How To Find A Conservator

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Unlike practitioners in long-established professions such as medicine and law, art conservators do not yet have to be certified in order to “hang out their shingle.” Anyone can claim to be a conservator. No governmental or private agency administers examinations or checks credentials. Therefore, the burden is on you, the consumer of conservation services, to choose your conservator(s) with care.

Begin your search by obtaining a list of conservators in the appropriate specialty. The best sources for such lists are:

  • The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) has a free search tool for locating conservation professionals in your area. All members listed have had their training, knowledge, and experience peer-reviewed a body of peers recognized in the field. Search by specialty or name.
  • Museums, especially larger ones with staff conservators.

The people appearing on lists from these sources are likely to be competent conservators, but are not guaranteed to be so. No matter where you obtain the names of prospective conservator(s), do your best to assess their competency in the conservation specialties you need.

Do this just as you would with any other type of service provider. Talk to the individuals, in person if you can. Inquire about their educational background and preservation training. Find out how long they have been in business and whether full- or part-time. Ask for references. See if their facility seems organized and well outfitted. And show them the object needing conservation: Do they seem knowledgeable about that type of object? Have they treated similar items in the past? Are they forthcoming and specific about treatment rationales and procedures? Do they seem attentive to your wishes concerning treatment? And will they be able to do the treatment within a satisfactory amount of time?

Keep in mind that qualified conservators are specialists of necessity. No one individual, no matter how well trained and educated, can possibly be proficient in several conservation specialties at once. There is simply too much to know, too many technical advances to keep up with. Avoid practitioners who claim otherwise. Consider instead those who do just one or two types of conservation exceedingly well.

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The Washington Conservation Guild (WCG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of conservation professionals dedicated to preserving art and historic materials.Founded in 1967, WCG serves as a regional forum for its members and as a resource to the public for learning about the care of personal collections.

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