Interview with Barbara Mangum told to Gregory Jenkins
While many folks know you through your work at the Somerville museum, tell us more about your work as a conservator. How did you get into this line of work?
I grew up in a household where science and craftsmanship were equally valued. Both of my parents were chemists, and they instilled in me a deep appreciation for scientific inquiry. At the same time, they were enthusiastic craftspeople. My mother poured, painted, and fired ceramics in a kiln she had at home, while my father spent his spare time woodworking. They encouraged my siblings and me to participate in these creative pursuits, giving me an early appreciation for both the technical and the artistic.
When I enrolled at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, I initially chose to major in chemistry. However, while exploring elective courses, I became captivated by art history and the process of creating art. My interest grew so strong that I ultimately decided to pursue a double major in chemistry and art history, with more work in studio art. During my final year, one of my art history professors suggested that I consider a career in art conservation. I immediately recognized that this choice would bring together everything I loved—science, art, and craftsmanship. It took another three years of studio work and applications to be accepted into one of the three graduate schools in art conservation available at that time.
I have been deeply grateful for the path that led me to this profession. Art conservation allows me to preserve works of art and historic artifacts for future generations while restoring them in ways that better reflect the original ideas and intentions of the artist or maker. By doing so, we help to reveal to the public more clearly the meaning and message the creator sought to convey through their work.
How is the work of a conservator creative work? Tell us more about how the creative and technical collide.
Just as a musician interprets and performs a composition written by someone else—for instance, by reading a score—the success of the performance lies in the quality of that interpretation. Art and artifact conservation involves a similar process of interpretation. A conservator’s work may involve stabilizing and preserving an object for future viewers or restoring it in a way that evokes its original appearance or reflects the artist’s intent.
Conservation ultimately requires balancing what can be done with what should be done. Treatments must preserve the integrity of the original object, avoiding damage or the obscuring of original materials, while also interpreting what the artist or maker sought to achieve. To better understand this “artist’s intent,” conservators often work collaboratively. A team may include a conservator alongside a curator or other specialist who can provide context about the work. This collaborator might be an art historian, archaeologist, conservation scientist, or another expert whose knowledge helps illuminate the intentions behind the object’s creation.
The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) is a national professional organization that establishes and maintains guidelines for the practice and ethics of art and artifact conservation. Among these principles, two have been particularly important in shaping my approach to the field.
First, treatment should be as minimal as possible so that the conservator does not interfere with the artist’s or maker’s intent. Ideally, when a conservation treatment is complete, the conservator’s work should remain invisible; the viewer’s attention should rest on the artwork or artifact itself.
Second, conservation involves both technical skill and craftsmanship. Treatments should be carried out using high-quality, stable materials that will not deteriorate prematurely. For example, pigments should be lightfast, binding media should resist discoloration, and—perhaps most importantly—any repair should be reversible so that future conservators can remove it without harming the original object. No restoration can endure indefinitely in the same way the original materials have, but careful treatment can last for many years. Because each conservation intervention carries some risk, minimizing the number of times an object must be treated is an important goal in preservation.
The craftsmanship involved in conservation is one of the aspects of the field that I find most rewarding. I enjoy discovering how a work was constructed and how it came into being. Conservators have the rare opportunity to interact with artworks in a way that few others—visitors or even curators—ever experience. The work is meticulous and often carried out under magnification. While some might find this process tedious, for conservators it can be deeply revealing and illuminating.
One particularly satisfying skill in conservation is inpainting. This step follows the filling and preparation of an area where material has been lost. The fill, often made from a material similar to fine spackle, must be carefully shaped, sanded, and textured to match the surrounding surface once it has dried. Inpainting then involves using carefully selected pigments and media to integrate the repaired area visually with the original surface. Achieving a convincing result requires matching not only the color (hue), but also the saturation and gloss of the surrounding area. In some cases, multiple layers of paint or glaze must be applied to recreate the depth and subtlety of the original surface.
How did you start working with the Somerville Museum? Tell us more about the beginning.
