A nonprofit dedicated to preserving art and history has decided to call the Town of Owasco home.
After 50 years of operation, the West Lake Art Conservation Center (WLACC) has moved to the former Auburn Country Club/Lakeview Country & Golf Club at 6642 East Lake Rd, Auburn, Executive Director Joey Foster Ellis told FLX Local Media. Previously, the WLACC had been located in Skaneateles.
Aside from bringing new life to a location fondly remembered by many in the Auburn and Owasco areas, the new space will allow the group to continue its work conserving objects in danger of degradation. With 13,500 sq ft, the site will also be used to hold exhibitions, workshops, and educational opportunities.
Founded in 1975, the WLACC works to preserve historic and artistic objects such as paper items, sculptures, photographs, textiles, and paintings. Ellis explained their work as being “doctors” for objects under threat of degradation.
“We evaluate objects. They come to us and we look at their condition; we see where they’re in some sense dying, and we try to fix the situation… We’re like doctors for artifacts.”
While the WLACC has long served museums and universities, Ellis added that no matter how large or small the piece, the group handles them all with the same level of care.
“We work with institutions across the Northeast, but we also work with families and private collectors, anyone who has an artifact that they’re stewarding and they want it protected for future generations.”
For more information on the WLACC, visit westlakeconservators.com.
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