• 2022 Preparators Conference Videos

    2022 Preparators Conference Videos


    The 2022 Preparators Conference was held on May 12th and 13th at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (CBMAA) in Bentonville, AR.

    Conference Theme: Adaptation—it’s how living creatures have continued to survive, grow and thrive for eons of our shared history on Earth. Adaptation is a requirement in the face of a changing world, changing conditions, changing weather, changing knowledge. It’s through adaptation that we grow, and our corner of that world, art preparation and collections care, has had to adapt over and over to grow since our disciplines emerged as distinct within the realm of cultural preservation and exhibition.


    All rights to the material provided in these presentations are retained by the author(s). Reproduction of these videos in any form without the written permission by the author(s) is an infringement of the author(s) rights. Respect the community.




    May 12, 2022 Conference Introductions

    Jerry Smith, (PACCIN Programs Committee Chair), Dave O’Ryan (Programs Committee member)






    Handling Indigenous Materials; from Alaska to Massachusetts

    Natalie Wadle (Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane, WA)






    Costume Packing Best Practices: Permanent Storage vs. Touring Exhibition

    Jennifer Iacovelli, Brynnea Irvine (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA)






    Quick Tip: Mannequin Storage Solutions

    Don McPhee (Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA)





    Modern and Contemporary Painting Preventative Conservation Through Design,
    Display, and Transit Mounting

    Eric Dixon (Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American
    History and Culture, Washington, D.C.),
    Chris Hollshwander (Smithsonian Exhibitions, Landover, MD)





    Quick Tip: Grassroots Green: Growing and Maintaining Sustainability Efforts
    in Everyday Museum Work

    Jerry Smith (Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles, CA)






    Converting a Legacy Fine Art Handling Corporation to an Employee-owned Cooperative:
    How a Complicated Challenge Can Create Strength

    Bryan Cain (Atthowe Fine Arts, Oakland, CA)







    Group One Great Hall


    Rigging Case Study: A Lifting Fixture for Ai Weiwei’s Zodiac Heads

    Julia Latané (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA)







    The Nuances and Intricacies of Site-Specific Rigging

    Natalie Cothren (Acumen International, Los Angeles, CA)








    Quick Tip: El Anatsui “Fading Cloth” Installation Modification


    Christopher Moreland (St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO)







    Is a Mini Crane in Your Future?


    Roger Machin, Ryan Campagna (Methods & Materials, Inc., Chicago, IL),

    Todd Rennie (Crystal Bridges American Museum of Art, Bentonville, AR)








    Group Two Bellows & Cassatt Rooms



    This group of presentations were not videotaped, but we wanted to list them for the record.


    New Building, Pandemic, Two Months: Houston, We Have a Problem!


    Dale Benson (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX)




    From Preparator to Digital Preparator: Helping Keep the Museum Open When the Doors Are Closed


    Anthony Teneralli (University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie, WY)




    Quick Tip: Out With the Old, In With the New


    Lindsay Davis (North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, NC)




    The Longest Installation in the World: Installing LACMA’s Modern Art Exhibition During COVID-19

    From January to May, 2021


    Gerardo “Shorty” Arciniega, Jasmine Tibayan (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA)




    May 13, 2022 Introductions

    Jerry Smith, Programs Chair, Jonathan Schoff, Membership Chair







    Art Handling in Sweden– Recognising a Crucial Activity

    Intro by Marc Bongaarts, Advisory Committee (Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam)



    Pär Lindblom (Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, SE)
    Alissa Anderson (The Swedish National Heritage Board, SE)










    Quick Tip: Modeling 3D Galleries at the Broad Museum

    Vanessa Garcia, Nya Abudu (The Broad, Los Angeles, CA)







    Sunken Cities


    Christopher Moreland (St. Louis Museum of Art, St. Louis, MO)






    Diversity Apprenticeship Program Toolbox: Supporting a Diverse Workforce

    George Luna-Peña (The Broad, Los Angeles, CA),
    Julia Latané, (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA)








    Challenging Minds, Challenging Voices: Experiences of Emerging Preparators
    From the Diversity Apprenticeship Program

    Jasmine Tibayan (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles),
    Desirèe Monique Thurber (Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR),
    Jeremiah Morris, George Luna-Peña (The Broad, Los Angeles, CA)






    Quick Tip: “Sure, I Can Do That!”

    Elizabeth K Mauro (Art Installation, LLC, Port Orchard, WA)






    Re-installing Kūkā'ilimoku: Typical Issues in an Atypical Project

    Dave O’Ryan (Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR)






    MOTHS! An Emergency Response to The Huntington Art Museum’s Infestation
    of Tineola bisselliela– Webbing Clothes Moths

    Pat Pickett, Melissa Mariano
    (The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical
    Gardens, San Marino, CA)






    Moving Diego Rivera’s Pan American Unity:
    Lessons Learned on a Monumental Scale

    Michelle Barger (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA),
    Kiernan Graves (Site and Studio Conservation, Ventura, CA),
    Bryan Cain (Atthowe Fine Arts, Oakland, CA)






    Quick Tip: Prep Pep Up

    Elizabeth K. Mauro (Art Installation, LLC, Port Orchard, WA)






    New Media, New You: Time-Based Media & Pandemic Practices

    Caitlin Grames (Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI)






    Closing remarks for the Conference

    Jerry Smith, PACCIN Programs Chair
    Mark Wamaling, PACCIN Chair