Here you will find answers to most of your questions.
If your questions aren’t covered here, please use the form below to email us or you can contact us at (336) 509-0536
Marianne Kelsey received her training working at a variety of institutional conservation labs across the country, including the University of Iowa and the State Historical Society of Iowa. She most recently completed a nine-year tenure with Etherington Conservation Services, a regional conservation center. In addition to her Bachelor’s degree in Art from Earlham College, she has been awarded the distinction of Professional Member by the American Institute for Conservation. She attends continuing education courses regularly through Rare Book School, The Campbell Center for Historic Preservation, SERCA, AIC, and other preservation-related institutions. These courses help her continue to expand her skill set and keep up with the growing body of knowledge regarding conservation treatments and methodology.
We offer complimentary estimates for customers who are able to travel to our studio in Greensboro for consultations. We typically reserve Fridays for client consultations, but also offer weekend appointments for customers traveling from out of town. During your visit, our Conservator will take some time to evaluate your artifact(s) and discuss your needs. By the end of your visit, we will give you recommendations for treatment and the associated fees. Should you decide at that point that you would like to have an official quote drafted (a legal document denoting the exact treatment and fees recommended), you can leave the item at our studio with a $100 quote fee. Once you have approved the treatment and returned the signed quote form with a 50% deposit, the project will be placed in our work queue. Typical turn-around times for conservation treatments are about 4-6 months.
Turn-around times for conservation treatments are variable, but typically run 4-6 months. Rush services are many times available for an additional fee.
Each historical & artistic object is different. The fees for treatment vary widely and are based upon the materials, labor and skill required to complete the project. However, treatment will rarely cost less than $500.
We can provide you with treatment recommendations and a ballpark estimate based off of photos and additional details you provide. The more detailed you are in the information you provide, the more accurate our estimate will be. However, ultimately every artifact must be examined, tested and evaluated in person at our studio to determine if it is treatable and what the best approach & associated cost will be.
The artwork will ideally be stored and/or displayed in a climate controlled environment. The relative humidity (RH) should not exceed 50-60%. Attics and basements are to be avoided due to concerns about poor air circulation, and extreme temperatures & RH shifts. It is best to avoid displaying your work of art over HVAC vents, fireplaces or humidifiers.
See our video on how to create your own odor removal chamber:
If meeting in person is not an option, you are welcome to mail your book or paper-based artifacts to us for evaluation. In order to do so, you will need to submit an inquiry via the Contact page, or call us at: (336)509-0536. We will send you the necessary paperwork. Once you have completed the Request for Quote form, you mail it to me along with your item and a quote fee. Once we have received your item, we are usually able to evaluate it and issue the quote document within 1-2 weeks. You can receive your quote via email or US Postal Service. Once you have approved the treatment and returned the signed quote form with a 50% deposit, the project will be placed in our work queue. Typical turn-around times for conservation treatments are about 4-6 months. Rush services are many times available for an additional fee.
Yes, they will. It is imperative to be certain the mat board used to frame your work of art on paper is made from 100% alpha cellulose or pure cotton rag. Crescent mat board offers an excellent line of museum quality mat boards appropriate for framing fine art. Mat boards that are made from wood pulp will degrade more quickly, and cause mat burn. Even when you use the highest quality mat board, you should anticipate replacing the backing board and window mat housing your artwork once every twenty years or so, as these boards will deteriorate over time eventually, and its best to prevent any damage from occurring by replacing them periodically.
Framing with a UV-filtered plexiglass glazing is ideal. Regardless of the UV-filtered framing package, it is still best to minimize direct and excessive exposure to sunlight as much as possible. LED lighting is ideal. Materials that are most prone to fading due to light exposure are newsprint, blueprints, gouache, watercolors and many materials used in the creation of Modern Art. Once a work of art has become damaged by light exposure, although aesthetics can often be improved, the damage itself cannot be reversed.
If you have valuable books or paper artifacts that are in need of restoration, Kelsey Book & Paper Conservation offers top-notch conservation services in several cities throughout the United States. With years of experience in the field, their team of experts specializes in the restoration and conservation of books, manuscripts, and other paper materials.
