Mission
Shifting the practice of art conservation to include cultural equity at the foundation.
Vision
Contribute toward building and sustaining thriving communities in the field of heritage preservation.
Values
• Connection
• Growth
• Curiosity
• Integrity
• Excellence
We believe both people and objects have living histories that grow and shift with time. Working with individuals, organizations, and teams, we aim to tell more honest and complete histories of cultural heritage while building community and belonging among practitioners.
Through a combination of training + practice, our work fosters connection among people, ideas, and resources. At LH::EP, we celebrate open-hearted learning, experimentation, making mistakes, taking a breath, and trying again–knowing that small intentional steps lead to deep and impactful change. Our efforts build communities of trust to aid the learner and bolster impact.
In addition to knowledge about the care and preservation of artworks, conservators are:
• Multilingual across disciplines.
• Curious, resourceful, problem-solvers.
• Researchers and project managers.
• Visual storytellers.
• Collaborators who reach across technologies and professions to enhance our work.
• Connectors of past and present.
• Practitioners committed to strengthening cultural understanding.
About Our Work
“I believe we can redefine what it means to be art conservators, moving from ‘behind-the-scenes’ practitioners and experts to arts leaders who catalyze needed change in our world.”
Sarah Kleiner
Founder and Lead Consultant, Living Histories Expansion Project
About Our Founder
Sarah Kleiner / Founder and Lead Consultant
Living Histories Expansion Project
Photo by Gary Sexton
Sarah Kleiner, Founder and Lead Consultant, connects the intersection of art conservation, resource mobilization, and equity-based frameworks. She believes the care and preservation of art cannot be separated from the care and preservation of people. In this role, Sarah co-creates professional development opportunities to empower individuals and teams to navigate uncertainty, set equity at the foundation of their work, and reach their full potential while building generative networks. She brings 20 years experience within leading cultural heritage institutions such as the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, and Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, along with a background in development and equity-based facilitation. Sarah is a skilled teacher and guest lecturer on topics such as why conservation is not neutral or purely technical. She has a BA in studio art from Colorado College and an MS in paintings conservation from Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. Her superpower is creating frameworks that align mission and values to deepen impact and storytelling. Outside of LH::EP, Sarah serves as Manager of Strategic Development for the Balboa Art Conservation Center, where she leads the Marketing and Development team and supports strategic planning for programs.