“Ask Me Anything” with Margo McFarland, Art Conservator

Unlike the typical lecture, this event is inspired by the “Ask Me Anything” threads popularized through Reddit and offers a chance for our members to guide the conversation with Margo McFarland, an art conservator who specializes in the conservation and preservation of works of art on paper and the material science of art objects.

Over the course of her career, Margo has worked at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Phillips Collection, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, The LA County Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, the St. Louis Art Museum, and the Smithsonian Institutions. She spent six months in Buenos Aires as an awardee of a Fulbright Lecturing Fellowship in the area of Cultural Preservation/Museology. Margo is a specialist in cellulosic chemistry, papermaking, fine art print production, and preservation standards for works of art on paper. She has lectured widely in these areas of expertise, in countries as far-reaching as Mexico, Spain, China, France, and Austria.

During this presentation, Margo will discuss works that she has treated (including those by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Martin Puryear, and Ed Paschke).  She will also show examples of her own print production–both her successes and her failures. 

After hearing stories from Margo’s experiences conserving print over the years, we will discuss how and why media, technique, and choosing the right paper matters when it comes to pulling perfect prints. The second portion of the event will be led by audience questions. Spudnik’s founder, Angee Lennard, will moderate a Q&A where guests are encouraged to share their questions, big and small, about inks, additives, adhesives, storage, paper fibers, and more.

This event is for everyone! ASR closed captions will be available. If you require another access service to fully participate or have any questions about accessibility, please contact Angee Lennard at angee@spudnikpress.org. To ensure the best experience, please try to contact us at your soonest convenience.