Ana Alba (Conservator) is the owner of Alba Art Conservation, LLC. Alba Art Conservation specializes in the conservation and analysis of modern and contemporary art, painted surfaces, and traditional paintings. Ana has over 13 years of experience and obtained her MA and Certificate of Advanced Study in Art Conservation from the Buffalo State College Art Conservation Department. She received further training and experience in previously held fellowships and internships at the National Gallery of Art and at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC. Following her graduation from Buffalo State College, she was awarded the William R. Leisher Fellowship in the conservation of modern and contemporary paintings at the National Gallery of Art. She is also a Professional Associate of the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Ana has held recent contracts at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.
Patricia Buss (Conservator) is a fine art Conservator specializing in the examination, treatment, and preventive care of paintings and polychrome sculpture. After receiving a Post Baccalaureate from Studio Art Centers International in Florence, she remained in Italy to apprentice at private conservation studios and institutions to gain a range of experience in the treatment of canvas and panel paintings, wall paintings, fine art on paper, and archaeological objects. She worked for several years at the Conservatorio di Santa Maria degli Angiolini, were she assisted with mural conservation and digital documentation of the restoration process. Originally from Butler, PA, she returned to the area in 2006 and has since been providing conservation services to cultural institutions and private collectors. Patricia is a member of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and the Midwest Regional Conservation Guild.
Cynthia Fiorini (Conservator) received a Formation Professionnelle from Paris, France in 2006. She completed the 3-year program recognized by the Ministere du Travail of France from L’Atelier Du Temps Passe founded by Annette Douay and Alix Dumielle. She then continued her work experience in Paris for another year. Along with painting conservation she studied painting techniques of the masters from published copy artist Andre Fisch. Her previous degree is a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kent State University in 1986 with a concentration in Ceramics.
For the next 14 years she exhibited in juried art exhibitions/shows and instructed pottery. She also has acquired an expertise in decorative paint applications and trompe l’oeil painting with clients in the US as well as France and Austria. Upon her return to the United States in 2007 she has worked as a private painting conservator in the tri-state area for professional and private clients as well as continuing her own painting.
Rikke Foulke (Conservator) earned a Master of Arts and Certificate in the Conservation of Works of Art from the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University. Following an internship at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, she held positions at the Lenbachhaus in Munich, Germany and the Straus Center for Conservation at Harvard University Art Museums. She was the Culpeper Fellow in Paintings Conservation at the National Gallery of Art in Washington from 1999 to 2002; the NEA Fellow in Paintings Conservation at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh; and the Samuel H. Kress Fellow in Paintings Conservation at the North Carolina Museum of Art from 2003 to 2005.
Ms. Foulke returned to Pittsburgh in 2005 to start her own practice in the conservation of paintings on panel, canvas, murals, reverse-glass, and objects with painted surfaces. With twenty years of museum experience, she has expertise in the treatment of paintings from the Early Renaissance, Old Masters, traditional works from the 19th and 20th centuries as well as Modern and Contemporary works.
Cricket Harbeck (Conservator) is the principal and chief conservator of a private objects conservation studio in Milwaukee, WI. Since opening the practice in 2004, she has worked with museums, institutions and private collectors treating a variety of objects, performing conservation assessments, teaching collections care, and advising on preservation measures. She began her career working with archaeological, ethnographic and historic materials at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography, the National Park Service and the Milwaukee Public Museum. She has worked as a field conservator at various archaeological sites and is a long-standing member of the Gordion Archaeological Project in Turkey. She gained an M.A. with a certificate in advanced study in art conservation from SUNY Buffalo State College in 1998 and a B.A. in art history and studio art from Oberlin College in 1991. She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.
Jessica Keister (Conservator) is the owner of Steel City Art Conservation and specializes in the treatment of photographic and paper materials. Jessica received a MS in Art Conservation, specializing in photographic materials and works on paper, from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. Her training includes internships at the Canadian Conservation Institute, the National Gallery of Canada, Fotorestauratie C.C. von Waldthausen, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and Harvard University’s Weissman Preservation Center. Before founding Steel City Art Conservation, Jessica held the position of Associate Conservator for Photographs at the New York Public Library. Prior to that, Jessica was Paper & Photograph Conservator at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia. Jessica is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation and an active member of the Photographic Materials specialty group.