Expert Conservation Services throughout the United States serving the following major cities in the U.S.
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Asheville
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Atlanta
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Chapel Hill
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Charleston
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Charlotte
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Chattanooga
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Columbia
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Durham
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Fayetteville
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Louisville
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Nashville
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Raleigh
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Richmond
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Roanoke
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Savannah
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Virginia Beach
Fine Art & Paper Restoration Washington
Fine Art & Paper Restoration national
Fine Art & Paper Restoration nationwide
Jessica Murphy
Robert Paschka
I found Marianne Kelsey through an internet search looking for a paper conservation specialist. My piece was a painting from East Germany executed on paper in 1968. While the piece had been stored flat for many years, it has signs of acid ageing and small tears along the edges. Transport from Germany required I roll it into a drawing tube which induced a curl in the work. The painting itself gathered a bit of dirt through the years and also required cleaning.
I am happy to report that the painting is in great shape - now clean and expertly repaired and the paper acid neutralized in a process lasting over 10 months. Marianne Kelsey did a wonderful job preserving my painting! She also connected me with an experienced archival framing company that finished the project. I couldn't be happier!
Wiley Harris
We searched carefully to find someone highly qualified to do the work we needed. We had two lithographs, one Picasso and one Chagall, that we entrusted to Marianne Kelsey to restore. The former had two tears, going into the color, and was rolled. The latter, on rice paper, had been folded and stored in abysmal conditions. She repaired the tears on the Picasso such that we have to really search to find where we think they were. It now looks gorgeous framed. The Chagall was flattened and smoothed, with most of the staining removed. We just picked it up and are thrilled with the transformation (it’s waiting to be framed). Feel safe knowing that your most prized pieces will be carefully attended by Marianne.
Kim Davis
Marianne works with meticulous craftsmanship. She has a broad swath of experience as a book conservator both within the industry and as a personal practitioner. She is scrupulous, honest, and careful in her business dealings, and her follow-through is excellent. In addition to being a skilled book conservator, she is a paper and book maker of the finest quality. I am including a photo of a book she made for me,
Linda Troop
Marianne recently repaired and restored an important family heirloom - my Grandmother’s Beauty School Diploma from 1936. The damage it had sustained broke my heart. Marianne was professional and empathetic. She totally got how important it was to me. The final product came out better than I had hoped! She also gave me a great recommendation for framing to further preserve this important piece of my family’s history. I would recommend her without hesitation.
Desi Smith
I used to contract Marianne when I worked at an art museum. She would do a series of book binding classes. People would come in with no experience and leave with a beautiful book they were proud of! Because of her thorough and patient style people would be so thrilled with their books they would sign up for the whole series. She was great to work with and great with the patrons. She gained a loyal following! I would recommend her for any class she offers and the quality of her work is superb! She is also very kind and easy to work with.
Anne Hall
Marianne is an accomplished conservator. When asked locally here in Richmond where I could get a heirloom vellum (parchment) indenture contract preserved and restored, she was highly recommended by staff at the Virginia (Historical) Library.
Worth the trip to Greensboro!
Marianne kept her promises of estimate, duration and finish date. She is so meticulous and knowledgeable of different inks, fabrics and mediums.
You can tell she takes great pride in (as well she should!), and loves her work. A True Master!
★Thank you M.K.!
Don E. Moe
Over the past few years Marianne Kelsey has helped me with two projects. She restored and preserved a nineteenth-century scrapbook, and just recently she preserved a watercolor that dates, probably, from about 1900. Both items are valued highly by my family; I can’t imagine receiving better service. In Marianne we found supreme expertise as well as a level of personal care that larger shops are unable to provide.
Neil McIntyre
Marianne is a highly skilled conservator. She's a patient listener with her clients, flexible, and passionate about her work. And her results speak for themselves. Her knowledge on paper and book making helps her ability to explain restoration to others unfamiliar with the anatomy of various documents. A wonderful restorer and teacher! Highly recommend.
