Treasurer while implementing any new processes that may improve CAN!’s digital documentation and budgeting concerns.

Assistant Program Chair Candidate

Megan Randall

Megan Randall is an Objects Conservator at the Midwest Art Conservation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She previously worked at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) from 2015-2021. Prior to entering the field of conservation, she worked as a finisher at Modern Art Foundry in Astoria, Queens. She received a Master’s degree from Christie’s Education in 2008 and a Bachelor’s degree from Carleton College. She earned her Graduate degree in art conservation at the Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, NYU and interned at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. She is an Associate member of the American Institute for Conservation, Objects Specialty Group and Contemporary Art Network.

Statement

I am interested in serving as the Assistant Program Chair for the Contemporary Art Network (CAN). My conservation experience has focused on contemporary art since I started working in the field in 2008. I am fascinated by contemporary art and am engaged in how conservators tackle some of its trickiest artworks. I have spent a significant portion of my career working with major museums on their care and exhibition of contemporary art. My time at the Midwest Art Conservation Center also has connected me with local communities, municipalities, and smaller institutions featuring similar artworks and artists as those displayed at large museums, but with different goals depending on funding, audience, location, or context. Fostering dialogue around issues in contemporary art conservation is critical. My priority is to highlight programming that initiates discourse that helps connect the range of individuals represented in this network.

Calling for volunteers! The following positions are open and will be vacant starting May 2024. We need these roles to be filled to operate our group.

Chair

Assistant Program Chair

Assistant Program Chair Candidates

Angie Elliott

Angie Elliott is the Terry Drayman-Weisser Head of Objects Conservation and the William B. Ziff, Jr. Conservator of Objects at the Walters Art Museum, specializing in art of the Ancient Americas. She earned her M.A. and Certificate of Advanced Studies from Buffalo State College in 2005. She previously worked as Associate Objects Conservator at the Baltimore Museum of Art from 2009-2017, following Andrew W. Mellon and Samuel H. Kress Fellowships at the Walters Art Museum. In addition to doing fieldwork in Guatemala and Peru, she interned at the Gordion Excavations in Turkey beginning in 2003 and continued as Head of Objects Conservation from 2006-2014. Her publications include articles on basket cleaning techniques, Mimbres ceramics, 19th century Venetian glass, Sevres porcelain, and Ethiopian metalwork. Angie previously served as Co-Chair of the AIC Poster Session Committee, Secretary/Treasurer of the Research and Technical Studies Group, and on the Objects Specialty Group Nominating Committee. She currently serves on the Alumni Board of the Cooperstown/Buffalo State College Art Conservation Program.

Statement

I have always felt a strong sense of service to AIC and to the important work that we accomplish together. My participation in this organization continues to enrich my professional experiences be it from meetings, workshops, online forums, or my past participation as Co-Chair of the AIC Poster Session, Secretary/Treasurer of RATS, or on the OSG nominating committee. I would bring the perspective of someone who has worked in various object specialties throughout my career from archaeological to contemporary, with a special interest in outreach and technical research. I am also particularly encouraged and energized by the work that I have been doing with emerging conservators as a mentor to interns and fellows at the Walters and through participation in the mentorship committee on the Cooperstown/Buffalo Alumni Board. I feel that empowering emerging conservators enriches my perspective and excites me for the future of our profession. I hope to bring my passions related to all these activities to the position of Assistant Program Chair.   

Sarah Montonchaikul

Sarah is the Assistant Conservator at Monumenta Art Conservation and Finishing. She earned an M.S. in the conservation of historic and artistic works and an M.A. in art history from the Conservation Center at the Institute of Fine Arts (New York University). Sarah held a project contract with Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) to design and implement a synthetic plastics identification and condition survey after completing her fourth year graduate internship in SAAM’s objects conservation lab. She also has notable archaeological fieldwork experience (the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project, the North Abydos Expedition, the Palace of Nestor Excavations) and is a supervising conservator at the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis (Sart, Manisa, Turkey). In addition to her current role at Monumenta, Sarah is developing a long-term research project in conjunction with Carol Bove’s artist studio, seeking to document the condition of outdoor metal sculpture surfaces in real time at their installation site and to use that documentation to determine future care and maintenance protocols. Her broad range of experience with objects, from antiquities to modern and contemporary sculpture, results from her interest in large-scale conservation work and the highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, and creative working environments required for its success.

