Skip to Main Content

Art Conservation: Specializations

This guide introduces what art conservation is and offers helpful resources to start your research.

Hours

Library & Archives Hours
Tuesday - Friday 
10:00 a.m. - 4:50 p.m.

--

Museum Hours
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday and Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Closed Monday
--
Closed on January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving Day, and December 25.
Closes at 4:00 p.m. on December 24 and December 31.

CMA Conservator of Objects Beth Edelstein (left) and Conservator of Objects Colleen Snyder (right) examining x-rays.

About

At the Cleveland Museum of Art, nine conservators and three technicians work in the following labs: Asian paintings, objects, paintings, paper, and textiles. Three technicians, specializing in preventive conservation - frames and gilding, matting, hinging, and framing of works of art on paper - expand the work done by the department.

Some of the most common art conservation specializations are:

Archaeology: Objects, structures, and sites that constitute the archaeological record

Architecture: Immovable properties such as buildings, monuments, and outdoor sculpture

Book and Paper: Paper materials including art on paper, books, manuscripts, and library material

Electronic Media: Conservation of artworks and cultural heritage employing durational, digital, electronic media, and 20th and 21st-century technologies

Objects: Archaeological and cultural materials from indigenous communities, decorative arts, and sculpture

Paintings: Paintings in oil, acrylic, or mixed media and their supports, coatings, and varnishes

Photographic Materials: Media in film and composite objects like paper prints and albums

Preventive Conservation: Assessing and managing deterioration risks for all collection types

Textiles: Objects include carpets, tapestries, clothing, upholstered furniture, fiber art, and more

Wooden Artifacts: Ethnographic carvings, furniture, upholstery, frames, and veneer/marquetry/boulle