MACC’s highly trained staff of conservators and preservation professionals provide museum-quality treatments and consultations for Paintings, Paper, Textiles, Objects, and Preventive Conservation. All MACC’s programming is governed by the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation. Committed to continuing professional education, the MACC staff brings the most current standards, materials, and techniques to their daily practice.
Melissa Amundsen, Associate Preventive Conservator
Melissa Amundsen joined MACC after her graduate Fellowship at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, New York. She has completed internships at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Science Museum of Minnesota, MACC, and various private practices. She has special interest disaster response and preparedness, public art, and sustainability in conservation. Melissa holds a Master of Arts with a Certificate of Advanced Study in Conservation specializing in Paintings from the State University College of New York at Buffalo and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota. She is a member of the American Institute for Conservation.
Leslie Apple, Registrar
Leslie Apple joined MACC after completing her Museum Studies Certificate from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Indian Studies from Haskell Indian Nations University and completed her undergraduate internship at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. While attending IAIA she completed an internship at the Balzer Contemporary Edge Gallery. Leslie’s prior experience includes working for the Tiwahe Foundation, a community foundation that supports American Indians pursuing professional, educational, or cultural opportunities. She is a member of the Midwest Registrars Committee, the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM), and the National Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists.
Alexa Beller, Paintings Conservator
Alexa Beller joined MACC after completing a National Endowment for the Humanities Paintings Conservation Fellowship at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia. Prior, she completed internships at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Gianfranco Pocobene Studio, the department of the Conservation of Religious and Civil Art of the City of Paris, the Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts, and in the private practice of Ria German-Carter. Her experience is wide-ranging including Italian Renaissance panels, 19th-century French murals, early American portraits, and 20th-century mixed media paintings. Alexa holds a Master of Science in Conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation as well as a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is a Professional Associate member of the American Institute for Conservation and the Paintings Specialty Group.
Rita Berg, Paintings Conservator
Rita Berg joined MACC after completing a Kress Fellowship at the Conservation Center of New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts, where she treated Old Master paintings from the dispersed Samuel H. Kress Collection and assisted with teaching and supervision of graduate conservation students. Prior, she spent a year at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and internships at the New York Historical Society, the Cranmer Art Group in New York, The Cloisters, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. While specializing in Old Masters and panel paintings in particular, Rita has extensive experience with modern and contemporary works. She holds a Masters of Arts in Art History with an Advanced Certificate in Conservation from the Conservation Center, New York University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota. She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation with a membership in the Paintings Specialty Group.
Dianna Clise, Senior Paper Conservator
Dianna Clise joined MACC in 2007 after completing her Masters in Art Conservation with a specialization in works on paper from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Prior to pursuing her graduate degree, she worked at Etherington Conservation Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, Honours, in anthropology and cultural studies from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. Dianna is an Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation with a membership in the Book and Paper, and Photographic Materials Specialty Groups.
Megan Emery, Chief Conservator and Senior Objects Conservator
Megan Emery joined MACC in 2013 and is the Chief Conservator and Senior Objects Conservator. She received her MA in Art Conservation from Buffalo State’s Garmen Art Conservation Department. Previously, she was objects conservator at the Cincinnati Art Museum and held fellowships and internships at the National Museum of the American Indian, Walters Art Museum, and Poggio Colla Archeological Field School. Megan enjoys working on all types of materials, especially decorative arts, and objects from Indigenous and world cultures. She has extensive experience in the management of large-scale conservation projects, including monumental sculpture and murals. Megan is a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), active in AIC’s Objects Specialty Group, and a member of the International Institute for Conservation.
Nicole Grabow, Director of Preventive Conservation
Nicole Grabow joined MACC in 2006, coming from the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC. Prior to that, she was a Mellon Fellow at the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of the American Indian, located on the Washington DC Mall, and an intern at the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler Galleries. She holds a Master of Science from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, specializing in Objects Conservation, and a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. Nicole has particular interest in working with Native American communities and on public art projects. She was a MACC Senior Objects Conservator and Preventive Conservator prior to becoming the Director of Preventive Conservation. She is a Certified CAP Assessor and a Fellow of The American Institute for Conservation.
