Midwest Art Conservation Center, Inc.

What Midwest Art Conservation Center, Inc. does

Midwest Art Conservation Center, Inc. (MACC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit regional conservation center founded in 1977 by area museums and physically located within the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It delivers museum-quality conservation treatment, preventive care, education, and 24/7 emergency response to cultural institutions, government entities, tribal collections, artists, and private collectors across the Midwest and, increasingly, nationally. Its core service lines span five specialties: Paintings, Paper, Textiles, and Objects conservation, plus Preventive Conservation. Underlying capabilities include advanced imaging and analytical instrumentation (UV/IR/XRF spectral imaging, X-radiography, FTIR, Raman, HPLC, GC-MS, SEM-EDS) and a NEH-funded research program developing a GIS-based framework for remote risk assessment of public art collections across multiple state and municipal partners.

MACC generates revenue through a blended model: fee-for-service conservation treatment (with $150 examinations for non-members), an annual membership program for nonprofits and government entities on a sliding fee scale (starting at $50), paid educational workshops ($300 for non-Minnesota residents, free for Minnesota residents through state arts funding), and grants and donations from institutional supporters including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: direct outreach to institutional members, on-site travel across the Midwest, 24/7 emergency response, and a workshop/education program that also functions as a marketing channel. Customer concentration is low, with revenue distributed across hundreds of small-to-mid-sized museums, historical societies, libraries, archives, tribal collections, artists, and private clients. Governance is via a volunteer board representing member institutions and the broader community.

Strategically, MACC is in a measured expansion phase. It has added staff in 2024-2025 across registrar and conservation roles, broadened fellowship offerings into Native American and Racial Justice Collections Care, and extended its Protecting Public Art Phase 2 partnerships into Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota. Offsetting this, the NEH-funded Protecting Public Art project was paused as of April 2025 due to federal funding status changes, creating near-term grant revenue exposure. Leadership transitioned to a new Executive Director, Tova Brandt, in 2026.

Name

Midwest Art Conservation Center, Inc.

Legal name

Midwest Art Conservation Center

Website

https://preserveart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Non-profit regional art conservation center founded in 1977, providing museum-quality treatment, preventive care, emergency response, and education across five specialties to Midwest museums, tribal collections, artists, and private collectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Conservation Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Art conservation services
• Preventive conservation
• Collections care
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Emergency disaster response

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Conservation Treatment Services: Fee-for-service conservation treatment for artworks and artifacts. Examinations cost $150 for non-members. Treatments are quoted based on complexity and added to conservator queue. Members receive 10% discount on treatment rates.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership available to non-profit organizations and government entities based on sliding fee scale tied to organizational budget. Membership provides free condition reports, 10% treatment discount, 24-hour disaster recovery assistance, free equipment loans, access to library and technical leaflets, free consultation and grant preparation assistance.
3. Educational Workshops: Fees charged for workshops on preventive conservation and collections care topics. Workshop fees are $300 for non-Minnesota residents with free registration for Minnesota residents through state arts funding.
4. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, MACC receives donations from individuals and institutional supporters, as well as grant funding from foundations including National Endowment for the Humanities, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and various private foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MACC provides museum-quality art conservation treatment, preventive care, and emergency response services across paintings, paper, textiles, and objects for museums, historical societies, libraries, archives, artists, and private collectors. The center complements these core treatments with 24-hour disaster response, repatriation assistance, design assessments for public art, research and analysis using advanced imaging, grant preparation help, workshops, fellowships, and a tiered institutional membership program.

