To Preserve and Protect

By April Hann Lanford

April Hann Lanford is the Principal of Artifact, a Chicago firm specializing in the preservation and protection of works of art and historical artifacts. Her story is one of curiosity and passion.

The American singer Tony Bennett is quoted as saying, “If you follow your passion, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Ever the enthusiast about antiques and history, I find myself active in a career that doesn’t feel like work but rather, feels like an adventure.

Every day brings new clients that have interesting artwork and antiques, each with their own story. Whether it is framing, a light cleaning, conservation, or a referral for another specialist, there is always a puzzle to solve.

I am often asked how I got into this field. Many see my passion for the industry and assume I went to school with this career in mind. This career was built by following my passions.

My parents were entrepreneurs who owned a jewelry store. My mother ran the storefront, taking care of customers, and sourcing the merchandise. My father handled the benchwork, handling jewelry repairs, resizing rings, setting stones, and even piercing ears. My twin sister, little brother, and I got an early taste at retail and customer service by running sidewalk sales, counting back change, and collecting small 14k gold clippings around Dad’s workbench.

My parents were also avid collectors and the family would spend free time scouring antique stores for interesting items to add to our collections. At 6 years old, I started my first focused collection; it was Mr. Peanut advertising items and original tins. To this day, when I come across a rare piece, I feel a rush like when I put that first pair of 1950’s Mr. Peanut salt and pepper shakers on my dresser as a little girl.

Lanford at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, her dream school.

This led to a class field trip to the conservation lab at the Art Institute of Chicago, where I met a conservator who was mapping out the flaking splattered paint on an original Jackson Pollock masterpiece. At that moment, I realized there was this incredible field where you could be at the intersection of fine art, conservation, art history and knowledge of materials. By this time, I was a custom picture framer at Michaels and the knowledge I was gaining from my studies allowed me to talk to customers about the importance of archival materials, UV filtering glass and the history of design.

One day during a lunch break, I saw two museum staff in the Dutch gallery, looking at a miter corner on an antique frame. I couldn’t resist and approached them. As it turned out, one was the director of the conservation department. He took my contact information and said I would get a call. After two months without a word, I decide to reach out again and, due to my persistence, I was able to meet the frame conservator and landed a volunteer internship position.

While interning, finishing my degree, working at the Michaels and assisting my mom, I told myself that pursuing all of these paths would help in the long run. This eclectic mix worked well. I was constantly learning, meeting interesting people, taking care of nice things, and paying my bills.

After graduating from college, I started studying chemistry and worked for the curator and the conservator for the largest private art collection in the Midwest, The Union League Club of Chicago. The insights I gained by assisting the painting conservator and assisting with the installation, display, and educational outreach of a large art collection increased my passion and excitement.

By 2004, my career path led me to the private sector, where I worked for privately owned conservation firms working for museums, the insurance industry and general public. I first started assisting clients for disaster response during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, running an emergency hotline to help clients who had collections in danger and facing catastrophic loss. Each disaster I respond to—Hurricane Katrina, Sandy, Matthew, Harvey, the wildfires in California and the debris flow in Montecito to name a few—reinforces my passion for helping others and preserving our past.

Even though I love preserving objects hands on, I find the most joy and fulfillment in working with colleagues and collectors to preserve and display their cherished pieces.

Some say that when you go on vacation, it isn’t about the destination, but the journey. There is a lot to be said for following your passions. Having a destination can help you find your way, but if you keep an open mind and not let the destination blind you to exploration, you can find yourself in a career perfectly tailored to you.