Statement

I am interested in running for the position of OSG Assistant Program Chair to continue my volunteer service with AIC. The role is an opportunity to think critically about the needs of the objects specialty group and how OSG operates within the larger structure of this organization. It is a chance to listen to the members and learn about more about the work they are doing in our profession, and highlighting that important work for each other in the OSG and the wider AIC community. I hold clear communication, management of expectations, and a commitment to more inclusive practice and decision-making as essential skills in our work. The OSG membership and leadership can expect these skills from me as the assistant program chair. We all acknowledge, especially us who work in the breadth and depth of what falls under the classification of “objects conservation,” that our profession requires a career-long commitment to learning. OSG programming should reflect the professional interests and curiosities of OSG members, and it should also expose members to innovative work that is pushing our field into the future. My priority for future programming includes highlighting treatments and research that explore how our conservation choices are made, why they are made, and who has the power to make them. Of particular importance to me at this stage in my career is calling attention to the ways in which conservation professionals have had to prop up biased and prejudicial systems by finding ways to work around them. Predatory and exploitative behavior of institutions and economic inequity have required conservators to use their creativity to make a living for themselves without compromising their standards of practice. This creativity has shown my generation of conservators how we can try to take care ourselves professionally in a world with very few opportunities for adequate funding and even fewer permanent jobs. Creating space for these types of discussions within the OSG annual meeting programming would be a goal for me if I served as Assistant Program Chair. As a member of the Professional Sustainability and Practice Subgroup of the revision of the Ethics Core Documents, I had my first experience in volunteering with AIC. I am eager to continue serving my professional community by running for OSG Assistant Program Chair.

Secretary/Treasurer Candidates

Pilar M. Brooks

I have a BA in art history with a minor in studio art from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida and am applying for graduate school to study objects conservation. I am currently a Collections Specialist at the Academy of Motion Pictures’ Margaret Herrick Library rehousing of the Richard Balzer Pre-Cinema Collection. I relocated to Los Angeles to be part of the Getty Post-Baccalaureate Conservation program’s 2022-2023 cohort, where I interned with the Getty Research Institute, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and the Margaret Herrick Library. My other pre-program experiences include conservation internships with the University of Washington Libraries, the Minnesota History Center, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. While at the MFA Boston, I researched the conservation and history of contested monuments and presented my findings with my colleague at the 2022 AIC Annual Meeting. I was also a Semifinalist and Nominee for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for an independent research grant proposal to study with the Ethnographic Museum of Rwanda and served as the first Orlando Liaison of the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network from 2021-2022.

Statement

I am applying for the role of Secretary/Treasurer of the Objects Specialty Group, because I would bring an important perspective to the group as well as a wealth of experience in budgeting and financial advisory roles. As a pre-program student and, hopefully, a soon-to-be graduate student in conservation, I feel I could represent student interests within the specialty group and bring in fresh ideas. While a part of my sorority, Non Compis Mentis, I served as Vice President of Finance, managing a budget of over $20,000 and restructuring our budget based on feedback from current and former executive members and a survey to active members on what they felt the budget should prioritize. Financial transparency was core to our organization, reflecting our Standards Values of sisterhood and honesty. I am interested in bringing these same values to the position and learning more about what priorities Objects Specialties Group members have for the organization. Post-graduation, I served as the Finance and Philanthropy Advisor on our Alumnae Board for three years, during which time I settled banking and insurance arrangements, facilitated the relationship between the sorority and a new philanthropy partner, and mentored multiple students in organization and personal finance. Mentorship is also a value which continues to be very important to me. I would love to coordinate with the Emerging Conservation Professionals Group on joint programming and learning more about how the Objects Specialty Group can serve emerging professionals. The recent scholarship offered to fund an emerging professional to attend the Woodworking for Conservators workshop is an example of the type of programming I think should continue. In addition to my leadership experience, before entering conservation, I worked for 3 years total in museum education and in a non-profit gallery in which funding were main parts of my roles. As a student assistant in the education department of the Rollins Museum of Art, I applied for grants to fund the Art Time Outreach program, which ultimately reached over 100 students at two schools, and ordered supplies for monthly events serving over 200 students. As a gallery management intern at Snap! Orlando, I researched and applied for grants to fund the City Unseen, a public augmented reality art exhibition which launched with 9 installation pieces and is still growing. I think my work in budgeting, fundraising, and mentorship would all serve me well in this position.

