Artwork © Andre Lanoux 2015. Commissioned by Edward Maeder.

Karen Finch (OBE, D.Litt, FIIC, FRSA) was a leading advocate for textile conservation worldwide, transforming the profession through her teaching, workroom practice and writing. She founded the Textile Conservation Centre which became a leading institute for education and research, where pioneering advances were made in the remedial conservation of tapestries, painted silk banners, upholstered furniture and archaeological textiles.

Karen’s aim that conservation should preserve historical information led to a strong emphasis on technical documentation and preventative care. She believed in a collaborative approach bringing together conservators, curators and scientists in the understanding of textiles as historical documents.

Karen’s textile pursuits were broad; her personal engagement with textiles started with design and weaving, leading on to a profound interest in historical techniques and the meaning of textiles in daily life.

Latest blog posts

Latest features

Contributing to the site

Forum

We are very excited to offer a voice to all visitors to this site. The forum allows visitors to share their memories of Karen or engage in discussion about the wider world of textile conservation.

Comments

Visitors are also encouraged to use the comments sections found at the bottom of each blog post and feature (articles, interviews, tributes, conservation projects) to share relevant thoughts and feedback.

Recent posts on the forum

Recent comments

[better_recent_comments format=”{comment} {avatar} {author} on {post} {date}” number=”5″ excerpts=”false” date_format=”F jS, Y ● g:ia”]