It’s not every day an American icon visits the lab. This week, we had the honor of welcoming Pleasant T. Rowland — educator, philanthropist, and creator of American Girl dolls.
In October 2021, the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation pledged more than $1 million to West Lake Art Conservation Center. That remarkable generosity allowed us to purchase and renovate our permanent home in Owasco, creating the first conservation and education center of its kind in the region. Her gift was catalytic: it made it possible to secure additional grants and leverage further support for the vision of a professional conservation laboratory serving both artworks and the wider cultural imagination.
To walk Pleasant through the completed lab was a full-circle moment. Her support provided more than bricks and mortar. It gave us the foundation and resources to grow into the institution we are becoming.
We are deeply grateful for her vision and belief in this work.
Pleasant T. Rowland with WLACC staff, board members, West Lake Conservators’ original cofounders, and other supporters and friends.
