Getty Conservation Institute

06/11/2026

📚 New to the Conservation Collection 📚

Recent additions include books on the history of timber in construction, recipes for natural inks and dyes, pest management for cultural heritage, the preservation of New York’s Grand Central Station, material research on plasters and stucco, disaster documentation, highlights from the stained glass museum, conservation and management of rock art sites, and Mexican muralism.

See the full list (PDF): https://gty.art/3S3GNkG

06/10/2026

This past Saturday, we premiered "Ofelia and Rosanna Esparza: Made to Remember," the newest short film in our Artist Dialogues Series, which highlights the practices and conservation philosophies of Los Angeles–based artists.

The Esparza family are multi-generational altar makers who have brought and sustained Día de los Mu***os traditions in Los Angeles through hundreds of intricate public ofrendas.

The screening was followed by an engaging artist Q&A led by Laleña Vellanoweth, conservation and collection manager for the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.

Both Ofelia and Laleña are featured in our exhibition Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels, on view at ReflectSpace at the Glendale Central Library until July 12.

06/09/2026

We are very pleased to share that Francesca Casadio has been appointed the next John E. and Louise Bryson Director of the Getty Conservation Institute. She currently serves as vice president and Grainger Executive Director of Conservation and Science at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Casadio will be responsible for the Institute's strategic vision, initiating and implementing key initiatives and research to continue to improve cultural heritage conservation practice globally. She will begin at Getty in early fall 2026.

Read the press release https://gty.art/4fB8qeM

The J. Paul Getty Trust has appointed Francesca Casadio as the next John E. and Louise Bryson Director of the Getty Conservation Institute.

06/08/2026

Join us for a free webinar: Shifting Perspectives on Damage, Change, and Value

📅 Thursday, June 11
⏰ 9:00–10:30 AM (PST)
🎟️ Registration required: https://gty.art/3Pza4D0

Hosted by the American Institute for Conservation's Microfading Tester International Discussion Group and Preventive Care Network, this webinar explores the boundaries between material change, damage, and value, revealing how museum policies can shift from the reduction of risk for material loss at all costs to the creation of value through increasing object access, visibility, and connection.

While scientific tools offer more precise ways to detect material change, recognizing that damage is a value-based judgment, rather than an objective outcome, becomes critical.

This webinar extends the discussion from the session of the same name at the 2026 AIC/CAC-ACCR annual meeting.

🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/3RAQ7w9

06/05/2026

It's !

Today we're featuring "Personal Viewpoints: Thoughts about Paintings Conservation" https://gty.art/3TW4B73

The papers in this book, originally presented at a 2001 seminar co-organized by the GCI, the Getty Museum, and the Getty Research Institute, explore the values, assumptions, and goals that shape the work of paintings conservators. Six conservators, three curators, and a conservation scientist candidly reflect on the challenges in approaching specific works of art. Each conservator describes a successful conservation effort, as well as a project that, in retrospect, might have been approached differently. Their insights contribute to a thoughtful analysis of the ever-evolving art and science of paintings conservation.

06/04/2026

What does Los Angeles look like through the lives of 100 Angelenos?

Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels is now on view at Glendale Central Library.

Originally created for PST ART: Art & Science Collide, this exhibition weaves portraiture, personal narratives, and ancestral DNA data into a layered map of LA, conveyed through 100 Angelenos who have made significant contributions to the city.

View Alta at ReflectSpace at the Glendale Central Library now through July 12, 2026.

Details, opening hours, and parking: https://gty.art/4eAvEkF

📸 Marcus Lyon

Glendale Library, Arts & Culture

06/03/2026

Only a few more days to RSVP for our *free* film screening and Q&A with Ofelia and Rosanna Esparza!

🗓️ Saturday, June 6, 2026
🕒 3:00 pm
📍Getty Center and Online
🔗 RSVP to attend in person or online: https://gty.art/4umwXsz

Long recognized for their role in helping establish and sustain Día de los Mu***os traditions in the city, Ofelia Esparza and her daughter, Rosanna Esparza Ahrens, have shaped the practice of creating ofrendas, or altars, as both a communal ritual and a contemporary art form.

In the short film, "Ofelia and Rosanna Esparza: Made to Remember" (11:55 min), they reflect on the ofrenda as both cultural obligation and art: a bridge between the living and the dead, and between the stories of generations past and those yet to come.

Following the screening, Ofelia and Rosanna Esparza will join Los Angeles County's Civic Art Conservation and Collections Manager Laleña Vellanoweth for a conversation on the conservation of their work and audience Q&A.

This film is part of the Artist Dialogues series.

🖼️ "Raíces Cósmicas" (Cosmic Roots) by Ofelia Esparza, 2018.
📸 Courtesy of the Artist and the Vincent Price Art Museum

06/02/2026

Earlier this year, we brought together 11 experts from across North America to explore nature-based pest deterrents for museums and cultural heritage institutions. Among them was Madeline Corona, conservator and “resident pest detective” at the Getty Museum. See how her work helps protect our galleries!

06/02/2026

The Treatment Strategies for Painted Outdoor Sculpture workshop concluded with a public panel at The University of Melbourne, featuring Indonesian‑Australian artist Jumaadi and Melbourne‑based artist Ling. Both artists shared their perspectives on the conservation of their work, addressing issues such as delegated fabrication and how tolerances for change can evolve once works are installed outdoors.

Centering artists’ voices enriched the conversation and opened it to a wider community, highlighting the vital role of long‑term care and maintenance in sustaining outdoor sculpture.

📸 Photos by Stamatina Hasiotis