Conservation Center
The Atlanta Art Conservation Center (AACC), a nonprofit organization and subsidiary of the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, treats objects ranging from family photographs, antiques, and heirlooms to some of the most important paintings, sculptures, and works on paper in the Southeast. The AACC serves a small consortium of regional collecting institutions, as well as individuals and corporations, and is a resource for information about all aspects of collections care.
Katya Birukova
Associate Paintings Conservator
Katya studied the preservation of cultural heritage at the Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy (2007–2015) and received a master’s degree in painting conservation. During her studies Katya also completed coursework in gilded objects conservation. Katya’s final graduation work was published in the anniversary edition publication, “Academy of Stieglitz, the Best Graduation Projects for 140 Years” (2015). Katya has held internships at the State Hermitage Museum and at the Arefinskaya Troitskaya Church.
Katya has museum and private sector experience in painting conservation. She has been a Project Conservator on several major projects including the treatment of mural and ceiling paintings at the Yusupov Palace and the treatment of gilded ceiling friezes at the Sheremetevsky Palace, Museum of Music, both in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In addition, Katya served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art Conservation at The Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy.
Snow Fain
Senior Paper Conservator
Snow graduated from Kansas State University with a B.F.A degree with a major in painting and a minor in chemistry in 2007. Before graduate school, she was a pre-program conservation intern at the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City from 2008 through 2009. Snow received a M.A. degree in conservation of fine art with a concentration in easel paintings from Northumbria University in 2013. She also received a M.A. degree in conservation of books and library material in 2015 from West Dean College with the University of Sussex.
During her graduate studies, Snow interned for Heugh-Edmondson Conservation Services in Kansas City and the Newberry Library in Chicago. After graduating, she worked as an assistant paintings conservator for Page Conservation to conserve the murals in the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul from the fall of 2015 to 2016. She was a Cathleen A. Baker Fellow in Book Conservation at the University of Michigan during the summer of 2017.
Snow worked as Lead Conservator for the Local Records Preservation Program for the Missouri State Archives from the fall of 2017 to 2019 before joining the team at AACC.
Amanda Kasman
Assistant Paintings Conservator
Amanda graduated with a specialization in paintings conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation in August of 2021. During her studies, she completed internships at the Yale University Art Gallery, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, and Winterthur Museum. The breadth of Amanda’s conservation experience ranges from pre-Roman statuary in Sardinia to 20th century American dollhouse miniatures to 19th-century Thai Buddhist panel paintings. One of the focuses of Amanda’s research has been the treatment of paintings by African American artists and artworks depicting the horrors of American slavery. The African American artists she has studied extensively include Charles Dawson and William Henry Johnson. Amanda has also participated in and presented a talk on the early stages of a public outreach initiative intended to introduce students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to the field of conservation. Amanda remains dedicated to her desire to mentor and advise aspiring conservators.
Lindsay Ryder
Assistant Objects Conservator
Lindsay graduated from Bates College with a BA in Classical and Medieval Studies in 2019. She completed several museum internships in Collections Management, including the Bates College Museum of Art. She graduated from Durham University (Durham, England) in 2021 with a Masters in the Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects. Part of her studies included a placement at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (Exeter, England) where she treated a variety of 16-19th century historic objects. Her broader conservation works spans from Bronze Age weapons to 20th century multi-media Folk Art.
Works of art are accepted at the AACC by pre-arrangement only. To have an object in your collection treated or examined, or to arrange for a consultation, please contact the AACC at 404-733-4589 for an appointment.
Treatment cost is based on time and materials required, not on the value of the object. AACC conservators do not appraise objects. Please contact an expert in a field related to your object.
Staff members are available to advise on shipping objects to the AACC. If an object is too large, heavy, or fragile to be transported safely to the AACC, ask about a site visit. The AACC cannot accept shipments without pre-arrangement and strongly recommends that private owners deliver their works personally.
Before choosing a conservator, we suggest that you refer to the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Work’s “Guidelines for Selecting a Conservator” brochure. Please note: The High Museum of Art does not provide appraisals. Below is a list of appraisal organizations that may help to connect you with an appraiser.
American Society of Appraisers
11107 Sunset Hills Road, suite 310
Reston, VA 20190
(800) 272-8258
www.appraisers.org
Appraisers Association of America, Inc.
212 West 35th Street
11th Floor South
New York, NY 10001
(212) 889-5404
www.appraisersassociation.org
International Society of Appraisers
303 West Madison Street, suite 2650
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 981-6778
www.isa-appraisers.org