Our textile conservators are responsible for the care of over 22,000 textiles, which includes costumes, flat weaves, contemporary fiber art, pile carpets, and tapestries. From the moment a textile enters the collection, conservators research and document major events in its life to create a narrative that informs the object’s treatment and preservation. 

Using Christian Dior’s evening gown Junon as a case study, this presentation will reveal what conservators do on a daily basis to preserve such treasures in our collection.

About the speakers

Beth Szuhay is the head of textile conservation of costume and textile arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. After receiving her MS from the Winterthur-University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation in 2001, Beth began as an assistant conservator for the Museums. In 2011, Beth formed Chrysalis Art Conservation to provide conservation services for institutions that do not have a conservation staff, but she returned to the Museums in 2022. She is a member of the American Institute for Conservation, and served as chair for the Textile Specialty Group in 2021. She is especially proud of her seven years serving on the board of directors for the North American Textile Conservation Conference.

Anne Getts is a conservator of costume and textile arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Before moving to the Bay Area, Anne spent two years as a Mellon Fellow in the textile conservation lab at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. A 2012 graduate of the Winterthur-University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, she holds an MS in art conservation with a focus on textiles and an additional concentration in preventive conservation. Additionally she holds BA degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, and art history from the University of Colorado.

Laura Garcia-Vedrenne is an assistant conservator of costume and textile arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. She graduated from the MPhil Textile Conservation program at the Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History, University of Glasgow and obtained her degree in restoration of cultural portable heritage at the Escuela de Conservación y Restauración de Occidente in Guadalajara, Mexico. Her research interests include textiles artifacts and dyes as material culture, conservation of historical dress, and ethics within conservation.

Ticket info

This event is happening both in person and online via Zoom.

• In person: Koret Auditorium, de Young ($5 at the door)
• Online: register to attend ($5 for FAMSF members and students, $10 general admission).

Contact info 

Textile Arts Council
415.750.3627
tac@famsf.org