New England Conservation Association (NECA)

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New England Conservation Association (NECA)

The New England Conservation Association is a collegial group of individuals from the New England region who are interested in all aspects of art conservation.

NECA hosts an annual series of interesting and topical meetings where members can keep up-to-date on the latest developments in conservation, enjoy refreshments with friends and colleagues, and see behind the scenes in area labs and studios. Annual workshops are organized to provide hands-on opportunities for specialized interests with a rotating subject matter.

🪡 RSVP BY 6/15 to jackson.allison@gmail.com!🧵Conservation Stitching Workshop with Camille Meyers Breeze and Rebecca Helg...

06/11/2026

🪡 RSVP BY 6/15 to [email protected]!🧵

Conservation Stitching Workshop with Camille Meyers Breeze and Rebecca Helgeson
Monday June 29 9:30 AM - 4 PM
Museum Textile Services in Andover, MA
$200/member. 2 spots will be set aside for students/interns at $100 each.

This one-day workshop provides an introduction to hand-stitching techniques used by textile conservators and other collections specialists. Regardless of one’s specialty, knowledge of the materials, techniques, and decision-making process for hand stitching are essential for stabilization and mounting. After a review of threads and needles, participants will create a sampler of the principal stitches used in textile conservation. Techniques for beginning and ending a new thread will also be practiced. Please do not bring your own projects, as items from the MTS study collection are available.

MTS is convenient to Rts. 93 and 495, and is steps away from the Ballardvale Commuter Rail station.

04/01/2026

Join us tonight at for an evening of presentations by regional interns and fellows!

02/15/2026

Calling all conservation interns & fellows! Submit your proposal for this year’s regional presentations, taking place in April.

We invite pre-program candidates, interns, and fellows to share 15-minute presentations on past, current, or in-progress projects. Topics may span any material, medium, or approach—from objects and architecture to experimental or unconventional work. Curiosity, process, and works-in-progress are encouraged.

Speakers will be selected on a first-come basis, with an emphasis on representing a broad range of training paths, study stages, and early-career perspectives.

Interested? Submit a 200-word proposal to [email protected] by March 1!

10/11/2025

On the second day of the NECA Biennial Meeting in Maine, members visited remarkable local sites. One tour option included a visit to the where we were fortunate to be introduced to the galleries by Maine paintings conservator Nina Roth-Wells. Nina walked us through the museum’s diverse collections, presenting an array of works with some of her recent treatments as focal points.

Members enjoyed a short walk from Victoria Mansion, pausing by some of the museum’s outdoor sculptures to note the joys and challenges urban museums face in exhibiting public art. Inside we received a glimpse into the museum’s vast collections, which center on regional and American art. Founded in 1882, the PMA now houses more than 19,000 works, connecting Maine’s art history to a broad and increasingly nuanced American narrative.

Want to stay informed of future events? Join our email list by renewing your NECA membership at necaconservation.org!

10/10/2025

On the second day of the NECA Biennial Meeting in Maine, members had the chance to tour remarkable local sites such as in Portland. There visitors basked in the illusionistic splendor of the mansion’s interior with a tour focused on the extensive conservation campaign by . We were guided through the house by Gianfranco and the museum’s director Timothy Brosnihan, with an added highlight of Ivan Myjer sharing his experiences working on the brownstone facade over the years.

The building, built in 1859–60, was designed in an Italianate villa style by Henry Austin and includes interior paintings and dazzling trompe-l’œil finishes by Giuseppe Guidicini. In 1940 the mansion, in a state of disrepair and facing demolition, was transitioned from a private residence to a house museum, receiving the name of Victoria Mansion in honor of Queen Victoria. Since then, the museum has managed to reacquire over 90% of its original furnishings. More about the Victoria Mansion’s history and conservation work can be found at victoriamansion.org.

Want to stay informed of future events? Join our email list by renewing your NECA membership at necaconservation.org!

10/07/2025

On the first day of the NECA Biennial Meeting 2025, members had the chance to enjoy touring the exquisite collections of and the recently opened .

A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved for coming together to create this event - NECA Members, organizers, and the Bowdoin College Museum of Art . The meeting was a heartfelt reminder of the support we can find in community, and we already look forward to the next opportunity to get together.

Stay tuned for a recap of the meeting on our website at necaconservation.org, and as always, please consider supporting our community by becoming a NECA member!

10/07/2025

A huge thank you to the (weird, wild, and) wonderful speakers who shaped the NECA Biennial Meeting 2025 into an energetic exchange of thoughtful approaches, humorous challenges, and courageous ideas. The talks encompassed preservation efforts ranging from the treatment of a mystery egg to enormous murals. Some emerging themes were inherent vice, novel technical efforts, creative problem-solving, the conservator’s role, artist’s intention, and the joys and challenges of collaboration.

Thank you to everyone involved for coming together to create this event - NECA Members, organizers, and the Bowdoin College Museum of Art . The meeting was a heartfelt reminder of the support we can find in community, and we already look forward to the next opportunity to get together.

Stay tuned for a short recap of the meeting, including more information on these talks, on our website at necaconservation.org!

1. Jessica Chloros — Objects Conservator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum ()
2. Saffie Patel — Richard I. Shader Fellow in Paintings Conservation at the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies
3. Eric Harrelson — Preservation and Conservation Librarian at Miami University in Oxford, OH
4. Ingrid A. Neuman — Senior Conservator at the Rhode Island School of Design
5. Kaela Nurmi — Objects Conservation Fellow in the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at the Harvard Art Museums
6. Gianfranco Pocobene — Director & Senior Paintings Conservator at
7. Ellen Promise — Co-owner of Promise and Ledoux Art Conservation
8. Anne Goodyear — Co-director of
9. NECA Board Members Heini Korhonen and Cristina Morilla
10. NECA Board President Allison Jackson

08/12/2025

Register now to the upcoming NECA Biennial Meeting! 📋🖊️
It’s been a few more than two years since the last biennial, but we’re so excited to be starting up the routine again with a program full of 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 talks, fascinating local tours, and plenty of opportunities to catch up with colleagues old and new.

More information on the program & registration can be found on our website necaconservation.org (or bit.ly/biennial25).

We look forward to seeing you in September!

📌
𝘕𝘌𝘊𝘈 𝘉𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 2025
𝙐𝙣𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨: 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙏𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙙, 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙐𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙
𝘉𝘰𝘸𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 26-27, 2025

06/26/2025

🌟 NECA Call for Speakers! 🌟

NECA Biennial
September 26–27, 2025
Bowdoin College Art Museum

𝙐𝙣𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧: 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙏𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙙, 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙐𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙

Got raw canvas, paper, bone, and glitter all mixed into one object? We’re all in.

Send us case studies on hybrid materials, conservation curveballs, and projects that brought in professionals outside the conservation field. Share how your object defied categories, crossed disciplines, and linked communities, materials, and histories in surprising ways. Send us your weird.

Abstracts of ~200 words + a short bio to
[email protected] by July 18, 2025.

Questions? Uncertainties? Need to check if your object or theory is weird enough? Write to us!

06/24/2025

In April, paintings conservator Gianfranco Pocobene () led us on a fascinating walking tour of two recent projects: the lining treatment of an enormous painting at Faneuil Hall, and the uncovering of some long-hidden angels at Old North Church. What a great opportunity to learn from colleagues in private practice!

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7 Congress Sq
Portland, ME
04101

Website

http://necaconservation.org/

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