Washington Conservation Guild

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Washington Conservation Guild

The Washington Conservation Guild is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of conservation professionals dedicated to preserving art and historic materials.

04/02/2026

This past Saturday, our members had a great time learning about the art (and science) of natural dyeing 💛 With the wonderful instructor Fatima Janneh , we created yellow bandanas using marigold flower extract.

🌼 Marigolds are rich in natural pigments that release warm yellow and orange tones when simmered. Applying our own creative tying styles, we soaked the prepped cotton fabric (prepped through a process called mordanting to help the color bind) in the marigold bath and watched each piece transform into something unique ✨

It was a morning filled with hands-on fun and a deeper connection to natural materials. A big thank you to our host and treasurer Kaitlyn Munro Seymour for providing a space where we could be creative and a little messy!

This was a Washington Conservation Guild member event: Natural Dye Workshop, 2025-2026 season

03/20/2026

Please join the Washington Conservation Guild for the 4th in-person meeting of the 2025/2026 Season for our Emerging Professionals Talk. The meeting will be held on April 2nd at Folger Shakespeare Library from 5-7pm with a social hour from 5-6pm. This is a free in-person meeting for WCG members. Since space is limited, RSVP is required to attend. RSVP closes March 30th. https://forms.gle/v4nHvxvKUpgWizMx8. For more information about this season’s meetings, please visit our website linked in our bio. Excited to see you there!

03/06/2026

Fatima Janneh is a Gambian-American interdisciplinary, textile artist and instructor. She works primarily within the West African natural dye tradition. In this workshop, participants will work with 100% cotton bandanas and ground marigold flowers to learn and practice a variety of dye techniques. Members will leave with working knowledge of the ins and outs of the natural dye process as well as their own one of a kind hand dyed bandana. This event is held outdoors, please wear clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty and is appropriate to the climate. More about the instructor: www.Fatimaknits.com and IG:

>This workshop will be free for 2025/2026 WCG Williston recipients and it costs $5 for all other WCG members. Registration fees cover supplies and snacks.
>The workshop is open to WCG members who RSVP here: https://forms.gle/Bdf9x6a2UoJnWY8u8

Once your membership status is verified (2025/2026 season), our Member Events Coordinator will send a payment link. The first 13 WCG members to submit payment will be registered for the event, and they will be provided with the workshop location; any remaining RSVPs will be kept on a waitlist.

02/16/2026

Members! Please join us for a Community Support Session with Ilana Hipshman, (LCSW-C).

Ilana Hipshman has worked as a Behavioral Health Therapist in and around Baltimore City for the last 6 years, providing mental health services in multiple languages. Before moving to clinical practice, she spent 6 years partnering with grassroots community organizations, and working to support social-emotional development, and educational success. She values learning about other cultural perspectives, loves reading biographies, and believes the world might actually be a better place if we all took a few minutes now and then to hug a tree.

This in person meeting will take place on March 5th, at 5:30-7pm EST, and is free to all members. The deadline to RSVP is February 25th, via a link sent in the email announcement sent to all members. For more information about this season’s meetings, please visit https://washingtonconservationguild.org/meeting-schedule-2025-2026-season/

02/01/2026

We are excited to present our annual 3 Ring Circus, Thursday, February 5th, from 5-7:30 pm at the S. Dillon Ripley Center of the Smithsonian Institution, 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW, Washington DC, 20560. This event is free to WCG members and a $15 donation for non-members.

During the reception from 5-6:30, there will be an opportunity to visit each of our exhibitors for a chance to win a free raffle. Our exhibitors include American Institute for Conservation, ArtFit 3D, CROZIER Fine Art Services, Hirox, Huntington T. Block, Spacesaver Interiors, Tru Vue, and University Products!

For a closer look at the speaker abstracts and updated information regarding the event, please visit our website: https://washingtonconservationguild.org/2026/01/18/the-washington-conservation-guilds-annual-3-ring-circus/

01/28/2026

WCG Sponsor Spotlight!

Silk Level Sponsor ($200+): Precision Mat

Precision Mat is an innovative startup and open-source research and knowledge-sharing platform created by conservators for conservators. It introduces and advances new methods and targeted structural treatments for a wide range of cultural heritage assets, enabled by precise temperature control technologies based on flexible mats for accurate heat transfer. The precision heat transfer mats have been used in a growing variety of targeted treatments in paintings, paper, and objects conservation, including consolidation, tear mending, addressing paint and support deformations, optimizing drying processes, activating adhesives, removing tape and laminates, water-based gel cleaning, enzymatic cleaning, and other emerging applications.