Katharine Shulman

Katharine Shulman is an Assistant Objects Conservator at the Art Institute of Chicago. She learned about conservation in a high school art history class and from that point forward there was no looking back! Katharine earned her BA in Art Conservation from Scripps College, and her MS in Objects Conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. She was drawn to objects conservation because of the diversity of materials, and in turn, the challenges that the specialty inherently encompasses. While excited by both organic and inorganic materials, Katharine is especially passionate about ceramics and glass and has a strong interest in decorative arts. Katharine has held positions with several private practice conservators in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Winterthur Museum, Gardens and Library, the Barnes Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, and most recently the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Statement

For years I have been peripherally involved with AIC, as a frequent conference attendee and avid reader of the daily digest emails. This year, as an emerging conservator with newly found free time, having recently graduated from WUDPAC, I am looking to get more involved! During graduate school I took on a leadership position and enjoyed how it allowed me to become better acquainted with my classmates, faculty and institution, while helping to communicate and advance the needs of all parties. I am a quiet leader but have the skills and demeanor necessary to effectuate change and get things done. I am calm and unflappable in the face of disorder and approach my work and relationships with openness, compassion, and a commitment to inclusivity. I care deeply for our field and my colleagues and strive to do what I can to make sure all voices are heard. If elected, I look forward to learning about and helping to facilitate the many behind the scenes functions of the OSG. I am eager to learn and collaborate, have a keen eye for detail and my diligence, organizational and excellent time management skills would serve me well in the role of secretary/treasurer.

Nominating Committee (member)

Emily Hamilton

Emily Hamilton is the Assistant Professor of Objects Conservation at SUNY Buffalo State (2020-present). She was the Associate Objects Conservator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2014-2020), where she contributed to a collaborative museum structure where stewardship and research endeavors are centered around the voices of living artists. Emily supported the successful installation of SFMOMA’s new building and collections move and completed treatment and research projects on kinetic works by Rebecca Horn, bronze sculptures by Jean (Hans) Arp, and a monumental wooden sculpture by Ursula von Rydingsvard. Previously, she was the Assistant Objects Conservator at the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Samuel H. Kress Sculpture and Media Conservation Research Fellow at the Museum of Modern Art. Emily received a B.A. in Art History from Reed College in Portland, Oregon and an M.A. and Certificate of Advanced Study in Art Conservation from SUNY Buffalo State. She served as the AIC Objects Specialty Group Postprints editor for eight years, was a co-organizer of the conference TechFocus IV: Caring for 3d-printed Art, and currently serves on the AIC Awards Committee.

Statement

This role is of interest to me for the chance to encourage future leaders and help connect them with roles in the OSG, in turn supporting the vibrant work of our professional community. Effective leadership is vital for every organization and I hope to help identify and support people with vision and aptitude for leadership, as well as diverse professional and lived experience. I would bring a broad familiarity with the OSG membership to this role, developed in part through my OSG Postprints editorial experience, current work with graduate students, and engagement with OSG programming over the years.

Chantal Stein

I am currently a project conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the renovation of The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing galleries. I first joined The Met in 2019, when I was awarded a fellowship focusing on archaeological materials from Egypt and the Ancient Near East. I have previously worked and interned at NYU Libraries, the Brooklyn Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, private studios in NYC, and on field excavations in Turkey and Egypt. I earned my MA in art history and MS in conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, and my BA in fine arts and creative writing from Columbia University. My research interests include technical imaging and values-based approaches to conservation.

