When you work with rare objects and precious art, each day embraces the extraordinary. Harry Houdini’s straightjacket is a good example.
Splayed on a table in the Intermuseum Conservation Association (ICA) workshop in Ohio City, Houdini’s jacket is ready for a once-over by skilled artisans.
Nearby, an elaborate gown worn by President Warren G. Harding’s wife Florence lays across a table like a patient awaiting surgery. The delicate material, too weak to support its hand-strung beads and pearls, will get a reinforcing layer of fabric.
Across the room is a large painting with a bright white smear along its edge — evidence of a cleaning test. The landscape hidden underneath will soon be released from its dingy layer of smoke, oil and time.
Chemistry, artistic skill and years of experience have made ICA leaders in the art restoration field. Executive director Julie Reilly says the relatively advanced age of many of ICA’s restoration experts is an asset. Experience counts when you’re matching pigments in century-old paintings, fixing a 1920s gown or repairing straps on an escape artist’s straitjacket.
From flying John Lennon’s guitar overseas to operating on Star Wars’ original R2D2, these local Boomers have seen, conserved and restored it all— or a good variety of it.
Check out how their lifelong affection for the arts led them to compelling careers caring for precious objects.
By Breanna Mona
Julie Reilly | Executive Director
ICA Art Conservation
Age: 62
What she does:
“Well, here at ICA I’m the executive director so I’m responsible for all aspects of the organization. On a daily basis, I work with the conservation staff, I work with our collections care staff, I oversee the finances, the governance and the HR aspects.”
How she got started:
“I’ve always been interested both in art and in science. I kept going back and forth between studying the arts and studying the sciences. Finally, when I was in undergraduate school, my art history teacher told me about these scientists that took care of art. That’s when I realized that I should be a conservator.”
Why she loves it:
“I don’t think there’s a cooler profession in the world because you get to use arts and science and the humanities all together at the same time, all day every day. We work with things that are created by the human species and the variety is endless. You can go from working on an old master oil painting to taking care of somebody’s stuffed bunny. We work with arts collections, history collections, natural history collections, archaeological material, and things of personal value. All of the objects that come into our sphere of work have amazing stories.”
Favorite story:
“I’m happy to say a long time ago, I got to work on R2D2. We have great things that come into the lab all the time. Right now, we have two really wonderful Japanese sculptures from a shrine in Japan. People bring their things to us to fix them or take care of them or to get them ready to pass on to the next generation. We do charge fees but we’re a nonprofit, so we do a lot of work with all kinds of organizations from historical societies to museums, archives, libraries, and individual owners.”
Do you consider yourselves art doctors?
“Exactly! We do preventative medicine, too [laughs]. We try to help people protect their objects, so they don’t get damaged. We also do a lot of education and outreach. We give a lot of tours. If people want to come and learn more about what we do here, they’re welcome to call and schedule a tour and come visit. We do offer free half-hour consultations if somebody wants to bring their items in.”
Did you know?
ICA was the first non-profit regional art conservation center in the country.
ICA Art Conservation
2915 Detroit Ave., Cleveland
216-658-8700, ica-artconservation.org
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Jun Francisco | Director of Collections Management
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Age: 59
What he does:
“There’s really no typical day. I’m in charge of collections and the artifacts. We do a lot of shipping; making sure the artifacts get from point A to point B safely. We do some hand-caring of the artifacts if they’re valuable. If there’s a guitar, let’s say John Lennon’s guitar, I buy plane tickets for it, it sits next to me the whole time until it gets here or until it gets back to Yoko.”
“The transport of collection is really the most interesting to me because I get to go to Paris, Spain, Japan, all these places dealing with our artifacts.”
How he got started:
“I have a degree in museum studies. My career path was to work in a museum but not necessarily a music museum. So, this is kind of like a plus for me because I am a music fan.”
Why he loves it:
“I grew up listening to rock and roll music, not thinking that one of these days all these people I was idolizing — reading up on in magazines and seeing on TV — that I would walk into their homes someday, actually interacting with them, working with them. So, this is pretty much a dream job.”
“One thing I always tell people is that when I started working in museums, I always worked with somebody else’s history. When I go to a town, it’s the history of the town, it’s not my history or my hometown. I still appreciate the history but it’s not my history. But then I got here, and I realized, ‘Hey, this is actually my history,’ because all this music and the musicians we’re honoring were part of my childhood. This is the oldest music and soundtrack of my life.”
Did you know?
We all know the Rock Hall was designed to look like a glass pyramid. But did you know that renowned architect I.M. Pei also designed it to look like a record player from a bird’s-eye view?
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
1100 E 9th St., Cleveland
216-781-7625, rockhall.com
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Jason Klein | Vice President of Historic Properties for Western Reserve Historical Society
and Director of Hale Farm & Village
Western Reserve Historical Society
Age: 50
What he does:
“I oversee the operations of the living history museum. It’s 90 acres and has 34 historic structures. The role is all-encompassing in making sure that the museum doors are open and guests and staff are happy, the historic buildings and landscape are taken care of and that we are delivering unique experiences.”
How he got started:
“Growing up and going to school, I always had jobs that had something to do with construction. Then when I started my own company and began working on a lot of historic structures, I just became really interested in that specific field of historic preservation.”
Why he loves it:
“Being able to preserve these historic structures that tell the story of the development of this region and honor the craftsmanship of those who built up this area through the historic structures is just super interesting to me. The history of architecture in the region, seeing how it’s changed over time and to be able to see how folks built and utilized these buildings is just fascinating. I think it’s really important that we are able to reflect on our past to see what the path forward should be.”
Did you know?
Western Reserve Historical Society’s Hale Farm and Village hosts a monthly Thursday Night Music Club. Check out the live local music, MarketPlace shopping, cash bar, food from Café 1810 and a featured winery or brewery. Admission and parking are free. For more details, call 330-666-3711.
Western Reserve Historical Society
10825 East Blvd., Cleveland
216-721-5722, wrhs.org
Breanna Mona is an entertainment journalist whose favorite museum is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Long live rock!