Product overview

Midwest Art Conservation Center is a non-profit regional conservation center offering a comprehensive suite of conservation and preservation services for art and cultural heritage. The organization operates as a service provider rather than a software platform, delivering conservation treatments across five specializations: Paintings Conservation, Paper Conservation, Textiles Conservation, Objects Conservation, and Preventive Conservation. These core treatment services are complemented by support services including 24-Hour Emergency Response, Repatriation of Cultural Heritage, Disaster Preparedness, Design Assessments for public art, Research and Analysis with advanced imaging capabilities, Grant Assistance, and Membership programs. Education offerings include Workshops on collections care topics and Fellowships/Internships for emerging conservators. The organization also provides Technical Resources including free leaflets and equipment loans. MACC's services follow the AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice, serving museums, historical societies, libraries, archives, artists, and private collectors across the Midwest region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Paintings Conservation MACC paintings conservators treat paintings ranging from 14th-century traditional easel paintings to modern and contemporary works on canvas, wood, or hardboard supports with oil, acrylic, tempera, or mixed media. Treatments include cleaning, varnish removal, tear mending, restretchening, and loss compensation.
• Paper Conservation MACC paper conservators examine and treat works on paper including fine art prints and drawings, historical documents, and three-dimensional paper constructions. Treatments include surface cleaning, tear repair, loss compensation, tape removal, stain reduction, and flattening.
• Textiles Conservation MACC textile conservator treats tapestries, rugs, flags, quilts, coverlets, samplers, costumes, and other fiber-based arts. Treatments include mending, lining, wet or dry cleaning techniques, stabilization, loss compensation, and mounting for display.
• Objects Conservation MACC objects conservators examine and treat three-dimensional works of art and cultural heritage objects including ceramics, glass, metal, painted and unpainted wood, gilt surfaces, leather, feathers, ivory, bone, plant materials, plastic, and contemporary materials. Treatments include cleaning, repair or reassembly, surface stabilization, and loss compensation.
• Preventive Conservation The Preventive Conservation Department provides General Preservation Assessment Surveys, Object-by-Object Surveys, environmental monitoring equipment loans, and design phase assessments to help institutions improve and enhance collections care.
• 24-Hour Emergency Response MACC staff available 24 hours-a-day, 7 days a week to provide immediate assistance with disaster recovery efforts, including phone and email communications, condition assessment information, and on-site disaster recovery assistance.
• Repatriation of Cultural Heritage MACC aids in the repatriation of cultural heritage through hazardous materials analysis and identification, condition reports and conservation treatments, education and consultation, and grant and funding assistance.
• Disaster Preparedness MACC provides workshops on writing disaster plans, collection risk assessments, emergency response techniques, and free phone and email assistance about disaster planning. They participate in the Heritage Emergency National Task Force for regional emergency response coordination.
• Design Assessments for Artists MACC provides conservation assessments for artists working on public art projects, including artist interviews, design reviews, and studio visits to provide maintenance expectations, longevity assessments, and condition confirmation.
• Research and Analysis Services Advanced imaging and technical analysis services including stereo microscopy, high-resolution digital imaging (infrared, transmitted light, ultraviolet-induced fluorescence), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-radiography, and sampling for chromatographic and spectroscopic analysis.
• Workshops on Preventive Conservation and Collections Care MACC offers workshops on preventive conservation and collections care topics including Emergency Preparedness, Wet Salvage, Condition Reports, Art Handling, Arsenic Testing, and Museum Environments, available both in-person and on-demand for institutions.
• Fellowships and Internships MACC offers fellowship and intern opportunities including Fellowship in Collaborative Conservation, Fellowship in Native American Collections Care, Fellowship in Racial Justice Collections Care, Paintings Conservation Internship, and Objects Conservation Internship.
• Grant Assistance MACC staff assists institutions in identifying funding sources, providing project consulting, writing Long Range Conservation Plans, consulting on grant protocols, providing surveys, and reviewing grant proposal applications for preservation and conservation projects.
• Institutional Membership Program Annual membership available to non-profit organizations and government entities, providing free in-lab reports, 10% discount on treatments, 24-hour disaster recovery assistance, free equipment loans, access to library and technical leaflets, and free grant preparation assistance.
