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began September 2023
Michelle ​Facini is a Senior Paper Conservator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where she performs and directs complex conservation treatment, conducts technical scholarship, and supports educational outreach and mentorship. She received her Master of Science in Art Conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in 2002. Michelle regularly collaborates with curators and conservation scientists, and her publications describe the materials and techniques of paintings on construction paper by Mark Rothko, Edgar Degas's late pastel works on tracing paper, fifteenth-century Italian illuminated manuscripts, and the preservation of oversized artworks. Michelle is a Fellow of the American Institute of Conservation (AIC) and a former Chair of the AIC Book and Paper specialty group. She supports and initiates projects that explore the financial impact of and leadership opportunities for conservators within the cultural heritage community. Before joining the National Gallery, she worked at the National Archives and Records Administration and participated in fellowships and internships with the British Museum, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
TOPIC: Heritage Preservation: An organizational legacy of policy, funding, and collaborative programs supporting cultural heritage preservation (1998-2015)
​This research analyzes the non-profit organization Heritage Preservation (1998-2015) and its predecessor organizations, the National Conservation Advisory Council (1973-1982) and the National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property (1982). Examining the policies and initiatives spearheaded by Heritage Preservation provides a road map to understand past approaches and potential future uses of preservation policy, intended outcomes, and success metrics. Additionally, this study aims to assess the ​present-day state of its enacted policies, programs, and partnerships and considers the impact of the agency's closure in 2015.​
