Textile Conservation Workshop Staff
Patsy Orlofsky, Executive Director. Mrs. Orlofsky is the founder and director of the Textile Conservation Workshop. A scholar and lecturer on Judaic objects and American textiles, their history and care at museums and historical societies throughout the U.S.; she is the author of Quilts in America published in 1974, 1992. She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation and Kress Publications Committee liaison.
Karen Clark, Senior Conservator. Mrs. Clark, a graduate of the Cooperstown Graduate program in textile conservation with further study at the Winterthur Museum and at the National Gallery of Art, has been a conservator at the TCW since its inception. Prior to joining TCW, she was the textile conservator for the New York Sate Collections Care Center. She is a Fellow of the A.I.C.
Mary Kaldany, Senior Conservator. Ms. Kaldany is a graduate of the Art Conservation Department, State University of N.Y.-Buffalo where she earned an M.A. and Certificate of Advanced Study in Art Conservation. She specializes in the treatment of painted textiles and in the use of adhesives. She is a Professional Associate of the A.I.C.
Rebecca Johnson-Dibb, Conservator. Ms. Johnson-Dibb holds an M.S. in Historic Textiles and Conservation from the University of Rhode Island. An A.I.C. associate member, she is the author of papers on the effects of contact cleaning on historic textiles, and the identification of dyes on textile artifacts.
Katherine Barker, Field Services Director. Ms. Barker holds a B.A. in chemistry from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Her off-site work with museums and historical societies encompasses surveys, workshops, lectures and grant assistance. She is the author of "Iron Gall and the Textile Conservator" presented at the N.A.T.C.C., Philadelphia 2002.
Barbara Lehrecke, Conservator. Ms. Lehrecke has worked as a costumier before joining the TCW. Her research includes the conservation of fabrics associated with crèche figures. An A.I.C. associate, she specializes in textiles with 3-dimensional properties.