$500.00
This three day, hands-on workshop addresses the fundamental skills needed to save art, artifacts, and antiques from emergencies and disasters. As disasters become more frequent–from natural disasters such as floods and fires, to man-made disasters such as war, theft, and vandalism–museums, galleries, conservators in private practice, and private collectors must become better prepared to rescue objects of cultural heritage after the worst has occurred. This requires a knowledge of how to work within a disaster setting and adjust conservation methodologies and goals in difficult conditions not generally familiar to those who have primarily worked in studios or institutional settings. The workshop focuses on the initial response phase of an emergency.
Through a combination of a taught syllabus, group discussion, substantial hands-on sessions, and a bibliography of online resources and take-home worksheets, participants will learn not just the philosophy behind emergency and disaster response, but practical tips and insight translating theoretical concerns into practical action. All participants must have professional or educational experience in conservation or be in allied fields such as collections care, historic preservation, museums, galleries, or cultural heritage management to attend this program.
The unique opportunity provided by Historic Eastfield’s site will allow attendees to work in simulated conditions mimicking those encountered post-disaster such as limited electricity, unpredictable access to running water, and imperfect climate control. Although there will be no simulation of an inciting disaster, please note this workshop will be held at a historic site that is rustic and populated with authentic 18th and 19th century buildings. Pathways are unpaved and none of the structures have elevators. Most structures have at least one step to access the building. For more information on accessibility, please contact: eastfieldvillage@gmail.com.
Day 1: Theory and Principles (Classroom Day)
Day 2: Establishing Support Facilities and Salvage Operations (Hands-on Day)
Day 3: Triage and Processing Damaged Art and Artifacts (Hands-on Day)
To register for this program, please email eastfieldvillage@gmail.com with a one page Letter of Interest and your CV. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2026. Accepted participants will be notified by July 1, 2026.
Cost-free accommodations are available onsite. These are rustic accommodations in 18th century buildings heated by hearth or fireplace and lit by candles. It is a cozy and unique environment that is all part of the “Eastfield Experience.” For more information, please visit our website. For those who would prefer modern amenities, hotels are available less than 20 minutes from the site in East Greenbush, NY.
The site is 35 minutes from Albany International Airport (ALB) and 25 minutes from the Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak Station. Ride shares are available. If possible, we can facilitate transportation from the airport and train station.
By car:
35 Minutes from Troy, NY
45 Minutes from Hudson, NY
45 Minutes from Williamstown, MA
3 hours from Boston
4 hours from NYC
5 hours from Buffalo
Instructors
Saving Cultural Heritage from Ruin: Art and Artifact Recovery after a Disaster
Annie Rubel
Annie Rubel is the founder of Heritage Emergency Mgmt, LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in the intersection of emergency management and cultural heritage management. She is an active National Heritage Responder with Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC). She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Historic Eastfield Foundation.
Lauren Fly
Lauren Fly founded the Fly Arts Initiative, a fine art conservation and collections management practice based in New York City, in 2011. After training at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts’ Conservation Center, she completed her postgraduate work in the Conservation of Easel Paintings at the Hamilton Kerr Institute at the University of Cambridge. Her work has taken her to leading museums and conservation studios throughout the US, Scotland, England, and the Netherlands, where her practical work focused on the structural treatment of paintings on canvas. With more than 20 years of international experience in paintings conservation and collections care, Lauren works with clients that include museums, private collectors, corporate collections, galleries and auction houses, insurance companies, artist studios and foundations,, and other stewards of cultural heritage to preserve and protect their objects. She has led practical workshops and presented at conferences on a range of collections care activities, and has served as Chair of Conservators in Private Practice for AIC. Her specialties extend beyond treatment to include a longtime passion for collections management, best practice guidance, and raising public awareness and understanding of conservation.
She recently became entrenched in a large-scale art triage operation after a fire tore through a warehouse that housed artist studios and exhibit spaces in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY. She was first to a chaotic scene of the evacuation of over 800 pieces of art, quickly establishing an emergency inventorying and transporting operation and then working with fellow conservator, Luca Ackerman, established a triage operation for the salvaged works. Partnering with the National Heritage Responders, she recently wrapped up the project having processed 800 works of art and getting the ultimate crash course in art salvage after a disaster.
J. Luca Ackerman
J. Luca Ackerman studied photography and film at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before earning a Master’s Degree in the Conservation of Photographic Materials from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague - Film and TV School (FAMU). He worked for The Better Image for almost a decade before establishing a private practice in 2021. He is a Professional Associate (AIC) at the American Institute for Conservation, a founding member of the Contemporary Art Network (CAN!), and is currently an active National Heritage Responder. Ackerman specializes in Modern and Contemporary photographic artworks, and has published and presented on a wide range of conservation topics.
JLA Inc. specializes in the physical treatment of photographic materials from daguerreotype to dye sublimation, with a particular emphasis on large and contemporary photographic works. He services a wide range of clientele, including: artists and artist studios, auction houses, galleries, corporate collections, private collectors, museums, estates & foundations, insurance companies, art advisors, archives and the general public.
As a National Heritage Responder, Ackerman has access to a wide network of emergency response resources and specialists. Luca recently worked with Lauren Fly on the Red Hook Arts Recovery Project after the warehouse fire in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY.
Emilie Tréhu
Emilie Tréhu is an Associate Objects Conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, where she serves as Emergency Coordinator for the Objects Lab and assists with Emergency Planning for the Conservation Department. She received her MA in Principles of Conservation and MSc in Conservation for Archaeology and Museums from University College London (UCL), completing her Internship year in both the Archaeological and Applied Arts conservation labs at the London Museum (formerly the Museum of London). Before starting at the MFA, she continued working in archaeological conservation at UCL, as well as musical instrument conservation at the Royal College of Music Museum. She has participated in onsite conservation efforts at Roman sites in the UK and North Macedonia. She joined the MFA in 2020 to work on the renovation of the Greek and Roman Galleries, and has since worked on a wide range of material types across the encyclopaedic collection. She is an active National Heritage Responder with FAIC.