Rowan Geiger, Founder and President of Preservation Arts, received her Master’s Degree in Art Conservation from the Royal College of Art in London in 2000. For over a decade, Geiger held conservator positions at institutions including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, SFMOMA, and the Asian Art Museum. From this experience, she recognized the need to open a museum quality conservation studio in the private sector.

In 2013, Geiger went into private practice focusing on object and sculpture conservation. To meet growing demands, she sought out and created a team of experts in painting, outdoor sculpture, and paper. In 2017, the business expanded to include emergency response services to treat artworks affected by the Northern California wildfires. By 2018, the staff had outgrown the facilities and moved to a larger studio in Oakland. Today, the team of 18 maintains numerous public and private collections, offering expert conservation treatments for paintings, works on paper, objects, and outdoor sculpture, as well as collections management and art services. Preservation Arts is now the largest private facility on the West Coast.

Founder and President Rowan Geiger and four staff conservators hold Professional Associate status with the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), the leading membership association for current and aspiring conservators and allied professionals who preserve cultural heritage. Preservation Arts performs all treatments in accordance with AIC guidelines.

mission

Preservation Arts provides museum quality conservation services to the private sector. Informed by decades of experience, the interdisciplinary team of professionals offers innovative solutions to conservation projects of all scales and media, performing every treatment with the highest level of ethical standards.

Each project has a unique history and context that requires an individualized approach to treatment, and clients have specific needs and expectations. Concerns like material and condition are carefully considered, and each custom treatment plan addresses artist intent, storage, display, environment, and re-treatability. Our holistic approach, guided by the philosophy that long term preservation and high level client service informs treatment, distinguishes Preservation Arts as a leader in the conservation field.