As mentioned previously the Find a Conservator resource on the American Institute for Conservation website is a great place to search for professional help in your area.  Conservators listed there are all at the Professional Associate level meaning that they have a minimum of 7 years work experience beyond their technical training and have gone through the AIC application process for PA status.  

Specifically for a conservator in the Wisconsin area though you might try contacting Christine Del Re at the Milwaukee Public Museum.  She is an excellent conservator and if she cannot help you directly she may be able to point you to others in the area (tel: 414-278-2780).

I would also like to encourage the individual posting about cleaning paintings to contact a conservator.  I do believe that there are some types of cleaning that other museum professionals can do responsibly but cleaning a painting with ingrained dirt in the varnish or paint layers is not one of them.  The odds are that you can do much more damage than good and if your budget does not allow for professional assistance delaying the project is probably best.

Best,
Rachael Perkins Arenstein
Conservator (Objects) in Private Practice, NY  


_________________________________________________________________
Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live.Download today it's FREE!
http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_Wave2_sharelife_112007
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).