Kristy Jeffcoat, Senior Paintings Conservator
Kristy Jeffcoat has extensive experience in the care and preservation of paintings and painted surfaces, including canvas paintings, panel paintings, and painted sculpture, as well as Preventive Conservation. Prior to joining MACC, she worked at West Lake Conservators in Skaneateles, NY; the Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts in Denver, CO; and the Denver Art Museum. She interned at the Field Museum in Chicago, IL, and was a Kress Fellow at the Denver Art Museum. She holds a Masters of Art Conservation with a specialty in Paintings and Painted Surfaces from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario; a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Art Conservation from Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy, and Bachelor of Fine Arts with a specialization in Art History from Louisiana State University. Kristy is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation, Paintings Specialty Group, and has been with MACC since 2014.
Beth McLaughlin, Senior Textile Conservator
Beth McLaughlin was the Chief Textile Conservator at Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina from 2005 to 2010. She has significant training and experience in the conservation of historic and contemporary textiles and the preservation, care and re-housing of three-dimensional objects. Beth received a Masters in Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts summa cum laude from Ohio University and received advanced training at the Smithsonian Institution’s Conservation Analytical Laboratory and also at Colonial Williamsburg. She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation, Textile Specialty Group, and a member of the Southeast Regional Conservation Association, the American Quilt Study Group, and the Textile Society of America.
Courtney Murray, Objects Conservator
Courtney Murray joined MACC in 2017, coming from the Denver Art Museum where she worked from 2013-2017. Prior, she held fellowships and internships at the Royal British Columbia Museum, Toledo Museum of Art, Michael C. Carlos Museum, National Museum of the American Indian, and Indianapolis Museum of Art. Murray has extensive experience with a wide range of structures and materials. She particularly enjoys working on large-scale public art, community-led preservation projects, and science and technology collections. Courtney holds a Master of Science in Conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Emory University. She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation and is a member of the International Council of Museums-Committee for Conservation and the Association for Preservation Technology: Western Great Lakes Chapter. She is OSHA-30 certified for the construction industry.
Megan Randall, Objects Conservator
Megan Randall joined MACC in 2021, coming from Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) where she worked from 2015-2021. Prior to entering the field of conservation, she worked as a finisher at Modern Art Foundry in Astoria, Queens. She received a Master’s degree from Christie’s Education in 2008 and a Bachelor’s degree from Carleton College. She earned her Graduate degree in art conservation at the Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, NYU and interned at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. She is an Associate member of the American Institute for Conservation, Objects Specialty Group and Contemporary Art Network.
Olivia Thanadabout, Mellon Fellow – Preventive Conservation
Olivia Thanadabout joined MACC in 2023 as a year-long Mellon fellow in Preventive Conservation. She completed her Bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University, double majoring in Studio Art and Art History. In preparation for graduate school in art conservation, Olivia completed various pre-program internships at locations such as the Getty-UCLA Andrew W. Mellon Opportunity for Diversity in Conservation, The Staus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, and the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis. She is currently completing her Chemistry prerequisites at Normandale University. Along with her interests in art conservation, she enjoys making art that explores her Hmong heritage.
Colin D. Turner, Executive Director
Colin D. Turner has been Director of MACC since 2002 after prior nonprofit experience as the Director of United Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota and the Director of Fundraising for Fresh Air Radio in Minneapolis. He has a special interest in archaeology and indigenous and world cultural objects and holds degrees in Anthropology and History from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, as well as advanced training in Nonprofit Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. His business experience includes 11 years as the owner of a manufacturer’s representative firm and 4 years founding and managing a publishing company. Colin is a Professional Associate of The American Institute for Conservation, a member of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Twin Cities Nonprofit Financial Group, Chair of the National Association of Regional Conservation Centers, a member of the Regional Alliance for Preservation and serves on the Heritage Emergency National Task Force.
Lauren B. Walker, Office & Grants Manager
Lauren Walker joined MACC in 2022. She has extensive experience in the fields of administration, communications, accounting, graphic design, and content creation. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree at Augsburg University, majoring in Studio Art. Lauren is a member of the Minnesota Council of Non-Profits, and the Twin Cities chapter of the Non-Profit Financial Group.