Visit www.precision-mat.com and Instagram to learn more.

01/08/2026

Happy New Year to all!

We are kicking off 2026 with a virtual meeting this Thursday, the 8th, with Stephanie Whitehead, an archaeological conservator at Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC), a living history museum dedicated to the first capital of Maryland. We will join her to talk about current ongoing projects including preparing objects for the 2026 opening of HSMC’s new visitor center as well as treating artifacts from the 1634 St. Mary’s Fort site and from the 17th-century Calvert House site, home to the first Governor of Maryland.

The zoom lecture will begin at 5:30pm EST following a social hour beginning at 5:15pm. If you are not a member of WCG and wish to attend, please RSVP here:https://forms.gle/aCNi4aq7GMu9zFWk7. All membership will be emailed a link to the event in advance, and will not have to RSVP. We hope to see you there!

01/06/2026

WCG Sponsor Spotlight!

Porcelain Level Sponsors ($300+): Ga***rd Archival

Ga***rd Archival offers handcrafted archival supplies and exhibit cases, including the patented AXS Showcase System. With over 125 years serving cultural institutions, they also provide valuable educational resources and free webinars to support preservation and exhibit success.

Visit Ga***rd.com/Resources to learn more.

12/17/2025

RESCHEDULED: Please join the Washington Conservation Guild and our co-sponsors for our 8th Safety and Cultural Heritage Summit: "Preserving Our Heritage and Protecting Our Health" on January 22 and 23, 2026! Register by January 19, 2026.

Presentations: https://www.potomacaiha.org/Summit-Abstracts

Register Here: https://www.potomacaiha.org/event-6465865

12/10/2025

WCG Sponsor Spotlight!

Marble Level Sponsor ($500+): Tru Vue

For over 50 years, Tru Vue has created specialist glazing with protective and aesthetic characteristics that allow viewers to experience artworks as the artist intended. Optium Museum Acrylic®, Conservation Clear® Acrylic, and UltraVue® Laminated Glass, available in sizes up to 80”x120”, are trusted to protect and display fine art and cultural heritage across the globe.

Visit the Tru Vue website for more information.

12/01/2025

As a result of the government shutdown, we have shifted our programming. This means our annual 3-Ring Circus will commence in-person in February 2026. Please submit abstracts to [email protected], by the new deadline of December 10th.

As a reminder, we welcome proposals from our membership for talks on conservation related topics. Each of you contributes to the field in vital ways, including treatment, technical analysis, laboratory design, preventative conservation, fundraising, education, advocacy, and much more. The talks are no more than 15 minutes each, and nine will be selected.

11/19/2025

Hello Everyone,
Our December Meeting at the Annapolis Brice house remains unaffected by the government shutdown, however, our other programming has been disrupted.

November's 8th Safety and Cultural Heritage Summit has been postponed (new date TBA). Our first 2026 virtual lecture will feature Historic St. Mary’s City. Our 3-Ring Circus will now commence in-person in February, and the call for 3-Ring Circus abstracts updated deadline is December 10th.

Please continue to visit our website for additional information on upcoming seasons, and job opportunities. If you would like to contact us please reach out to [email protected].

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Washington D.C., DC

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https://linktr.ee/DCconservators

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About Us

The Washington Conservation Guild (WCG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization for professional conservators, students, and others interested in the conservation and preservation of art and historic materials. WCG was founded in 1967 to promote the increase and exchange of conservation knowledge.

The Guild offers a forum for sharing conservation information and interacting with colleagues through a program of monthly lecture meetings (October through May), a dynamic website, a page, an Instagram page, a membership directory, outreach activities, informal gatherings, intern/fellow activities, and occasional workshops and special lectures.

WCG is based in Washington, D.C., and draws its membership primarily from Washington, Maryland, and northern Virginia. Members represent a wide cross-section of the conservation community and allied professions. They work in government, state, and private museums, studios, and laboratories, and other cultural and academic institutions and organizations.

WCG is governed by an all-volunteer, membership-elected Board of Directors. The Board is composed of five officers and several directors. In addition, there are committees with Board-appointed chairs. We invite members to become active in the WCG by running for board positions and working on committees.