As an art conservator, I have often been asked by a museum or historic society to evaluate the environment in which collections are stored or exhibited and to assess the general condition of art or artifact collections. This usually results in a report where I summarize my findings and suggesting corrective measures. These reports are often used as the basis of strategic plans and grant requests. Around 2005, I was asked to undertake an NEH supported condition evaluation of the storage space of collections at the Somerville Museum. At the time, the Museum had a leaky roof, which had been patched many times and other issues that many people in Somerville will understand – a wet and moldy basement. As a resident of Somerville, I was happy to help out this wonderful institution. At the conclusion of the assessment, I put together a list of priorities to be done to bring the Museum into 21st c. museum standards of care. To help out further, I volunteered to write a grant to the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Facility Fund for funding to replace the slate roof in-kind. Lo and behold, we received $104,000 for the over $200,000 project, but it needed to be matched before it could be received. The Museum did not have a robust development department at the time, so it took 4 years and a capital campaign “Send a Valentine to the Somerville Museum”, to raise the funds -in part because this occurred during the Dot-com bubble of 2008. We did succeed in matching it to everyone’s delight and went on to have the roof, gutters, and woodwork replaced and to make chimney repairs. Seeing this completed, encouraged me and the Museum Board to continue to ask for funds from state and federal funding agencies. The biggest change occurred when the City of Somerville finally passed the Community Preservation Act around 2014. From then on, we were able to apply and receive funding from the City for major capital projects at the Museum. In addition, we were able to use those funds as matching funds for State agencies as well. All of this helped the Board to feel confident about moving forward to launch our major campaign, the Access for All & More Campaign. Ultimately, we raised about $3.7 million for the Museum’s upgrades, including the addition of an elevator for improved access.
The museum has gone through another Renaissance era, with major capital upgrades and staff support. Tell us about this exciting work?
With funds from the Access for All & More Campaign, the building and landscape of the Museum was renovated and upgraded to 21st c. standards. Beyond the elevator addition, we had the Bulfinch staircase restored last year, installed climate control in the collection control area, and installed climate control throughout the Museum’s galleries. We replaced old, worn-out carpets with new wood and wood-engineered floors, and repainted walls and ceilings throughout. A new small gallery was created on the second floor (our demi-gallery) and a multi-purpose room was built in the basement. We removed all collections and archives from the Museum and stored them for safety during these renovations. These are now back at the Museum and we are undertaking a longterm project to catalogue these so they can be made usable by the public.
In order to take on these projects with their associated high costs, the Museum administration has also been transformed. Most importantly has been the hiring of a full-time Executive Director along with three other part-time staff and many, many volunteers. Our Board has expanded to 19 trustees, all of whom are deeply committed and talented.
What is your favorite place or space in Somerville and why?
Other than my home and local community on Josephine Avenue, my favorite place is obviously the Museum! Still, I have to say that when I first came up to Somerville in 1978 from the south, I found the architecture of Somerville very charming. I was used to sprawling ranch type houses with lots of land, but Somerville showed me that density is a plus when done right. How great is it to walk to your neighborhood store and your neighbors are close by. Block parties! So much to love.
More Artists of the Month from 2026
Andrew Stearns & Stacy Friedman, May 2026 Artist of the Month
Archives
About the Artist of the Month
This program is inspired by the Nave Gallery’s “Featured Artist” program, which ran from 2005 to 2009.
SAC’s Artist of the Month program is a way for us to celebrate the enormous wealth of talent in our city, by shining a spotlight on a different creative Somervillian each month.
This program has been put together by a whole raft of people: Coordinators Jenn Harrington (2013-2014) and Kellie Veiga (2013), Gilmore Tammy (2017) and Somerville Arts Council board members Matt Kaliner, Tim Devin, Valeria Amato, and Michael J. Epstein, Bill House (2019-2020), Charan Devereaux (2019-2025), Tori Weston (2019-2025) and Andrea Read (2022-2025). Current coordinators, are Kerrie Kemperman (2019-), Seth Garcia (2025-), and Ben Cuba (2026-).
Know of a great Somerville based artist who should be recognized, please nominate the artist for consideration. We seek artists who contribute to the community through their strong work and community collaborations. Artist should either reside in the City or contribute to the City’s vibrant art scene.