Statement

I am interested in joining the Nominating Committee for two reasons: 1) I have been a member of AIC and the OSG for a number of years and would like to give back to the community by volunteering my time to support the organization, and 2) reaching out to nominees seems like a good way to connect with and network with other conservators that I may not have had the opportunity to meet yet, and to get a better understanding of how the OSG works. I previously served as the ECPN liaison for NYU, and my time managing the conservation lab at the archaeological site in Sardis, Turkey gave me experience in coordinating between a number of conservators to plan for the upcoming seasons.

Chair (2024-2025)

Christiana Ginatta received her Master in “Conservazione e Restauro dei Beni Storico Artistici” from Palazzo Spinelli in Florence, Italy. As a hired specialist and as a volunteer she has professionally treated numerous collections to prevent the occurrence of damage, to address age-related conditions as well as to salvage artifacts affected by natural disasters, such as floods, fires, tornadoes and hurricanes, and by man-caused accidents. She holds FEMA and Community Emergency Response certifications, and have been actively involved with TX-CERA in training and response to regional disasters. She has lectured on Management of Museums and Cultural Institutions at Università Luigi Bocconi in Milan, Italy.

Assistant Program Chair (2024-2025) and Program Chair (2025-2026)

Magdalena Solano (she/her/ella) is the Andrew W. Mellon Assistant Conservator of Paintings at the Museum of Modern Art. She earned an M.S. from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation and a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in Art History. Magdalena’s previous conservation experiences include private practices in Southern California and New York, the Balboa Art Conservation Center, the LA County Museum of Art, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Currently, she is the ECPN liaison for the Paintings Specialty Group, has previously served as an ECPN Regional Liaison for Southern California, and Member of the K-12 Outreach Committee. In recent years, she has also volunteered for projects with WAAC, FAIC, and APOYOnline.

Statement:
"I am interested in being considered for the Paintings Specialty Group Assistant Program Chair this year. Over the years, my involvement with AIC has grown in many ways, including serving as a Regional Liaison with ECPN, Committee Member for the K-12 Outreach Group, and most recently as the Paintings Specialty Group ECPN Liaison. Volunteering for PSG, in particular, has allowed me to grow as a conservator in more ways than I could have imagined and contribute to initiatives and programs that are important to painting conservators, emerging conservators, and the general public. This past year, I have been able to be marginally involved with the planning of the annual meeting. I found the associated task very rewarding and therefore I hope to serve in this role as Assistant Program Chair so I can continue building on the great work that the specialty group does every year and support the interests of the PSG members."

Secretary/Treasurer (2024-2026)

Assistant Program Chair

Laura Wahl

Assistant Program Chair Candidates

Annette S. Ortiz Miranda, PhD

Annette S. Ortiz Miranda is a chemist with a Ph.D. in Science and Restoration of Historic and Artistic Heritage from the Instituto Universitario de Restauración del Patrimonio of the Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain, and the Institute of Biochemistry, Analytical, and Environmental Chemistry at the Universität Greifswald in Germany. After earning her Ph.D., she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University's Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts in Chicago and as a conservation scientist at the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) from 2021 - 2023. In March 2023, she joined The Walters Art Museum (WAM) in Baltimore as a conservation scientist and head of the museum's Scientific lab. Her research interests focus on the identification and characterization of artists' materials and techniques as well as the understanding of their degradation patterns. Beyond her work at WAM, Annette is engaged as a scientific consultant with museums and cultural institutions in the Caribbean and is an active member of STEM careers mentoring programs. Since 2021 she has been the conservation scientist/ conservator chair on the Board of Governors of the Centro de Conservación y Restauración de Puerto Rico (CENCOR).