Patty Huss West (Conservator) is an objects conservator in private practice working with private clients, galleries, institutions, businesses, and museums in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area for 29 years. Patty has a B.A. from Bowdoin College and a Diploma in Conservation from the City & Guilds of London Art School, 1993. Patty was a Samuel H. Kress Foundation Fellow at the Carnegie Museum of Art in 1994 and continued to work as a contract conservator through the 1990’s. Her conservation education in London developed specialized skills in acute observation, drawing, wood carving, stone carving, and gilding that led to a true understanding of historical materials and artisanal construction methods. She specializes in the treatment of fine decorative and historic art objects made of wood, stone, ceramic, and glass with an emphasis on painted, gilded, and lacquered surfaces. Most projects involve careful examination, written and photographic documentation, formulation and execution of treatment plans, and recommendations for preventative conservation. She also offers comprehensive collections management including asset documentation. Patty is a professional associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and has a studio in Allison Park, PA.
Naomi Ruiz – 2023 – 2024 Kress Conservation Fellow (Conservator). Naomi completed her graduate studies in Conservation of Decorative Architectural Surfaces at the University of Malta in 2022. She holds a B.A. in Art History with a minor in Chemistry from the University of North Texas. She arrived in Pittsburgh in September as the Vanka Murals’ first Kress Conservation Fellow; a position that is shared with the Carnegie Museum of Art. Naomi’s past projects include the Grandmaster’s Palace (Valletta, Malta) and the Alamo Mission. She’s held internships with the Los Angeles County Museum, Dallas Historical Society and Balkan Field School (Bulgaria & Macedonia).
Rhonda Wozniak (Conservator) is a professional conservator in private practice dedicated to museum quality conservation of art and archaeological objects. Ms. Wozniak has over thirty years of conservation experience, and is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. She was awarded her Master of Arts and Certificate of Advanced Studies in Conservation from the State University of New York, College at Buffalo. Ms. Wozniak originally specialized in the conservation of marine archaeological objects with advanced training at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle, Australia. She has conserved artifacts from the RMS Titanic both on expedition and at LP3 Laboratories based in Semur-en-Auxios, France. Before establishing her private practice in Pittsburgh, Ms. Wozniak held the position of Objects Conservator at the Carnegie Museum of Art for ten years. Large projects while at the Museum include blockbuster exhibits such as: Aluminum by Design; Light! –The Industrial Age; and the 1999 and 2004 Carnegie Internationals. In addition to the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka, other mural projects include the conservation of the gilded bas-relief Chariot of Aurora mural from the French ocean liner, The Normandie, and the Alexis Fournier murals at the National Historic Landmark, The Roycroft Inn at East Aurora, New York.
Angelica Marks (Conservation Technician) attended the University of Pittsburgh receiving a degree in the History of Art and Architecture. During that time, she studied Mexican muralism touring Maxo Vanka’s murals as a part of her curriculum. She was later awarded a grant to visit Mexico City for her senior thesis on Mexican art and politics. She held internships with local arts organizations including Rivers of Steel and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. After graduating, she began work as an assistant and framer at Mendelson Gallery. Due to the high level of dexterity she demonstrated in framing and handling paper-based artwork at the Carnegie Museum of Art, she was invited to join the conservation team in 2023. In addition to her professional life, she is active in the local arts scene as an invested community member participating as an artist, writer, editor and critic amongst friends and colleagues.
Kate Pirilla (Conservation Technician) is an artist and art handler based in Pittsburgh. She joined the Vanka conservation team in 2022, with more than a decade of experience working as an exhibition coordinator, installer, and technician. She has collaborated with artists, activists, conservators, and curators to create exhibitions, maintain collections, and build connections throughout her hometown of Pittsburgh and beyond. If you’ve visited a museum or gallery in town, she probably helped to install something there.
Past Conservators
Teresa Duff (Conservator) holds a Bachelor’s of Art in Art History from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she obtained an advanced certificate in Architectural Conservation and Site Management from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. Prior to Ms. Duff’s conservation studies, she worked at the Getty Museum in the Education Department implementing art history coursework. Her work at the Getty expanded to the Research Institute and the Conservation Center, where she conducted research for guest scholars, as well as curators of special collections.
In 2006 Ms. Duff was awarded the Samuel H. Kress internship at the Central Park Conservancy, where she worked on bronze and stone sculpture throughout the park, as well as undertaking conservation work on the iconic Bethesda Terrace terra cotta ceiling. Following her graduate studies, Ms. Duff worked as Project Manager for the Trinity Cathedral Burial Ground Conservation Campaign, conducting treatments and overseeing site logistics.
Currently, Ms. Duff sits on the Historic Review Commission for the Sewickley Borough, the curatorial committee at Old Economy Village, and is a board member with the Friends of the Sewickley Public Library. She is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Association for Preservation Technology, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks and the Sewickley Valley Historical Society. She leads art education courses for school students and the public at the Mattress Factory Museum and Sweetwater Center for the Arts. Teresa is active in conservation work in the Pittsburgh region, including Maxo Vanka’s Millvale Murals.