Katherine Brelje
In a move several years ago, my son discovered an old family Bible that was literally falling apart. It contains original family pages with hand written entries of births, marriages and deaths for several generations in our family (beginning in 1823) that are in remarkable condition, but the front and back covers and parts of the spine were in really bad shape. Some parts of the covers were completely separated from the Bible, pieces of the leather on the spine had come off and some of the pages were falling out or were loose.
Marianne Kelsey did an amazing job in restoring the this family treasure! Using archival materials and her expertise as a conservator, she restored the covers and spine, mended torn pages, resewed loose pages and mounted the beautifully restored spine on the newly rebacked and restored volume. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the newly restored Bible! Now this priceless family Bible can be viewed and enjoyed by future generations in our family!
Thank you, Marianne!
Louann Clarke
Michael Heny
Barbara Lahman
Catherine Thomis
Glenn T
A. Nicole Gaines
Lori Evans
No more broken and damaged documents, artwork and books! Show your treasured artifacts and family heirlooms care and preserve them with our quality repair and restoration services.
Our Services
Kelsey Conservation Studio Conservationis a full-service conservation business with over two decades of experience in working with large-scale projects on paper and other mediums.
Cleaning, mold removal, stain removal, re-binding, re-backing, re-casing, removal of mending tape and adhesive residue.
Cleaning, washing, repairing paper tears, repairing, damaged sewing structures, restoration of original covers
Restoration, conservation, restoration of loss, aqueous wash stain and foxing removal, adhesive removal and replacement.
Repair paper-based artwork, watercolor paintings, pastel paintings, lithographs, aquatint, mezzotint, pencil, ink drawings, acrylic paintings.
Restoration, conservation, restoration of loss, aqueous wash stain and foxing removal, adhesive removal and replacement.
We offer a full range of services to help you preserve your family’s genealogical documents and historical artifacts.
Our Clients
We’ve helped many to recover their precious items back to original condition. But don’t take our word for it.
Marianne was clear and consistent in her guidance of how to restore my artifact. She was not the cheapest quote, but her expertise and professionalism ultimately gave me confidence that she was the best person to do the project. The end product is excellent!
Marianne recently completed some work for us in restoring an antique lithograph. She exhibited exceptional professionalism and care in completing our project, and we were very pleased with the result. We would certainly recommend her for your restoration projects.
Marianne is a highly skilled conservator. She's a patient listener with her clients, flexible, and passionate about her work. Her knowledge on paper and book making helps her ability to explain restoration to others unfamiliar with the anatomy of various documents.
They say you get what you pay for. The work Marianne did was worth every dollar, and the time waiting for the restoration to be done. I was truly amazed that she was able to restore an 80 year old newspaper with substantial damage to like new conditon.
We’re accepting new projects and would love to hear about yours. Got a question? Drop us an email.
Kelsey Book & Paper
Conservation Services
Servicing these U.S. regions
Washington, DC
Atlanta, Georgia
San Francisco, California
Chicago, Illinois
Boston, Massachusetts
New York City, New York
Newark, New Jersey
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Seattle, Washington
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nashville, Tennessee
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Salt Lake City, Utah
Kelsey National Book & Paper Conservation is a full-service conservation studio with over two decades of experience in working with large-scale projects on paper, parchment and vellum. We are equipped to handle small drawn etching to larger and more complex works on paper including paintings, printed artwork, auquatint, historical documents, books and manuscripts.
We provide a range of services, from consulting and treatment planning, to in-depth artifact assessment, testing and analysis.
North Carolina
Washington, DC
Atlanta, Georgia
San Francisco, California
Chicago, Illinois
Boston, Massachusetts
New York City, New York
Newark, New Jersey
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Seattle, Washington
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nashville, Tennessee
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Salt Lake City, Utah
Daily 9.30 am–6.00 pm EST
(336) 509-0536
info@kelseyconservation.com
Kelsey National Book & Paper Conservation © 2023. All Rights Reserved
Website design by A10 Web Design, A10 CyberWorks LLC
Privacy Policy