Special Event

Ask a Conservator

Friday, November 7, 2025
1:30 pm–2:00 pm
Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Center (130.10)
Included with General Admission

Meet in Sharf Visitor Center

Add to Calendar 2025-11-07 13:30:00 2025-11-07 14:00:00 Ask a Conservator 11/07/2025 1:30pm Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA Museum of Fine Arts, Boston [email protected] America/New_York public

Have you ever wondered what conservators do? Are you interested in becoming a conservator? Do you have questions about caring for your own artworks? Join us on November 7 in honor of Ask a Conservator Day to hear from MFA conservators working in several different specialties. The 5:30 pm session explores more deeply pathways into conservation, with information on different training programs and conservators sharing how they discovered and pursued a career in art conservation.

Ask a Conservator Day (#AskAConservator) is held annually each November in remembrance of the catastrophic flooding of Florence, Italy, on November 4, 1966, which resulted in loss of life and damaged or destroyed masterpieces. The community came together in response, with conservators from around the world lending their time and expertise. The disaster led to new methods in conservation, the establishment of conservation laboratories, and efforts to promote conservation education. Ask a Conservator Day celebrates the spirit of international collaboration and exchange by inviting visitors to learn about the field and engage directly with conservators.

Free with general admission. No advance registration or tickets required. Assistive listening devices available upon request.

Participants

11–11:30 am

  • Linsly Boyer, associate conservator, Objects Conservation
  • Alice Limb, Andrew W. Mellon Fellow for Advanced Training, Paintings Conservation

1:30–2 pm

  • Angela Lugo, Claire W. and Richard P. Morse Fellow for Advanced Training in Conservation of Works of Art on Paper
  • Marcie Wiggins, Schorr Family Associate Research Scientist

3–3:30 pm

  • Meghan Abercrombie, Gale R. Guild and Henry R. Guild Fellow for Advanced Training, Objects Conservation
  • Alexa Machnik, conservation fellow, Asian Paintings Conservation

5:30–6:30 pm: Pathways into Conservation

  • Alice Limb, Andrew W. Mellon Fellow for Advanced Training, Paintings Conservation
  • Angela Lugo, Claire W. and Richard P. Morse Fellow for Advanced Training in Conservation of Works of Art on Paper
  • Christine Mitchell, Hansjörg Wyss Associate Conservator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Objects Conservation
  • Marcie Wiggins, Schorr Family Associate Research Scientist
Assistive listening device symbol

Assistive listening system

Wheelchair accessible symbol

Wheelchair accessible

Upcoming Dates and Times

Friday, November 7, 2025

Meet in Sharf Visitor Center

Meet in Sharf Visitor Center

Meet in Sharf Visitor Center

Pathways into Conservation. Meet in the Conservation Center. Take the elevator outside the Bookstore and Shop in the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art to the third floor.

Past Dates and Times

Friday, November 1, 2024

Pathways into Conservation

Friday, November 3, 2023