ICA - Art Conservation

What ICA - Art Conservation does

ICA - Art Conservation (legal name: Intermuseum Conservation Association) is a Cleveland, Ohio-based nonprofit regional art conservation laboratory founded in 1952 as the nation's first such center, and one of only five nonprofit regional art conservation centers operating in the United States today. The organization provides professional conservation treatment across four specialties — paintings, works on paper, textiles, and three-dimensional objects — using established methods including surface cleaning, varnish removal, deacidification, consolidation, tear repair, corrosion reduction, humidification, mounting, and technical imaging via infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) examination. All treatments follow the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.

ICA complements treatment with preservation services (packing and transport, installation, display/framing, insurance claims documentation, disaster assistance, photography, and collection surveys) and an education program (free 30-minute consultations, monthly webinars, First Thursday lab tours, hands-on workshops at $75/person, customized institutional training, and 8-week graduate internships). The organization serves museums, libraries, archives, historical societies, universities, religious and community institutions, federal entities (NASA Glenn Research Center), and private collectors across Ohio and the broader Great Lakes corridor, with national reach through coordinated transport.

Revenue is generated from six streams: project-based conservation treatments (most exceeding $1,000 with a $400 treatment proposal fee and 50% deposit required), preservation services, annual organizational memberships offering consultation hours and $400 treatment discounts, individual donations, foundation grants (Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Cleveland Foundation, Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation, Ohio Arts Council), and paid education programs. The organization operates with 14 staff from its headquarters in the Pivot Center for Art, Dance, and Expression in Cleveland's Clark-Fulton neighborhood, and hosts Alliance for Response Ohio (AR-OH), a regional cultural heritage disaster preparedness network partnering with the Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management.

Name

ICA - Art Conservation

Legal name

Intermuseum Conservation Association

Website

https://ica-artconservation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ICA - Art Conservation is a Cleveland-based nonprofit founded in 1952, operating as the only regional nonprofit art conservation lab in the Midwest. It provides conservation treatment, preservation, and education services for museums, libraries, universities, and private collectors across the Great Lakes corridor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Conservation Treatment Services: Professional conservation treatment services for paintings, works on paper, textiles, and objects. Projects begin with examination, condition report, and treatment proposal ($400). Treatments are priced based on condition, size, and materials, with most projects exceeding $1,000.
2. Preservation Services: Packing and transportation, installation and de-installation, display and framing guidance, insurance claims documentation, disaster assistance support, photography and documentation, and collection surveys and assessments.
3. Membership Program: Annual membership with benefits including conservation consultation (up to 3 hours), treatment proposal, $400 discount on treatments of $600+, and private lab tours. Organizational membership for museums, libraries, historical societies, and other cultural institutions.
4. Individual Giving and Donations: Tax-deductible donations supporting educational mission, free and low-cost programs, and making conservation accessible for small institutions.
5. Education and Workshops: Educational programs including workshops (textile care workshop at $75), webinars, student tours, and professional training for cultural heritage institutions. First Thursday lab tours and monthly webinars are free.
6. Grant Funding: Support from foundations including Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Cleveland Foundation, Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ICA-Art Conservation provides professional conservation treatments for paintings, works on paper, textiles, and three-dimensional objects, complemented by preservation services including packing and transportation, installation, display and framing, insurance claims documentation, disaster assistance, photography and documentation, and collection surveys. The organization also delivers education programs such as workshops, webinars, lab tours, and pre-program student tours.

Product overview

ICA-Art Conservation operates as a nonprofit art conservation laboratory providing a suite of conservation and preservation services. The core offerings consist of four specialized conservation departments: Paintings Conservation, Works on Paper Conservation, Textiles Conservation, and Objects Conservation. These are complemented by preservation services including packing and transportation, installation and de-installation, display and framing, insurance claims assistance, disaster assistance, photography and documentation, and surveys and assessments. Educational programs include First Thursday Lab Tours, monthly webinars, graduate student fellowships, pre-program student lab tours, Caring for Treasures Pop-Up Museum presentations, customized workshops, and free consultations for cultural heritage professionals. The organization serves museums, libraries, archives, universities, historical societies, private collectors, and families across Ohio and the greater Midwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Paintings Conservation

Quantifiable outcome

• Free 30-minute consultations available for initial inquiries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and support.

