Conservation experts are helping fire victims save their precious art and heirlooms — for free

A group of conservation experts will come together at The Getty Center this weekend to help people preserve precious art and heirlooms damaged in January’s wildfires.

The Conservation Clinic, organized by Art Recovery LA, Getty, and the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture is the third in a series of events. The clinics help people get their belongings checked out, cleaned and documented. Those who attend can also learn techniques for cleaning and preserving other items once they get home.

Margalit Schindler, board chair for Art Recovery LA, said they and dozens of their colleagues have already served more than 250 people and 200 objects.

“It’s really turned from a small dream of neighborly love and resilience to a huge community effort,” they said.

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Schindler recalled one person who brought hand-woven lace curtains to a previous clinic. The beloved fabric had hung in her bedroom for decades. But because the person had health issues that made her vulnerable to inhaling particulates, the conservationists ultimately recommended a new life for the curtains: having them framed or possibly stored.

Margalit Schindler consults with a local Angeleno about how to safely clean a beloved hand-woven curtain that hung in a house with severe smoke damage from the Eaton Fire.

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Alejandra Cordero

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Still, she got to share the curtain’s story and how special they were to her.

“That was the conservation — was sharing those stories and hearing about how meaningful these objects are to the people who love them,” Schindler said.

Laleña Vellanoweth, a conservator who manages Los Angeles County’s Civic Art Collection and helped get Art Recovery LA off the ground, said it was important for her to get the message out that not every item damaged by the fires was a total loss.

“If the person chooses to save something from that life that had been altered in such a significant way, we wanted to be of any assistance possible,” Vellanoweth said.

The next Conservation Clinic at The Getty Center this Saturday is already at capacity, but follow Art Recovery LA for future dates.

Organizers said they plan to host another clinic in Altadena in September.

You can also contact Art Recovery LA through their website to get on an email list for upcoming events (in-person and virtual).