About Us
Gwen Spicer is a Textile, Upholstery and Objects Conservator, and full-time principal of Spicer Art Conservation, L.L.C, located in up-state NY. She received her M.S. degree from the Art Conservation Program at Buffalo State College, SUNY. She has almost twenty-five years of experience, a Fellow of AIC and has been in private practice since 1995. She has assisted many museums on treatment of organic materials for both display and storage. Her work for museums focuses on problem solving, aiming to find solutions that work within the framework and constraints of each individual institution.
She recently spoke at an international conference, Forgotten History -- Upholstery Conservation, Birgitta Forum, Vadstena, Sweden. The talk, "X-traodinay Finds, The Conservation & Investigation of An Italian Dantesca Chair," discussed the findings of a chair that was conserved as part of the furnishing plan at The Hyde Collection.
Storage has been a special drive for Gwen. She wrote the first draft of the Textile Catalog chapter "Storage Furniture & Materials." She has been an Adjunct Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, where she has taught a course "Textile and Costume Storage." This past year she co-taught a "Round table & Workshop: Storage Methodology for Archaeological & Ethnographic Textiles" for NATCC conference in Mexico City. While in private practice, she assists many small museums and historical society's across New York State with collection care, exhibitions and conservation treatments. The includes designing storage spaces for small institutions and house museums based on inventories. Such sites are Locust Grove, Landmark Society of Western New York and Shaker Museum and Library. In the procedure, square footage is determined and the space needs and supplies are calculated. The use of inventories allows small collections with limited budgets to make realistic goals for collection improvements. She has also assisted historic house museums with developing collection rotation polices for display. Gwen designed a monitoring program of light levels in a newly constructed exhibition space at the New York State Museum.
She was formally on the Board of the service organization, Upstate History Alliance, which aids small institutions throughout upstate New York with collection care and storage, and is currently on the Board of the Vermont Museum & Gallery Alliance. She has organized a housekeeping workshop that was held at three venues across the state as well as an emergency preparedness workshop and exhibitions for small museums. She is currently on the board of Conservators in Private Practice of AIC.
A professional team is often necessary to perform a conservation treatment. Each conservator is trained in a different specialty that will be utilized and will enhance this treatment or project. They will bring a level of expertise of materials that is not easily found. Below are summaries of the relevant work of the conservators and museum professionals who assist Spicer Art Conservation, LLC.
Anna Hodson gained her MA in Textile Conservation at the Textile Conservation Centre in England and was awarded The Worshipful Company of Woolmen's prize for excellence in textile conservation. Anna has worked at the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh, and was Assistant Conservator at The Costume Institute, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Anna moved to the US to take a Mellon fellowship in textile conservation at the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution. In her career Anna has gained experience with a wide variety of textiles including silk flags, carpets, tapestries and embroideries as well as three-dimensional textiles and modern materials, she has a particular interest in clothing and ethnographic objects.
Mary Betlejeski is a painting conservator who received her degree from the Gateshead Conservation Program in Newcastle, England. She has since worked as Assistant Painting Conservator at the Bureau of Historic Sites. While working in the conservation lab she has examined and treated paintings belonging to the NYS Court of Appeals and numerous state historic sites. She has treated wall murals at Old Fort Niagara, Lewiston, NY. She also assisted in the treatment of the O'keeffe Theater Curtain.
Ron DuCharme has thirty years as a furniture conservator at the Bureau of Historic Sites. He has also been involved in numerous conservation projects around the area. He has treated furniture collection from the Martin van Buren House, Ten Broeck Mansion and other historical societies; Trade wagon and water damaged collection at New York State Museum; and office and conference furniture for Dr. Hull, President of Union College.
Linda Norris is the founder and Managing Partner of the Riverhill museum consulting firm. Riverhill is a unique collaborative firm working with museums, historical agencies and other community organizations. Their work includes the planning and development of new facilities, exhibitions, educational programs, publications and the management of museum and archival collections. Linda can be contacted through her website, http://www.riverhillpartners.com/.