• Alliance for Response Ohio (AR-OH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAR-OH is a collaborative network ICA hosts for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery for cultural heritage organizations. The group works with the Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management to reflect cultural needs in planning documents and delivers free programs on emergency readiness each year. AR-OH is creating a county-wide Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee to represent cultural organizations during crises.
• Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to protect and support cultural heritage organizations during emergencies and aid their recovery afterward. AR-OH collaborates with this office to ensure cultural needs are represented in emergency planning documents.
• NASA Glenn Research CenternotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative conservation treatment of a rare Voyager Golden Record copy. ICA cleaned the gold-plated copper record and worked with NASA to design a sealed display system with Plexiglas layers creating a controlled micro-environment to limit oxygen exposure and prevent corrosion.
• Cuyahoga Arts & CulturesupportGTM or Marketing PartnerFunder and supporter of ICA's mission to provide art conservation services to the region.
• The Cleveland FoundationsupportGTM or Marketing PartnerFoundation supporter of ICA's educational mission and conservation programs.
• Ohio Arts CouncilsupportGTM or Marketing PartnerState arts council providing funding support for cultural heritage preservation programs.
• Member Organizations (30+)coreOthers30+ member organizations including Akron Art Museum, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Butler Institute of American Art, Cleveland Public Library, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Kent State University Museum, and others. Benefits include conservation consultations, treatment proposals, and discounts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Getty Conservation Institute: Large research and conservation institution in Los Angeles operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust. Not a regional lab, but operates at the upper end of the same conservation profession, sets standards and methodology, and competes for the largest institutional and high-profile projects.
• Winterthur Museum Conservation Department: Large museum-affiliated conservation program at Winterthur in Delaware. Specializes in decorative arts conservation and offers graduate training in partnership with the University of Delaware; comparable high-end institutional conservation provider serving major museum collections.
• National Conservation Training Center (NCTC): U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service facility in Shepherdstown, WV that delivers conservation training across disciplines including museum and archive collections. Adjacent to ICA's education mission; shapes the broader professional training ecosystem ICA draws from.
• Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies (Harvard Art Museums): Major university-affiliated conservation laboratory at Harvard Art Museums. Provides museum-grade conservation for the Harvard collections and trains future conservators; competes for high-end institutional work and influences standards ICA's team follows (AIC Code of Ethics).

Emerging players

• Conservation X Labs: Technology-driven nonprofit focused on new tools and open-source methods for cultural heritage conservation. Limited overlap with traditional object treatment but increasingly relevant to the digital, scientific, and rapid-response corners of the same market.

Direct peers

• Balboa Art Conservation Center: Nonprofit regional conservation center in San Diego serving the Western U.S. One of the five nonprofit regional centers; directly comparable business model (member-supported conservation laboratory) and service breadth across paintings, paper, and objects.
• Northeast Document Conservation Center: Nonprofit regional conservation center in Andover, MA serving the Northeast. One of the same five nonprofit regional centers as ICA; comparable service model, institutional membership structure, and education/outreach programs, though specializing more heavily in paper and archives.
• Williamstown Art Conservation Center: Nonprofit regional conservation center in Williamstown, MA. One of the same five regional centers; comparable multi-specialty art conservation laboratory model and institutional client base, with similar education and training programs.
• Midwest Art Conservation Center: Nonprofit regional art conservation center based in Minneapolis serving the Upper Midwest. Closest structural peer to ICA: same nonprofit regional-center model, similar service mix across paintings, paper, objects, and textiles, and the same regional catchment that overlaps the Great Lakes corridor.
• Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts: Nonprofit regional art and artifacts conservation center in Philadelphia. One of the same five regional centers; same nonprofit model, similar multi-specialty conservation services for paintings, paper, and objects, and similar institutional client base of museums, libraries, and archives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/icaartconservation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCX EXAMPLE
• Facebookfacebook.com/ICAArtConservation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ica-art-conservation
• Instagraminstagram.com/icaartconservation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICA - Art Conservation