Lunch & Learn with Guest Speaker / artist: Laura Pate

Lunch & Learn is a free monthly in-person program, typically held the first Tuesday of the month, from 12 noon – 1:30 p.m. at Irving Arts Center. The guest speaker for January 7 is Laura Pate, objects conservator and owner of Brown Mountain Art Restoration in Dallas. 

Participants will get a ‘behind the scenes’ look into the fascinating stories, processes & materials of art conservation and restoration – an aspect of art collecting and museum practice not often glimpsed by the public!

About the Artist / Guest Speaker 

Laura Pate has 30 years of experience as a decorative arts conservator. For 24 of those years, she has owned and operated Brown Mountain Art Restoration, a company specializing in the conservation and restoration of ceramics and porcelains, paintings, gilded frames and objects as well as public art.

Laura is a ceramic artist and holds a BA in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin. She has been a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation since 2013 and has a Specialty Certificate in the Care of Decorative Objects from The International Preservation Studies Center.

In 2006 she participate in an Angel Project for the Museum of Biblical Art assisting in the treatment of several plaster sculptures on loan to the institution that were damaged in a fire that destroyed much of the museum. This, as well as the dramatic increase in extreme weather events, sparked an interest and involvement in disaster preparedness and emergency response that continues today.

She is a board member of Texas Cultural Emergency Response Alliance, a Texas Heritage Responder as well as a National Heritage Responder.

Her client base includes museums, galleries, private collectors, antique dealers and many other cultural institutions.

About Lunch & Learn

Irving Arts Center’s Lunch & Learn program meets the first Tuesday of the month, October through May, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.  The program is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch or snack.

Since 2014, this informal art education program for adults has provided fun and informative enrichment opportunities as well as a lively discussion forum for exploring current exhibitions at IAC and other art-related topics.

The 2024-2025 series runs from October 2024 through May 2025.  Dates are Oct. 1, Nov. 5, Dec. 3, Jan. 7, Feb. 4, March 4, April 1 and May 6. 

For more information, please contact Marcie Inman, Curator/ Director of Exhibitions & Educational Programs at minman@cityofirving.org or 972.252.7558, ext. 1225.