Caring for the Collection – Conservation

Learn more about the curatorial staff and the conservation efforts that collaborate to study, exhibit, and care for the objects in the FOA Permanent Art Collection.

After many years of planning, early 2011 saw the opening of foaNorth, a Research Center dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the Festival of Art’s most important assets, its extensive Permanent Art Collection.  The Center, currently not opened to the public, is a secure, climate-controlled facility that also houses the historical archives of the organization’s two primary programs: the Pageant of the Masters and the summer art exhibition.

Staff at foaNorth is dedicating their time to the better understanding and documentation of the cultural history of the organization, and its relationship to the development of the arts in the region. The programs at foaNorth are making it possible for the Festival of Arts to consolidate all of its important historical resources and be able to eventually create a comprehensive account of its history and legacy as the premier arts organization in the region.

Meet the Curator

Morgan Matthews

Morgan MatthewsMorgan Matthews is a recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine M.A. program in Art History and a graduate of UCI’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts with a major in Art and dual minors in Art History and Digital Arts/Design. Originally from the East Coast, Morgan has taken root in Southern California and has worked in a variety of Los Angeles/Orange County art institutions the past four years, most recently the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. She currently oversees the Permanent Art Collection and curates art exhibits featuring artwork and artists from the Festival’s Collection.

Expanding for the Future

Currently the Festival of Arts Collection includes over 1000 artworks and several special collections. The Festival of Arts has focused the development of its collection on four subject areas relating to its mission.

  • Art related to individual Festival of Arts artists
  • Art related to the history of the Festival of Arts
  • Art related to the history of Laguna Beach as an arts colony
  • Art related to the Pageant of the Masters

In addition, particular collecting priorities have been identified in each area and a number of collecting priorities have emerged:

  • Artists who have significant history with the Festival, but not represented in the collection
  • Cultural and social histories of Laguna Beach and the surrounding region
  • Works related to the history of Laguna Beach as an arts colony, going back to 1878

The Festival of Arts has rigorous acquisition and disposal processes. The Exhibits Committee reviews prospects and makes recommendation for acquisition to the Board of Directors. The Festival of Arts acquires and disposes of materials in accordance with the legal and ethical framework required to meet the professional standards identified within the American Association of Museums Accreditation Protocol.

BeforeAfter

Example of before and after conservation