We have an active education and outreach program that offers both prepared and customized instructional content to museums, historical societies, and other cultural heritage organizations including libraries and schools. Assistance with grant-writing for conservation and preservation projects using ICA services is available upon request.

Interested in how a conservation lab works?

The best way to understand what we do at ICA-Art Conservation is to come for a visit to our new lab space in the Pivot Center for Art, Dance, and Expression. Here you can see our current projects and ask
ICA conservators questions about their work.

Lab tours are free but must be scheduled in advance. If you are interested call to request a free 1-hour tour of our facility or call 216-658-8700.

Are you the steward of a collection?

A significant part of our mission is to provide training and education to the stewards of cultural heritage. Our goal is to provide the best possible programming and plans to help our partners in museums, historic houses, historical societies, galleries, performing arts organizations, and libraries across the country. Field service offerings occur as needed or on demand as required by the institution and the situation. Please contact us for information about associated costs and scheduling.

Let ICA come to you!

Education & outreach and conservation staff work with organizations and institutions to deliver educational opportunities for the general public. Programs are currently delivered at a variety of content levels depending on the need and demand.

A popular offering is our FREE “Caring for Your Treasures” presentation.  ICA Education staff will come to your institution or organization to discuss proper storage and long-term care of your collections that can prevent unintentional damage. Learn how to protect your treasures with this free presentation. Groups will often pair this presentation with a pop-up museum at which audience members will bring objects meaningful to them to share with the group.

Education staff can also offer more in-depth fee-based presentations and workshops upon request. Please contact us for information about associated costs and scheduling. 

Our conservation and education staff take great delight in speaking with college and graduate students. We are happy to come to you and even happier for you to come to us for a tour of the conservation labs and conversation with our conservators.

We also welcome inquires from rising seniors in college, post-graduates, and graduate students seeking pre-program, final-year graduate conservation, or two-year advanced fellowships.

K-12 Education

ICA combines interdisciplinary student experiences that bring STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) education to life, while we continue to conduct outreach and education for those in need of instruction in conservation topics. Classes interested in the intersection of art and science will find a trip to the ICA to be an experience unlike other museum tours. Teachers are encouraged to contact ICA via email to info@ica-artconservation.org to arrange a free tour of the ICA’s conservation facility for their middle school and high school students.

As part of our ongoing public service each year ICA-Art Conservation selects one collecting institution annually to receive a free collection survey. The goal of the program is to help the recipient institution identify its preservation needs and plan future conservation and stewardship initiatives. The information gained through the assessment helps the institution prioritize objectives and potentially raise funds to address those preservation needs. ICA will offer one collection survey focusing on a select group of artifacts within an institution.

An ICA conservator will visit the recipient institution to examine the objects on-site for up to two days. Written condition reports and treatment recommendations will be provided. The selected institution will be asked to contribute only the travel costs associated with the on-site visit.

Any non-profit cultural institution demonstrating a commitment to collections care is eligible to apply for this survey. Applications for this survey are accepted every year.

The due date for 2023 applications will be Wednesday, November 1, 2023. Download the application here.

The arts are always at great risk of loss from unanticipated disasters. Even a small chaotic event can impact operations and cause an interruption in the community. The best way to recover from an unexpected event of any type is to have a plan.

ICA hopes all our members and cultural heritage partners in the region will find opportunities to ensure the protection of valuable and irreplaceable cultural resources. As a member of the Northeast Ohio Alliance for Response, we work closely with the Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management. If you are interested in learning more about disaster preparedness and upcoming programs contact Holly Witchey.

ICA is partnering with LYRASIS in the Mellon-Funded Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) Initiative, a comprehensive program, focused on helping performing arts organizations prepare for disaster, response, recovery and business continuity. For more information and helpful tools visit the PAR website