A New Conservation Center

A new state-of-the-art Conservation Center is open at the Museum. With 22,000 square feet of space and six laboratories, the Center features advanced technology, enhances opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and training, and establishes the Robert and Carol Henderson Conservation Learning Center, welcoming visitors to learn more about the care of our collections through encounters with works of art.

The new Conservation Center consists of laboratories for paintings, frames, furniture, objects, and scientific research, as well as workshops for mountmaking and exhibition preparation. The design by Samuel Anderson Architects brings these studios together into a central unified space dedicated to inquiry and learning. Natural light from new skylights provides ideal conditions for conservation work.

With an open floor plan, the Center‘s design encourages our staff of 30 conservators and conservation scientists to share resources and expertise. The new layout also increases the MFA’s capacity to provide high-quality training for colleagues in the field as well as for future museum professionals. Flexible workspaces have been designed to inspire the collaboration among conservators, scholars, and teachers that is key to new discovery.

The Center incorporates a dedicated learning space, the Pamela and Peter Voss Conservation Seminar Room, for dynamic public programs and educational initiatives. Through specially designed workshops, talks, and lectures, visitors of all ages are invited to connect with art, science, world cultures, and history in ways that engage and delight. Large windows looking into some studios also allow visitors to view conservators at work, and rotating display cases can offer more detail on ongoing projects, examine the history and nature of specific materials and techniques, or illuminate conservators’ decision-making process.