Our first public event in Owasco honored West Lake’s past and set the stage for the next fifty years.
On September 20, West Lake Art Conservation Center welcomed approximately 150 guests to our new headquarters for the 50th Anniversary Open House. The celebration was our first public event in the Owasco labs — a moment that honored West Lake’s storied past while opening the door to a new era of conservation, education, and community engagement.
One of the joys of the new space is that we can now share exhibitions. Guests were greeted with a trio of installations that brought West Lake’s history and practice to life:
The Vale of Elms, a newly conserved 1872 Hudson River School landscape by Lemuel Maynard Wiles, glowed under the lights. Crowds pressed in to see the painting alongside before-and-after images of its restoration. Paintings conservator Raphael Shea spoke with visitors for hours, using a looping slideshow to reveal the meticulous work behind the transformation. Appropriately, the staff of the LeRoy Historical Society — who entrusted us with this “missing masterpiece” — were the first through the door. We were thrilled to present their painting back to them in the most beautiful light possible.
The Archive Timeline traced WLACC’s 50-year journey, from founder Susan Blakney’s first conservation projects with the Barrow Gallery to today’s team. Susan, her sister Margie Sutton, and other longtime West Lake colleagues stood nearby, sharing stories and answering questions that gave guests a tangible sense of continuity and care.
The Study Collection displayed both restored and untreated paintings and frames, offering a close-up view of the kinds of works that find their way to our benches.
Meanwhile, tours of the conservation studios — led by Executive Director Joey Foster Ellis and our conservators — were so popular that small groups of 15 quickly swelled to 20 or more. Lines stretched out the door, and the labs were alive with questions, curiosity, and appreciation for what conservation entails.
We were especially honored to welcome New York State Senator Rachel May, whose presence underscored the civic and cultural value of this work in our region.
It was, simply, a day to remember — filled with art, light, refreshments, raffles, and warm conversation. Volunteers and board members helped ensure the event was welcoming and smooth, and their generosity of spirit carried through the evening.
We’re deeply grateful to everyone who joined us in marking this milestone. The anniversary was not only a celebration of fifty years of conservation in Central New York — it was also a glimpse of what lies ahead in our new home.
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- Visitors enjoyed touring the lab and viewing works in progress.
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- Paintings conservator Raphael Shea shows the newly restored The Vale of Elms to members of the LeRoy Historical Society.
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- West Lake co-founder Margie Sutton speaks to guests in front of the Archive Timeline.
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- Guests view a pre-treatment painting under UV light, learning how conservators identify areas of overpainting.
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- Paintings conservator Chiara Kuhns fields questions from a rapt group of guests.
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- Paper conservator Geneva Iklé explains how she uses the equipment in her lab to clean and bleach paper.
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- Paintings conservator Nathan Sutton addresses a large crowd of guests in our Paintings lab.
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- Guests visiting the Archival Timeline take in a photo of WLACC’s current staff.
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- The Archival Timeline included Hope Lake, an American Girl doll that WLACC conservators outfitted as a paper conservator – complete with mini Optivisor and tools – as a gesture of thanks to client and benefactor Pleasant T. Rowland, whose support allowed WLACC to purchase the property that now houses our lab.
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- Volunteer Bob Nethercott welcomes guests to our new Owasco lab.
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- Board Chair & Secretary Holly & Patience Gregg host guests in the late-afternoon light.
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- WLACC welcomed crowds of visitors into our new labs for the first time, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the work of art conservation.
