Description:

Northwestern University Libraries presents the Marie A. Quinlan Preservation Lecture

For nearly two centuries, photographs have captured an artist’s expression or indelible moments in history. Many cultural institutions collect and preserve photographs, from daguerreotypes to selfies, but they can enter a collection in a variety of conditions, whether they’ve been stored in archival mylar or taped to a water-damaged family scrapbook. Conservation expert Gary Albright will address the challenges conservators face when treating photographs and the steps that can be taken to preserve this unique medium.

Gary Albright has been an art conservator in private practice for the past 15 years. He was conservator at the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY from 1999-2003. Prior to that, he was senior paper and photograph conservator at the Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, Massachusetts. During his career, he has treated a diverse array of objects, including the Emancipation Proclamation, a Honus Wagner baseball card, Ansel Adams’ photographs, and working drafts of the Constitution of the United States. Since 2003, Albright has been the guest professor of photograph conservation at SUNY Buffalo State's art conservation program. In 2017, he received the AIC Sheldon & Caroline Keck Award in recognition of a sustained record of excellence in the education and training of conservation professionals. Albright lives and works in Honeoye Falls, New York.

Reception to follow.