Statement

I am honored to present my candidacy for the position of Assistant Chair in the Research and Technical Studies group. As a Latina conservation scientist my journey in both science and cultural appreciation has uniquely shaped my perspective, fueling a passion to contribute meaningfully to the preservation of our diverse heritage. Being a Latina scientist, I am acutely aware of the importance of diverse representation in research. Our cultural heritage is a mosaic of traditions, histories, and perspectives, and it is imperative that our research reflects this richness. If appointed as Assistant Chair, I am committed to amplifying underrepresented voices in the field, ensuring that our initiatives encompass a wide range of cultural narratives. I envision the Research and Technical Studies group not only contributing to scholarly advancements but also positively impacting the communities involved, fostering collaboration and mutual respect. Furthermore, I am dedicated to mentorship and fostering the next generation of scientists, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. By creating inclusive environments and mentorship programs, we can inspire a diverse array of young minds to pursue careers in cultural heritage research and conservation science. In conclusion, my candidacy for Assistant Chair is driven by a deep commitment to integrating scientific inquiry with cultural preservation. Through collaboration, inclusivity, and a focus on conservation principles, I aim to lead initiatives that not only advance our understanding of cultural heritage but also contribute to its sustainable preservation for generations to come. I am excited about the prospect of contributing to the growth and impact of our research community, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve in this role.

Rosie Grayburn

Rosie Grayburn is the Head of the Scientific Research and Analysis laboratory (SRAL) at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library and Affiliated Associate Professor in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, where she teaches conservation science and analytical methodologies to graduate fellows in art conservation. In her current role she facilitates analytical research in a very broad variety of materials representing the diverse materials in Winterthur's collection and WUDPAC community partners. Her main areas of research are currently Victorian pigmented bookcloth, the optimization and study of treatments for silver and silverplate and the greening of organic solvents used in conservation. She is a founding co-chair of the Bibliotoxicology Working Group (BibTox) and Research Coordinator of Sustainability in Conservation's Greener Solvent Project. She was previously a postdoctoral fellow in Conservation Science at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles. Rosie holds a joint Ph.D. in Physics and Analytical Chemistry from Universiteit Gent and the University of Warwick.

Statement

In my current role I have shown the impact that conservation research can have on practice and policy change in museums and libraries. This research is central to the practice of cultural heritage conservation and it can take many forms: from perception studies and microchemical tests, to state-of-the-art analytical techniques and machine learning. It is critical that our profession recognizes and elevates a spectrum of scientific research which is well-justified and contextualized, from students to established researchers. RATS can be the vehicle to showcase this research. In addition, as the head of a lab with a long history (SRAL was founded in 1969) I know how important the full life cycle of technical analysis is, from discussions with stakeholders to dissemination. However, we often find that some aspects of this lifecycle (documentation, data management), which is arguably the most important part, is not prioritized. If elected to RATS I would want to bring attention to these important but overlooked aspects, as part of a wider discussion about the evolving role of technical analysis in collections.

Program Chair Candidate

Callie O’Connor

Callie O'Connor is a fashion and textile conservator based in New York City. She is currently an Assistant Conservator at the Museum at FIT. She received an MA in Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice specializing in textile conservation from the Fashion Institute of Technology where she now also serves as an Adjunct Instructor. She has previously held roles in conservation and collections care at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the Museum of the City of New York. In her free time she enjoys hand quilting and baking.

TSG Nominating Committee Candidate

Kris Cnossen

Kris Cnossen is a textile and costume conservator in private practice in Michigan. Kris holds an MS degree in Art Conservation from the University of Delaware, a bachelor’s degree in Art History from Vassar College, and has been a member of AIC for eight years. Kris has demonstrated commitment and leadership to AIC as an Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) liaison for six years, serving as the ECPN-TSG liaison for two of those years. Beyond AIC, Kris contributes significantly to the field as a board member of the Textile Society of America (TSA). Kris has taken part on two nomination committees for TSA, overseeing the onboarding of a new board and a new administrator. Kris loves excel sheets, collaborative projects, knitting, and cats.

Calling for volunteers! The following positions are open and will be vacant starting May 2024. We need these roles to be filled to operate our group.

Assistant Program Chair