Conservator
As a chief conservator of an encyclopedic museum, my role is to guide the conservation efforts of a dynamic and talented team through support, partnership, and advocacy. My philosophy merges theory and practice, and privileges collaboration with key allies, including artists, designers, collections staff, installers, operation staff, administrators, curators, scientists, source communities, and many others.
Professionally, I have been at the forefront of the conservation of fashion and textiles for almost 20 years. I pioneered a methodology for fashion conservation that advocates a materials- and values-based approach. I champion the recognition of conservators' intellectual contributions to the study of art, design, and fashion, and especially to the exhibition-making and interpretive processes. I try to push the fields of fashion studies and cultural heritage preservation forwards.
I am a Fellow of the International Institute of Conservation and Professional Associate of the American Institute of Conservation. I serve as chair of the Awards Committee for AIC’s Textile Study Group.
I invented the hashtag #fashionconservation.
Peer-Reviewed and Approved
I am a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation. This peer-reviewed status is based on recommendation letters from other peer-reviewed colleagues, an essay explaining my conservation methodology and my commitment to conservation ethics, and a review of a portfolio of my work.
Christian Dior's iconic "Bar" suit during the installation of the CI's 2016 "Manus x Machina" exhibition
The Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art
From 2012 to 2020, I was the head of the conservation laboratory at the Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art, where I was responsible for the preservation of the fashion collection, the safe display of fashion and textile artifacts, and the development of the conservation research program. I grew the conservation laboratory from one full-time permanent conservator (myself) to five full-time permanent conservators, with additional reoccurring fellowship and pre-program/graduate internship appointments. During my tenure I guided the conservation program for the Museum's largest and most visited exhibitions, initiated a multi-year project on the preservation of synthetic materials within fashion collections, oversaw the creation and equipment fit-out of a new laboratory, and played a leading role in the safe transfer of the collection into purpose-built onsite and offsite storage facilities. With the generous support of museum’s leadership, I significantly increased the profile of the laboratory through promoting the excellent work of our team. For example, see this behind-the-scenes feature on Google Arts + Culture.
Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
From 2006 to 2012, I was the textile conservator for the Cooper-Hewitt, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution. As an apprentice under the influential conservator, Lucy Commoner, I co-managed the build-out of a new offsite collections storage facility, assisted with the redesign of a new textile conservation laboratory, co-wrote and administered grants totaling nearly $1 million, oversaw the rehousing of hundreds of artifacts, and was a key player in nearly a dozen exhibitions. It was in this position that I developed my expertise in preventive conservation. Notably, I was appointed to a dual role as assistant fashion curator and textile conservator by the design visionary, Bill Moggridge.
Andrea Zittel's felt dresses displayed in Cooper-Hewitt's 2009 exhibition "Fashioning Felt"
Mounting a miniature weaving by Sheila Hicks
Bard Graduate Center
From 2004 to 2012, I installed and conserved fashion and textiles for Bard Graduate Center's groundbreaking exhibitions. I led the conservation program for their award-winning shows Sheila Hicks: Weaving as Metaphor and Knoll Textiles: 1945 - 2010. For the Knoll Textile catalog, I analyzed the weave structures of over 100 textiles, providing key insights to the curators. The fondest memory of my time working at BGC is that of Sheila Hicks, bending over my shoulder as I mounted one of her textiles, urging me to weave back in a stray warp.
Marianne Lehmann Vodou Collection,
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
I was the only textile conservator appointed to the Haiti Cultural Recovery Project, a joint UNESCO and Smithsonian Institution project developed after the 2010 earthquake. I was assigned to conserve the Marianne Lehmann Vodou Collection, undoubtedly the most important collection of Vodoun artifacts in the world. A primary goal of the project was to provide support and expertise in training emerging Haitian conservation professionals. You can read more about the project in a book that was published after the project ended. I have never, ever, treated objects with such power, and that commanded such respect.
Vacuuming a Bizango doll in the Marianne Lehmann Vodou Collection