Photographic Materials Group

Tatiana Cole is the Conservator of Photographs for the Harvard Art Museums. Previously, she was the Paper Conservator at the Boston Athenaeum, Associate Conservator of Photographs at The Better Image in NYC, and Fellow in Photographs Conservation at the Amon Carter Museum in Forth Worth, TX. Tatiana holds a Master of Science from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. She has completed internships in photograph conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Paul Messier LLC, and Harvard University’s Weissman Preservation Center, where she also spent time working with the Audiovisual Preservation Program and the Harvard Film Archive.

Elsa Thyss is an Associate Conservator of Photographs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She holds a Master’s degree from the conservation program in management for cultural heritage at the Institut national du patrimoine in Paris with a specialization in photograph conservation and a degree in Art History from the Ecole du Louvre. Elsa’s previous experiences include fellowships at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Laura Wahl is Library Conservator at Hagley Museum & Library.

Mirasol Estrada is the photograph conservator at NMAAHC. She’s gained considerable experience in the care and treatment of fine-art photography and in exhibition procedures. Her primary focus as the Mellon Fellow at the Art Institute of Chicago was the study of László Moholy-Nagy’s photographic work and the working practices of the New Bauhaus. Mirasol was honored with a two year Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in the Advanced Residency Program in Photograph Conservation at the George Eastman House and the Image Permanence Institute in Rochester, New York (2007-2009). While a Fellow, she developed a system to safely access the 35mm nitrate film rolls of the Mexican Suitcase, on which she has written several articles. Previous to her fellowship Mirasol worked as Assistant Conservator in the Photography Collection of Fundación Televisa in Mexico City, working primarily on the establishment of their laboratory. She graduated with honors from the Escuela de Conservación y Restauración de Occidente in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2006 with a focus on Photograph Conservation and a Diploma in Museum Studies. It was during that time when she gained a broad knowledge and understanding of the different materials and objects from the Prehispanic and Colonial periods of Mexico. Mirasol has given presentations in the United States, Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina. She has also contributed to the translation of the Photographic Information Record for the Photographic Materials Group and with the Journal of The American Institute for Conservation within the Book Reviews Section. Mirasol is a Professional Member of the American Institute for Conservation. 

Luisa Casella trained in Art Conservation at the Instituto Politécnico de Tomar in Portugal, specializing in Photograph and Paper Conservation. From 1998 to 2005 she worked as photograph conservator at the private conservation company Luis Pavão, Limitada, in Portugal In 2005 Luisa was awarded an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for the Advanced Residency Program in Photograph Conservation at George Eastman House/ Image Permanence Institute in Rochester, NY. From 2007 to 2010 Luisa was the inaugural Research Scholar in Photograph Conservation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, researching the light-fading behavior of autochrome dyes under anoxic conditions. From April to November 2011 Luisa worked as Photograph Conservator at Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. She worked as conservator of photographs and works on paper at West Lake Conservators from 2013 to 2023. Luisa is currently working privately.

Marie-Lou Beauchamp is Conservator of Archival and Photographic Materials at the Canadian Conservation Institute. She holds a Master of Arts Conservation from Queen’s University. She has held previous positions as Paper Conservator at the National Gallery Singapore and as the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Photograph Conservation at the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Bio is forthcoming.

Emily Mercer is an Assistant Photograph Conservator at The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, IL. She learned about conservation during her undergraduate studies at the University of Mary Washington, where she received her B.A. in Historic Preservation. Mercer earned an M.A. in Conservation of Art and Cultural Heritage and an M.S. in Conservation Science and Imaging from SUNY Buffalo State University in 2023, where she specialized in the conservation of photographic materials. As a graduate student, she completed internships at Paul Messier LLC, the National Gallery of Art, and the Library of Congress. After graduation, Mercer held a fellowship at the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in Andover, MA. Mercer has held several volunteer roles within the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN), including serving as the Williamsburg Regional Liaison, SUNY Buffalo Graduate Liaison, and is currently the liaison for the Photographic Material Group (PMG).

Diana L. Díaz–Cañas is Senior Conservator and Head of Photograph Conservation at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin. She was previously Assistant Conservator of Photographs at the Sherman Fairchild Center for Works on Paper and Photographic Conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Diana has a postgraduate degree in Conservation of Photographs from the National School for Conservation (ENCRyM) in Mexico City (2008–2009), and a Bachelor degree in Conservation from the Universidad Externado de Colombia (2001–2007). Diana has worked in several private and public institutions in the United States, Mexico and Colombia.

Fernanda Valverde is a conservator of photographs in Mexico City. She worked at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art as Conservator of Photographs for nine years. She previously served as the Program Chair of the Master in Conservation of Documental Heritage and the International Postgraduate Program in Photograph Conservation at the National School for Conservation in Mexico City, Mexico. She has also worked at the National School for Conservation in areas such as paper conservation, art conservation and cultural heritage management. During her time in Mexico City, she also served as the photographer and conservation consultant at the National Library of Anthropology and History. Additionally, Valverde gained conservation experience during tenures at the Image Permanence Institute and the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House, both in Rochester, New York. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Conservation of Cultural Heritage from the National School of Conservation, Restoration, and Museology at the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico City. She also has a Master of Science in Cross Disciplinary Professional Studies from Rochester Institute of Technology and was a Fulbright Fellow. During her post-graduate work, she studied the history and aesthetics of photography, conservation of photographs, and photographic science and technology.

Bio is forthcoming.

Emma Cielsik is a Graduate Student at the GWU Corcoran School of Art and Design Museum Studies Program.