PP157 Art Claims: Disaster Response and Risk Management

Registration Closed

Webinar Description

Thursday, September 29, 2022
1:00pm - 2:00pm Eastern US

The Conservation Center specializes in restoring art, antiques, and heirlooms after they have been exposed to traumatic situations such as fires, floods, and natural disasters. Heather Becker, CEO of The Conservation Center, will discuss the effects of small and large-scale disaster events. Ms. Becker will explain how The Center's team responds to disaster events and the challenges of working in disaster zones, as well as the basic protocols for triaging and stabilizing an item or collection. Ms. Becker will also differentiate the concerns of conservators, appraisers, and insurance adjusters and present considerations for risk mitigation. The webinar will include a question and answer session for attendees.

Webinar Audience

Those who would like a deeper understand of what to expect onsite when responding to a disaster, and about conserving of art, antiques, and heirlooms after they have been exposed to traumatic situations such as fires, floods, and natural disasters.

General Webinar Information

Important login information will be e-mailed to registrants prior to the webinar.

System Requirements

To ensure the best ASA webinar experience, be sure to download the Zoom app on your device before the webinar begins.

Continuing Education (CE) Information

This webinar will award 1.0 CE hours.

If you are a designated member of the American Society of Appraisers, CE credit will automatically be entered into your record ONLY if you participate in the live webinar. Please allow approximately 2 weeks post-webinar for ASA to notify participants via email regarding a certificate of completion.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

Implement the helpful procedures for handling a client's collection in an emergency (basic protocols, stabilization, etc.)
Identify what damage to an artwork was a direct result of the loss, as opposed to pre-existing or non-related damages
Communicate with insurance and conservator after the disaster event
Explain how damage could have been preemptively minimized for art and heirloom damages

Heather Becker

CEO

The Conservation Center

Heather Becker's innovative leadership and passion for art preservation have driven The Conservation Center to the forefront of the field of conservation. Heather maintains the philosophy that "... it's about recognizing the artist's intent. Our job is to preserve and care for the artworks and allow them to have a future life." Her sentiments are echoed in the high standard of care applied to all of the artworks that come into the lab for treatment—whether a piece of fine art or a piece of family history.

After studying painting and art history on scholarship at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the International School of Art in Italy, Heather was inspired to pursue a career in the field of art preservation. In 1989, she developed a national business plan for The Chicago Conservation Center, as the company was formerly known, and purchased the firm from its founder in August 2003. The Center has since expanded to provide conservation services in paintings, works of art on paper, murals, textiles, antique and fine furniture, rare books, frames and gilding, and objects and sculpture. The Center is now the largest private facility of its kind in North America.