• Private Client Conservation Services Private collectors, corporations, and individuals can access MACC's conservation services for paintings, objects, textiles and works on paper, with examinations at $150 cost for non-members and treatments adhering to AIC Code of Ethics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves hundreds of small to mid-sized institutions annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Washington's State Art CollectioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Phase 2 partner in the NEH-funded Protecting Public Art project to develop GIS-based remote risk assessment framework for public art collections. Washington's State Art Collection provided pilot risk assessment data for the project.
• Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Phase 2 partner in the Protecting Public Art project. TriMet's public art collection participates in the GIS mapping initiative for risk assessment and emergency preparedness.
• City of Phoenix Arts and CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Phase 2 partner in the Protecting Public Art project. Phoenix's public art program participates in developing the risk assessment framework.
• Coral Gables Art in Public Places ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Phase 2 partner in the Protecting Public Art project. Coral Gables' municipal art collection participates in the GIS risk assessment initiative.
• City of MinneapoliscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Phase 2 partner in the Protecting Public Art project. Minneapolis participates in the GIS mapping framework for public art risk assessment.
• Minneapolis Institute of ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMACC is located inside the Minneapolis Institute of Art with its own entrance and loading dock. Collaborative conservation projects are conducted for Mia's collection.
• Maȟpíya Lúta (Red Cloud), The Heritage CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Tawa Ducheneaux represents this institution on MACC's Board of Directors, indicating ongoing collaborative relationship.
• Speed Art MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Erika Holmquist-Wall represents this institution on MACC's Board of Directors.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library (University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation): Hosts the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, providing graduate training and conservation services on decorative arts, textiles, paper, and objects. Multiple MACC staff trained there (Berg, Beller, Grabow, Murray), making it both a peer and a direct talent feeder.
• Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC): Regional nonprofit conservation center serving libraries, archives, museums, and cultural institutions in the Northeast U.S. Directly comparable to MACC in mission, service model (treatment, training, emergency response), and nonprofit governance structure; MACC is its Midwest counterpart.
• Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA): Philadelphia-based nonprofit conservation center providing paper, photograph, and artifact conservation plus preservation training to cultural institutions. Shares MACC's nonprofit model, multi-disciplinary treatment services, and training/workshop revenue streams.
• Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies (Harvard Art Museums): Long-standing conservation center at Harvard Art Museums performing treatment and technical analysis on collections. Comparable to MACC in advanced imaging capabilities (XRF, FTIR), talent depth, and educational/training programs.
• Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts (NYU): Graduate conservation training program that also performs treatment and research projects. Shares MACC's multi-disciplinary conservation work, fellowship/training mission, and advanced analytical capabilities; both contribute to Kress- and Mellon-trained talent pipeline cited in MACC's own staff bios.
• Balboa Art Conservation Center (BACC): San Diego-based nonprofit regional conservation center offering paintings, paper, textiles, and objects conservation to institutions across the Western U.S. Directly comparable to MACC as a multi-specialty nonprofit regional center with emergency response and educational programs.
• Williamstown Art Conservation Center: Nonprofit art conservation center in Williamstown, MA serving museums, historical societies, and private collectors in the Northeast. Comparable to MACC in regional-center positioning, treatment specializations, and nonprofit funding model.
• Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts: Nonprofit art conservation center in Denver providing paintings, objects, and paper conservation to museums and collectors. Directly comparable in scope, services offered, and regional-center nonprofit model; cited in MACC staff biographies as prior employment.

Others

• American Institute for Conservation (AIC) of Historic and Artistic Works: Professional membership association for conservators that sets the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice that MACC's staff follow. Not a competitor but a governing/credentialing body that legitimizes MACC's conservators and shapes the broader profession.

Broad incumbents

• Getty Conservation Institute: Research and education arm of the Getty Trust focused on conservation science and training globally. Overlaps with MACC on advanced imaging/analytical work, training, and publications, but operates at much greater scale as a private foundation-backed institute.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/midwestartconservationcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midwest-art-conservation-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/preserve.art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 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 Midwest Art Conservation Center, Inc.