This session offers a practical introduction to the role of conservation and collections management in public art. Artists will gain an understanding of what conservators do, when and why to involve them in a project, and how conservation considerations can support both the longevity and integrity of their work. The session also covers strategies for archiving your practice—offering tips on how to organize, store, and track artworks, drawings, and digital files to support long-term stewardship, institutional partnerships, and future opportunities.
Guest Speakers:
Laleña Arenas Vellanoweth is a textile conservator and cultural worker in Los Angeles, CA. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry and B.A. in Art from California State University, Los Angeles and MA in Art History and Certificate in Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She has held conservation positions at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. She then worked as an independent conservator at the Autry Museum of the American West, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. During a conservation education fellowship for the UCLA/Getty Program, Laleña co-wrote the grant for the Andrew W. Mellon Opportunity for Diversity in Conservation and served as the Program Manager for its first cohort. She is currently the Conservation and Collections Manager for the Civic Art Division of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.
Kiernan Graves is the owner of Site & Studio Conservation. She graduated from the Courtauld Institute of Art with a Masters in the Conservation of Wall Painting. Her specializations are lime-based wall paintings and public art. She spent the first part of her career working on UNESCO World Heritage sites in Asia and Europe. In the US, her professional collaborations have included MoMA, SFMOMA, and the Getty Conservation Institute. Over the past year, she has enjoyed contributing to teaching and mentorship programs at the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, UCLA, and Sardis Archeological Exploration, as well as her involvement with Art Recovery LA, which helps fire-affected community members.
Jacqueline Cabrera is Principal Registrar at Cabrera Art Management LLC , a global company, based in Los Angeles, that focuses on registration and collection management projects for both the private and public art sector. Prior to starting her independent business, she was Associate Registrar for Exhibitions at the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Villa from 1996 to 2016. At the Getty she negotiated loans, coordinated shipments and loans to the collection and exhibitions, managed the Villa’s Antiquities collection, supervised and trained the department interns. Prior to joining the Getty, she was the Registrar at the Long Beach Museum of Art and its Video Annex and previously a Painting Department Assistant at Sotheby’s.